Hollister
– Sheriff’s Deputy Rich Brown was injured chasing a speeding red
sports car on Highway 156 Friday morning after getting struck by a
motorist.
Hollister – Sheriff’s Deputy Rich Brown was injured chasing a speeding red sports car on Highway 156 Friday morning after getting struck by a motorist.
Brown’s cruiser slid off the roadway near Highway 25 after being struck by 45-year-old Salinas resident Jose Ramirez. Brown was in the process of making an emergency U-turn to stop the speeder, traveling in the opposite direction, when Ramirez’s F-150 pick-up struck his rear fender, according to California Highway Patrol Spokesman Chris Armstrong.
Brown was flown by helicopter to a San Jose area hospital with minor injuries. CHP officers closed the road for 45 minutes after the collision, Armstrong said.
Sheriff Curtis Hill said Brown was recovering at his Hollister home as of press time on Friday. Ramirez was not injured in the accident. The speeder, who had passed several cars by crossing over double-lines, got away, Hill said.
“At first, we were really concerned because we didn’t know the extent of his injuries,” Hill said. “But he just got banged up a little.”
Alcohol was not a factor in the collision. CHP is still investigating the accident, Armstrong said.
Hill said Brown has an excellent safety record.
“Our guys work hard,” he said. “But accidents happen.”
Brown, a veteran deputy, works part-time as a resource officer at San Benito High School.
