CHP Officer Suffers 2 Broken Legs After Car Slams Into His Patrol Unit on Hwy 101

A California Highway Patrol officer suffered two broken legs today after a woman driving home from a casino collided into his patrol car on U.S. Highway 101 near Santa Rosa, a CHP officer said.

The injured officer, who is not being identified, was inside his patrol unit this morning on the northbound side of U.S. 101 at Todd Road in unincorporated Sonoma County working on a computer during a traffic stop of another motorist, Officer Daniel Hill said.

[Previous: UPDATE: Lane Closure on Hwy 101 at Todd Due to Motorist Hitting CHP Officer.]

At about 8 a.m., the woman's car drifted toward the CHP car, apparently without braking, and smashed into the passenger side of the unit, Officer Daniel Hill said. The impact broke both of the officer's legs.

The woman suffered minor injuries, Hills said. Both were transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment, according to Hill.

The woman was returning home from the Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park when for some reason her car drifted into the right side of the officer's car, Hill said.

Investigators are not sure why the woman, who is not being named, crashed into the patrol car and she has not been arrested, Hill said.

The accident caused gasoline to leak from the CHP car onto the roadway, which damaged the asphalt in two of the three northbound lanes of the highway. Officers contacted Caltrans, which worked on repairing the road's surface, blocking traffic in the two lanes.

The CHP issued a Sig-alert on U.S. 101 at Todd until 4 p.m. so repairs could be completed, Hill said.

--Bay City News