Close Call For CHP Officer

Sonora, CA — A truck crossed five lanes of traffic hitting a patrol car on Highway 108 in Sonora. The accident happened around 9 am on the highway near the Washington Street/Lime Kiln Road intersection.

The CHP reported that Officer Steve Machado, a 5-year veteran, had stopped to help a broken down car on the eastbound shoulder of the highway. That is when 50-year-old Michael Long of Soulsbyville driving westbound in a Ford pickup truck crossed over the double-yellow lines hitting the patrol car.

CHP Spokesperson Officer Nick Norton says, “He [Machado] had literally just opened the door and got out [of the patrol car] and was closing the door when he heard the tires screeching from the skids and jumped forward out of the way of the vehicle.”

Machdo was taken to Sonora Regional Medical Center suffering hand and knee injuries. Norton says neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the crash. The accident is still under investigation.