When Accident Scenes Become Two Accident Scenes

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KSAT.com reports on 2-22-2012 from SAN ANTONIO - The outpouring of support for a wounded officer, who was hit by a pick-up truck on Sunday while assisting another motorist, resulted in new one day record for the Blood Bank at University Hospital.

According to hospital officials, 120 units were donated on Tuesday.

The previous record was 100 pints, set on Sept. 12, 2001, the day after the 9/11 attacks.

Officer Jonathon Esquivel was injured Sunday night when he was hit by a pick-up truck while assisting a motorist on NW Loop 410 near Evers Road.

Officials with SAPD said Esquivel has already endured multiple surgeries, with more expected in the coming days.

ADDENDUM:  Police reports show Officer Jonathan Esquivel was placing traffic cones to protect an officer working the accident scene when he was hit Sunday night. According to the reports, the driver of the truck had taken his eyes off the road briefly and hit the 28-year-old officer when he swerved to avoid hitting the stopped vehicles.

The truck's driver was not charged. Police spokeswoman Sandy Gutierrez says Esquivel was in critical but stable condition in University Hospital on Monday.

 

A policeman with road cones in his hand and an accident scene nearby gets hit by a truck leading to some serious damage to the police officer.  Everyone needs to drive with caution while emergency responders are in the area of an accident; it has happened here, a Pere Marquette firefighter was hit a few years back by another distracted driver.

 

But do we really want to give the motorist a free pass when they do such things.  San Antonio Officer may not recover from his accident, but the person who could have prevented it was not even given a slap on the wrist, just a dent on his fender to remember the lesson he could have learned from this incident.  If you are driving negligently, and that negligence leads to the severe impairment or death of a BMP, particularly an emergency responder, you should get more than a bill for your vehicle's body repair.  The body you run into might not be able to be repaired.