Police officers endanger their lives on a daily basis. What’s more, they do it for the greater good. Sometimes however, their dedication to public safety results in tragedy. Not long ago, a Georgia police officer was injured as he became the victim of a hit-and-run motorcycle accident.
According to accident reports, a 21-year-old driver from Smyrna was making a left-hand turn when she struck an on-duty police officer who was riding his motorcycle on local roads. The woman then fled the scene and left the officer to suffer alone.
She was apprehended by local police shortly after the collision and is now facing both felony and misdemeanor charges, including failure to report an accident and failure to yield during a left-hand turn. After undergoing questioning from the Smyrna Police Department, the woman was transferred to the Cobb County Adult Detention Facility and is being held on $25,000 bond.
The motorcycle accident, which took place south of Dalton, left the police officer with two broken ankles, a broken hip and broken leg. He sustained the fractured bones after he was struck, landed on the woman’s vehicle and was thrown to the ground. The policeman, a 29-year veteran of the police force, has worked as a motorcycle officer for 14 years. He was taken to a nearby medical facility to receive treatment for his injuries.
It is impossible to say what kind of recovery time the officer will face as a result of the motorcycle accident. He and his family will likely endure a long stretch of difficulty on the road to recovery. The hope is that he will make a full recovery and return to protecting his community, as he has dome for nearly three decades.
In addition to pursuing a civil claim for the driver’s negligence, the man may be entitled to additional compensation for being injured while on the job. Though regulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, it may be worthwhile for the man to seek advice to discover the full extent of his legal rights as he works through this difficult period.
Source: My Fox Atlanta, “Officer injured in hit-and-run in Smyrna,” May 8, 2012
