Motorcycle officers injured in crash

Marisa O’Neil

Two off-duty Newport Beach Police motorcycle officers were injured

Sunday night when their bikes collided with a car.

Officers Dave Kresge, 37, and Matthew Chmura, 34, were riding

their motorcycles north on Jamboree Road at about 7:30 p.m., after

their shift, Newport Beach Police Lt. John Klein said. The two

motorcycles struck a Mazda 626 as the car turned left from southbound

Jamboree Road to Campus Drive, Irvine Police Det. Jonathan Cherney

said. It appears that the Mazda, being driven by 55-year-old

Huntington Beach resident Jon Lyon, may have run a red light, Cherney

said.

Chmura, a four-year veteran of the department, seriously injured

his leg in the crash and was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa

Ana, Klein said. He appeared to have a compound fracture to his left

leg, Cherney said.

Chmura was in intensive care Monday, but his injuries are not

life-threatening, Klein said.

“It was a pretty bad break,” Cherney said. “But he’s going to make

it; that’s the good thing.”

Kresge, a 12-year veteran, received minor injuries and was treated

at Hoag Hospital and released, police said.

Police are investigating the crash but have not issued any

citations.

Alcohol did not appear to be a factor, Cherney said.

It’s the first serious accident for Newport Beach Police

motorcycle officers in recent memory, Klein said. The department got

new BMW motorcycles with anti-lock brakes about five years ago to

help avoid such accidents, Klein said.

But Sunday’s crash marks the second major one involving off-duty

Newport-Mesa officers this year.

In June, an allegedly drunken driver on a motorcycle struck a

Costa Mesa motorcycle officer as he rode home with another officer on

the San Diego Freeway. Officer Dennis Dickens was knocked off his

bike and received serious injuries, including a cracked pelvis.

Dickens is still recovering from his injuries.

Accidents and injuries often go with the territory for motorcycle

officers, because of the nature of their work, Klein said.

“Motorcycles, in general, are more dangerous than cars,” Klein

said. “Any time you get in a collision, there’s nothing to protect

you, whether you’re hitting sand and going down on the beach, or in

this case, having a car turn in front of you. That’s one of the

reasons we give them so much training -- so they can anticipate

hazards and avoid them.”

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.