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.
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