California Highway Patrol Officer Dead; Las Vegas Teen Charged with Vehicular Manslaughter
Posted By De Castroverde Law Group on Jun 28, 2010 3:55pm PDT
A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer was died Sunday morning after being hit by a teenage driver from Las Vegas.
Police say that the CHP officer, Justin McGrory, was standing on the shoulder of the road with the driver of an SUV whom he had pulled over for speeding, when 18 year old Rafael Garcia veered off the road and onto the shoulder. He hit both the patrol car and McGrory. The driver of the SUV was unharmed. McGrory was airlifted to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
It is unknown whether Garcia was under the influence of drugs or alcochol, or if he fell asleep at the wheel.
It is illegal to drive in the lane next to a parked police car if it is reasonably possible to switch lanes. The "Move Over Law" was adopted in Nevada in 2003, and is in place because of accidents like this one. In the past decade, more than 150 officers have been killed in similar circumstances.
Officer McGrory was 28 years old.
If someone you love has been the victim of wrongful death, contact a Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney. We cannot bring your loved one back, but we may be able to bring them justice.