For the second time in little more than three weeks, an alleged drunken driver is facing criminal charges for hitting a California Highway Patrol officer on an East Bay freeway.
CHP spokesman Brandon Correia said Tuesday that Officer Martin Lendway suffered major injuries early Monday evening while helping drivers on Highway 4 in Concord.
Correia said Lendway was responding to "a simple traffic collision" when "this erratic, impaired DUI driver crashes into him, nearly killing him."
Lendway, a former Marine, was pinned after a car struck one of the vehicles he was assisting, sending it crashing into him. He used his cellphone to call in his own injuries.
He underwent surgery Tuesday and is expected to recover, though Correia said it's unclear whether Lendway's injuries will affect his ability to ride a motorcycle.