Injured KC officer aided by motorist he stopped

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A good Samaritan on the highway


Injured KC officer aided by motorist he stopped


Instead of receiving a speeding ticket, a motorist rushed to help the injured and unconscious police officer who had just pulled him over Monday on Interstate 435.

The Kansas City officer had lost control of his motorcycle, skidded off the interstate and landed in a ditch.

The motorist bounded from his car and called for help on the motorcycle’s police radio. Meanwhile, a passer-by checked the officer for vital signs.

The 35-year-old officer eventually regained consciousness. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of cuts, bruises and a mild concussion. The seven-year department veteran has been riding a motorcycle for two years, police said.

The 1:15 p.m. accident occurred in the northbound lanes of I-435 north of 87th Street. The officer had been “running radar” and pulled over a car, said police spokesman Capt. Rich Lockhart.

For an unknown reason, as the officer closed in on the car, he lost control of his motorcycle. It skidded about 108 feet diagonally off the shoulder. The officer tried to steer back onto the highway but instead was flung over the handlebars, Lockhart said.

Police did not know Monday how fast the motorcycle was traveling, but investigators estimated its speed at 30 to 50 mph, Lockhart said.

Dave Ezell of Lathrop, Mo., was driving south on I-435 when he saw the motorcycle with its lights and siren on.

“Then the rear tires came up and catapulted him (the officer) over the top of the motorcycle,” Ezell said. “I thought, ‘My God. What happened?’ ”

Ezell, who is trained in first aid, pulled over, ran across the northbound lanes and checked the officer for injuries. He then waited with the officer for an ambulance. The officer was alert and talking when the ambulance took him to a hospital, police said.

The motorist who had been pulled over for speeding did not receive a ticket. He declined to talk to reporters.