Good Samaritan helps officer injured in multi-vehicle crash on I-10 Freeway
Shiraz Dayal jumped into action after witnessing a California Highway Patrol car get rear-ended right in front of his hotel.
"The officer is unconscious," said Dayal, who owns the nearby Days Inn. "His head's down, bleeding."
The three-car crash happened on the I-10 Freeway near the Barranca Street exit in West Covina at around 2 p.m. on Tuesday. The officer was working a traffic stop when.
In order for Dayal to help the officer he had to get over a 10-foot wall and fence. He tried several times but failed. Luckily, another Good Samaritan showed up. The other man told Dayal to jump on his shoulders to get over the fence.
"I told him 'No, I can't,'" Dayal said.
The stranger then put his hands together and boosted the hotel owner over the fence. The officer was still unconscious when Dayal got to him, so the hotel owner grabbed the injured officer's radio and said what came to his mind.
"Southbound on the 10 Freeway. Officer involved in an accident. Someone hit him," Dayal said. "Officer Needs help. Mayday, mayday ... Officer down. Officer down.
After a few minutes, the officer regained consciousness.
"He told me his badge number and his name," said Dayal. "He was asking if I could call his wife."
They were able to use the officer's smartwatch, which was connected to his phone, to make the urgent phone call.
"Conversation with his wife was very brief," Dayal recalled. "I just said 'He was ok. He's alert now.' But it was a major car accident."
Following Dayal's call for help, both the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the CHP were able to help get the injured officer. He was taken to a hospital in Pomona with moderate injuries. Paramedics also rushed another person, who was in stable condition, to a hospital, according to the West Covina Fire Department. The people in the two other cars had minor injuries.
"No one stopped," said Dayal. "Even out of three cars involved in the accident, no one got out of their vehicle. That's ridiculous to me."
Authorities closed the highway for a short while as officers investigated the crash.
