A San Diego police officer who was Critically injured in the fiery wreckage The other officer who was killed was released from the hospital a week after colliding with a speeding driver.
Officer Zach Martinez was released Tuesday. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said he has a long road to recovery but that Martinez and everyone in the department are grateful.
“Today is nothing short of a miracle,” Wahl said.
The officer killed in the crash was Austin Machiter, who was driving a police vehicle carrying two officers.
The 16-year-old driver of the speeding car was also killed after a brief chase that led to Machitar and Martinez responding to the area, officials said.
Martinez, a 27-year-old EMT and member of the Navy Reserves who had been with the police department for 1½ years, was described as fighting for his life after the crash on Claremont Mesa Boulevard.
“The first officer who responded to him was also an EMT, and in his words, he thought he was dead,” Wahl said. “He said he checked for a pulse and was surprised when he found one.”
The accident happened on August 26 at around 11:30 pm after a separate officer saw the teenage driver speeding and attempted a traffic stop, police said.
The driver fled and was pursued before a supervisor called off the pursuit due to dangerous speeds, Wahl said last week.
Machitar and Martinez were responding to that call when the driver hit them from the side, Wahl said.
Dr. Sharp Memorial Hospital Trauma Medical Director. Diane Wintz said Martinez suffered burns, a broken neck and multiple facial injuries. There was no paralysis associated with the neck injury, she said.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances of the crash and what exactly happened.
Wahl said that based on preliminary information, the time between the attempted traffic stop, the brief pursuit and the point of impact “would be very short. We’re talking 20, 30 seconds.
Wahl said he spoke with Martinez before a news conference Tuesday announcing he would be released, and Martinez said the nurses and doctors being recognized for the care was “nothing surprising.”
“He’s very grateful, and he appreciates all the prayers,” Wahl said.
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