The Fresno Bee
FRESNO, Calif. — A Fresno police motorcycle traffic officer was injured Tuesday morning when he collided with a car on North Fruit Avenue in northwest Fresno.
Rudy Ruiz, 42, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Community Regional Medical Center, where he was reported in stable condition. He suffered a concussion and a fracture, police spokesman Jeff Cardinale said.
The accident was reported at 7:53 a.m. at Fruit and Roberts avenues. The officer’s motorcycle was southbound on Fruit when it collided with the passenger side of a Volkswagen Passat that had been northbound on Fruit and was attempting to make a left turn onto Roberts, crossing in front of the oncoming motorcycle, police Sgt. Mark Hudson said.
Hudson said Ruiz was thrown to the pavement and a passer-by stopped to render aid before paramedics arrived.
The driver of the car, whose name was not made public, was not injured, and it was not immediately determined whether he would be cited, Hudson said.
Hudson said speed was not a factor in the collision.
Fruit was shut down between Bullard and Browning avenues for nearly two hours while officers collected evidence.
The accident happened in a “county island,” and the investigation was turned over to the California Highway Patrol.
Ruiz is a 13-year veteran of the department who has been in the Traffic Bureau for 41/2 years. In 2006, he was the Traffic Bureau Officer of the Year.
Copyright 2007 The Fresno Bee