Two CHP Officers Killed Responding to a Crash

Two California Highway Patrol officers were killed in a solo vehicle collision south of Fresno, California while responding to the scene of a traffic accident. The patrol car lost control, struck a guardrail and a highway exit sign before rolling over. Both officers were reported to been killed instantly.

The officers were identified as Juan Gonzalez and Brian Law. Both officers were graveyard shift partners and close friends. Both officers attended the academy together in Sacramento and graduated from the academy in 2008. Law and Gonzalez spent their first years working in the San Francisco bay area before transferring to the Fresno area.

The officers unwittingly traveled right into the scene of the accident. The call came out that a large collision occurred on the northbound lanes of Highway 99 when in actuality the accident stretched across the southbound lanes of the highway.

Officer Gonzalez, who was identified as driving the patrol cruiser, was responding south on Highway 99. The officer took evasive driving action to avoid a collision at the scene of the accident that they were probably expecting to be on the other side of the highway.

Officer Law is survived by his wife and three children, and Gonzalez, who was planning to marry his girlfriend, is survived by his mother and sister.

California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow spoke at a news conference near the scene of the crash. “Obviously what we have here is a tragedy. We lost two fine officers,” he said.

Governor Jerry Brown ordered all flags at state facilities be lowered to half-staff.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/02/17/3775253/fatal-crash-shuts-down-southbound.html