GORDON KING GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic Yakima Police Department Officer Ryan Wisner examines the motorcycle of Officer Darryl Henning, who was injured Wednesday in a collision with a van on Summitview Avenue. Links   E-mail             Print            Advertisement

The crash happened just before 10 a.m. when the driver of a red minivan on North 24th Avenue pulled out in front of Officer Darryl Henning, who was heading west on Summitview.

The officer's Kawasaki motorcycle struck the minivan on the driver's door, caving it in and smashing the windshield.

Henning was treated at the scene and taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Initial reports from police at the scene indicated he suffered a broken arm and leg, but is expected to survive.

The driver of the minivan, Tim Kelly of Yakima, escaped serious injury.

A resident on North 24th Avenue saw the immediate aftermath of the crash and used the officer's radio to call it in.

The resident, retired Hanford Patrol Officer Art Ramirez, said the force of the crash was so violent that he discovered the officer's gun and holster 15 feet from the officer.

"It knocked his watch off, too," Ramirez said. "I ran up, and all he could say was, 'What happened?' I kind of assured him he was going to be all right."

Ramirez's radio request for help -- "Officer down! Officer down!" -- brought out nearly the entire brass of the Yakima Police Department, including Chief Sam Granato.

The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation. Police said the officer doesn't remember what happened. Kelly, the driver of the minivan, told police the motorcycle's emergency lights were flashing.

The officer wasn't responding to a call, police said. However, he was on traffic duty and may have been on Summitview Avenue trying to catch up to a speeder.

The minivan driver "just didn't see him," said patrol Sgt. Gary Jones, who is also a motorcycle officer. "That's why we have to do all this training, and even then you never know."

Kelly works as a copy editor at the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Jones said that at the time of the accident, Kelly was heading home after attending a function at his son's school. He said neither alcohol nor drugs are believed to have played a role in the crash.

The accident forced closure of a three-block stretch of all four lanes of Summitview Avenue for more than an hour.