SDPD officer badly hurt in traffic crash released from hospital

A 27-year-old San Diego police officer who was severely injured in the line of duty last week in a fiery Clairemont Mesa-area traffic crash that also killed a fellow officer and a teenage motorist was continuing his recovery at home today following his release from a hospital.   

Zachary Martinez, an 18-month member of the San Diego Police Department, was discharged from Sharp Memorial Hospital in the late afternoon Tuesday, SDPD Chief Scott Wahl told reporters during a news conference at the Serra Mesa medical center.

"He's very thankful to be alive,'' Wahl said during the Tuesday news conference. ``He's very thankful to ... have a path to recovery. But whether he'll get back to full duty, it still remains to be seen. It's still too early (to know). He's got a long road of recovery.''   

Late on the evening of Aug. 26, Martinez was riding in a patrol SUV that was struck broadside in the 5200 block of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard by a BMW sedan being driven at high speed by a 16-year-old boy who allegedly had fled an attempted traffic stop moments earlier.  

The impact ejected Martinez from the police vehicle, which then caught fire. His partner and the driver of the cruiser, Officer Austin Machitar, 30, died at the scene of the collision. Machitar, the son of a retired lawman who served with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, is survived by his parents, according to the Peace Officers Research Association of California.   

The first emergency medical technician to get to Martinez where the victim came to rest in the roadway thought the young patrolman was dead, the chief told news crews during the afternoon briefing.

"And the first thing he did was check for a pulse,'' Wahl said.

Paramedics took Martinez and the teenager who had been driving the BMW, Edgar Giovanny Oviedo of San Diego, to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where the officer was admitted in critical condition and the boy was pronounced dead.   

It remains unclear why the teen might have fled from officers trying to pull him over for speeding, Wahl said.   

Last week, the San Diego Police Officers Association launched a donation drive to benefit the families of the involved officers, with a goal of $250,000 to aid with funeral and medical costs. Contributions may be made online at porac.org/fundraiser/sandiegopd_officers/.

As of late Wednesday morning, the campaign had raised $216,643, according to PORAC.