A.V. FREEWAY CRASH INJURES HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER CELL-PHONE DRIVER DISTRACTION BLAMED.

Byline: CAROL ROCK Staff Writer

ACTON -- A motorist reaching for his cell phone slammed into a squad car Thursday morning, injuring a California Highway Patrol officer in a crash that tied up the Antelope Valley Freeway for hours.

CHP Officer Bruce Turnn, who had been stopped on the freeway writing a report from an earlier incident, was airlifted to Huntington Memorial Hospital with injuries that were termed moderate.

Evan Wade, 22, of Canyon Country, was driving the black pickup truck that hit Turnn and two other vehicles about 7:20 a.m., CHP Officer Wendy Hahn said.

``The driver of the truck was reaching for his cell phone and rear-ended the patrol car,'' Hahn said. ``The truck then swerved into a Chrysler, which was pushed in to a gasoline tanker-truck.''

``Driving is the most important thing in and of itself,'' said CHP Officer Joe Zizi, public affairs officer for the Southern Region. ``A cell phone, looking at a brand-new car you've never seen before in the next lane, a flashy billboard, too many distractions are a recipe for disaster. If you want to get from point A to point B, you need to focus on the road ahead.''

``Miraculously, we still have our officer with us. It could have been much worse. It could have been absolutely terrible.''

Zizi said that because Wade admitted his mistake and had identification with him, he was released at the scene.

``There will be a complaint filed and he will have to explain to a judge why he was driving inattentively,'' Zizi said. ``But this individual was honest and we're confident he'll appear in court.''

The northbound lanes of the freeway were closed for more than two hours after the crash, resulting a backup that stretched for miles.

Turnn was seated in his patrol car within a coned-off area of the car-pool lane near Escondido Canyon Road when he was rear-ended.

Turnn, a 10-year veteran of the CHP, suffered a fractured rib, cuts to this head and a brain contusion. His injuries were not considered life-threatening, Hahn said.

The driver of the Chrysler, Maria Guzman, 20, of Lancaster and her 3-year-old passenger, Hazel Guerrero, who was buckled into a safety seat, were taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.

In the last nine months, three CHP officers have been killed by errant motorists. Officer David Romero was killed Sept. 23 when he was rear-ended and ejected from his motorcycle while he was stopped at a traffic signal in Santa Fe Springs.

On Dec. 31, Lt. Michael Walker was struck and killed by a vehicle at the scene of an earlier crash as he conducted an investigation near Santa Cruz, and on Feb. 25, Officer Gregory Bailey was on an enforcement stop in Rancho Cucamonga when an errant driver hit and killed him.

The freeway reopened about 9:45 a.m.

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

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5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color; 1 ran in AV edition only; 2 color in AV edition only) California Highway Patrol officers investigate the scene of a crash involving a CHP cruiser, above, on the Antelope Valley Freeway just north of Escondido Canyon Road on Thursday morning. The officer, Bruce Turnn, was removed from the car with the Jaws of Life. In all, four vehicles were involved in the 7:20 a.m. crash, which tied up northbound traffic for several hours.

(3 -- 5; 1 color in SAC edition only; 2 ran in AV edition only) CHP officers, at bottom, investigate the scene of a crash involving a CHP cruiser, above. Officer Bruce Turnn was airlifted to Huntington Memorial Hospital with moderate injuries. The crash, which officials said was caused by a motorist reaching for his cell phone, also left Maria Guzman, 20, and her 3-year-old passenger Hazel Guerrero with minor injuries.

David Crane/Staff Photographer