Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy, 26, Died After Being seriously injured in a car crash last week while on duty, authorities said.
Sheriff Brett Harris was responding to a request for assistance at 2:16 a.m. Friday when he collided with a Nissan Maxima sedan and hit a light pole in San Jacinto.
Harris was in critical condition when taken to the hospital, where he died on saturday from his injuries, Police Chief Chad Bianco said in a press release.
Bianco said: “Deputy Harris suffered serious injuries as a result of the collision, including severe traumatic brain injury.
Sheriff Brett Harris, 26, died Saturday after being severely injured in a car crash last week while on duty, according to authorities.
(Riverside County Sheriff’s Department)
The 54-year-old driver of the other vehicle was taken to hospital with minor injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Another officer was injured trying to pull Harris out of his patrol car after the collision on West Esplanade Avenue and State Street, according to officials. He was treated and discharged from the hospital.
Bianco said Harris is listed as an organ donor and his family is working with the hospital to comply with his request. Funeral arrangements are still pending.
Harris was survived by his wife, parents, twin sister and brother, officials said.
The accident comes months after the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department mourned the loss of two deputies killed in the line of duty for two weeks.
Deputy Darnell Calhoun, 30, was fatally shot on January 13 while responding to calls for domestic violence in the unincorporated community of Lakeland Village. The shooting happened just a week after funeral of deputy Isaiah Cordero32, who fatally shot December 29 during a traffic stop in the Jurupa Valley.
Bianco said Cordero was the first Riverside County sheriff to be killed in the line of duty since 2003.
