CHP officer escapes unhurt as patrol car is hit in multi-vehicle crash near Paso Robles

A California Highway Patrol officer based in Templeton was not injured in a multiple-vehicle crash that involved his patrol car Friday evening as it waited at a stop sign.

At about 7: 43 p.m., Templeton CHP Officer Denker was stopped in his patrol vehicle at Highway 46 and Union Road, near Paso Robles, waiting to turn west, according to a CHP media release.

Nicholas Mccollum, 21, of Citrus Heights, was driving in the fast lane, eastbound on Highway 46 in a silver Nissan Altima, followed by Margarita Santiago, 47, of Paso Robles, driving a black Honda CR-V, the media report said.

Louis Carlos, 25, of San Luis Obispo, was driving eastbound in the slow lane in a dark blue Chevrolet Silverado.

Mccollum believed he was about to proceed through a posted stop sign when he saw the CHP vehicle stopped, the report said.

Mccollum hit the brakes and Santiago reacted by swerving her Honda to the right.

Santiago’s Honda collided with the left side of Carlos’ Chevrolet, which spun out of control. The Chevrolet’s right rear end hit the front end of Denker’s patrol vehicle.

The crash resulted in property damage only. Driving under the influence does not appear to be a contributing factor, according to the media report.

CHP Officer T. Horne is investigating the crash.

This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 7:44 PM.