Video shows scary moments when Miami-Dade officer was launched off motorcycle in SUV crash
New video shows the harrowing moments when a veteran Miami-Dade police officer was launched off his motorcycle when an SUV turned into oncoming traffic and slammed into him Thursday morning.
The gray SUV was waiting to make a left turn onto 53rd Avenue as traffic whizzed by on Northwest 36th Street around 7 a.m., video obtained by the Miami Herald reveals.
Seconds later, the SUV made its turn, crossing into oncoming lanes. The officer’s motorcycle suddenly enters the frame and the two vehicles slam into each other.
The officer was thrown into the air, falling and sliding across the street a sizable distance away, the video showed.
READ MORE HERE: A police motorcycle crash has shut down roads near Miami’s airport
He was awake and alert when taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Miami-Dade police said. A group of officers could be seen on Instagram praying together outside of the hospital for his recovery.
“This morning, one of my ... officers was involved in an on-duty accident. I am asking for your thoughts and prayers for the officer and our MDPD family,” Miami-Dade Police Interim Director George Perez wrote in an Instagram caption.
The officer, Matt Larsch, a 15-year veteran of the Kendall district, has undergone several operations and is in stable condition.
“He’s lucky to be alive,” said Miami-Dade police union president Steadman Stahl. “St. Michael, our patron saint for police officers, was obviously with him today.”
Stahl said a Miami Gardens police officer with emergency medical training happened to be the first on the scene and rendered aid.
The driver of the SUV was OK and refused treatment, police said. As of Thursday afternoon, the person has not been given a citation nor identified.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 5:58 PM.
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