By Lt. Elias Garcia
A routine drive home was anything but when a correctional officer was heading home after her shift. On Aug. 18, 2018, while driving home from the California Correctional Institution, Officer Kendle Prince witnessed a single-car accident on Highway 58 outside Bakersfield.
“I was headed home just cruising down the highway when this white Nissan truck driving eastbound suddenly took a hard left turn and crossed the grassy median,” said Officer Prince. “The car crossed over into the westbound lanes. Fortunately the only cars on the road going westbound were me and one other car. The car ended up going through a barbed wire fence and stopped about 300 yards into a field.”
Officer Prince pulled over to the side of the road.
“The other car and I pulled over to see if everyone was all right. As I got out of my vehicle, the other car got back on the road. I knew I had to check on the crashed car to make sure everyone was all right,” sad Officer Prince. “When I got to the truck, this guy appeared to be convulsing and unresponsive. I turned his truck off and called 911. I took out my micro-shield from my pocket. The driver was breathing. I stayed with the driver monitoring his breathing until the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and firefighters arrived. I’m glad I went to check on the driver, otherwise no one would have known that guy was out there in distress.”
Officer Prince gave her statement to the CHP and continued her drive home.