Another CHP Officer Struck by Alleged Drunken Driver, Third in 3 Weeks

For the second time in little more than three weeks, an alleged drunken driver is facing criminal charges for hitting a California Highway Patrol officer on an East Bay freeway.

CHP spokesman Brandon Correia said Tuesday that Officer Martin Lendway suffered major injuries early Monday evening while helping drivers on Highway 4 in Concord.

Correia said Lendway was responding to "a simple traffic collision" when "this erratic, impaired DUI driver crashes into him, nearly killing him."

Lendway, a former Marine, was pinned after a car struck one of the vehicles he was assisting, sending it crashing into him. He used his cellphone to call in his own injuries.

He underwent surgery Tuesday and is expected to recover, though Correia said it's unclear whether Lendway's injuries will affect his ability to ride a motorcycle.

Driver Tammy Peggy Louise Walker of Pittsburg was booked for two counts of felony DUI and reckless driving, both causing great bodily injury to another person, as well as driving on a suspended license.

"That person made a horrible choice to get impaired and get behind the wheel and then drive in the center divide like it's a lane of traffic and collide into the officer and the other vehicles," Correia said.

Lendway's injuries come after another suspected DUI driver hit two CHP officers in Hayward on Christmas Eve, injuring one and killing the other.

Mohammad Ali is being held without bail in the death of Officer Andrew Camilleri. Ali was arraigned Tuesday on five felony charges, including second-degree murder.