Granada Hills : Officer Injured in Freeway Accident
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A Los Angeles police officer suffered spinal injuries after being thrown from a bomb squad vehicle that hit the center divider on the San Diego Freeway in Granada Hills, authorities said.
Brian Mathews, an 18-year veteran, was driving south Thursday night on the freeway between Rinaldi Street and the Simi Valley Freeway when the right rear tire of the vehicle blew, causing him to lose control, LAPD spokeswoman Cherie Clair said.
The officer was taken to Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where he is listed in critical but stable condition, police said.
When the accident occurred, Mathews was responding to a call of a possible booby-trapped briefcase, police said. The vehicle overturned, forcing authorities to close several lanes for about three hours, police said.
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