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Motorcycle officer crashes, dies during Clinton's motorcade
Charlie Heck
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: NEWS
A motorcycle police officer died while escorting Hilary Clinton's motorcade during her visit to the Dallas-Fort Worth area Friday.
According to a Dallas Police Department press release, Dallas Police Senior Cpl. Victor Lozada-Tirada, 49, was in a fatal motorcycle accident while escorting the Democratic presidential candidate Friday at 9:15 a.m.
Senior Corporal Kevin Janse with Dallas Police Department Media Relations said Lozada was part of the motorcycle unit, which performs the duty of dignitary protection. While escorting Clinton to her rally in Oak Cliff, Lozada performed the "leap frog" maneuver.
"Lozada would speed up to an intersection and stop traffic for the motorcade to proceed through the intersection," Janse said, "then speed to the front of the motorcade to perform the same task at the next intersection."
While speeding around a corner, Lozada's motorcycle hit the corner of the curb causing his vehicle to go onto the sidewalk, which forced him along the concrete railing then into the concrete outcropping.
Lozada was thrown from his motorcycle causing fatal head injuries, Janse said. His helmet fell off from the momentum of the crash.
The accident occurred before the first of Clinton's two planned rallies that day. The first was in Oak Cliff and the second in Fort Worth.
Clinton continued her first rally and then was informed of the death of Lozada. Afterwards, she went to Fort Worth where she called off the rally because of the accident.
Police escorted Clinton back to Methodist Dallas Medical Center where she met with the family. Clinton was then escorted to Dallas Love Field Airport where her flight left.
The Clinton campaign did not return a request for comment.
"I am not sure what, if any, impact this would have on the Clinton campaign," said Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, of the political science faculty, in an e-mail.
"It is not like the Clinton campaign demanded that they take a particularly dangerous motorcade route," Eshbaugh-Soha said. "I cannot imagine that this would have much of an impact on any more than a handful of voters, if that."
The Lozada family held a press conference Monday where Victor Lozada Jr., a Plano senior at NT, read a prepared statement highlighting his father's achievements and how proud his father was not only to be a Dallas Police Officer but a police motorcycle officer.
Victor Lozada had put on a fresh, new uniform to protect Senator Clinton on the day of the accident, his son said.
Lozada Jr. said his father hated funerals and said if his father ever passed away that his funeral should be a celebration of his life and not a sad day.
According to a Dallas Police Department press release, Dallas Police Senior Cpl. Victor Lozada-Tirada, 49, was in a fatal motorcycle accident while escorting the Democratic presidential candidate Friday at 9:15 a.m.
Senior Corporal Kevin Janse with Dallas Police Department Media Relations said Lozada was part of the motorcycle unit, which performs the duty of dignitary protection. While escorting Clinton to her rally in Oak Cliff, Lozada performed the "leap frog" maneuver.
"Lozada would speed up to an intersection and stop traffic for the motorcade to proceed through the intersection," Janse said, "then speed to the front of the motorcade to perform the same task at the next intersection."
While speeding around a corner, Lozada's motorcycle hit the corner of the curb causing his vehicle to go onto the sidewalk, which forced him along the concrete railing then into the concrete outcropping.
Lozada was thrown from his motorcycle causing fatal head injuries, Janse said. His helmet fell off from the momentum of the crash.
The accident occurred before the first of Clinton's two planned rallies that day. The first was in Oak Cliff and the second in Fort Worth.
Clinton continued her first rally and then was informed of the death of Lozada. Afterwards, she went to Fort Worth where she called off the rally because of the accident.
Police escorted Clinton back to Methodist Dallas Medical Center where she met with the family. Clinton was then escorted to Dallas Love Field Airport where her flight left.
The Clinton campaign did not return a request for comment.
"I am not sure what, if any, impact this would have on the Clinton campaign," said Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, of the political science faculty, in an e-mail.
"It is not like the Clinton campaign demanded that they take a particularly dangerous motorcade route," Eshbaugh-Soha said. "I cannot imagine that this would have much of an impact on any more than a handful of voters, if that."
The Lozada family held a press conference Monday where Victor Lozada Jr., a Plano senior at NT, read a prepared statement highlighting his father's achievements and how proud his father was not only to be a Dallas Police Officer but a police motorcycle officer.
Victor Lozada had put on a fresh, new uniform to protect Senator Clinton on the day of the accident, his son said.
Lozada Jr. said his father hated funerals and said if his father ever passed away that his funeral should be a celebration of his life and not a sad day.
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