By Karen Kucher, Caleb Lunetta
The San Diego Union-Tribune
SAN DIEGO — A San Diego police officer critically injured in a fiery crash following a brief pursuit in Clairemont eight days ago was released from the hospital Tuesday to continue his recovery at home, police and hospital officials said.
Officer Zachary Martinez, 27, suffered burns, a broken back and multiple facial injuries when the patrol car he was in was broadsided by a teen speeding in a BMW sedan Aug. 26, officials said.
Martinez was ejected from the car. He was so badly injured, the first officer who came upon him — who also trained as an emergency medic — thought he was dead, police Chief Scott Wahl said.
The medic took his pulse, the chief said, and “was surprised when he found one.”
“Today is nothing short of a miracle,” Wahl told reporters gathered outside Sharp Memorial Hospital, where Martinez had been treated.
The officer driving the patrol vehicle, 30-year-old Austin Machitar, was killed when it was hit near Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and Doliva Drive and burst into flames.
Wahl said he did not expect to hear that Martinez was being discharged from the hospital Tuesday, given the extent of his injuries.
Martinez told the chief he received excellent care from nurses and doctors at Sharp Hospital and was “very grateful” and appreciated the prayers people had said for him.
“He’s very thankful,” Wahl said. “He has a long road of recovery. We told him not to rush and to take this time. He is surrounded by family, which is a good thing. We are all just grateful to say he is being released from the hospital.”
Martinez has been with the department for 1 1/2 years. He grew up in Texas and came to San Diego as a Navy reservist before joining the Police Department.
A video posted by UC San Diego Health on Tuesday showed Martinez being discharged from the hospital in a wheelchair. The officer’s face, arms and left leg were wrapped in bandages, and his arm was in a sling. As he was wheeled out the front door, his colleagues greeted him with hugs and applause.
Diane Wintz, trauma medical director at Sharp Memorial, said patients often take up to a year or longer to recover from traumatic injuries, with much of that recovery occurring after they leave the hospital. She said it was too early to speculate on how long Martinez’s recovery would take.
Martinez and Machitar both worked at the department’s Northern Division, and they occasionally rode together on shifts.
Machitar is survived by his parents and sister. His father is a retired San Diego County sheriff’s deputy. A police spokesperson said funeral plans have not yet been finalized for the fallen officer.
The driver of the BMW sedan was a 16-year-old San Diego boy, authorities said last week. The teen, Edgar Giovanny Oviedo, also died.
He was spotted by police around 11:30 p.m. Aug. 26 speeding east on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. A police officer began a short pursuit. A supervisor called off the chase quickly due to the high speeds, according to police. Machitar and Martinez were responding to the pursuit, driving north on Doliva, when the BMW slammed into the side of their car.
Wahl declined to provide any more details about the crash, saying he’s still waiting for a California Highway Patrol investigation to reveal more answers. He said he did not know why the teen was speeding.
The San Diego Police Officers Association set up a fund to support the families of Machitar and Martinez. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $208,000 had been pledged, according to the POA’s website.
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