‘He’s awake and he’s talking’: Hanford PD officer continues to recover after serious on-duty collision

HANFORD, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A Hanford Police Officer is on a long road to recovery. Officer Daniel Todd was headed to a traffic collision on Friday when police say a truck pulled out in front of him. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

The Hanford Police Department shared the surveillance footage of the crash. Near Grangeville Boulevard and East Street, Hanford Fire and Police can be seen responding to a rollover crash. First comes fire trucks flying past with lights and sirens. Shortly after, Motorcycle Officer Todd is seen.

Police Chief Stephanie Huddleston says without yielding, a pickup truck pulled in front of the officer, then hit a power pole. She says the driver was at fault. Drugs and alcohol were not a factor.

“It’s simply an accident. And, you know, while it’s tragic, there’s no pending charges or anything of that nature,” Huddleston explained. 

Officer Todd was airlifted from the scene and remains in the hospital as of Thursday night. By his side were his wife and teenage daughter. 

“He’s gone through several surgeries and has several more to go here in the future,” Huddleston says Todd has multiple fractures in both of his arms and injuries to his face. “He’s awake and he’s talking, and he is maintaining his sense of humor. And so, we’re happy to see that.”

After serving in the Navy, Todd joined the Hanford Police Department in 2015. He was a school resource officer for four years, and for the past two, he has been assigned to the Motor Traffic Unit. 

“He has already expressed that he definitely intends to come back to work and make a full recovery.”

A fund to help Todd on his road to recovery opened Wednesday, and with the community’s overwhelming support, it’s already halfway to its $10,000 goal.

“The city is very much taking care of our officer. The department’s taking care of him. He will be compensated his wages, and it is being treated as an on-duty accident. The reason for the fundraising is to help the family with other unexpected costs.”

The next step for the officer is to be discharged from the hospital so he can continue his recovery at home. In the meantime, Huddleston urges drivers to share the road so something like this doesn’t happen again.

“Just being aware of all the vehicles around you, obviously, motorcycles are less visible.”

Those who would like to donate to Officer Todd and his family can find Officer Todd’s fundraiser on the Peace Officers Research Association of California website.