Law enforcement officials confirmed on Thursday that a Savannah Police Department officer suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident while supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ motorcade on Wednesday.
In a Thursday press release, the Savannah Police Department said that Savannah Police Corporal David Bates was injured while riding a motorcycle as part of Harris’ motorcade at roughly 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The department noted that the officer was injured in a single-vehicle accident and that no other vehicles were involved in the motorcade incident.
According to WJCL, a police spokesperson said Bates was injured after losing control of his motorcycle on Interstate 516.
The Savannah Police Department explained that Bates suffered “serious injuries” and was transported for medical treatment at Memorial Health University Medical Center. The department said Bates was in “stable condition” and was continuing to receive medical treatment as of Thursday.
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“The Savannah Police Department is supporting Corporal Bates and his family as he begins his recovery from injuries sustained in this vehicle accident,” Police Chief Lenny B. Gunther said. “We will be by his side every step of the way.”
Fox 5 reported that following the motorcycle accident, the vice president’s motorcade temporarily stopped at approximately 7:20 p.m. A press pool member told Fox 5 that it appeared that a door on one of the buses was opened momentarily; however, the outlet reported that it was not clear whether anyone exited the bus. The outlet added that the motorcade continued moving within three minutes of stopping.
“The Secret Service is aware of an incident that occurred during a motorcade movement yesterday,” Frederick D. Houston, the special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Atlanta Field Office, said in Thursday’s press release. “The movement was not affected by the incident. We are thankful for the support of our law enforcement partners and wish Corporal David Bates a full and speedy recovery.”
A picture from the scene of Wednesday’s motorcade accident was shared by The Daily Caller on X, formerly Twitter.
