| January 01,
1938
Patrolman Charles G. Cannon Ohio Highway Patrol, OH Patrolman Cannon was killed in a motorcycle accident while patrolling US Route 42 in Cedarville, Ohio. He was stationed at Springfield at the time. |
| February 13,
1938
Thomas Jack Tubre Highland Park Police Department, TX Motorcycle Accident |
| February 20,
1938
Officer Harly G. Mason Orlando Police Department, FL Officer Mason was killed in a motorcycle accident on Orange Avenue. He had been with the agency for one year. |
| April 23, 1938
Officer Ernest T. Wessells Metropolitan Police Department, DC Officer Wessells was killed in a motorcycle accident at Piney Branch and Butternut Streets, NW, while responding to a call that turned out to be a false alarm. He had been with the agency for seven years and was survived by his wife and child. |
| May 9, 1938
Patrol Officer Alvie C. Emmelman Indianapolis Police Department, IN Officer Emmelman was killed in a motorcycle accident near the Belt Railroad and Kentucky Avenue. |
| May 31, 1938
Patrolman Melvin Williams New York City Police Department, NY Officer Williams was killed in a motorcycle accident while assigned to the Motorcycle Unit |
| June 1,1938
Officer Norris Vinton McMackin Inglewood Police Department, CA Officer McMackin succumbed to injuries received 40 minutes earlier in an automobile accident on La Brea Avenue at about 2330 hours. He was attempting to stop a car for speeding when his motorcycle hit either an object in the roadway or streetcar tracks, causing him to be thrown from the motorcycle. The vehicle he was attempting to stop was never found. |
| June 05, 1938
Officer Richard T. Conklin Metropolitan Police Department, DC Officer Conklin was killed in a motorcycle accident near Georgia Avenue and Butternut Street. The wheels on the motorcycle struck a streetcar track and he was thrown from the bike. |
| June 07, 1938
Patrolman Joseph Leroy Moon Corpus Christi Police Department, TX Patrolman Moon was killed in a motorcycle accident while in pursuit of a speeding motorist. He had been with the agency for one year and was survived by his wife and two children. |
| June 19, 1938
Trooper Vincent C. Vosbein New Jersey State Police, NJ Trooper Vosbein succumbed to injuries received in a motorcycle accident one year earlier while on duty in Raritan Borough. He had been with the agency for one year |
| July 10, 1938
Capt. E. L. Shryver CHP - Sonoma Captain E. L. Shryver was directing traffic on U.S. Highway 101 in Sonoma County when he was struck by a vehicle and thrown under the trailer it was pulling. Shryver, 46, battled his injuries for two months before he succumbed. A veteran motorcycle officer with 13 years experience, he had recently qualified as district inspector and was first on the promotional list. Shryver was also an expert pistol shot and represented the CHP at several national pistol matches. |
| July 15, 1938
Lawson L. Rhodes South Carolina Highway Patrol, SC Motorcycle Accident |
| Officer Cody Bettis
Mobile Police Department Alabama End of Watch: Wednesday, August 3, 1938 Biographical Info
Incident Details
Officer Cody Bettis was struck and killed by the
driver of a vehicle which had broken through a military convoy that was
being escorted through the city.
|
| August 23,
1938
Trooper Martin J. Kerins New York State Police, NY Trooper Kernis was injured when his motorcycle blew a tire and he was thrown to the pavement and stuck his head. Trooper Kernis died two days later from the injury. Trooper Kernis had been with the agency for five years. |
| Officer Charles E. Barden
Peoria Park District Police Department Illinois End of Watch: Wednesday, August 24, 1938 Biographical Info
Incident Details
Officer Barden was killed in a motorcycle accident while testing out his police motorcycle. He had been experiencing mechanical difficulties with the motorcycle and was told to have it taken to maintenance for repair. He was testing his cycle when it suddenly went off the side of the road. Before Officer Barden was able to regain control he hit a parked truck and was killed. Officer Barden had only been with the agency for
six weeks and was survived by his wife, mother, three brothers and a sister.
|
| Patrolman Edward William Carson
Scituate Police Department Massachusetts End of Watch: Sunday, September 4, 1938 Biographical Info
Incident Details
Patrolman Carson was killed in a motorcycle accident while attempting to stop a speeding car. He suffered a serious head injuries when he was thrown to the ground. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to the injuries one hour later. Patrolman Carson had been with the agency for
eight years and was survived by his wife and child.
|
| September 18,
1938
Patrolman Albert Mathiasen St. Cloud Police Department, MN Patrolman Mathiasen was killed in a motorcycle accident at 13th Avenue and 7th Street while on patrol. Another vehicle swerved to avoid a collision but struck Patrolman Mathiasen instead. He suffered severe injuries and died two days later. Patrolman Mathiasen was survived by his wife and two sons.. |
| October 18,
1938
Trooper Lewis R. Boone Tennessee Highway Patrol, TN Trooper Boone died while operating a motorcycle in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee |
| November 10, 1938
Patrolman Harry Rose Covington Police Department Kentucky End of Watch: Thursday, Biographical Info
Incident Details
Patrolman Rose was killed in a motorcyclce accident
while on duty.
|
| November 12,
1938
Trooper Charles Gearhiser Tennessee Highway Patrol, TN Trooper Gearhiser died while operating a motorcycle in Dyer County |
| November 20,
1938
Officer Earl Vickery East Point Police Department, GA Officer Vickery was killed in a motorcycle accident while chasing a violator. During the chase he was thrown from the motorcycle into the path of a moving trolley. He was not wearing a helmet as they were not required or considered a piece of safety equipment at the time. Officer Vickery had been with the agency for three years. |
| December 4th,
1938
Officer Clinton Burtner Riverside Police Department California Clinton Burtner had been a Motor Officer for the City of Riverside for eight years as of November 27th, 1938. He was on-duty that day, riding his motorcycle northbound on Main street through the intersection at 8th street (now University Avenue) when another vehicle traveling westbound on 8th failed to yield for a red light. The vehicle struck Officer Burtner with such force that it jammed his motorcycle against the front of the car and pushed it twenty feet before the car stopped. The crash guard on the motorcycle protected Officer Burtner's legs, but his head struck the radiator hood ornament of the vehicle, fracturing his skull. Officer Burtner was rushed to Community Hospital where he remained in a coma until he died as a result of his injuries on December 4th, 1938. The woman driving the vehicle that struck Burtner was issued a citation for reckless driving by the CHP Sergeant who investigated the crash and not formally booked (there were no RPD officers around to investigate the crash because they had all gone to the hospital). When Officer Burtner passed away, the complaint against the "at fault" driver was changed to that of "negligent homicide." A warrant was issued for the driver's arrest and she immediately posted bail. She later pled guilty to the negligent homicide charge and was granted formal probation without any jail time served. Her driver's license was also revoked. Clinton Burtner
was the 65th auto accident fatality for 1938 when he died in December.
He is buried in Olivewood Cemetery.
|
| December 23,
1938
Earl W. Kanning San Antonio Police Department, TX Motorcycle Accident |
| December 26,
1938
Officer Fred J. Kowolowski California Highway Patrol, CA Officer Fred J. Kowolowski was rounding a sharp bend on a rural road in Santa Clara County when his motorcycle collided with an automobile. The 17-year-old driver of the other vehicle said he had turned from a side road and, seeing the motorcycle coming, stopped. The 29-year-old patrol officer died only hours later. Kowolowski was a former deputy sheriff in Modoc county before he joined the Patrol in 1937. |