Officer Frederick Wales was patrolling on his motorcycle when he spotted a speeding motorist. Wales initiated a high-speed pursuit of the speeder, but lost control of his motorcycle and crashed.

Officer Walter C. Maxey was making a left turn off U.S. Highway 6 near Newhall when his motorcycle kickstand dropped, dug into the pavement and sent the motorcycle into a sharp spin. Maxey was thrown violently to the ground and sustained fatal injuries. He had been a member of the CHP for seven years.

Officer Elmer E. Norgren, 38, was assigned to the Oakland Police Department’s Traffic Bureau as a motorcycle officer. While issuing a citation to a speeder at Van Buren and MacArthur Boulevard, he and the offender made their way to the rear of the stopped vehicle.

While they were talking, a vehicle swerved towards them. Unable to get out of the way, the two men were struck by the wayward vehicle. Norgren sustained major head injuries and suspected internal trauma. He died several days later on January 15, 1943, at Merritt Hospital.

The driver of the vehicle suffered minor head wounds. He was arrested and charged with negligent homicide. It was determined that he had been drinking at the time of the collision. A review of his driving record revealed several drunk driving arrests, a hit-and- run arrest, and a host of vehicle code violations.

Officer Joseph A. Stucker was performing a vital war-time duty escorting a military convoy when his motorcycle was sideswiped by truck that was attempting to pass. Stucker died at the scene. The 31-year-old patrolman had been a member of the CHP for six years.

Sergeant Emmett L. Elmore, a veteran of 23 years of police and traffic officer service, received his promotion in rank to sergeant less than one year before his death. Elmore, 62, had joined the Stanislaus County Traffic Squad in 1925 and became a CHP officer when the California Highway Patrol absorbed the county units in 1929.