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Benicia ca traffic cams5/18/2023 ![]() The CHP also found that had Franklin not been speeding, at Hamers’ estimated walking speed, Hamers would have moved out of Franklin’s way prior to Franklin reaching his location, and Franklin would not need to stop or decelerate at all.įranklin “was driving at a speed which endangered the safety of persons which may present as a hazard,” the CHP report stated, adding that, “had Officer Franklin been traveling at or near the speed limit of 35 mph, he could have braked to a complete stop prior to colliding into Pedestrian Hamers.” Benicia police Officer James Franklin resigned last year after about two years on the job. It also concluded that had Franklin been traveling at 40 mph, he could have stopped 27 feet prior to hitting Hamers. “Officer Franklin could have stopped approximately 55 feet prior to impacting Pedestrian Hamers, had he been traveling at the speed limit of 35 mph, and this crash would not have occurred,” the report stated. The CHP’s report calculated that, based on Franklin and Hamers’ estimated respective speeds at the time, had Franklin not been speeding, the crash could have been avoided. The city of Benicia declined to release video of the incident. Body camera video shows Franklin react to Hamers by moving the steering wheel rapidly six-tenths of a second before Hamers struck the windshield, according to the CHP. Franklin continued accelerating, and struck Hamers while driving at least 61 mph, according to the CHP. Hamers was visible at the well-lit intersection in the dash cam stills. A still from Officer James Franklin's car camera footage as he approached the intersection where he hit Scott Hamers in 2020. Just before Franklin drove under Interstate 780, Hamers started crossing the street at the intersection with East S Street, beyond the 780 overcrossing. Video stills from a car-mounted camera included in the report show Franklin turned left from Military East onto East Second Street, accelerating north. The CHP report noted that the weather was clear, but the moon had not yet risen and the sky was overcast. It concluded that Franklin would have avoided the crash if he hadn’t been speeding. ![]() The California Highway Patrol conducted an investigation into the incident that was obtained by the Sun through a public records request. 9 letter from the Solano County District Attorney’s Office cleared him of criminal charges in Hamers’ death. His resignation came about a month before a Nov. Benicia police Chief Mike Greene declined to provide any information about his resignation or otherwise comment on the incident. In March, the city of Benicia filed an answer to Virga’s lawsuit denying the allegations.įranklin, who had joined the department as a rookie in July 2019, resigned last October, according to the Fairfield Daily Republic. The lawsuit was filed in Solano County Superior Court by Hamers’ adult daughter, Erika Virga, on Dec.
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