Green Bay police officer writing a ticket escapes serious injury when passing car crashes into his motorcycle

Doug Schneider, Green Bay Press-Gazette
·2 min read
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GREEN BAY - Sgt. Sean Hamill of the Green Bay Police Department's Motorcycle Unit didn't get a great look at the car that almost flattened him April 19. He was too busy diving out of the way.

Hamill spoke about his experience Tuesday to encourage motorists to practice safe driving habits this spring, at a time of year when the numbers of drivers on the road increases as people head out in search of warm-weather fun.

"Don't get so focused on looking at your GPS or your phone" that you forget there are other hazards on the roads, Hamill said.

Hamill had taken his department-issued motorcycle out last week to enforce Wisconsin's seat belt law. He was among a number of officers on Green Bay-area roads doing seat belt enforcement — a program called Click It or Ticket because officers hope receiving a ticket will remind drivers to "click it," or buckle their seat belts.

A Green Bay police officer's motorcycle that was rear-ended by a hit-and-run driver. The police officer sustained minor injuries April 19.
A Green Bay police officer's motorcycle that was rear-ended by a hit-and-run driver. The police officer sustained minor injuries April 19.

He was under a bridge that carries Interstate 41 traffic over a surface street just west of the city, entering information into a portable computer when his reminder about being aware of hazards in traffic arrived. Someone driving a passing car knocked over the motorcycle, narrowly missed the sedan that Hamill had pulled over, and left the scene.

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Hamill suffered minor injuries while diving away from the oncoming car — onto concrete — but acknowledged Tuesday "it could have been a whole lot worse." He's back in uniform and was on duty Tuesday.

The driver who crashed into Hamill's motorcycle was ticketed on charges of hit and run causing injury, inattentive driving and operating without a valid license. Someone, likely the driver Hamill had stopped, got the license plate number; police found the driver "a short time later," Capt. Ben Allen said in an email.

Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Driver runs over Green Bay police motorcycle as officer issues ticket