Police Recruit Dies During Collision During Training

The men and women of our local police departments work hard to protect and serve the public.  Normally the training they receive in the police academy is much safer than the training they receive on the streets.  Sadly a tragic accident has taken the life of a Norfolk, Virginia (VA) police recruit and he died Saturday morning, nine days after he was injured during training, reports WAVY.com.

John Kohn, 40, a Norfolk Police Department Academy recruit was pronounced dead Saturday morning at Norfolk Sentara General Hospital, according to a press release from police spokesperson Karen Parker-Chesson.

Kohn was rushed to the hospital on December 9 after he was injured during training.  Somehow his car collided with another recruit Dec. 9 during driver training. Both were learning self-defense tactics at the Norfolk Police Department Academy.  There is no news yet if one of the recruits lost control of their car or if it was an equipment failure issue. 

There still hasn't been a detailed report on what caused the accident, but from the injuries he suffered and ultimately death, it very well could have been a head-on collision.  One in five traumatic brain injuries are caused by car accidents.  Car accidents caused by negligence of a third party are a basis for civil personal injury actions even when a person in on the job or working, however, a question arises about accidental injuries during job training caused by a co-worker.  Typically on the job injuries are governed by workers compensation, so it is unclear whether this tragic accident would be a "covered" injury but typically such an injury would be considered on the job.

My thoughts go out to his family for their loss.  It's just not a loss for them, but a loss for the entire community.  I seriously hope that all safety procedures were being followed by the police academy and that his untimely death wasn't preventable.

CA.