Officer assigned to VP Harris’ visit falls 50-feet from highway ramp in Seattle

A Bellevue, Washington, motorcycle police officer assigned to a visit by Vice President Kamala Harris was injured Tuesday when he fell about 50 feet from a highway on-ramp in Seattle, police said.

The 39-year-old officer suffered what were described as serious injuries, but the police department said he was conscious and speaking before he was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The officer fell 50 to 60 feet from an on-ramp onto Interstate 5 below, the police department said.

The Washington State Patrol is investigating.

“Somehow, by the grace of God, he was not struck” after the fall, Meeghan Black, a Bellevue police spokesperson, told The Seattle Times. “We are just very, very thankful that he is in as good a condition as he is.”

Harris was in Seattle to mark the first anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, which, among other things, includes health care measures and provisions to encourage cleaner energy, like solar power.

Bellevue is a city just east of Seattle. The officer was on a service detail for the vice president’s visit to Seattle when the incident occurred Tuesday afternoon, Bellevue police said.