Sergeant expected to recover

A Spokane police sergeant seriously injured in a crash on Tuesday had sped up his motorcycle to catch a man driving against traffic, investigators said Wednesday.

Sgt. Rick Dobrow slammed into a minivan that had pulled into the intersection at Dalke Avenue and Monroe Street within seconds of Dobrow beginning his pursuit. The impact threw him over the top of the van.

Dobrow was recovering in the intensive care unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center on Wednesday following five hours of surgery to repair broken facial bones and a broken shoulder, said Spokane police spokesman Cpl. Tom Lee. Dobrow also has several broken ribs, cuts and bruises, and several of his teeth were knocked out. He was sedated and put on a ventilator because his lungs are bruised and filled with fluid.

Hospital officials said the 46-year-old veteran traffic officer was in serious but stable condition.

“I’m so thankful that he’s recovering. … It will be a long road,” said Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, who returned early from a conference in Boise after hearing about the sergeant’s injuries. “We’re optimistic that he’ll recover fully and return to work.”

The driver of the Chrysler Town & Country minivan, 33-year-old Crystal Kilbride, has not been cited in connection with the collision, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Dave Thornburg said on Wednesday.

Kilbride declined to comment when reached by phone.

“Any charging decision is at least a couple days away,” Lee said. The Sheriff’s Office is leading the crash investigation.

Dobrow’s wife, Dee, was in Arizona visiting their son when she heard about her husband’s injuries, Lee said.

The Washington State Patrol chief helped arranged for a WSP pilot to fly Dee Dobrow home to Spokane in the agency’s airplane. She joined her husband about 5 a.m. Wednesday.

“The support we received from other law enforcement agencies was phenomenal,” Kirkpatrick said. “We owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Spokane Fire Department and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office for their help at the scene last night … and also to the Washington State Patrol and the Port of Seattle Police.”

Dobrow joined the Spokane Police Department in 1994, Lee said. He was promoted to sergeant in March 2002 and supervises the swing shift traffic unit.

Dobrow was recently named employee of the quarter for his work organizing the motorcade for Vice President Dick Cheney earlier this year.

Dobrow also helped organize the police escort for the Orange County Choppers’ visit to Spokane, Lee said. The sergeant also helps with all the motorcycle training at the regional police academy.

Dobrow has received the department’s top award, the Medal of Valor, for his actions on April 15, 1997, when he faced off with a man armed with a knife. Dobrow, who was credited for placing himself between the wife and husband, eventually fatally shot the man after he ignored repeated commands to drop the knife.

The motorcycle unit plans to have two officers at the hospital with Dee Dobrow every day, at least until Friday, said Officer Brad Moon. “We just want to be there just in case she needs to leave or wants anything.”