12/1/2009 3:30:00 PM DPS officer critical condition after being hit by tractor-trailer
Kenneth J. Henscheid
Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Kenneth J. Henscheid was injured just after midnight Sunday morning after he was hit by an out-of-control semi-tractor trailer traveling north on I-17 near Munds Park. Henscheid had just arrived to investigate an earlier rollover accident involving a van and had parked his patrol car on the northbound right shoulder of I-17 at milepost 322. The van had been northbound but lost control, crossed through the median and rolled over into southbound lane.
Henscheid was checking occupants of the van when he and the van were struck by the northbound tractor-trailer that lost control and crossed the center median. The impact threw him under a third vehicle, that had pulled over to avoid being struck by the tractor-trailer. He was pinned to the ground. Several citizens lifted the car off him and pulled him free.
One citizen used the officer's police radio to call DPS dispatch center for help. Officer Henscheid is currently in critical condition with multiple fractures and internal injuries at Flagstaff Medical Center. The collision is under investigation.
Preliminary information suggests the bridge just south of the collision had iced over, contributing to the initial van rollover and the tractor-trailer losing control.
Henscheid, 40, is a 12-year veteran of DPS and has worked out of the Flagstaff area for the past 10 years. He is married with one adult child and three small children, ranging from one to six-years of age.
In addition to citizens who helped, other assisting agencies included the Yavapai and Coconino County Sheriff's offices, Sedona Fire Department, ADOT, Guardian Ambulance, and the Flagstaff Medical Center.
