San Diego police Officer Zach Martinez was in critical condition after a crash in Clairemont that killed his partner. In an interview conducted by the San Diego Police Department and distributed to local media, his mom described seeing her son for the first time since the accident. NBC 7’s Todd Strain reports.
Editorial note: The interview with Officer Zachary Martinez's parents was conducted by the San Diego Police Department and released to the media.
“I couldn’t hold it together it was very emotional, because all you could see were two eyes peaking out with a breathing tube in and he was covered in gauze."
Those were the understandable emotions from the parents of San Diego Police Officer Zachary Martinez, considering medical experts on the scene of the August 26 accident thought Martinez was dead.
Officer Martinez was seriously injured in the line of duty in the fiery Clairemont-area crash that killed SDPD Officer Austin Machitar and 16-year-old Edgar Giovanny Oviedo.
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Martinez was released from the hospital eight days later. Sabrina and Robbie James, Martinez's parents, say their son is physically doing much better each day as his burns, broken neck, and facial fractures heal, but the emotional healing is harder.
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“It’s going to take time for him to heal with all the emotions, that’s the biggest part, the wound will heal, the aspect that he lost his partner is going to take him a while," Sabrina said.
Martinez and his partner Austin Machitar were best friends. The two families, including Zach Martinez, met recently and shared stories and a lot of tears.
"That’s hard for Zach Martinez because his best friend is gone and he is still here, so he’s struggling with that. He is struggling with that," Sabrina said.
The parents say they are eternally grateful to the support of the community, the SDPD and Sharp Memorial Hospital.
“The nurses and doctors, anybody that came into his room were respectful and so sweet, I couldn’t have gotten through it without everybody here," Sabrina said.
Zach Martinez's parents say in their initial visits to the hospital, their son didn't even recognize them and he still does not remember the night of the crash.
The fatal crash
Killed in the crash on Aug. 26 were Zach Martinez's partner, Austin Machitar, and a teenage driver who was behind the wheel of the gray BMW that slammed into the SUV in which the officers were driving after allegedly fleeing an attempted traffic stop.
Zach Martinez's father told NBC 7 last Wednesday that his son is a hero and dedicated his life to serving.
Zach Martinez has helped to protect San Diego for the past year and a half.
"He was born and raised to serve," San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said during a news conference last week. "He's an EMT. His heart is into helping people."
Zach Martinez's road to the police force began in 2014. In high school, he joined the Lubbock Police Department Explorer Program in Texas.
Officer Brinnen Kent, Zach Martinez's former instructor, described the officer as a smart competitor who helped the explorers win leadership and other awards.
Because Zach Martinez couldn't join the San Diego Police Department until he was 21, he joined the Navy's military police at 18, according to Kent.
Kent said the week before the crash, when they spoke, MartiZach Martinezez talked about how excited he was to be serving in San Diego.
Police say Machitar was a five-and-a-half-year veteran of the force who had a passion for training others. In fact, he trained Zach Martinez.
Later last week, the San Diego Medical Examiner's Office identified the teen driver as Edgar Giovanny Oviedo. First responders attempted lifesaving measures while taking the teenager to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the medical examiner's office.
The San Diego Police Officers Association has started a donation campaign to benefit the families of the involved officers, with a goal of $250,000 to aid with funeral and medical costs.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring fallen law enforcement officers, at least 36 San Diego police officers have, since 1913, died in the line of duty, plus one K9 officer. While the majority of them were shot, 11 were killed in incidents involving a car or motorcycle. The last officer killed in the line of duty was Officer Jonathan "JD" DeGuzman in 2016.
Funeral and procession arrangements are still being planned for Machitar.
