Critically injured Fresno police officer has suffered high-profile tragedy before

A veteran off-duty Fresno police officer and his wife suffered major injuries Sunday in a crash near Sanger, according to Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

Officer Eloy Escareno, 47, was driving to church with his wife, their son, and a niece and nephew around 9:45 a.m. in Escareno’s personal vehicle, Dyer said.

As he was about to turn from Bethel Avenue onto Highway 180, a vehicle coming west struck the driver’s side door of Escareno’s vehicle. According to CHP, witnesses say the vehicle, a 2004 Toyota Camry, ran a red light as it struck Escareno’s car.

Escareno was airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center and his wife was taken via ambulance.

Escareno underwent surgery and doctors were able to stop the internal bleeding and address the internal injuries, which included several fractured ribs and damage to the spleen. He also suffered significant blood loss and needed a transfusion, Dyer said.

He was listed in stable condition Sunday evening and is partially sedated, but alert, according to an update from the chief.

The three children were also taken to the hospital, but listed in good condition.

“By the grace of God, they’re still here,” Dyer said of Escareno and his wife. “He’s been through more than any human being should have to endure.”

CHP said the driver of the Camry was the only one in the vehicle and was not injured in the collision.

Escareno has been involved in several high-profile cases and public tragedies throughout his 22 years with the Fresno Police Department, Dyer said.

He was the first officer to find the nine slain bodies in the Marcus Wesson home in 2004, according to Bee archives. Just four years earlier, Escareno’s father was murdered by gang members in southwest Fresno.

“I think it’s safe to say I’ve seen more death than anyone should see in a lifetime,” Escareno then 33, told The Bee in 2005. Escareno was thinking of leaving the police department to find a “normal” job, he said.

In 2016, he sued McDonald’s and an employee, after an altercation where the employee grabbed Escareno’s baton and struck him in the head, sending him to the hospital.

Dyer said Escareno was also a part of an officer-involved shooting in recent years where a woman was taken hostage.

Escareno’s wife was a police dispatcher until recently, Dyer said.

This story was originally published October 28, 2018 at 1:21 PM.