Camarillo CHP officer in stable condition
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

BEYOND STRONG- California Highway Patrol officer Anthony Pedeferri of Camarillo is shown here crossing the finish line of a recent Ironman competition. The father of two was critically injured in a freeway accident last week.

California Highway Patrol officer Anthony Pedeferri of Camarillo was in critical but stable condition on Wednesday after a suspected drunk driver crashed into the car Pedeferri had stopped on the 101 Freeway last week.

Police say that 20-year-old Jeremy White of Paso Robles slammed his pickup truck into the stopped vehicle along the freeway just south of Padre Canyon Road late in the afternoon of Dec. 19.

The crash shut down the freeway for more than 12 hours.

According to police, White and his passenger suffered minor injuries. White was arrested for felony DUI and manslaughter and as of Wednesday remains in custody at the Ventura County Main Jail on $500,000 bail. He is scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 7.

The fiery crash killed 20-year-old Andreas Parra of Phoenix, the driver of the stopped sport utility vehicle, and critically wounded Pedeferri, 36, who had been talking to Parra from the passenger side of the vehicle. The impact knocked the motorcycle officer out of his boots and 20 feet onto the side of the road.

Pedeferri, an 11-year veteran of the department, underwent surgery the following day. His condition was upgraded to stable over the weekend.

Although the Pedeferri family was not available for comment, fellow triathlete Bill Escobar said the father of two is strong physically as well as mentally. Pedeferri is a threetime competitor in Ironman Hawaii, the world series of triathlons.

"If anybody can come out of this on top, it would be Tony," Escobar said. "He's got a whole bunch of people pulling for him."

Escobar, president of the 176member Rincon Triathlete Club, said he's joined Pedeferri in about a dozen swimming, biking and running training sessions over the last four years, although he can't keep the same pace as Pedeferri.

"Tony is so fast," Escobar said.

And while athletes at Pedeferri's "elite level" tend to have their heads in the clouds, that's not the case with Pedeferri, Escobar said.

"He's a really down-to-earth guy," Escobar said. "If somebody needs a hand, he's right there. He's one of the first to say, 'How can I help?'"

Pedeferri earned fifth place in the 35-39 age group in the Ironman Couer d'Alene held earlier this year and has reached the finish line in a total of nine Ironman competitions.

The Rincon Triathlon Club honored Pedeferri as its Athlete of the Year at an awards banquet four days before the accident.

"Tony overwhelmingly won this category," Escobar said, adding that it demonstrates the high regard club members have for the patrol officer.