John LaMar

Officer John LaMar succumbed to injuries received when he was struck by a vehicle on U.S. Route 99 north of Berkshire Road in Bakersfield on November 23, 1954, at 7 pm. Officer LaMar was inspecting a disabled vehicle that was being hooked to a tow truck. Despite flares on the roadway to warn drivers, a speeding vehicle crashed into the stalled car and hit Officer LaMar. He was transported to the San Joaquin Hospital, where he passed away 17 days later. The driver was initially charged with manslaughter. He died in a plane crash a couple of years later. Officer LaMar was a United States Navy WWII veteran who had served with the California Highway Patrol for only two months and previously served with the Tulare Police Department.

He was survived by his expectant wife, two sons, four brothers, and three sisters.