LOS ANGELES : Interchange Named for Officer Who Died in Quake
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State lawmakers renamed the Golden State-Antelope Valley freeway interchange Thursday in memory of the LAPD motorcycle officer who fell to his death when it collapsed during the Northridge quake.
Clarence Wayne Dean, a 26-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, was rushing on his police motorcycle to report for emergency duty when he drove off the end of a broken overpass.
In Sacramento, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) to rename the junction as the Clarence Wayne Dean Memorial Interchange.
“I want people to remember the courage Officer Dean had and the dedication he showed by trying to get to work so soon after the quake,” Katz said. “He risked his life to help others and is a hero we should never forget.”
Dean, who lived in Lancaster, died in the pre-dawn hour when he did not see the severed bridge span. The 46-year-old officer is survived by his wife and two children.
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