June 10, 2009

A law enforcement officer who worked for multiple agencies in Montgomery County over the years remains in critical condi tion Wednesday, along with his passenger, following a Monday night motorcycle crash in Polk County.
 
Bruce Gilchrist, 56, of Porter was southbound on Highway 59 in Goodrich on his Honda Goldwing motorcycle, when he attempted to change lanes and lost control of the bike according to Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Ramey Bass.

Witnesses said traffic was moving at or around 60 miles per hour when the crash occurred.
 
Gilchrist and his passenger, 38-year-old Jennifer Brown of Spring, were ejected and landed on the pavement, critically injuring both. 
 
EMS personnel requested medical helicopters for both victims, but Brown's condition worsened and she went into traumatic arrest. Since CPR cannot be performed in the air, the helicopter was canceled and she was transported by ground ambulance to Memorial Medical Center, Livingston.
 
PHI Air Medical transported Gilchrist to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston with severe head and facial trauma where he remains in critical condition.
 
On Tuesday, Brown was transferred from Livingston to Memorial Hermann in Houston, where she is in listed in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit as of early Wednesday.
 
Gilchrist and Brown were wearing safety helmets.
 
Bass and witnesses said the crash may have been caused by a freshly paved over lane adjoining one with only the original layer of pavement.
 
"Witnesses stated the motorcycle was changing lanes and the elevated pavement may have had something to do with it," Bass said. "The driver may not have been aware of the uneven pavement."
 
An old friend of Gilchrist who happened to witness the crash without knowing it was Gilchrist at the time, was so disturbed that he investigated the situation after the scene was cleared and said the nearest signs warning of "uneven pavement" were 1.5 miles from the crash site. The height difference between the new pavement and the adjoining pavement measures almost 3 inches, he said.
 
Texas Department of Transportation employees also responded to the scene and photographed the area where the lanes connect.
 
Gilchrist has worked for two Montgomery County Constables, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and nearby San Jacinto County Sheriff's Department.