24-year-old speaks out, motorcyclist hit by suspect during attempted arrest
Feb 19, 2024, 5:34 PM | Updated: Feb 20, 2024, 6:45 am
SANDY — A 24-year-old innocent bystander, who was caught in the middle of a police pursuit last November, spoke for the first time exclusively to KSL TV.
Jacob Worch was on his way to get lunch when he got trapped in the chaos. He was on his motorcycle when he crossed paths with a suspect and Sandy police officers.
The day of Nov. 9, 2023, started off as just another day for Worch. The incident happened on Monroe Street just below 9000 South in Sandy.
“I was on my lunch break for work,” he said.
In a matter of moments, however, everything changed.
Jacob Worch was injured in a crash after he swerved to avoid the suspect. (Sandy Police Department)
With a fleeing suspect on the wrong side of the road and police officers following behind on foot, Worch had little time to react.
“I maybe had 50 feet to react,” he said.
Worch was injured in a crash with another vehicle as he served to avoid the suspect. The injuries he sustained in the crash landed Worch in the hospital for three months. Due to serious injuries to his shin muscles, doctors were forced to amputate his right leg from the calf down.
“It sounds like because of your decision to swerve, you were able to save your life, but you still lost your leg?” KSL TV asked.
“Yeah, so basically so what it boils down to is the way I went,” Worch said. “I sacrificed my leg to keep my life.”
The suspect turned out to be a 16-year-old teen who stole the minivan from an Army recruiting station hours before. The suspect later died after being shot by police as he drove toward officers.
(Sandy Police Department)
As he looks back on the incident, Worch is trying to make sense of what happened.
“I could go through every single scenario and think of how things could have gone different,” he said.
However, he’s focused on the future.
“I’m excited to see what, you know with a prosthetic, like what I can, all the things I can get back to,” he said.
Worch will return to work in a few weeks. His mother has started a GoFundMe* account to help with medical expenses and aids like a prosthetic leg. As for the officer-involved shooting, it remains under investigation.
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
