The California Highway Patrol Officer injured last week in a rush-hour accident near Mace Boulevard has been upgraded from critical to serious condition as of Dateline’s deadline on Tuesday. Meanwhile, as their investigation continues, Highway Patrol officers are hoping to talk to a Good Samaritan, thought to be a UC Davis medical student, who stopped to help just after the accident.

Motorcycle patrol officer Michael Perry, 36, was transported to the UC Davis Medical Center by Life Flight Sept. 17 and admitted to the hospital in critical condition.

Perry’s motorcycle reportedly clipped another vehicle, and he skidded across the freeway into the center divide with heavy injuries to his shoulder area. But facts in the case are still being examined, and authorities hope that the Good Samaritan who offered assistance to Perry at the scene, but departed without leaving a name, will shed further light on the case.

The accident occurred just before 7:30 a.m. For more than an hour afterward, all westbound traffic near Mace Boulevard was stopped. Some lane closures continued until noontime.

Steady streams of UC Davis employees detoured onto County Road 32A, just west of the Yolo Causeway, or commuted in via Interstate-5 and Highway 113.

To report information to authorities, call Reid Thompson at the Woodland Highway Patrol office, (530) 662-4685.