Injured Highway Patrol trooper on life support

RENO -- A Nevada Highway Patrol trooper critically injured in a crash while responding to a call was on life support Tuesday.

Trooper Kara Kelly-Borgognone's patrol car was rammed Monday night while she was en route to assist in a bomb scare off Pyramid Highway.

In a statement issued Tuesday, her family said she would not survive. Doctors were conducting organ donor suitability testing because she is an organ donor.

"This testing could take as long as two days as doctors try to find compatible matches," the statement read.

The Washoe County Sheriff's Office, which is handling the investigation, identified the other driver as Matthew Henderson, 33, of Sun Valley. He suffered minor injuries.

Authorities said his Chevrolet Trailblazer crashed into the driver's side door of Kelly-Borgognone's Ford Crown Victoria cruiser.

"This was a large scene and it will take some time to develop a clear picture of exactly what happened," sheriff's Sgt. Mike Gross said.

Investigators said it's unknown if alcohol was a factor but added that no charges were being pursued.

Kelly-Borgognone has been a trooper for two years, serving eight years before that as a parole and probation officer, Allen said. She and her husband, Dirk, have two young daughters, ages 3 and 13.

Her brother, Chris Kelly, is a 14-year veteran with the Highway Patrol and is assigned to the Reno area, Allen said.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Brooke Keast said the trooper was traveling with lights and sirens en route to the scene. The accident occurred at an intersection controlled by a traffic light.

"There was at least one witness," Keast said. "We don't know who had the green light."

The bomb scare involved a plastic cooler left in the parking lot of a Terrible's gas station in Sparks, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The bomb squad was called to the scene, and other law enforcement agencies, including Kelly-Borgognone, responded to set up a safety perimeter, authorities said.

Bomb experts used a small explosive charge to open the cooler, which contained concrete core samples.

Two years ago, while working as a probation officer, Kelly-Borgognone shot and killed a parolee after he tested positive for methamphetamine and tried to take her gun away during a struggle.

Christopher Michael Tallman, 25, was on probation for being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.

Tallman managed to get Kelly-Borgognone's gun out of her holster but she wrestled it back and shot Tallman in the head and chest.

He died after being taken by ambulance to a hospital.