Veteran traffic Officer Anderson Adren Boyce of the Los Angeles Police Department says he owes his life to police training and protective police gear.

Boyce, reached Monday afternoon at his home in Castaic, admits he's lucky to be alive after he was knocked off his LAPD motorcycle Sunday and onto Interstate 5 at 60 miles an hour.

"I remember clearly and vividly, when I was on the roadway and when I stopped rolling, my first instinct was to get off the road," Boyce said.

"I stood up. I was in a lot of pain but I hobbled over and I had to get out of the kill zone, as it were."

California Highway Patrol officers Monday were looking for the hit-and-run motorist who knocked Boyce off his motorcycle around 5:15 p.m. on the southbound freeway and then sped off.

The driver was behind the wheel of a 2005 or 2006 dark-colored Ford Mustang when he hit the LAPD motorcyclist near Lyons Avenue, according to a collision report released Monday by CHP investigating Officer C. Johnson.

Boyce, 48, suffered an abrasion to his left knee and other injuries described as "moderate" by CHP officers Sunday.

He complained of pain to his knees and shins following the collision.

He now hopes an examination by an orthopedic surgeon will result in a positive prognosis for the healing of his knee.

Boyce celebrates 24 years of service with the LAPD this year.

An 11-year veteran of the department's traffic section, Boyce has two years of training as a traffic collision investigator.

"Being in traffic for so many years, I have an appreciation of traffic," he said.

"There's rigorous training we have to go through," he said. "We learn, for instance, how to position the motorcycle to reduce injury."

Boyce also credits LAPD-required safety gear for minimizing the extent of his injuries.

"I have the modular helmet with a protective face guard," he said.

"When I struck the pavement, I felt my face shield come in contact with the road," he said. "Without it, it would have been my face that made contact."

Long sleeves, protective gloves and a "bullet-proof" vest also served to stave off injury, he said.

"The vest protected my ribs," he said.

According to CHP investigators, the driver of the Mustang that hit Boyce was "left and slightly ahead" of the LAPD officer, traveling in the fast lane at 55 miles per hour.

Boyce was reportedly driving 60 mph in the adjacent lane.

The Mustang driver apparently failed to see the motorcycle when he changed lanes, moving from the left lane to the one next to it, CHP investigators said.

The right side of the Mustang hit the left side of the motorcycle, investigators said.

Boyce was thrown from his 2009 BMW motorcycle and sent crashing to the freeway road surface. The LAPD vehicle crashed into the center divider metal guardrail.

Boyce was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center.

Investigators are treating the incident as a felony hit-and-run and are still investigating.