A commercial truck struck and killed a Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy while she was working a crash scene on Interstate 45 near The Woodlands overnight.<\/p>\n
The deputy is 24-year-old Erika Serrato, a six-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, authorities said. Serrato was directing traffic at the scene of a suspected DWI crash investigation near the Woodlands Parkway exit when she was struck by the truck, which was pulling a trailer, according to\u00a0the sheriff’s office<\/a>.<\/p>\n Serrato was standing with two marked patrol vehicles with their lights activated, according to law enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n The crash was “violent” and sprayed debris across the roadway, Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said in a briefing that ABC13 streamed. The debris injured a male deputy in his 50s and the truck driver who were taken to the hospital, he said.<\/p>\n “After talking with our deputies this morning, they’re completely heartbroken,” Doolittle said. “They’re devastated. To be standing beside a co-worker who’s killed next to you is something that none of us should have to go through. It’s going to affect that officer for a very long time. … Her shift partners, they care deeply about her. She’s a good person.”<\/p>\n All northbound main lanes of I-45 near Woodlands Parkway and Robinson Road remained closed shortly before 10 a.m., according to the live Houston TranStar traffic map.<\/p>\n Law enforcement confirmed there were multiple crashes, vehicles and injuries at the scene but did not yet have exact figures. The Texas Department of Public Safety is also investigating.\u00a0<\/p>\n “It was very complex \u2014 multiple crashes, multiple vehicles,” Texas DPS Sgt. Mike Aftosmes said. “Once we’ve allowed our investigators to get a full picture of what actually happened, we will be sure to put out the accurate, correct information about what happened in this crash.”<\/p>\n The investigation could result in criminal charges, Doolittle added.<\/p>\n The deputy killed in the crash started her career as a jail detention officer and\u00a0had been on patrolling\u00a0roads for about six months. Her 25th birthday would have been next month,\u00a0Doolittle said.<\/p>\n