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DPS trooper killed in I-35 accident in TempleNov 4, 2017 A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was killed in a pedestrian-vehicle accident during an Interstate 35 traffic stop Saturday, officials said. The trooper — who was not immediately identified — was struck by a pickup truck on the highway shoulder at about 3:05 p.m. in the 6400 block of southbound I-35. The incident occurred just north of the Temple DPS office. DPS Sgt. Dave Roberts said the trooper was taken to Scott & White Medical Center-Temple, where he was pronounced dead. Roberts said a news release about the trooper is forthcoming. About a dozen DPS vehicles remained parked outside the emergency entrance at the hospital hours after the trooper died. The trooper’s vehicle was on fire when a Temple Fire & Rescue unit arrived at 3:12 p.m., spokesman Thomas Pechal said. Roberts said the truck struck the rear of the trooper’s marked DPS vehicle before crashing. Firefighters used foam to extinguish it, and gave medical care to four people, including the trooper, involved in the crash. The driver of a blue Mazda was also taken to Scott & White in unknown condition, said Pechal. Scott Taylor of Marble Falls, and his fiancée, Carmen Bridges, were occupants of a white 2017 Chevrolet truck and said the accident occurred while they on their way home from Corsicana. “We have no idea what happened,” he said. “We were in the left lane. As far as I know that was the last thing I remember, then us rolling.” “I didn’t even know we hit a car,” Taylor said. Both of them had chest pains, he said, but they didn’t want to leave their Chihuahua puppy, Faith. They lost track of their other dog, Jackson, a brindle mastiff-boxer mix. “We were grateful,” he said. “The airbags saved our lives.” “It seemed like our truck was completely surrounded when we landed,” he said. “There were people everywhere.” lcausey@tdtnews.com  |