THE WOODLANDS, Texas – A Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputy was killed early Sunday after she was struck by a commercial truck while helping secure a crash scene on Interstate 45 near Lake Woodlands, the agency said.
The sheriff’s office said deputies were called out around 2:39 a.m. after multiple reports of a multi-vehicle wreck on I-45 North near the Woodlands Parkway exit.
Investigators determined the original incident involved suspected impaired driving, and deputies began assisting with the response, including guiding traffic around the scene.
As deputies worked, MCSO said a heavy-duty truck towing a trailer drove into the area, hitting Deputy Erika Serrato as she stood outside her unit directing traffic. The truck also collided with two marked patrol vehicles that had their emergency lights on, according to the agency.
Serrato, 24, was assigned to District 2. She was taken to a hospital but later died, the sheriff’s office said. MCSO said she had worked for the department for six years.