South Hunt County, TX, Deputy Fire Chief Killed in Off-duty Crash
The Dallas Morning News
(TNS)
A South Hunt County deputy fire chief died Monday during a head-on collision while he was returning home from work, South Hunt County Fire Rescue said.
Officials announced in a Facebook post that 26-year-old Deputy Chief Austin Cooley died in a traffic accident.
“He worked tirelessly to serve the community and citizens of Hunt County and the City of Kaufman,” the post said. “He will be truly missed and the impact he made on so many lives will be felt long into the future.”
The accident occurred near the intersection of State Highway 34 and County Road 2186, approximately one mile south of Greenville.
Texas Department of Public Safety officers responded to reports of a crash involving two vehicles, officials said in an emailed statement.
Officers said Cooley was driving northbound in his 2005 Honda Accord when it crossed into the southbound lane and collided head-on with a 2013 Dodge Ram pickup. Cooley was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators did not immediately say if they knew why Cooley drove into oncoming traffic.
He had been driving home from his job as an officer with the Kaufman Police Department at the time of the accident.
Cooley grew up in North Texas and attended Collin County Community College and Dallas College’s Eastfield Campus. He most recently lived in Wolfe City in Hunt County.
It remains unclear whether the driver of the truck was injured in the crash.
No further information about the incident was immediately available.
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