A Harris County Sheriff’s deputy was killed in a crash while tending to victims of another crash early Tuesday.
50-year-old John H. Coddou was struck by a pickup truck at around 9:40 a.m. while helping people at the scene of a minor collision between two cars on State Highway 99.
Authorities said that Coddou parked his patrol car on the left side of the road behind the wrecked cars and activated the emergency lights before he went checking on the cars’ occupants.
He was reportedly struck by a 65-year-old man operating a Chevrolet Silverado as he headed back to his car.
“The driver did not have time to stop and made a faulty evasive maneuver to the left into the grassy median,” Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland said.
Coddou joined the agency nearly 20 years ago working in the Violent Crimes Unit as a detective, a detention officer, and a deputy.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of support for our fellow fallen brother, Deputy Coddou’s family, friends, and teammates,” Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
