Texas Deputy Killed in Crash while Pulled over for Earlier Collision

A Texas deputy was killed Tuesday when he was struck by a pickup truck while he was pulled over to help with a previous crash. 

Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Investigator John Coddou had stopped to help with a collision at around 9:30 a.m. when a pickup truck swerved to avoid the deputy's cruiser, Houston Public Media reports. Coddou was struck on the median, and he was airlifted to the hospital, where he later died.

"It's a very sad day for us," said Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. "Any time we lose a hero, it's not only a loss to our agency but a loss to the entire community. He was assigned to the violent crimes unit, crimes against persons, so he was a crime fighter, out there every day protecting us from some of the most violent individuals in the county."

Coddou, 50, had worked with the sheriff's office for nearly 20 year and was a U.S. Army veteran. Gonzalez said he was described as dedicated and service-minded.

"It's very important whether there's law enforcement on the scene or motorists, there's a lot of chaos, so just slow down if you see that there may be a crash scene," the sheriff said. "Or just slow down in general. We see so many crashes attributed to speed."