April 03--The pickup that struck a Texas Department of Public Safety patrol car, killing a state trooper, ran a stop light, according to a preliminary accident report released by the state Monday.
The accident that killed Trooper Javier Arana Jr. occurred at about 1:30 a.m. March 24 at an intersection in far East El Paso.
Arana, 32, was laid to rest Friday during a funeral attended by about 1,500 people, including hundreds of members of law enforcement agencies from as far away as Minnesota and Illinois.
The preliminary report is not the final report of the incident, but it is the first time the state has released some of the accident's details.
DPS spokeswoman Trooper Elizabeth Barney said that an investigation continues and that any charges will be determined as a result of the final investigation.
"We are awaiting on further details and results," Barney said.
The preliminary report stated that Arana was in a patrol car northbound on Joe Battle Boulevard at the intersection with Bob Hope Drive. Arana "was responding to an emergency call with emergency equipment activated" when the crash occurred.
The second vehicle, a black 2003 Ford Ranger, was eastbound on Bob Hope, the report states.
According to the report, the pickup "disregarded the red light at Joe Battle Blvd. (The patrol car) struck (the pickup) front left to right front quarter. The impact caused (the pickup) to rotate counter clockwise and into the side of (the patrol car)."
The patrol car spun and
hit a light pole, causing it to spin again before it came to rest and caught fire. Arana died at the scene.
The pickup's driver, Edgardo Antonio Flores, 18, and his passenger, Josue Alejandro Guerrero, 20, were hurt but survived. No charges have been filed. The pickup was not linked to the emergency call to which Arana was responding.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at [email protected]; 546-6102.
Copyright 2012 - El Paso Times, Texas
