GhLinks Media
The Fort Worth police officer at the scene of a fuel spill clean-up died after he was hit by a vehicle on I-35W Monday morning.
Sgt. Billy Randolph was standing outside his vehicle when another vehicle drove through the accident scene and struck him. Police say the driver of that vehicle is in police custody and the investigation at the scene is ongoing.
A tractor-trailer hit a guardrail around 2:40 a.m. in the southbound lanes of I-35W at Sycamore School Road, where it caught on fire and spilled fuel. With the help of some bystanders, the driver got out of the vehicle with minor injuries.
About three hours later, a vehicle “came through the accident scene and struck an officer,” according to police. The officer, Randolph, was taken by police to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.
Randolph served with FWPD for 29 years, more recently assigned to the South Patrol. Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes, who has been with the department for 24 years, said he doesn’t know what it will be like without Randolph.
“That’s a new reality for all of us,” Noakes said.
Noakes also said he wishes more drivers would pay attention on the road, especially when there are accidents.
“It was clear there was an accident and that the road was blocked off and that person still ran through,” he said.
Fort Worth police said the highway would be shut down “for some time” while both accidents were being investigated.
All of the southbound lanes of I-35W were shut down, including the service roads, while the scene was cleaned up. Traffic was diverted to the exit at Altamesa Boulevard.
