A West (TX) firefighter was killed after being struck at the scene of a vehicle fire Tuesday on Northbound Interstate 35, according to news reports.
NBC 5 reported that firefighters and Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers had shut down the roadway’s inside lane using a fire apparatus, traffic control devices, and two patrol units.
A tractor semi-trailer ignored the closure and struck the apparatus and other vehicles, the report said. A firefighter was hit by a vehicle during the crash, and was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Two troopers were also injured, transported, treated, and subsequently released.
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According to KWTX, the fallen firefighter was identified as Edward Hykel, who was injured in the April 17, 2013 West (TX) explosion, which killed 10 emergency responders. Hykel, 60, was a volunteer firefighter for 16 years and worked in the city Public Works and Water Department.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration notification, on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, the City of West Fire Department and Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers were providing traffic control on I-35N after a vehicle caught on fire. The inside lane was shut down with traffic control devices, a fire truck, and two DPS patrol units. A driver of a Peterbilt tractor trailer traveling on the inside lane struck Firefighter Hykel, the fire truck, and the patrol units. Firefighter Hykel was immediately transported to the hospital where he passed away a short time later from his injuries.
