Fort Worth Police sergeant's death raises questions on freeway safety
NORTH TEXAS — Fort Worth Police Sergeant Billy Randolph's death reminds us once again that one of the most dangerous places for a law enforcement officer to be is on a freeway.
The families of officers killed while responding to vehicle accidents or making traffic stops say they know what the Fort Worth officer's loved ones are going through and the questions they are asking.
"I wish more people would pay attention when driving, especially when there was an accident," said Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes.
A plea from the Fort Worth Police Chief after losing a veteran officer to what he believes was a reckless disregard of emergency vehicles at an accident scene.
"And it was clear that there was an accident," Noakes said. "It was clear that the road was blocked off, and this person still ran through."
Randolph is the latest in a string of North Texas law enforcement officers to lose his life while responding to a traffic stop or conducting speed enforcement on a freeway.
That's how Grand Prairie Police Officer AJ Castaneda died in 2019.
He was thrown over the side of a Bush Turnpike overpass when an out-of-control vehicle slammed into the patrol car he was standing next to on the shoulder of the freeway.
"I think being hit by a vehicle is one of the most horrific ways of being killed," said Daniel Castaneda, AJ Castaneda's brother.
Daniel Castaneda said Randolph's family will grieve while tormented by the same question his family has had for five years: how could it not be avoidable?
"I'm sure they're wondering what could have prevented this if anything," said Daniel Castaneda. "Every single day they're going to have to start trying to get some kind of piece and it's going to take a long time."
Daniel Castaneda has been vocal in his support for more safety devices on vehicles to warn distracted or confused drivers.
"A lot of the new cars have these detections on them where you start drifting one way or another it starts beeping really loud, roadside assistance type stuff," Daniel Castaneda said.
Public safety agencies have worked to make freeways safer for police officers and firefighters. But it didn't prevent another family's grief after what happened on I-35 on Monday morning.
"They're completely broken," said Noakes. "They are completely broken. But we are providing every resource possible. We're wrapping our collective arms around them, loving them. We don't know how we get through things like this, but we do because we have to."