Source: dallasnews.com

A second Dallas police officer has been felled by the all-seeing eyes of the in-car squad camera.

An in-car video recording showed police investigators that Officer Kent Bocook wasn’t being truthful when he told investigators that a man’s car struck his vehicle while his patrol car was stopped at a traffic light at Preston Road and the George Bush Turnpike.

The video showed that the officer deliberately positioned his squad car in front of the car of a DWI suspect, and the suspected drunken driver then drove into his squad car.

Police officials are also trying to determine whether other officers encouraged Bocook to misrepresent what happened in a police report.

Bocook, who didn’t return a call seeking comment, resigned effective Tuesday.

“There was nothing to be covered up or hidden from my statement,” Bocook told internal investigators in his statement.

Aaron Walker was celebrating one last hurrah with his friends in February before enlisting in the Army. But a crash that night would show the 18-year-old that he didn’t need to join the Army to save lives.

“I see him as a hero,” said his friend, Simone Ross.

But Walker’s heroism cost him both legs and his plans to start basic training this spring.

Such trauma might have sent others into deep depression. Yet that didn’t take hold of Walker, a North Garland High School graduate who lives with his father in Garland.

He has maintained a positive spirit and has comforted others who have been injured.

“He wasn’t mad or anything,” said Cory Russell, who broke a leg that night. “A lot of people would probably be down in the pits, but he wasn’t.”

Walker doesn’t think of himself as handicapped. “Only disabled for the moment,” he said. “I know I’m going to be back to the same.”

He sees a future where he will attend college in Texas, have a career in the Army, play sports and motivate others.

The crash
On the evening of Feb. 6, Walker and his friends headed to a Dallas nightclub to celebrate before he enlisted in the Army. On their way, the Chevy they were in broke down on Interstate 30.

Walker, Ross and Russell were pushing the car off the Motley Drive exit to a gas station when headlights approached fast from behind. Walker pushed Ross away.

One car swerved to avoid the teens. A Honda behind it braked hard and was hit from behind by a third vehicle. The Honda was launched into the Chevy and both Walker and Russell were hit.

Russell was thrown from the Chevy and broke his leg. Walker flew forward and the Honda rolled over him, trapping his legs. Walker dragged himself from under the tires and off to the side of the road.

“It didn’t dawn on me that I got hit,” Walker said. “It was like going through slow motion.”

According to Mesquite police, the three friends were blocking the taillights of the car when they were pushing it, making it difficult for other motorists to see them.

Walker doesn’t remember much about what followed. He was taken to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and his both his legs were amputated.

Basic training
Though there is no basic training for Walker this spring, he’s experiencing a different kind of regimen.

Instead of running miles and climbing walls, his workouts consist of getting out of bed to change his bandages once every two days and using weights and bands to strengthen his core and upper body.

Walker had his last surgery on April 3 and expects to get his prosthetics at the end of May.

He said he can’t wait to try wheelchair basketball and rugby. “I’m glad I still got my arms. It could have been worse.”

He is also building up his emotional and mental strength and is eager to return to Baylor to provide inspiration to fellow amputees and others who are ill.

“Being negative doesn’t help anything,” Walker said. “If you don’t think you’re going to get better, you’re not going to get better.”

As soon as he could use a wheelchair, Walker began visiting Russell in his hospital room.

“Just watching him gave me support,” Russell said. “If he could go through with that, I could go through with my injury, too.”

Source: DallasNews.com

Source: dallasnews.com

A 28-year-old Arlington man died after being thrown from his motorcycle Monday on State Highway 161 in Irving, authorities said today.

Charles Black was going too fast when he hit a retaining wall on the southbound 161 ramp to westbound State Highway 183 Monday afternoon, Irving police said. He was thrown from his bike, fell over the barrier and landed 30 feet below. The motorcycle continued down the ramp

Black, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas where he died.

Authorties shut down southbound lanes of 161 to westbound 183 on Monday to investigate the accident.

Source: dallasnews.com

A 19 year old Angelina College student was killed Monday night while trying to cross Highway 59 south near the college.

According to police reports, 21 year old Christopher Salazar of Sugarland was driving his car southbound on south First Street (Highway 59 south) in the inside lane when 19 year old Brandon Hart of Woodville was crossing the highway on foot and ran out in front of traffic.

Police say Salazar swerved, but was unable to avoid colliding with Hart. Hart was transported to Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The accident happened about 8:57 Monday night in the3500 block of south First (Highway 59 south).

A spokesman for Angelina College tells KTRE, Hart was in his Freshman year of college at A-C.

A 19 year old Angelina College student was killed Monday night while trying to cross Highway 59 south near the college.

According to police reports, 21 year old Christopher Salazar of Sugarland was driving his car southbound on south First Street (Highway 59 south) in the inside lane when 19 year old Brandon Hart of Woodville was crossing the highway on foot and ran out in front of traffic.

Police say Salazar swerved, but was unable to avoid colliding with Hart. Hart was transported to Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The accident happened about 8:57 Monday night in the3500 block of south First (Highway 59 south).

A spokesman for Angelina College tells KTRE, Hart was in his Freshman year of college at A-C.

Source: ktre.com

Source: dallasnews.com

A 2-year-old boy who fell into his family’s swimming pool Friday afternoon and drowned has been identified.

The mother of Norman Williams was in the bathroom when the boy wandered outside their house in the Buckner Terrace neighborhood of Dallas and fell into the pool, the Dallas County medical examiner’s office.

When Norman’s mother came out of the bathroom, she saw her 3-year-old child crying. She then found Norman in the pool behind their house in the 5200 block of Elkridge Drive, just southwest of Interstate 30 and Jim Miller Road.

Paramedics took Norman to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, where he was pronounced dead at 2:59 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. Dallas police classified the incident as an accident.

An unusual car crash in Arlington leaves a 19-year-old man dead. A police officer driving down Collins St. spotted a burning car overnight — firefighters put out the blaze — and that’s when they found a body inside. Police now believe the driver ran off the road and slammed into a tree — around 3-o’clock this morning. The driver has been identitified as Phillip S. Lara of Rockwall — it’s believe he was killed on impact.

Source: nbcdfw.com

source: DallasNews.com

Collin County authorities searched Lake Lavon today for a teen whose paddle boat capsized last night.

Michael Simmons, 18, and a friend were reported missing about 10:40 p.m. Monday after their boat overturned in winds gusting to 28 mph, authorities said.

Simmons’ teenage friend was found about 11 p.m. on the west side of the lake near County Road 490. She was treated at the scene.

The girl told authorities she clung to the capsized paddle boat as it floated to shore. The water temperature was believed to be 60 degrees.

The search included boats from the U.S. Corps of Engineers, Texas Parks & Wildlife and the Wylie Fire Department , as well as a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter.

Searchers recovered the boat and shoes believed to belong to Simmons.

Lewisville Lake: The body of Mike Wells Barton, 54, of Hickory Creek was found in Lake Lewisville. He was last seen marooned on his sailboat on March 23 after the engine stopped working.

Three- to 4-foot waves prevented a towing company from bringing in his boat and Barton declined a ride to shore. About an hour later, a Denton County sheriff’s deputy saw the sailboat with no one aboard. Crews searched for three days.

Barton was vice president of sales for Armko Industries Inc. of Flower Mound.

LB Houston Lake in Dallas: Crews continued the search for a 37-year-old woman who disappeared on Sunday near the west fork of the Trinity River. Dallas Fire-Rescue said she was with with her husband when their boat capsized. The husband, 33, was rescued near Northwest Highway and treated for hypothermia. Authorities did not release their names.

Lake Grapevine: Crews expanded the search for a canoeist who disappeared on Saturday. The man in his late 20s was with a friend when their canoe capsized. The friend made it to shore. Grapevine police said the men were not wearing life jackets, and alcohol was not a factor. Authorities did not release their names.

Richland Chambers Lake near Corsicana: The search continues for Jerrod Rachel, 17, of Malakoff, who was fishing with his grandfather, Jerry King, 72. The two were fishing on March 23 when they did not return and their family reported them missing. King’s body was found on Friday.

Source: wfaa.com

Still full of books, a backpack with a gaping hole has become a symbol of surviving what appeared to be the unsurvivable.

In the backseat of a his car, TJ Vaught, 10, was impaled by a 6-foot, 30 pound metal crowbar. The backpack was strapped to his back at the time of the crash that led to the bizarre accident.

The incident happened as TJ and his mother, Christa Vaught, were in a truck driving along Highway 34 at Highway 287 in Ennis.

With bad weather creating sketchy driving conditions, a vehicle slammed into the back of the truck. The force of the crash launched the large spike though the back of the truck, its backseat, TJ’s backpack and then into his side.

It didn’t stop there. The spike continued through the boy’s leg and then into his mother’s back.

Doctors said the spike missed Vaught’s spine by a centimeter.

“I just told [TJ], ‘Look at my face,’” Vaught said. “I wouldn’t let him look down at that. ‘Hold my hand; squeeze it as hard as you need to, but we need to breathe. We need to stay still, and we need to be calm until somebody gets here. We can’t cry yet.’”

TJ never broke into tears, even when paramedics sawed the crowbar in half and then held the other half steady in his body as they rushed him off to Children’s Medical Center.

“Somebody was looking out for us yesterday,” Vaught said.

An X-ray showed the rod somehow missed every important organ in TJ’s body.

“It just didn’t hurt,” TJ said.

Ennis police said the teenage driver of the other car won’t be ticketed for the bizarre, weather-related accident.

Preliminary autopsy results following a fatal weekend accident at Total Petrochemicals Refinery in Port Arthur show a Fort Worth man died of head trauma.
See more in this on-line video report.

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Accident investigators are awaiting preliminary autopsy results following a fatal weekend accident at Total Petrochemicals Refinery in Port Arthur.

Jefferson County Justice Of The Peace VI McGinnis tells KBMT 12 News the victim is Thomas Whittwer, 24, of Ft. Worth. Judge McGinnis says a preliminary autopsy report is expected sometime Tuesday afternoon.

Whittwer was injured Saturday in an accident involving a crane. He passed away Sunday. Whittwere was an employee of McKinney Drilling Company out of Fort Worth. District Manager Dwayne Fry declined to comment but said a statement may be released later in the day.

Attempts to Reach Whittwer’s father Thomas Wilson have not been successful.

Total spokesperson Pat Avery tells KBMT grief counselors arrived at the plant Monday and are on site again today. Avery says investigators with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration were on site Monday and may still be at the plant looking at the circumstances surrounding the accident.