Firefighter and police officer killed at crash scene in Texas

POSTED 7:41 AM, JANUARY 13, 2020, BY CNNWIRE

Paramedic Eric Hill (left) Officer Nicholas Reyna (right)

LUBBOCK, Texas (CNN) – A firefighter and a police officer were killed while working at the scene of an icy crash in Texas, authorities said.

A second firefighter was hospitalized in critical condition following the incident on Interstate 27 in Lubbock, officials said.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene of a single-vehicle accident Saturday morning. While they were there, a second vehicle towing a trailer crossed the median about 25 yards from the first accident, Lubbock Police Chief Floyd Mitchell said.

A third vehicle also crossed and struck two firefighters and one police officer, Mitchell said.

Officer Nicholas Reyna, 27, and Paramedic Eric Hill, 39, were killed, police said. Firefighter Matt Dawson, 30, was hospitalized in critical condition.

“The people who put on this badge, the people who put on that badge, they give their life to their communities. We are true servants. To my family here in Lubbock, my police department and fire department family, hearts go out to them,” Mitchell said.

Lubbock had an inch of snow that night and the roads were icy Saturday.

“When road conditions get this bad, we need to make sure that people understand they need to slow down,” Mitchell said.