Goodbye
Dear Friend
On
Sunday, December 17th, at approximately 3:45 AM, Fort Worth Police
Officer Dwayne Freeto, 34, perished in a motor vehicle accident
which  occurred
on Interstate 35W, just north of the Morningside Drive exit in
south Fort Worth. The officer was seated in his patrol car, a
2005 Ford Crown Victoria, when it was struck from behind by a
1996 Lexus 4-door, driven by a 21 year old male. The impact caused
the rear of the police car to be shoved up against the driver’s
seat, pinning the officer inside. Witnesses stated both vehicles
burst into flames upon impact.
The
officer had been assisting a stranded motorist, who had telephoned
police at approximately 3:38 AM, requesting help after her car
broke down with a flat tire. A Good Samaritan had also stopped
by to assist that motorist and pulled in front of her black BMW
4 door in his grey Dodge Pickup. Officer Freeto arrived on scene
a few minutes after police received the call and, according to
witnesses’ accounts, had turned on the emergency red and
blue lights atop his squad car to alert other motorists coming
up from behind the scene.
After
the two cars burst into flames, the Good Samaritan, as well as
an off-duty Fort Worth Police officer who witnessed the crash
and saw the flames, attempted to free the trapped officer from
inside the burning wreck but were unsuccessful. The driver of
the Lexus was able to free himself from his vehicle, but was severely
burned and had to be assisted by the off-duty officer in extinguishing
the flames from his body. That driver was flown to Parkland Hospital’s
Burn Unit by Careflight and is listed in critical condition at
the time of this release. The preliminary accident investigation
shows that speed was a predominate factor in this collision.
Officer
Dwayne Freeto, 34 years old, had been employed with the Fort Worth
Police Department since August 2005. He was commissioned as a
police officer and graduated from the Fort Worth Police Academy
in March 2006. Officer Freeto was assigned to the department’s
South Division – Neighborhood Policing District #8 as a
patrol officer at the time of his death.
Officer Freeto leaves behind a wife, Karen, and two daughters,
ages 3 and 9. Prior to coming to work for the police, Officer
Freeto served in the United States Army.
Donations
for the Freeto Family
Donations
may be mailed or taken to:
-
Fort Worth Police Officers' Association (FWPOA)
904 Collier
Fort Worth, TX 76102
or
-
Any Chase Bank
(Dwayne Freeto Fund)
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