Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant hurt in crash has ‘long road to recovery’
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant struck by a vehicle along a Fort Worth highway on Tuesday was recovering from surgery on Wednesday, with “a long road to recovery” ahead of her, the agency said in an update that also provided more details on the crash itself.
Additionally, Fort Worth police, the agency leading the investigation, reported another individual suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
The sheriff’s office lieutenant, identified as Jacqueline Smith, suffered serious injuries, according to Lt. Jennifer Gabbert, an agency spokesperson. Though officials initially indicated on Tuesday she had stepped out of her car on I-35W to check on victims of a crash, Gabbert said in a news release on Wednesday that Smith and another driver were stopped and standing outside of their cars when a third vehicle hit one of the stopped cars. That propelled the car into Smith and the other driver, pinning them against a retaining wall.
It’s unknown why Smith was out of her car, Gabbert said, “other than some type of accident had occurred prior to the second crash.”
Gabbert said in an email on Wednesday their initial report was based on the information the sheriff’s office received at the time.
“We later heard she (Smith) may have been involved in the first crash,” she said.
The first crash occurred around 5:35 a.m. Tuesday in the 3000 block of Interstate 35W near East Berry Street, according to police. Investigators determined two vehicles were involved in a crash, police said, and then the drivers stepped outside to assess the damage when the third crash occurred.
The driver of the third car stopped at the scene and isn’t facing charges, police said.
Gabbert said in an email on Wednesday that Smith hasn’t been able to answer questions about the incident at this time.
“She is not in the condition to clear up the story,” she said.
The sheriff’s office is asking people to please keep Smith in their thoughts and prayers, according to the news release.
