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Chief Troy Finner gives preliminary details on HPD officer involved in train crash
During a press conference, Houston PD Chief Troy Finner confirmed Vidal Lopez, 42, a senior officer with HPD, was driving his personal vehicle when he was hit by a train in the Heights area.
HOUSTON - A Houston PD officer is "fighting for his life" Wednesday morning after a crash with a train in the Heights area.
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Details are limited, so it's unclear exactly how everything unfolded. What we do know, however, is it happened in the 6700 block of Fulton St. around 7 a.m.
That's where, according to HPD's Twitter, investigators were called to the scene of what they described as "a train vs car crash."
During a press conference later that day, Chief Troy Finner identified the officer as, Vidal Lopez, 42, a senior police officer with HPD. He is just short of 20 years of service with the department, and currently working in technology services,
Officer Lopez was rushed to Memorial Hermann in serious condition, and we're told he was in his personal vehicle at the time but could not confirm if he was on the way to work.
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The chief offered prayers to the officer's family, saying he was "fighting for his life," and his wife is currently expecting a child. He also expressed gratitude toward the Houston Fire Department and Memorial Hermann for everything they've done so far, from getting him to the hospital to treating the 42-year-old officer.
"When I got word this morning, I came directly here," Chief Finner said. "My concerns are with the family, and when I get through with this [press conference] I'm going back up to spend some time with them, and again please pray for him, his HPD family, and more importantly his immediate family, they're hurting up there, and we just pray that he gets through this."
No additional details were shared, as of this writing, but an investigation remains underway.
This is a developing story and will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.