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Irving officer dies in traffic accident
08:58 AM CDT on Saturday, April 14, 2007
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
Irving PD
Officer Andrew Esparza Also Online
IRVING — An Irving police officer died in a traffic accident Friday night while driving to assist another officer.
Andrew Esparza, 26, crashed about 8:45 p.m. on eastbound Highway 183 near Carl Road. Police were working to confirm the cause of the crash.
"The accident itself is going to be rather difficult to investigate," Irving police spokesman David Tull said. "There were no independent witnesses to it. ... We actually had citizens that called us and said we had a squad car on the side of the road wrecked, and the officer was not moving."
Officer Tull said Friday night's storms may have played a role in the crash.
"This was during the rainstorm. Apparently he hit a puddle of water, lost control, went off the right shoulder and hit a concrete light pole on the side of the highway," he said.
The officer was en route to help another officer with a minor accident.
Colleagues and loved ones gathered late Friday at Parkland Memorial Hospital, where the officer died.
A press conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday at Irving Police headquarters.
Esparza "showed great promise," Officer Tull said.
08:58 AM CDT on Saturday, April 14, 2007
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
Irving PD
Officer Andrew Esparza Also Online
IRVING — An Irving police officer died in a traffic accident Friday night while driving to assist another officer.
Andrew Esparza, 26, crashed about 8:45 p.m. on eastbound Highway 183 near Carl Road. Police were working to confirm the cause of the crash.
"The accident itself is going to be rather difficult to investigate," Irving police spokesman David Tull said. "There were no independent witnesses to it. ... We actually had citizens that called us and said we had a squad car on the side of the road wrecked, and the officer was not moving."
Officer Tull said Friday night's storms may have played a role in the crash.
"This was during the rainstorm. Apparently he hit a puddle of water, lost control, went off the right shoulder and hit a concrete light pole on the side of the highway," he said.
The officer was en route to help another officer with a minor accident.
Colleagues and loved ones gathered late Friday at Parkland Memorial Hospital, where the officer died.
A press conference was scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday at Irving Police headquarters.
Esparza "showed great promise," Officer Tull said.
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