A Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputy was struck and killed in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 28, when a commercial truck entered an active crash scene on Interstate 45 North near The Woodlands, authorities said.
Deputy Erika Serrato, 24, was working traffic control near the Woodlands Parkway exit alongside other deputies at approximately 2:39 a.m. when a heavy-duty commercial truck pulling a trailer drove into the scene. Serrato, who was standing outside her vehicle, was struck by the truck, which also hit two marked patrol units that had emergency lights activated. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
A second deputy, John Hernandez, was struck by debris during the collision and taken to a hospital with injuries not expected to be life-threatening. The driver of the commercial vehicle was also hospitalized. The cause of the secondary collision remains under investigation.
The original crash that drew deputies to the scene involved suspected impaired driving. One of the drivers involved in that initial crash, 34-year-old Ashton Jammer, has been charged with driving while intoxicated and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. Sheriff Wesley Doolittle said additional charges could be filed as investigators continue examining the circumstances surrounding Serrato’s death, though his office declined to share specifics to protect the integrity of the investigation.
The crash closed a portion of the North Freeway for approximately 13 hours while investigators processed the scene. The Texas Department of Public Safety is leading the crash reconstruction.
Serrato had served with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office for six years, beginning her career in public service at 18 years old. She worked as a detention officer before transitioning to patrol roughly six months ago. She was assigned to District 2 and would have celebrated her 25th birthday next month.
Sheriff Doolittle said Serrato leaves behind her parents and two sisters, as well as what he described as an extended family within the department. “After talking with our deputies this morning, they’re completely heartbroken,” Doolittle said. “To be standing beside a coworker who’s killed next to you is something that none of us should have to go through.”
Serrato’s death occurred along a stretch of I-45 that transportation officials have long identified as one of the region’s most dangerous corridors. Texas Department of Transportation data shows 41 fatal crashes in Montgomery County on I-45 between 2022 and 2025. In neighboring Harris County, the same interstate recorded 189 fatal crashes during that span.
At the request of Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered flags across the county lowered to half-staff in Serrato’s honor. The sheriff’s office said funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days.
