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What happened in Mabank, Texas? Fire Chief Charlie Woodard fatally struck by vehicle after rodeo event
Mabank Fire Chief Charlie Woodard was fatally struck by a vehicle while directing traffic after the Mabank Rodeo, according to officials.
Update: ABC affiliate KLTV 7 reported that Charlie Woodard, the fire chief of Mabank, was killed while directing traffic on Saturday night.
The outlet cited the Texas Municipal Police Association, which confirmed that Chief Woodward was fatally struck by a vehicle after the Mabank Rodeo. The report noted that Woodward was also a police officer, alongside being the fire chief.
Original Story: A fire official with the Mabank fire department in Texas died in a fatal accident near the Mabank Rodeo, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department confirmed in a post on Facebook. The Sheriff's office did not release details of how the fire official died.
However, the incident has sparked a lot of buzz in local communities, particularly due to the lack of details from officials. Some reports claim that the fire officer was struck by an oncoming vehicle near Mabank rodeo while attending to a crash.
In the update on Facebook, the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office only noted: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Mabank Fire Department, Mabank PD and the family."
But the details remain unconfirmed. It seemed a different incident from Montgomery County is being linked to Mabank, in Kaufman County, where a deputy with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was killed on the I-45 North near The Woodlands after being struck by a truck, Click2Houtson, local NBC affiliate, reported. The officer was identified as Erika Serrato.
However, the incident in Montgomery County and those near the Mabank Rodeo are not the same.
Mabank is located northeastern part of Kaufman County, about 55 miles southeast of Dallas.
