Decatur Officer Injured in Crash, Driver of 18-wheeler Arrested for Drunken Driving, Police Say

A Decatur police officer was injured in a crash late Thursday night involving the driver of an 18-wheeler who's been accused of drunken driving, police said. The officer was parked on the shoulder of the southbound lanes of U.S. 287, just south of FM 51, in Wise County, which is about 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth, Decatur Police Chief Rex Hoskins said. The driver of the 18-wheeler veered, striking the officer's vehicle just before 11:30 p.m., Hoskins said. The patrol vehicle landed upside down, leaning against a pole. The officer, 35-year-old Matthew Roberts, was able to knock out the windows to get out of the vehicle. He was transported by air ambulance to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth and released about 4 a.m. Friday. He's been on the Decatur police force for one year. The driver of the 18-wheeler was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and booked into Wise County Jail on a charge of driving while under the influence, Hoskins said.  Continue reading...