ATHENS–Just 10 days after being honored along with his peers by Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse’s Life Saving Award, a county jail detention officer was killed in the early morning hours of March 26 in a single-vehicle crash on Farm to Market Road 317 near the Blackjack community.
That information came from Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Sgt. Chris Williamson, who handles Safety Education, Public Relations & Information out of the Corsicana DPS office. Williamson’s statement said that DPS troopers responded to the wreck just west of 317’s intersection with FM 1803 at about 2:06 a.m.
“The preliminary investigation indicates the Chevrolet pickup was traveling west on FM 317, approaching a left-hand curve at an unsafe speed, when it left the roadway, striking a tree,” the official statement said.
The driver, Daniel Rivero, who passed away at the age of 20 and whose obituary says that he lived in Athens, was pronounced deceased on scene, DPS said. The passenger, who DPS says was 19-year-old Jayden Miranda, of Murchison, was transported to UT Health hospital in Athens “with injuries,” according to DPS.
DPS states this is an ongoing investigation, and no further information was made available by press time.
Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse confirmed with The Monitor that Rivero was a detention officer at the Henderson County jail. Hillhouse conveyed his statement to The Monitor that Rivero was a “growing star at our office and he’s going to be severely missed.” Rivero’s obituary says the jail employee graduated from LaPoynor High School.
The Life Saving Award for Rivero and six other jail employees came to staffers working in nursing as well as detention at the county jail in Athens “whose quick actions and professionalism saved an inmate’s life,” Hillhouse said in the March 16 social media announcement.
“These Officers and Nurses exemplify dedication, compassion, and courage. Their commitment to protecting every life in our care is something we are extremely proud of,” Sheriff Hillhouse said to honor Rivero and the other Life Saving Award recipients. “Help us show them the appreciation they truly deserve.”