WINNIE, TX, (April 24, 2026) – A 48-year-old woman serving as an off-duty reserve deputy constable was tragically killed Friday morning in a work zone crash along Interstate 10 near Winnie, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Heather Avery was working traffic control for a private contractor on eastbound I-10 when the crash occurred at approximately 7:40 a.m. Authorities said Avery was inside a Ford Explorer with emergency lights activated in the outside lane near milepost 830 when a Mack truck traveling eastbound rear-ended the vehicle.
Avery was pronounced dead at the scene.
The truck driver, identified as a 30-year-old man from Dickinson, was not injured in the collision.
Avery served as a Reserve Deputy Constable with the Jefferson County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office and was widely respected as a firearms expert and instructor.
DPS officials confirmed that the investigation into the crash remains ongoing.
