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Texas officer injured in ’15 on-duty crash dies

39-year-old Officer Justin Scherlen was severely injured in a head-on collision in September 2015

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Officer Justin Scherlen.

Photo/Amarillo Police Department

By Police1 Staff

AMARILLO, Texas – A Texas officer has passed away while vacationing in New Mexico.

According to Amarillo.com, 39-year-old Officer Justin Scherlen died August 2.

Scherlen was severely injured in a head-on collision in September 2015. According to the report, the officer suffered numerous broken bones and other traumatic injuries after a vehicle crossed the center lane and crashed into the officer’s patrol vehicle.

Although an autopsy is pending and the cause of death has yet to be determined, Dirk Swope, a member of the Texas Panhandle 100 club, which assists the families of first responders injured or killed on duty, told Amarillo.com that “the only thing we can assume [about the death] is that it is due to his accident that happened while he was on duty.”

The officer is survived by his wife and four kids.