Two Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department firefighters were killed in a major collision near Lockhart.
Johnathon Coco, 25, and Hunter Coco, 21, died in a traffic accident while returning from a wildfire on Texas Highway 20 outside of Lockhart at approximately 1:48 p.m. on Monday, according to the Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department.
The City of Lockhart said the Lockhart police and fire departments responded to a two-vehicle collision on State Park Road/F.M. 20 and San Jacinto Street. Officials said preliminary reports show a woman driving southbound on San Jacinto Street was struck by a Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department brush truck as she turned into State Park Road. The brush truck rolled over, killing both firefighters, officials said. The woman in the other vehicle sustained minor injuries.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and LPD are investigating the crash. LPD has filed a summons — similar to a citation — for failing to yield right-of-way for the woman.
Hunter and Johnathon, were brothers, and are survived by their immediate family, Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department said. Jonathon was a member of the department since 2016, while his younger brother, Hunter, was with the department for just over one year.
“We want to remind all that most of our fire and other emergency services are provided by selfless volunteers like these, and we pray for their families in our shared time of grief,” Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post. “The members of both the Department and District are grateful to all members of our community who have shown their support and eternal love to all of us and the Coco family in this very trying time. We ask, respectfully, that any showing of support and gratitude for our fallen members be held until further arrangements are made.”
In the interim, donations in support of Jonathon and Hunter can be made to Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department, P. O. Box 216, Maxwell, Texas 78656.
Maxwell Community Volunteer Fire Department said further arrangements and information will be shared as soon as possible.