Texas DPS crash team reconstructs Dallas North Tollway collision that critically injured Trooper Austin Perret

Lieutenant Shelly Lee of the Texas Department of Public Safetystate crash reconstruction team and Sergeant Ryan Renfro gave the Public Safety Commission a detailed reconstruction of a December crash on the Dallas North Tollway that critically injured Trooper Austin Perret.

The crash team said Perret arrived on scene at 12:39:39 p.m., exited his vehicle at 12:40:02 and was standing on the improved shoulder near a parked vehicle and an RSS (right‑arrow) truck that were protecting a disabled vehicle in lane 1. Video and the Mini Cooperairbag control module (CDR) data show a yellow Mini Cooper approached the curve at roughly 67 mph, moved right and contacted the concrete median at about 42 mph in a glancing impact. Investigators said the Mini Cooper then rode the wall for about 23 feet, slowed, and subsequently struck Perret and an off‑duty security officer who were standing behind Perret's parked Tahoe.

"Based on CDR data, the Mini Cooper was traveling approximately 30 mph when it struck Trooper Perret," Sergeant Ryan Renfro said. He added the Mini Cooper then struck Perret's Tahoe at about 27 mph and that the initial collision projected Perret roughly 61 feet to his final rest on the roadway.

Lieutenant Lee emphasized the sequence unfolded rapidly. "This whole thing is done a minute and 25 and a half seconds after he arrives," she said, noting public safety personnel had very little time to establish protective procedures before the Mini Cooper reached the scene.

Investigators said the Mini Cooper driver admitted to vaping marijuana earlier in the day and tested positive for delta‑9 THC; the reconstruction team noted Texas has no per‑se impairment limit for delta‑9 THC. The team also said they found evidence the Mini Cooper driver was not using a cell phone at the time of the crash.

The crash team singled out the downstream movement of a Dallas Fire and Rescue engine as a key event that changed lane availability and helped create the conditions that led to the collision. A commissioner asked whether the first RSS truck could have been placed further back; Lieutenant Lee and Renfro said repositioning can introduce other risks because vehicles set further back may not be visible around the curve to motorists approaching from upstream.

Col. Martin and commissioners praised the crash teamand described agency after‑action and support efforts. Lieutenant Lee updated the commission on Trooper Perrethis first name and age were later confirmed in the meeting as Austin Perret, 30reporting that Perret was transferred to a Houston rehab facility Jan. 17, weaned off a ventilator and had a tracheotomy removed Feb. 6. Perret remains nonverbal with limited movement in his left arm and improving mobility in his right arm; staff expect an extended recovery and tentatively scheduled a move to a post‑acute facility in mid‑March, subject to medical decisions.

Colonel Martin and presenters urged continued support for Perret and his family and referenced a public GoFundMe the family set up to help with costs and recovery.

Commissioners and staff said the department will continue its after‑action reviews of the incident and examine lessons learned, while acknowledging that some incidents result from a rapid sequence of events that are difficult to fully prevent.

Perret served in the U.S. Army and with the Matagorda County Sheriff's Office before joining DPS, Lieutenant Colonel Jason Taylor told the commission.

Ending: The commission did not vote on operational changes at the meeting; the crash team said its reconstruction and after‑action review aim to identify procedural improvements and training needs but acknowledged some elements of the sequence were not controllable by arriving personnel.