Detective Killed When Metal Beam Collapses On His Vehicle

A metal beam fell on a Las Vegas police detective’s car on June 10, killing him.

Around 7am, Detective Justin Terry, 45, was following behind a tractor-trailer carrying a large piece of construction equipment.

The tractor-trailer hit a metal beam indicating low clearance. After the tractor-trailer hit the metal beam, it collapsed on Terry’s vehicle.

Justin Hopkins, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Transportation, explained the beams are used as a “last line of defense” to prevent a vehicle from hitting a bridge.

“Of course, these beams are not supposed to fall down, and unfortunately this one did,” Hopkins states.

Terry was with the police department for almost 21 years.