Hide Transcript Show Transcript

WEBVTT DAN: IT CERTAINLY WAS EMOTIONAL. THE CHIEF HAD TEARS IN HIS EYES AS HE TOLD US THAT DEAL WITH HAD PASSED AWAY. THIS IS WHERE HE HAS BEEN SINCE THAT FRIDAY NIGHT CRASH WHERE HE WAS INVESTIGATING AN ACCIDENT. IT HAS BEEN A TRYING TIME FOR COLERAIN TOWNSHIP POLICE. THEY SAY HE WAS A 15 YEAR POLICE VETERAN AND HAD FRIENDS IN THE PARAMEDIC AND FIREFIGHTING REALM. DALE WAS WAS A MAN WHO HAD ALSO TRIED DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CAREER, MENTIONING HE WAS A DOG BOARDING FOR THE ASPCA. ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT HE MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY. TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT HE HAD TO SAY IN THAT NEWS CONFERENCE. >> I’VE KNOWN HIM FOR 32 YEARS. MOST OF THE TIME, WE STOOD AROUND TELLING STORIES ABOUT DALE AND ALL THE FUN TIMES WE HAD WITH HIM. EVERYBODY WHO KNOWS HIM KNOWS WHAT A FIGHTER HE IS. HE WAS RIGHT THERE WITH US. IT WAS OBVIOUSLY VERY SAD. I HOPE THAT WE GAVE THE FAMILY SOME COMFORT. DAN: THAT HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS FOR THE CHIEF AND FOR ALL OF THOSE WITH COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, TAKING CARE OF THE FAMILY. THE FAMILY HAS REALLY WRAPPED HIS ARMS AROUND COLERAIN TOWNSHIP POLICE, EVERYONE KNEW HIM. HE WANTS RETURN THE FAVOR BY WRAPPING THEIR ARMS AROUND GAIL’S FAMILY. THE POLICE OFFICERS AROUND THE AREA WERE LEADING A PROCESSION AS THEY TOOK THE WOODS AWAY. ONE THING THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO THE LEASE CHIEF IS THAT DEAL WAS AN ORGAN DONOR.

Advertisement 'Born to be a policeman': Colerain officer dies days after being struck by truck Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A Colerain Township police officer has died days after being struck by a pickup truck, authorities said.Dale Woods, 46, was pronounced dead at 8:10 p.m. Monday at University of Cincinnati Medical Center."We weren't ready to let Dale go," Police Chief Mark Denney said at a news conference.Woods was a Colerain officer for nearly 15 years, Denney said, and had nearly 15 years' experience as a firefighter and paramedic.He was a father of three children.Authorities said Woods was responding to a crash on Banning Road and Colerain Avenue, and was outside his police cruiser late Friday when he was struck by the truck.Woods was in "very critical condition" since Friday, Denney said, and died surrounded by his own family and his family in blue. Several sources said Woods had been on life support before he died.Several police, fire and EMS crews escorted Woods' body away from the hospital Monday night."This is the hardest thing I’ve done in 26 years as a police officer," Denney said.Denney had been by Woods' side since the crash."It's very difficult when you know the names of the officer's kids to investigate a crash like this impartially," Denney said. "So we asked one of the best in the region to handle that for us, and we're going to stay out of that and let them take care of what needs to be handled on that end." Denney said Woods was always helping others so the fact that he was an organ donor wasn't surprising at all."We will work hard this next week to make sure the community understands how important he was to us," Denney said.Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced, but Denney said likely the community will be involved."Dale belongs to Colerain Township," Denney said. "He'll always be a part of everything we do."Denney said Woods served his community in many ways. He worked as a dog warden for the SPCA, was an officer in Lincoln Heights. He worked for both the North College Hill and Colerain fire departments before he became an officer for the Colerain Police Department. Gov. John Kasich shared in a tweet that flags will be flown at half-staff in honor of Woods. There's no word yet from Cincinnati police about why the driver of the pickup truck hit Woods. The investigation began immediately, but the fact that the victim was an officer made the situation especially sensitive.Details about both the initial crash and the collision involving the truck are expected to start emerging in coming days.Watch the full news conference: