AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas House Committee on Transportation heard testimony on a bill Thursday morning to honor an Austin Police Department (APD) officer killed in a crash in 2021.
House Bill 2415 would rename part of FM 969 after fallen APD Officer Andy Traylor.
Traylor was responding to an early morning urgent call on FM 969 near Decker Lane in late July 2021 when a tractor-trailer made a U-turn and Traylor crashed into it. Traylor was transported to a hospital, where he remained in critical condition until his death several days later.
Traylor was survived by his wife, Melissa, and five children. On Thursday, lawmakers heard from his widow and one of his daughters about what the road renaming would mean to them.
“Being a police officer was not just a job, but a calling for him,” Melissa Traylor said. “Being a cop just came natural, like he was born for this position.
“He did everything expecting no praise. But I think the least the city could do for him is to award him this honorary placard, to reward him for every single thing he did for its people,” Haley Traylor said.
The bill was left pending in committee.