Fred Carlton Burns
Agency patch
Patrolman

Fred Carlton Burns

Veteran → Accident
End of Watch January 2, 1968
Age 54
Tour of Duty 27 yrs
The Vigil Panel 103 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Fred Burns succumbed to injuries he received in a vehicle crash on February 6, 1966, shortly before 9:00 p.m. While writing a traffic ticket on Interstate 45, six miles south of Conroe, his patrol car was struck by a passing truck. He was initially pinned between the stopped vehicle and his patrol car until the truck struck the other car, causing the cars and truck to burst into flames. Patrolman Burns was transported to Montgomery County Hospital, where he never regained consciousness and passed away on January 2, 1968. The truck driver was charged with two counts of aggravated assault. Patrolman Burns was a United States Navy WWII veteran and had served with the Texas Department of Public Safety for 27 years, stationed at Conroe.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, daughter, and sister.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-60D65F1E
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Fred. Claim this record.

Also honored at salute.nw. One record, 2 gates. Fred is one person.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman Burns gave the Texas Department of Public Safety 27 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Texas, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Highway Patrol
Location Austin, TX
Platform Identity tdpsthp.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 2, 1968
Tour of Duty 27 yrs
Age 54
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Fred Carlton Burns served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Patrolman Fred Carlton Burns is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In TX, 657 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 27.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol, 57 of 95 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Highway Patrol
57
of 95 officers
60% Accident
TX — Statewide
657
of 2,421 officers
27.1% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,759 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Fred Carlton Burns's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Fred Carlton Burns Compares

Age at Death
54
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
27
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Fred Carlton Burns is highlighted in Jan.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Military Service

Fred Carlton Burns served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.

Visit Fred Carlton Burns’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.