William Harry Collins
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

William Harry Collins

Accident
End of Watch February 25, 1937
Age 53
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
The Vigil Panel 72 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff William Collins succumbed to injuries sustained three years earlier when the car he was riding in was struck by a gasoline truck near Galt.

He and the undersheriff were searching for a witness in an upcoming murder trial when the crash occurred. Deputy Collins suffered severe head and body injuries which lead to his death three years later.

Deputy Collins had served with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office for 13 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and son, both of whom served with the agency as well.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-4D139FA1
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Collins gave the Fresno County Sheriff's Office 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fresno community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Collins.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Fresno, Fresno County, CA
Platform Identity fcso.fresno.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 25, 1937
Tour of Duty 13 yrs
Age 53
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Cause Detail Automobile crash

Deputy Sheriff William Harry Collins is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 39.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Fresno County Sheriff's Office, 6 of 15 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 40% of this agency's fallen.

Fresno County Sheriff's Office
6
of 15 officers
40% Accident
CA — Statewide
719
of 1,837 officers
39.1% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Harry Collins's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Harry Collins Compares

Age at Death
53
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
13
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Harry Collins is highlighted in Feb.

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