On Saturday, April 17th, 2021 at around 4:27 PM, dispatchers at the Northern Ellis Emergency Dispatch center received a 9-1-1 call in reference to a major accident involving two vehicles in the 300 block of North Lowrance at Pierce Road. Red Oak Police Department and Red Oak Fire Rescue personnel were dispatched to the scene to investigate. At 4:28 PM, Red Oak Police personnel arrived on scene and started an investigation into the collision.
Andrew Lopez Jr. was one of the drivers involved in the accident and was pronounced dead at the scene. The young man was a senior at Red Oak High School.
Today, Red Oak ISD issued the following statement:
Red Oak Hawks – it is with a heavy heart we share the passing of Red Oak HS senior Andrew Lopez, Jr. from a vehicle accident last Saturday, April 17.
The campus and district have been working with the family behind the scenes to provide resources and counseling, along with counseling for Red Oak HS students and staff. ROHS staff collected donations for the family and several HS and ROISD staff have visited the family. In addition, the ROHS Student Council held a small vigil for his friends at his parking spot earlier this week.
The family has approved a special day to remember Andrew across the district. All ROISD students and staff are invited to wear his favorite color – black – on Friday, April 23 in his memory. There will also be a special moment during the graduation ceremony in June.
Please know each individual copes differently. Keep an eye on students who are sad, angry, or need to speak with a counselor at the school. The 7-11 on 342, where he worked, is also collecting donations for the family.
Please continue to lift this Hawk family in prayer.
Beth Ann Warner Seck commented on the Facebook post, “Andrew was a wonderful young man. He was always polite and respectful and a hard worker. Everyday I look at his empty seat and my heart breaks. May God Bless and comfort all of those that are hurting and missing him. I especially pray for his mother, as I know he loved her more than life. Prayers to all.”
There is a GoFund me to help the family with funeral expenses. From the GoFund Me Page, “Unfortunately, we are so sadden with the news that we lost the wonderful life of Andrew Lopez Jr (19 years old) unexpectedly on Saturday 4/17 in a car accident.
The news hurts, as Andrew meant the world to many.
He was a beloved son, grandson, brother, friend, cousin and will be missed dearly.
We all know during this time the last thing we want to worry about is the financial aspect of it all.
Due to this we wanted to create a fund to help with funeral expenses as well as any costs Lydia & Chris may have within the days and months to come.
In order to respect the privacy of the family at this time, we ask that we refrain from asking the family questions about the accident at this moment.”
