Friend: fatal officer-involved pedestrian crash ‘senseless’
Henry Najdeski died after being struck by an unmarked FWPD police car driven by a sergeant
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - A longtime colleague and friend of Henry Najdeski is calling the crash that took his life as he was crossing a downtown intersection “senseless.”
Sam Talarico worked with him during Najdeski’s 25 year career as an attorney at the law firm Barrett McNagny.
“He is somebody that everybody in the firm considered a friend,” says Talarico.
The husband, father, and friend died after being hit by a police vehicle driven by a sergeant as he was crossing the street at the intersection of Calhoun and Main streets April 19.
“Thursday and Friday we were all holding out hope for some sort of miracle,” Talarico says.
The intersection is frequently traveled by Najdeski, his colleagues at the law firm and others who work downtown, Talarico says.
It is located near the Allen County Courthouse.
Now, Najdeski’s colleagues are trying to grasp the reality that he will no longer return to the office.
“It’s important to know how quickly life can change,” says Talarico. “He’s a huge, huge loss. I think it’s important to know what was lost, in what just seems so senseless. It could have been any of us. It could have been anybody.”
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