Author Archive

Fatal 18-wheeler accident on Highway 59 north near Splendora

Channel 11 and Channel 13 are reporting a fatal accident earlier today involving an 18-wheeler truck that shut down several lanes on Highway 59 northbound at East River. The crash happened around 2:00 p.m. north of Splendora, Texas in Montgomery County. It appears the driver of a Dodge pickup truck crashed into the rear of an 18-wheeler broken down by the roadside: the pickup driver was killed. Photographs from Channel 11’s helicopter (see below) do not appear to show any warning triangles or cones placed behind the broken down 18-wheeler.

Head-on pickup truck collision on FM 2100 in Huffman kills two

Channel 13 News is reporting a head-on collision between pickup trucks that resulted in two fatalities.  The accident happened after 6:00 a.m. this morning on FM 2100 near Afton Way in Huffman, Texas. Channel 13 said at least one person was taken from the scene by life flight helicopter.  FM 2100 was closed as authorities investigated the cause of the crash.  The accident involved two white-colored pickup trucks, one a Toyota Tundra, the other a Dodge Ram.  Both trucks sustained extremely severe front-end damage, which is typical for a moderate to high-speed head-on crash.

Dodge Ram pickup involved in this morning's head-on collision

Toyota Tundra pickup truck involved in this morning's collision

Pedestrian hit and killed after leaving Doctors Hospital Tidwell

Channel 13 is reporting a fatal pedestrian accident in Houston this morning. Police say a man was leaving Doctors Hospital Tidwell around 5:30 a.m. when he was struck by a car on West Tidwell and West Montgomery.

Bicycle rider killed in car accident on Jensen

Channel 2 and FOX News are reporting that a bicyclist was killed at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon when he rode in front of a car traveling northbound on Jensen near Collingsworth.  Driver Phyllis Broussard said the bicyclist came out of nowhere, and that she tried to swerve to avoid him but couldn’t. The bicycle rider rolled on top of her windshield.

Rollover accident – Greens Road crash injures 10

Ten people were sent to hospital and one person was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after a Saturday night car accident. Police say a green-colored Ford F-150 pickup truck ran a red light at the intersection of Greens Road and Lee Road around 10:30 p.m. An approaching car t-boned the truck causing it to flip over. Police say there were four adults and five children in the truck: the kids’ ages ranged from 2 months to 11-years old. The car driver was injured also. The driver of the truck was arrested on suspicion of DWI. Channel 2’s report is here. Channel 11’s report is here.
This accident is an illustration of why you can never carry enough automobile insurance coverage. Assuming the F-150 driver has a state liability minimum limits policy, there would be a maximum of $60,000 of coverage for bodily injury to ALL of the people hurt in this crash: the passengers in the pickup and the driver of the car.

Police suspect the driver of the F-150 was drunk

This car t-boned the truck when the truck's driver ran a red light

Steve Fullerton victim of FM 2978 hit-and-run accident

A hit-and-run accident in Montgomery County last night leaves one person dead and another critically injured. The crash happened at approximately 9:00 p.m. on FM 2978 and Hardin Store Road in The Woodlands. According to an account of the accident reported by Channel 2, the sequence of events leading up to the crash was that a Nissan passed a pickup truck, the pickup truck then rear-ended the Nissan, the pickup truck entered a ditch before crossing the roadway and striking a third vehicle, then the driver fled from the accident scene. Channel 2’s report states the Nissan was split in two in the crash, and that the driver of the Nissan, 22-year old Steve Fullerton, was killed. Third vehicle involved that was struck by the pickup was a white Chevrolet Suburban driven by Justin Smith: Smith was reported to be in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital. Police are searching for the driver of the pickup truck. That driver faces at least one charge for failure to stop and render aid.

Steve Fullerton's severely damaged Nissan

Justin Smith, driver of this Chevy Suburban, was critically injured

Ryder box truck and pickup crash on East 610 Loop

A 5:00 p.m. crash yesterday between a Ryder box truck and a pickup pulling a trailer reduced the East 610 Loop to a single lane of traffic yesterday. The accident was in the southbound lanes near Market Street. The box truck driver and a passenger had to be extracted from the cab of the box truck and were transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. The Ryder truck was loaded with industrial batteries, some of which spilled, but thanks for the quick response of the hazmat team the spill was contained. The pickup truck and trailer jackknifed. The cause of the accident wasn’t listed in Channel 11’s report.
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Photo credit: Jeff McShan, KHOU

Tire blowout on Eastex Freeway causes fatal minivan rollover

An accident this afternoon on the Eastex Freeway (Highway 59) at Parker has reportedly killed a child passenger. Police say a tire blew out on a gray minivan causing the driver to lose control before hitting the guardrail, after which the vehicle flipped over several times. A Channel 13 report states a child passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, and at least two other children and two adults inside the minivan were transported to the hospital. The occupants of the minivan may have been a family returning from vacation as there was luggage strewn at the crash site. Channel 2’s story is here. Channel 11’s story is here. FOX News’ story is here.

Hit-and-run driver wrecks vehicles on Harbrook Drive in Houston

An SUV driver wrecked a couple of parked vehicles last night on Harbrook Drive and decided to jump out and run off. Police say the driver was traveling too fast while trying to turn onto Edna, causing him to lose control: he skidded into a parked truck, took out an iron fence then smashed into a red minivan. Then he jumped out and fled the scene: he was located and arrested by police officers a few blocks from the accident scene.  Police said they will check to see if the man was drunk. Without passing judgment on this specific case, there are a handful of frequent reasons that hit-and-run drivers take off after a car accident: they don’t have insurance, their license is suspended, they are driving drunk or on drugs, they have drugs on them or in their vehicle, the vehicle is stolen or they have warrants for their arrest. Channel 2’s account of the antics of this particular mastermind can be read here.

Hit-and-run driver's wrecked Nissan SUV

Parked pickup damaged by hit-and-run driver

Polk County deputy constable hurt in US 290 motorcycle accident

An off-duty Polk County deputy constable was seriously injured while riding his motorcycle in Houston yesterday. According to Channel 2’s story, investigators say the motorcycle ran into the back of a truck on eastbound Highway 290 at Huffmeister at around 7:25 a.m. The constable was transported by life flight to Memorial Hermann where he was in critical condition. Polk County officials say the constable is married and a father: he was working a second job at the time of the wreck. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
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