A female pedestrian was killed early on the morning of Monday, Aug. 14. She was reportedly walking along Gessner Road near its intersection with Bellaire in southwest Houston at the time. As she approached the Gessner’s 6800 block, it’s then that she was struck by a City of Houston trash truck.
Police first began receiving calls about the crash at around 9:30 a.m. Once crash scene investigators arrived, witnesses informed them that they’d seen the solid waste truck’s driver driving in the northbound direction along S. Gessner immediately prior to the crash. It was as the driver approached Bellaire that she is alleged to have made a right turn, despite it being illegal to do so.
It’s while the female trucker was making that turn that she’s believed to have made contact with her victim. She was knocked to the ground in the crash. By the time first responders had arrived on the scene, they worked tirelessly to save the woman. She succumbed to her injuries at the crash scene. No additional identifying information has been released about the woman by police.
As for the trucker that struck the woman, police have yet to decide whether criminal charges will be filed against her. According to a spokesperson for the police department, the female trucker didn’t even initially realize that she had struck anyone. In fact, the police report documents that she only became aware that she had when another driver attempted to flag her down to tell her.
Once that happened though, the truck’s driver pulled over on the side of the road. She awaited for police to arrive on the scene and cooperated with them as they questioned her.
In fatal accidents, even if the offending driver isn’t charged criminally, they may still be held civilly liable for their victim’s injuries or death. If the injured victim or their surviving family members are successful in filing a civil lawsuit, then they may be entitled to recover economic damages such as lost wages and medical or funeral costs. They may be eligible to receive compensation for pain and suffering as well.
Source: ABC 13, “Police: Garbage truck driver at fault in crash that killed woman,” Aug. 14, 2017
