An unidentified passenger, who’d been riding in a Nissan Altima as it was being driven in the southbound direction nearby 9100 Airline Drive, lost their life shortly after midnight on Sunday, Nov. 5.
Responding officers with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department noted in their report that they spoke with witnesses who’d seen the Nissan’s driver speeding along that stretch of roadway right before the crash occurred.
They also spoke of seeing another vehicle driving alongside it, also at a high rate of speed. Police noted that they intend to review surveillance footage in the area to determine if the two might have been racing one another.
At some point while the two were riding side-by-side, the Nissan’s driver lost control of his vehicle. He then swerved into oncoming traffic, traveling in the northbound direction. It’s then that the Altima’s driver collided with a pickup truck who’d just pulled up to the stop sign at the time. After striking the truck, the Nissan’s driver then ran into an adjoining businesses’ fence.
A spokesperson with the sheriff’s department notes that the truck’s 21-year-old driver and his female companion were both transported by ambulance to an area hospital. Both appear to have only suffered minor injuries in the crash.
The passenger of the Altima was not as fortunate, though. He or she appears to have died instantly from the impact of the crash. The driver of that vehicle was transported by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries.
Officers have stated that they believe that the Altima’s driver was drunk at the time of the crash. If toxicology results prove that he was, they noted that they intend to charge him with intoxicated manslaughter for his role in causing the fatal crash.
If you’ve been involved in a drunk driving accident, then you may be entitled to compensation for damages in your case. A Houston truck accident attorney can advise you of your rights to file either an injury or wrongful death lawsuit.
Source: KHOU, “HCSO: Driver crashes into pickup truck in N. Houston, 1 killed,” Nov. 05, 2017