A 34-year-old woman was killed Thursday on the South Loop East (I-610) in southeast Houston after she was hit while standing next to a disabled vehicle in the main lanes, according to authorities. A gold Chevrolet Malibu struck her, and Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. The 19-year-old woman behind the wheel of the Malibu stayed at the crash site and spoke with officers, and investigators with the Houston Police Department Vehicular Crimes Division have opened an active case into the collision.
In a media release issued Friday, the Houston Police Department said the crash happened in the 6500 block of South Loop East when the Malibu struck the pedestrian in the main lanes. Paramedics pronounced the woman deceased on scene, and the incident remains under active investigation, according to the Houston Police Department.
Driver Questioned And Found Not Impaired
The same release, which was reproduced in a Mailables feed, states that the 19-year-old Malibu driver stayed at the location, was questioned by investigators, and was released after they determined she was not impaired. That account appears in the HPD media release posted Friday and in the version circulated via the Mailables feed.
Why Freeway Breakdowns Are Especially Dangerous
Stopping or remaining beside a vehicle in the main lanes of I-610 puts people directly in the path of high-speed traffic, and the South Loop has seen multiple similar investigations in recent years. Local reporting on earlier South Loop crashes has highlighted how a simple roadside problem can turn deadly in seconds, and officials regularly urge drivers to reach a safe shoulder or exit and call for help instead of stepping into moving lanes, as seen in a prior fatal South Loop crash.
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