A woman trying to cross a busy Gulf Freeway service road in southeast Houston was struck by a car and later died at a hospital Tuesday afternoon, turning a routine commute into a deadly scene on one of the city’s busiest corridors.
The crash happened about 2:30 p.m. on the southbound service road near the 8700 block of South Interstate 45. Houston Fire Department paramedics rushed the woman to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead, according to officials. The driver stayed behind as police began piecing together what happened.
What investigators say
According to the Houston Police Department, a gray Volkswagen Jetta was traveling southbound and taking an exit ramp when it hit the woman as she tried to cross moving lanes of traffic. Paramedics with the Houston Fire Department took her to an area hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased.
The City of Houston Newsroom, which reposted that account, notes the Volkswagen driver remained at the scene, did not show signs of intoxication, and was questioned and released while detectives in HPD’s Vehicular Crimes Division continue their work. Police logged the case as Inc. #025241226-E and say the investigation is ongoing.
Pedestrian safety on busy corridors
Crashes like this are part of a troubling pattern on Houston’s major roads, where high-speed ramps and patchy sidewalks have been flagged as recurring risks in local coverage, including reporting by the Houston Chronicle. The same Gulf Freeway corridor has seen deadly wrecks before, including a multi-vehicle collision that killed two people last year (multi-vehicle crash that killed two people)…