One killed in alleged drunk driving accident on Old Galveston Road

Police suspect the driver of a GMC Envoy was drunk when he (allegedly) ran a red light and caused a fatal collision in southeast Houston last night.  The three car accident happened at the intersection of Old Galveston Road and Edgebrook.  Police say the man was driving the GMC Envoy on Old Galveston Road when he crashed into a white-colored Honda Civic that was in the intersection; the Civic then collided with an Isuzu Trooper SUV.  From Channel 13's picture of the crash scene it appears the Civic sustained major damage, primarily to the driver's side front corner.  Tragically a female passenger in the Civic died in the accident, yet another statistic in Harris County's drunk driving plague.  When officers came to the scene they found the driver of the GMC Envoy hiding in bushes: he was taken to the hospital in serious condition. It is expected the man will be charged with driving while intoxicated and possibly intoxication manslaughter.

Update: a story posted this morning to Channel 11's web site states that the driver of the Honda Civic is also suspected of driving drunk and will be charged with DWI too. The deceased passenger in the Civic is reported to be in her 20's.

Update: Channel 2 News posted a story today that the driver of the GMC Envoy was reportedly at a bar prior the crash. Depending on the particular facts, the bar may have some legal responsibility if they knowingly served alcohol to a person who was openly and obviously intoxicated. The same article also refers to a "Department of Public Safety SUV" but I suspect that may be an error...they are probably referring to the Isuzu Trooper SUV mentioned in other news articles, "Trooper" being the particular model of vehicle rather than a reference to the Texas DPS. No word yet on the identity of the persons involved.

Photo credit: Houston Channel 13 News

Photo credit: Channel 11 News

Corolla driver dies after losing control, hitting SUV on Tidwell Road

A crash around 8:00 p.m. last night at Tidwell Road and Balsam Lane in Houston has left one driver dead and sent another to the hospital. Reports cited by Channel 2 say that a man driving a Toyota Corolla was speeding eastbound on Tidwell when he lost control of the car , causing him to hit a curb and over-correct into oncoming traffic, when the front of a GMC Envoy collided with the driver's side of the Corolla. The Corolla driver was killed in the crash and the driver of the Envoy wastaken by ground ambulance to hospital. 

Photo credit: Channel 2 Houston

Esther Anderson charged with 2-year old's intoxication assault after car accident

39-year old mother Esther Anderson was arrested and charged with intoxication assault yesterday after a single car accident seriously injured her 2-year old little girl, according to KHOU Channel 11. The wreck happened around 4:00 p.m. as Anderson was driving her 2004 GMC Envoy on Carriage Hills Boulevard north of The Woodlands when she lost control and struck a tree on the passenger side. Sergeant Angela Fountain with the D.P.S. said the toddler was not secured in the vehicle by a child seat, safety belt or any kind of restraint at all. In fact a witness who saw the vehicle prior to the crash said the toddler was standing up near the center console. 

DPS officers found an open can of Busch beer in the vehicle and believe it was resting between Anderson's legs at the time of the crash. Due to the child's injuries, Anderson was subject to a mandatory blood draw: she was held overnight at the hospital and will be taken to jail to face charges of injury to a child and intoxication assault. Anderson's husband showed up at the accident scene: he was questioned by deputies who determined he had an outstanding Montgomery County warrant for child abandonment: he was taken to jail. Photos taken by KHOU show a 12-pack of Busch beer in the vehicle, and also where law enforcement apparently lined up several empty beer cans on the hood of the wrecked SUV.

A story on the Montgomery County Police Reporter web site states that, according to Anderson's husband, she had left earlier than afternoon to get a birthday cake for the couple's 9-year old. No birthday cake was in the car. There are two types of personal injury cases that really get under my skin: injuries to children and drunk driving accidents. I really hope the poor little kid injured in this wreck doesn't suffer any lasting injuries. Car crashes are the number one killer of children aged 1 to 12-years old in the U.S. You can read on the NHTSA's web site how to check if your child is in the right car seat.

Esther Anderson's wrecked GMC Envoy SUV. Photo credit: KHOU

12-pack of Busch beer in the SUV. Photo credit: KHOU

Troopers line up at least 5 empty beer cans on the hood of Anderson's
wrecked SUV. Photo credit: KHOU

Esther Anderson's mug shot.