HOUSTON – A pedestrian was hit and killed by a driver early Saturday on Westheimer Road, according to the Houston Police Department.
The crash was reported at approximately 1 a.m. in the 7600 block of Westheimer Road, near Hillcroft Avenue. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the crash, the driver remained on site and called 911, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said it appeared the victim, an older male who may have been homeless, had been crossing the street in an unmarked area, not a crosswalk, when the young female driver struck him.
A witness told investigators the woman had not been speeding when the crash occurred.
While interacting with the driver, investigators observed no signs of intoxication, though the department’s vehicular crimes division will conduct an investigation to conclusively determine whether alcohol played a role in the incident.
“As it stands right now, it looks like it was just a tragic accident,” said Sean Teare, Chief of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Vehicular Crimes Division. “But our job doesn’t stop just because we initially think that. We’re going to confirm all of the things we believe we see her on scene through scientific evidence -- the reconstruction of the crash, as I said, the forensic download of the car, we’ve taken her phone to ensure distracted driving didn’t play a role in this either, and, obviously her blood.”
The case will be presented to a grand jury, which will determine if any charges are filed.
The crash occurred near the location where another pedestrian was fatally struck early Friday, said Teare. A suspected intoxicated driver struck and killed a woman crossing the street in an unmarked area near the intersection of Westheimer Road and Stoney Brook Drive.
“Tonight, we had yet another fatal crash here on Westheimer,” said Teare. “This is the second in two nights, basically in the same exact location, about a 100-foot difference.”
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Fatality Crash: Westheimer @ Stoney Brook. One confirmed. Suspect in custody #hounews #houtraffic CC8
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) December 18, 2020
On Thursday, another woman was killed in an auto-pedestrian crash on Westheimer Road, this one in the 4700 block of Westheimer Road, near Interstate 610, about three miles east of the location where the other two crashes occurred. The driver responsible did not stop to help and render aid and remains on the run.
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Concerning Saturday’s auto-pedestrian fatality, Teare said “Regardless of who’s at fault, there’s another person who’s dead on our roads right before Christmas. Some family is going to get notification later tonight or early this morning that their loved one is gone and as the mayor said earlier this week, that’s not okay.”