HOUSTON – Two people -- a wrong-way driver and a two-year-old toddler in another vehicle -- died following a fiery crash on Eastex Freeway early Sunday, Houston police said.
At approximately 3 a.m. Sunday, northeast patrol officers with the Houston Police Department were dispatched to Eastex Freeway at North Loop in reference to reports a vehicle was driving inbound in the outbound lanes of the freeway.
On arrival, an officer located the suspect vehicle. Before the officer could take any action, the wrong-way driver struck another vehicle. Following the collision, the wrong-way driver’s vehicle caught fire.
The wrong-way driver was pronounced deceased at the scene. There were five people, two adults and three children, in the other vehicle. All five people were transported to an area hospital, where one of the children, a two-year-old, later died from injuries sustained in the crash. Police said several of the others are in critical condition.
Officers said it’s unclear how long the striking vehicle was traveling down the wrong side of the freeway.
The northbound main lanes of the Eastex Freeway at North Loop were closed for several hours following the collision.
Investigators suspect the wrong-way driver may have been intoxicated and said a toxicology test will be performed during an autopsy.
The fatal wrong-way crash remains under investigation by the Houston Police Department.