Motorcyclist loses foot after hit-and-run crash on S Beltway; police still searching for suspect

A 21-year-old man who lives in Pearland is lucky to be alive, but missing his left foot after a hit-and-run crash while he was riding his motorcycle on Sunday night.

Christopher Reed is still recovering at Ben Taub Hospital after being hit by a white car. The Harris County Precinct 7 Constable’s Office is still searching for the suspect.

“Riding is the thing that makes him the happiest, really,” his girlfriend Katelyn Bradley told KPRC 2. “It’s what makes him, him.”

The crash happened around 10:30 p.m. Sunday when Reed was riding his motorcycle westbound on the South Beltway near State Highway 288.

“It was the worst nightmare. You know, I never wanted to get that call,” Bradley said.

Reed and his good friend Allisyn Smothers ride together a few times a week, just like they did Sunday night.

“This white car comes up and he stuck his arm out the window and you know, gave us a thumbs up,” Smothers said.

That’s when Smothers said the two sped up a bit. But things took a turn when she looked in her rearview mirror and saw the white car following right behind her.

“I did not like how close he was behind me, so I swerved back really hard into the left lane,” she said. “I don’t like to mess with cars and bikes.”

The white car then sped around her, wove around a car in front of her, and kept going.

“It almost looked like he was going to try to catch Chris,” Smothers said. “It freaked me out, so I slowed way down, I mean, I was probably only going 50, 55, and I just worked my way over into the right-hand lane.”

But soon, she drove up on the scene she never expected.

“As I come over the hill, there was all of this smoke, and I just see Chris laying in the shoulder,” Smothers said. “He was super concussed. He didn’t know what was going on or what was happening.”

But the white car was gone, and Smothers is confident that’s the car at fault.

The Harris County Precinct 7 Constable’s Office told KPRC 2 that the driver of the white vehicle hit the motorcycle driver, dragged him for several feet, then fled the scene.

“There’s a guy laying on the ground and you run? It’s, it’s just unbelievable,” Bradley said.

Reed’s backpack and helmet are two of the few items salvaged from the scene – both are scratched and scuffed, the helmet with exposed fiberglass.

Bradley said Reed is in excruciating pain after doctors amputated his lower left leg, and they may have to amputate more.

“You changed someone’s life. Forever. You know, it’s not ok, and I really hope they do the right thing,” Bradley said.

The family has since created a GoFundMe to help with Reed’s medical expenses.

The Constable’s Office said it’s an active ongoing investigation with currently limited information.

People with tips can contact the Precinct 7 24-hour dispatch line at 713-643-6602.