HOUSTON – Three people have died in separate crashes in the past two weeks at intersections along or near Telephone Road in southeast Houston. This includes a man in a wheelchair killed on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the year, at least 32 crashes have been reported on Telephone Road between Polk Street and Almeda-Genoa Road, according to TxDot crash data.
KPRC 2 is examining the recent crashes and the conditions along the roadway, including traffic volume, pedestrian access and the distance between sidewalks and moving vehicles. At some points, sidewalks appear to be about a foot and a half from the roadway, leaving a little separation between walking and passing traffic.
On Wednesday, Aug. 19, a man using a walker was fatally struck at Moline Street and Telephone Road, according to Houston police. The driver, identified later as Bernandino Bautista, 55, told police he was blinded by the sun. He was arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide, police said. The victim’s identity had not been released.
On Aug. 8, police said a man in a wheelchair was struck while crossing in a marked crosswalk near Westover Street and Telephone Road. The driver continued without stopping, and the man later died at a hospital. Police described the suspect vehicle as a small white sedan.
The 71 year-olds name is David Storm.
“He was knocked 10 feet up in the air by this car, and the car kept going,” said David’s friend, Lynda Carter. “Something needs to happen out there because it’s just crazy. Three deaths in two weeks is crazy.”
Hours later, a woman in her 20s died in a separate crash at Telephone Road and Reveille Street, police said. Investigators said she was driving south on Reveille at a high rate of speed, ran two red lights and struck another vehicle. The other driver suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
The crashes happened amid heavy traffic through the area, where drivers, pedestrians and people using wheelchairs or walkers share a busy corridor. Residents have also described the area as dangerous. After the Aug. 8 crash, Lashanda Simmons told KPRC 2 she had seen multiple dangerous incidents nearby and urged drivers to watch for others.
So now, Carter is calling for local officials to consider putting in speed bumps.
KPRC 2 contacted TxDOT to ask about safety measures and possible improvements. The agency said Telephone Road is not a state roadway, so it does not have oversight or jurisdiction over the street. TxDOT said it does maintain crash data collected from law enforcement agencies statewide and referred questions about the roadway to the City of Houston.
The mayor’s office told KPRC 2 it would refer to information provided by the Houston Police Department. HPD provided a video link about driver safety but did not identify a specific project or planned safety improvement for Telephone Road.
Now District 1 Council Member Joaquin Martinez provided a specific plan. Martinez said a construction project north of Interstate 45 on Telephone Road is expected to begin before the end of the year. The project will include expanding sidewalks and create a larger buffer between pedestrians and moving vehicles. It also serves as a drainage project.
Drivers should use caution, watch for pedestrians in crosswalks and obey traffic signals. Anyone with information about the Aug. 8 hit-and-run is asked to contact the Houston Police Department Vehicular Crime Division at 713-247-4072 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.