1 dead, 2 critical after wrong-way crash in east Harris County
BAYTOWN, TX (KTRK) -- One person is dead and two others are in critical condition after authorities say a driver went the wrong way and caused a fiery crash in east Harris County.
It happened around 4am Sunday on the East Freeway between Garth and John Martin.
Investigators say two people in a PT Cruiser were struck by a Suburban going the wrong way for at least a mile. Dispatchers say they received calls but by the time patrol deputies responded the vehicles had crashed.
The passenger in the PT Cruiser died at the scene. The driver of the PT Cruiser and Suburban were both taken by medical helicopter to the hospital.
Eyewitnesses tried to put the fire out. A deputy used a fire extinguisher once on scene. The crash scene resulted in parts of I-10 being closed for hours.
The crash is the latest wrong-way accident after TXDOT says they saw a big increase last year. In 2013, there were 168 wrong-way crashes in Harris County. The number jumped to 251 in 2014.
