Separate accidents create early morning traffic nightmare

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Two major accidents as rush hour began put traffic at a standstill on two of the Houston's busiest freeways.

The first was on the I-45 North Freeway just past Patton. Police shut down the northbound lanes for hours due to a fatal accident that occurred around 2:30am this morning.

The accident reopened just after 6:00am after crews towed away the wreckage. Police say a car was rear ended by another vehicle on the freeway, killing the female passenger. Officers say the driver of the vehicle at fault was either drunk or on drugs at the time of the accident.

The second major accident is on the 610 East Loop northbound at Clinton. As of 6:20am, all lanes are still shut down.

If you are traveling in that area, you will need to take the Washburn Tunnel or the East Beltway to avoid the traffic tie-up.

You can get the latest updates anytime on our ABC-13 Traffic Page or by following Don Nelson and Katherine Whaley on Twitter.