Postal worker thrown from truck after being hit by driver who fled in north Houston hit-and-run: HPD

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Police Department is investigating a hit-and-run that left a United States Postal Service worker dead, according to officials.

The video above is from ABC13's Live Streaming Channel.

According to police, the crash happened just before 4 p.m. at 243 Julia Street and Bauman Road.

Officers with HPD responded to the area after a call regarding a crash involving one fatality.

Shattered glass on Bauman Street showed where investigators say an Oak Forest postal worker was hit and thrown from his truck.

Police tell ABC13 he was taking a left on Julia Street, and a driver behind him was trying to go around him.

"(The driver) clipped him at the back. It pushed the post truck into the ditch, which fell on top of the postal worker, and so what we have is several people coming to his aid," Assistant Chief Patricia Cantu with the Houston Police Department said.

Eyewitness News spoke to a man who wanted to stay anonymous, who said he helped lift the truck off the postal worker's body.

"You see how the truck is now in the ditch? It was because we lifted the truck off of him, and the truck rolled because it was still in drive. It rolled into the ditch, and we just tried to comfort the mailman while he lay on the ground," the man said.

A neighbor gave ABC13 a photo of good Samaritans crowding around the victim.

"Unfortunately, the postal worker did not make it on the way to the hospital. He was declared deceased," Cantu said.

According to officials, the suspect fled the scene shortly before law enforcement arrived.

Police say witnesses did attempt to stop the driver from leaving the crash scene. They described him as a Hispanic man driving a 2011 white Ford Expedition.

Cantu said they are closing in on the suspect with the help of license plate numbers.

"We do have a license plate number. We did go to the house, and the person claims it was stolen, so we are going to see where that takes us," Cantu said.

Eyewitness News reached out to USPS regarding the matter and sent a statement that said in part:

"The Postal Service is deeply saddened by the loss of life suffered today involving an Oak Forest Post Office Letter Carrier. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues at this time."

This is an ongoing investigation.