Man jumps off I-45 to avoid semi that ran over and killed 2 others
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 1-year-old and a 3-year-old survived a multi-vehicle crash that killed a man and woman, including the children's mother, early Friday morning.
The crash, which involved four vehicles and an Amazon delivery truck, shut down the North Freeway inbound at Rankin for hours.
According to police, around 1:30 a.m., a Lincoln Navigator towing a trailer was traveling southbound on I-45 at Rankin when it got a flat tire. A father, mother and their two children, who are 1 and 3 years old, were inside the SUV.
While they were pulled over on the side of a freeway, a man driving a Mazda crashed into the back of the trailer. He got out of his car and so did the mother in the Navigator.
As they were standing outside of their vehicles, a Chevy Silverado swerved to miss the crash, hit a wall and spun into the middle lanes of the freeway.
Abdullah Baidas saw the accident, pulled over and got out to help.
As this was happening, an Amazon Prime truck slammed into all the vehicles. The truck also hit the man and woman, killing them.
Baidas saw the semi coming and managed to jump off the overpass to avoid being hit. He landed at least 10 to 15 feet below, and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. He was able to call 911 and report the crash. His family said he's going to make a full recovery.
Police say the family's two children inside the Navigator were properly restrained. The children and a man were taken to the hospital.
Authorities say the road was slick at the time and that may have also contributed to the Silverado spinning out.
Amazon released a statement about the deadly crash:
"This is a terrible incident and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with all involved. We will work with law enforcement and the carrier as they investigate."
The freeway reopened around 9:30 a.m.
No charges are expected to be filed at this point.
