Mom of 4 moving SUV during storm among at least 7 killed during Thursday's severe weather
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The intense storms that ravaged the Houston region killed at least seven people and injured several others.
On Friday, officials were still determining the final numbers. So far, ABC13 is aware that two people were killed in northwest Harris County, another around North Main, two in southeast Houston blocks from each other, and one in the Cloverleaf neighborhood.
On Avenue O, the SUV that Christin Martinez was trying to move as the storm intensified is still in the driveway. According to family members, the 31-year-old mother of four was killed when a large tree fell on the vehicle. She leaves behind four boys, ages 1 to 13 years old.
"We're all taking it pretty hard, especially her husband," her brother, Jonathan Martinez, said. "We had a lot of plans this weekend, and it's all gone. Their kid was about to graduate to middle school, and she can't see that happen now."
A GoFundMe has been set up to help support the Martinez family.
A few blocks away on Wingate at 75th, a worker at a cement factory was killed when a crane fell on top of the work vehicle he was in.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez revealed the deaths of two people on opposite ends of the county. A 57-year-old trying to move a downed power pole collapsed and died on Kilkenny Glenn Drive. Over on Waxahachie in Cloverleaf, a 60-year-old who went out to his truck to plug his oxygen tank was later found dead.
On Jensen Drive in northeast Houston, Lydia Guerrero went to check on her car when her husband found her dead minutes later.
ABC13 spoke to Erasmo Guerrero who said it was starting to rain when his wife checked on the car and the wind was getting stronger.
He says he is still trying to figure out what happened and said he believes she may have hit her head.
According to Houston police, two witnesses told officers they helped pull a tree branch off of Lydia, which is why they are calling this a storm-related death. However, they're still waiting on autopsy results from the medical examiner.
Harris County Sheriff Gonzalez said at around 6:36 p.m., a 57-year-old man was at the 12400 block of Kilkenny Glenn Drive trying to move a downed electrical pole.
The sheriff also confirmed an 85-year-old woman died after lightning struck her trailer at around 6:45 p.m. on the 15900 block of Cypress Meadows Drive.
A 60-year-old man went to his truck at the 13800 block of Waxahachie to plug in his oxygen tank after he lost power. He was found unresponsive Friday morning.
For survivors, the trauma is just setting in.
When the storm hit, Belinda Tate was in her car with her 10-year-old daughter on Travis Street downtown. She and her daughter suffered wounds from broken glass.
Tate is still in the hospital, recovering from surgery.
According to her sister-in-law, Tate was five months pregnant and lost her baby.
"I just feel really bad for her. Through the process of this, she lost her baby. She was pregnant. She had a miscarriage," Smith said. "So it's just a tragic situation. My heart goes out to her and her family."
The family has set up a GoFundMe site to help with medical expenses
