Mother and 9-year-old son killed in wrong-way crash on I-45 in downtown Houston, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A mother and her 9-year-old son died in a multi-vehicle wrong-way crash on the I-45 Gulf Freeway near Allen Parkway overnight, according to police.

Houston police said the deadly crash happened around 12:45 a.m. Monday in the southbound lanes of I-45 near the Pierce/Dallas exit.

Surveillance video in the area shows a red Ford F-150 traveling the wrong way on the freeway before slamming into a Mitsubishi Outlander with a family of four inside, according to investigators.

A mother and her 9-year-old son were killed in the crash. The father and daughter were taken to the hospital in critical conditon, HPD said.

Two people inside a third vehicle involved in the crash, including a pregnant woman, were also taken to the hospital.

"Unfortunately, that vehicle struck a Mitsubishi Outlander, which either struck a Nissan Rogue, or the truck proceeded to strike the Nissan Rogue," Sgt. David Rose said. "But the cause of the crash, 100%, was because the red Ford F-150 was driving the wrong way on the freeway."

The at-fault driver was taken to the hospital in critical condition. At last check, HPD said he was in the ICU. The driver's blood will be tested to see if he was intoxicated. According to HPD, if he was intoxicated, he will face intoxication manslaughter charges.

"Everybody, essentially, from the Mitsubishi and the Ford, had to be cut out of the vehicle. Some good Samaritans, right after the crash happened, took the Mitsubishi and picked it up and put it from its side upright, then tried to render aid to the people inside," Rose said. "Unfortunately, you can't help what happened with the mother and the son."

Investigators said it's unclear how long the at-fault driver had been traveling the wrong way, but it's possible the crash was almost instantaneous after the driver possibly got on the freeway going the wrong direction at the Pierce/Dallas exit.

The investigation into the deadly crash is ongoing.

"This was very hard on some of the patrol officers that were out there," Rose said. "We do a lot of fatals, but we don't do a lot of fatals with children, which is a blessing. But when we have days like today, it's tough."

All southbound lanes of I-45 were closed for hours as police investigated. All mainlanes have since reopened.

NOTE: Initially police identified the boy as age 10. They later updated the information to correct his age to 9 years old.

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