Driver claims he was trying to avoid animal before crash that killed passenger in NW Houston: HPD

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A driver said he was trying to avoid a possible animal when he lost control of the car and crashed into a tree, killing his passenger in northwest Houston, police said.

The crash happened at about 1 a.m. on Thursday on Ella Boulevard, near Pinemont.

According to the Houston Police Department, a Ford F-150 pickup truck was heading northbound on Ella Boulevard and approached Pinemont.

Authorities said the driver was going at a high speed, lost control of the truck, and hit a tree.

HPD said the driver, a man in his 30s, was critically injured and taken to the hospital. The passenger, an unidentified man, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, police said.

Police said the truck driver showed no signs of intoxication at the time of the investigation, and that he told them he was trying to avoid a possible animal on the road when he lost control of the vehicle.