DWI suspect causes chain-reaction crash with HPD vehicles on I-45, police say
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A police patrol car was hit in a suspected DWI chain-reaction crash in southeast Houston early Thursday morning.
Officers were pulled over on I-45 near Scarsdale with flashing lights, assisting a previous accident, when a woman driving a gray Ford Fusion slammed into the back of a Houston police patrol car around 1:45 a.m., according to authorities.
The crash caused the HPD patrol car to then hit two other emergency vehicles at the scene.
The driver is suspected of driving while intoxicated, investigators said.
No officers or deputies were injured in the crash. Investigators said everyone involved in the previous crash and all officers were outside of their vehicles.
Video from the scene shows the woman on a stretcher, being taken into an ambulance after the crash. She reportedly suffered broken bones.
Investigators said she had to be pried out of her car before being taken to the hospital in serious but stable condition.
All northbound lanes of I-45 were closed at Beltway 8 while crews investigated the scene, causing early morning backups.
The freeway has since reopened.
The woman is being evaluated for DWI at the hospital, police said. If she is found to have been intoxicated at the time of the crash, she'll face a DWI and intoxication assault charge.
