Over the weekend, a late-night collision in Houston ended in tragedy when a pedestrian was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver, police say. The fatal incident took place at 8600 Mykawa Road around 11:55 p.m. on Saturday, as reported by City of Houston News. The man who lost his life has yet to be publicly identified, pending formal identification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
Details from an early investigation conducted by the Houston Police Department Vehicular Crimes Division indicate that a red Chevrolet GMT400 pickup truck, traveling northbound, collided with the pedestrian who was running in the opposite direction. Following the accident, the driver of the Chevrolet called 9-1-1 and stayed on scene. Houston Fire Department paramedics arrived shortly after and pronounced the pedestrian deceased on the scene. The driver, identified as 41-year-old Roman Aguilar Ortuno, informed officers that despite his attempt to stop, he could not avoid hitting the individual. Further examination led to the revelation that Ortuno had been under the influence of alcohol.
Ortuno is now facing DWI charges and is detained at the Harris County Jail. "The driver admitted to officers he had been drinking and was determined to be impaired," according to accounts from Sergeant V. Vo and Officer C. Vargas, who are heading the ongoing investigation into the collision. With the gravity of the incident and the charge of driving while intoxicated being levied in Harris County Criminal Court #15, the investigation remains an active concern.
