Houston authorities are currently piecing together the details surrounding a tragic incident on the city's west side. Last evening, at approximately 8:20 p.m., a man lost his life on Katy Freeway, near the exit to Gessner Road, in a collision involving a gray GMC Yukon. According to an official statement released by Houston police, the victim was a 41-year-old male whose name is still to be confirmed by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The Houston Police Department's Vehicular Crimes Division, helmed by Sergeant D. Griffiths and Officer D. Hoang, reported that the male pedestrian was initially standing on the freeway's crash guard. Witnesses then observed the man jumping down into the roadway, directly in the path of oncoming traffic. Despite the driver's attempts to swerve out of harm's way, the pedestrian was struck by the eastbound SUV, as detailed by the City of Houston.
The aftermath of the accident saw the driver of the Yukon, identified as 60-year-old George McDowell, remain on the scene where Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced the pedestrian dead. McDowell's involvement took a legal turn when it was determined that he was impaired at the time of the incident. He now faces a charge of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, as per information obtained from Harris County Criminal Court #8.
The fatal crash has prompted further examination by HPD's Vehicular Crimes Division.
