Early this morning, a suspected impaired driver caused a multi-vehicle crash on the North Sam Houston Tollway. Two Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables were injured when their patrol unit was struck while responding to an incident near Ella Boulevard, according to Click2Houston.
KHOU reported that the driver, operating a truck, hit a patrol unit, triggering a chain reaction involving three patrol cars. Deputies were addressing a pedestrian on the roadway when the collisions occurred. One deputy sustained serious injuries and was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Another deputy and three additional individuals were taken to the hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening, bringing the total number of hospitalized people to five, the Houston Fire Department confirmed.
Officials said the driver showed signs of impairment and was under investigation while authorities sought a warrant for a blood draw. All eastbound lanes of the tollway were closed, causing major traffic disruptions. Harris County authorities advised drivers to use the frontage road past Ella, Beltway 8 frontage eastbound, or Ella Boulevard to reconnect with cross streets before reentering the tollway.
The crash remains under investigation.
