It was a dangerous start on the roads for one of the busiest travel days of the year in Houston.
Drivers trying to head out of town for Thanksgiving on the I-10 Katy Freeway dealt with delays due to two crashes that happened late Tuesday night. The westbound lanes were closed for about eight hours and reopened shortly after 7 a.m.
One crash involved an 18-wheeler and a Tesla. The second crash sent a Houston police officer who was blocking traffic near the scene to the hospital.
The first crash happened on I-10 near Highway 6 just before 11:30 p.m.
Houston police said the driver of an 18-wheeler briefly took his eyes off the road and hit a Tesla, knocking it into the HOV lane.
The woman driving the Tesla was trapped in the car and had to be rescued by Houston firefighters. At last check, police said she was in critical condition.
The driver of the 18-wheeler was not hurt, police said. It’s unclear if the driver will face charges.
“Currently, we’re working two crashes. A crash involving our officer, who was struck by a driver who is possibly impaired. Right now, that part is under investigation,” Sgt. Dionne Griffiths said. “Then we have another crash further down the road where it doesn’t look good for the complainant. She may not survive her injuries.”
About a mile and a half east of the initial crash scene, near Dairy Ashford Road, an HPD officer who was blocking lanes of traffic with their patrol vehicle was hit by a suspected drunk driver, according to police.
The at-fault driver ended up in the westbound mainlanes of the freeway and got hit by two other cars.
The HPD officer and the suspected drunk driver were both taken to the hospital and are expected to be OK. The drivers of the other two cars involved were not seriously hurt, police said.