Driver dies after hitting guardrail on Southwest Freeway

  Crystal KobzaHOUSTON (KTRK) -- A driver died overnight after crashing into a guardrail on the Southwest Freeway feeder road.

The southbound feeder road of Highway 59 just before Beltway 8 had been closed for the police investigation of the deadly accident, but it reopened at around 5:15am.

Houston police say at around 2:30am the 37-year-old man drove his car off the exit ramp, through the barricades and ended up on the feeder road.

With the amount of damage to the vehicle and the guardrail, police say it appears the driver was exceeded the posted speed limit of 60 miles per hour.

"We don't have any witnesses who actually saw what happened, but evidence here at the scene indicates that he was about to take the north-south ramp onto Beltway 8 when for some reason, failed to drive in a single lane and struck the guardrail," said Sgt. I Izaguirre with the Houston Police Department.

At this time, police say there are no signs of impairment.

"He was wearing his seatbelt. There is no indication at this time that alcohol was involved. There is no alcohol inside the vehicle, we didn't smell any odor of alcohol," Sgt. Izaguirre said.

No other passengers were in the car with him at the time.

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HCAD: Property value notices to start hitting mailboxes

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Property owners in Harris County can expect to get notices over the next three weeks of their 2012 property values. The notices are being mailed out starting today.

The Harris County Appraisal District says about 30 percent of residential properties should expect a drop in value. About 60 percent of property owners in Houston can expect their value to stay the same. The remaining 10 percent will see an increase in property values.

Commercial property owners will get their notices later this month.

About 900,000 letters are supposed to go out to residents in the next three weeks.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Motorcyclist in critical condition after hitting car

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A motorcyclist slammed into the back of a car on the North Freeway feeder near Cypress Creek last night.

The accident happened around 9pm. The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Two small children in the car received minor cuts in the accident.

Authorities say the motorcyclist had borrowed the bike from a friend and was an inexperienced driver. They believe he was speeding when he hit the car. He was not wearing a helmet.

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