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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Big rig jack-knifes on Katy Freeway near I-45

  Crystal KobzaHOUSTON (KTRK) -- An 18-wheeler jack-knifed overnight on a section of the Katy Freeway that's notorious for accidents.

The westbound lanes of the freeway were closed early this morning but have since reopened.

It happened at around 3:30 this morning near the I-10 and I-45 freeway split. Police tell us the 18-wheeler actually hit the other side of the freeway first, then the truck jack-knifed and slid across the freeway, striking the guardrail near the Taylor exit.

A heavy duty wrecker arrived on scene to remove the big rig from the westbound lanes of I-10.

The driver tells us it was raining at the time of the wreck. He did not say how fast he was going when he wrecked. All he said was he simply lost control and this was the end result. He added he is just luckily he and his passenger are okay.

The driver wouldn't go on camera for us, but his passenger did and said he woke up from the impact.

"Everything was crumbling down on me. I was hysterical. I didn't know what to do. I was waking up from my sleep, so I was thinking we're either running over a cliff or we're hitting somebody else," said passenger Anthony Ricks.

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Wreck shuts down Katy Freeway for hours

Life Flight transported the driver after the accident on the Katy Freeway early this morning.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A driver crashed into a barrier along the Katy Freeway so hard this morning that the impact snapped her seat belt.

Police tell us the woman in her 20s was driving westbound on the Katy Freeway near Greenhouse when she may have hit an 18-wheeler. That contact sent her car out of control and into a concrete barrier.

She was wearing a seat belt, but the impact tore that seat belt and she was ejected onto the freeway.

She was taken by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital to be treated for a broken leg and chest injuries.

The freeway was shut down for more than two hours while police investigated.

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Police: Man pushed two women from moving car on Katy Freeway

  Pooja LodhiaHOUSTON (KTRK) -- The manhunt is on for the person who pushed two women from a moving car, killing one of them and seriously injuring the other. The circumstances leading to the brutal attacks remain unknown.

The first woman was found along the Katy Freeway at Westgreen. The body of the second woman was found near Grand Parkway. Officers found the suspect's abandoned car further down the road in Brookshire, but they're still looking for the man witnesses say was going more than 100 miles per hour when he shoved the two women out of his car.

It happened last night on the Katy Freeway. According to police, the man shot one of his female passengers and pushed her out onto the road at the Katy Freeway and Westgreen. That woman is at Memorial Hermann Hospital, but there has been no update on her condition.

Police say the man kept driving and pushed the second woman out of the vehicle at the Katy Freeway and the Grand Parkway. Her body was so mangled when police arrived they couldn't tell if she had been shot before she was pushed out.

Witnesses tell us the suspect sped off.

"This guy flew past us, probably 100, 105 miles per hour at least. I saw him hit the side of this 18-wheeler that's on the side in front of us and skidded off the road and ended up in the ditch right here and the guy that was driving it got out and started running," said witness Daniel Bachrach.

Another witness, Jose Pedraza, told us, "The car was all shattered and there seemed to be blood on the seats."

The investigation continues. Houston police have not identified the suspect or the victims.

The Katy Freeway westbound lanes at Highway 99 were closed down for hours overnight due to the investigation. They reopened around 5:30am.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest on this story.

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Wreck involving fire truck shuts down SW Freeway

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A fire engine needed some emergency assistance after a crash in southwest Houston overnight.

It happened on the Southwest Freeway at Fondren. The fire truck was headed to a call when a red pickup truck slammed right into it.

The fire engine only had minor damage, but the entire front end of the pickup crumbled.

The crash shut down the freeway for more than an hour but it has since reopened.

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Woman killed while walking across Katy Freeway

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police say a person trying to cross the Katy Freeway was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle.

Police say the woman was hit around 2:10am near Greenhouse Road. They say she was attempting to walk southbound across the main lanes of traffic in the 18500 block of the Katy Freeway when she was struck by a blue Honda Accord. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities say the driver stopped and waited for officers to arrive. He was questioned and released at the scene. Officers determined alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

Police have not released the woman's identity.

The accident completely shut down the westbound lanes of the freeway for a period of time.

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Motorcycle wreck shut down NW Freeway for couple of hours

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police say a motorcyclist slammed into the back of an 18-wheeler on the Northwest Freeway last night.

The accident happened on Highway 290 at Fairbanks North Houston. The truck never stopped and police say the driver might not have realized the biker hit him.

Witnesses say the biker was weaving in and out of traffic and might have been going 100 miles per hour when the accident happened. The biker was taken to the hospital in serious, but stable condition.

The inbound lanes of the freeway were closed for two hours.

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Overnight wreck shuts down Northwest Freeway

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Two people were hurt in an accident in northwest Houston overnight.

It happened on the Northwest Freeway at 43rd Street. Police say a driver slammed into the back of another vehicle, causing both cars to roll over. Both drivers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The freeway was partially closed due to the police investigation, but it has since been reopened.

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Lane closures on I-45 North Freeway

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Crews will be closing multiple southbound mainlanes of IH 45 North Freeway from Little York Road to Parker Road over the weekend. The closures are necessary for crews to complete bridge deck repairs at Parker Road and Little York Road. Motorists should expect delays and should consider an alternate route if possible.

Starting Friday, January 20 at 9pm until Monday, January 23 at 5am two southbound outside mainlanes will be closed from Little York Road to Parker. In addition, a third lane will be closed between the hours of 9pm and 10am the following morning on Saturday, January 21 and Sunday, January 22. The third lane will also be closed from Sunday, January 22 at 9pm until Monday, January 23 at 5am.

During the same time, several frontage road intersections and ramps at IH 45 North Freeway will be closed:

Parker Road eastbound at IH 45 North Freeway. Detour to IH 45 North southbound to Tidwell and u-turn back to IH 45 North northbound to Parker.Parker Road westbound at IH 45 North Freeway. Detour to IH 45 North northbound to Gulf Bank and u-turn back to IH 45 North southbound to Parker.Little York eastbound at IH 45 North Freeway. Detour to IH 45 southbound to Tidwell and u-turn back to IH 45 North northbound to Little York.Little York westbound at IH 45 North Freeway. Detour to IH 45 northbound to Gulf Bank and u-turn back to IH 45 North southbound to Little York.IH 45 North Freeway northbound entrance ramp from Gulf Bank, Shepherd, and Little York will be closed. Detour to the Parker entrance ramp.IH 45 North Freeway southbound exit ramp to Parker will be closed. Detour to the Tidwell exit ramp.

Police officers will be on site to assist with traffic control. No frontage road lanes will be affected. For more information on scheduled lane closures in the Houston District visit the Houston TranStar website at www.houstontranstar.org. All closures are subject to change due to inclement weather.

Check real-time traffic information in our ABC13.com traffic section

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Suspects charged after Bellaire burglary, foot chase on SW Freeway

Michael Dewaine Brown (left), Danta Creighton Smith (middle) and Harry Gradeny (right) are facing burglary charges

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Authorities have identified the suspects involved in Tuesday's high-speed police chase.

Eyewitness News shot this exclusive video as the suspects tried to get away from police in southwest Houston. Officers identified the suspects as Michael Dewaine Brown, 25, Danta Creighton Smith, 23, and Harry Gradeny, 21.

Police said the men stole a safe from a home in Bellaire Tuesday afternoon. Officers chased them from the house to the Southwest Freeway and Shepherd.

All three are facing burglary charges. Police are checking into the possibility they could be connected to other burglaries in the area.

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Suspects arrested after foot chase on SW Freeway

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police officers chased some suspects down the Southwest Freeway with what appeared to be a safe hanging out of the trunk.

Eyewitness News reporter Erik Barajas was returning from another assignment when a high-speed chase broke out in front of him. He pulled out his iPhone and the photographer kept us near the action as we witnessed the chase come to surprising end.

Around 2pm Tuesday on Highway 59 frontage road at Weslayan, two police cruisers chased a Pontiac Grand Prix with a safe shoved in the trunk and three burglary suspects inside.

The car swerved onto the freeway and hits high speeds, and near Shepherd, three men stopped the car and jumped out, crossing the HOV lane and run into oncoming traffic.

One suspect was caught immediately. Two other suspects were tackled in oncoming lanes of Highway 59 and handcuffed.

Traffic was stopped to get them back to the patrol cruisers.

"What do you have to say for yourself? You breaking into homes? Huh, you breaking into homes?" we asked the suspects.

But they are not talking.

And as they are stuffed into the patrol units, their getaway vehicle that didn't do it's job, burst into flames with a homeowner's safe still stuffed in the trunk.

Officers rushed to save a burglary victim's belongings.

Soon after, the Houston Fire Department arrived, dousing the burning getaway car.

The three suspects were taken into custody, and the safe was returned to the owners.

------------------------------------

Burglary victims react to chase

Bellaire PD says the chase started after a neighbor spotted the suspects up items from Kevin and Lynn Kelleher's Bellaire home and reported it.

"My first thought was, is my dog OK?" Lynn said.

"Penny" was just fine, but the back window of the Kellerher's home was busted. Police believe the thieves scaled the fence.

"I said what's going on inside? He's like 'Well they took the safe,' and 'I said oh my God they got the safe,'" Lynn said.

A neighbor noticed them trying to put the 300-pound safe in the trunk. As the couple rushed to get home, the thieves were rolling down the freeway.

"Well I mean what do you say there goes my safe down the freeway in a car," Lynn said.

Kevin even drove right by it.

"There's a wreck, a car is on fire, people running all over the place, and I was stuck in traffic," he said.

He had no idea that fiery car was carrying his safe. But police pulled it away and the details of their unnerving story kept getting better.

"Then the Bellaire police standing right there says, 'But we caught them,'" Lynn recalls the officer telling her.

Relieved no one was hurt, the couple got the safe back though with a little more character.

"Just unbelievable, now we have a great story about the safe because it's all banged up and dinged up," Kevin said.

And for the record, that safe will now be bolted to the floor.

The three suspects face charges of burglary of a habitation and evading arrest. Police are not releasing their names yet and are checking into the possibility they could be connected to other burglaries in the area.

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Body on freeway ramp shuts down busy interchange

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- HPD's vehicular crimes division is investigating a bizarre incident involving a dead body found on a freeway ramp.

Police found the dead man on the Southwest Freeway southbound ramp to the West Loop southbound Monday afternoon. They still don't know whether he fell or jumped to his death, but a car was found on the ramp above with front end damage and a shattered windshield.

Police shut down both ramps for hours, and that forced a massive traffic tie-up on both 59 and the West Loop.

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Motorcyclist falls 60 feet to death off freeway

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A motorcyclist was killed when his bike went off the freeway near the Ship Channel Bridge Wednesday morning.

Police say at around 9am the motorcycle was traveling south on the 610 East Loop past the Ship Channel Bridge and was taking the exit to Highway 225 East when a witness saw the driver lose control of the bike and go over the guardrail of the interchange. Police say the victim was operating a white Harley Davidson 1200 motorcycle at a high rate of speed.

"One of the witnesses said that the operator sped in front of him, crossed directly in front of him and hit the cement barrier," said HPD Sgt. A.C. Francois.

According to police, the driver went airborne and fell about 60 feet and died upon impact. Authorities say the man was wearing a helmet.

The witnesses stopped to call police.

The 62-year-old man's identity has not been released.

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Runaway reindeer corralled after running around on Gulf Freeway

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There was a strange sight along the Gulf Freeway Wednesday -- two reindeer who look like they belonged at the North Pole, not in southeast Texas. But there was a simple explanation -- they escaped from a trailer owned by one of Santa's helpers.

His name is Joe Moorman, but his occupation is Santa Claus. From the beard to the reindeer -- five tiny ones.

The reindeer getting all the attention however are Comet and Prancer, who might well have gone to that Santa workshop in the sky.

It happened, in all places, during rush hour on the Gulf Freeway when the door to their trailer slid open in traffic. Moorman was behind the wheel.

"Someone pulled up beside us and blew the horn and waving the horn and telling us we had animals loose," Moorman said.

When we asked Moorman how his heart took it at the time, he replied, "Well, my heart didn't do too well."

As his heart sank, something remarkable happened; people stopped traffic, got out of their cars and tried to corral Comet and Prancer.

Cody Casteel saw a man and woman running after them.

"Taking off her high heels, trying to catch them and the guy was behind her and right when we pulled up they started eating and we pulled their leads," said Casteel.

The Webster Police Department was flooded with calls reporting reindeer loose on the freeway.

In one phone call, the caller said, "Sir I am traveling on I-45 north. I am just by Baybrook Mall. There are two loose reindeer on the highway."

The dispatcher replied, "And ... there's two loose reindeer on the highway?"

The caller then told the dispatcher, "Yes sir, I know that sounds funny but they are."

The police chief says they were flooded with calls, and admit they initially thought it was a joke but quickly found out, these reindeer needed help.

It ended in a park and ride lot. The reindeer remarkably were not injured and made their scheduled appearance Wednesday at a school. But it has Santa reflecting on the gift he was given.

"I mean God was with the reindeer and he takes care of fools and things that can't take care of themselves," Moorman said, laughing.

Call this a Christmas miracle? Santa/Joe Norman does. And so do Comet and Prancer.

You can read more about the runaway reindeer in the Bay Area Citizen, of our Houston Community Newspaper partners.

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Tow truck crash blocks East Freeway

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The East Freeway near Lockwood was blocked early Saturday after a crash temporarily shut down the intersection.

Authorities were called out to the scene around 3am.

Officials said the tow truck was towing another vehicle when it was involved in a collision with a car.

Investigators closed the westbound lanes of the freeway as they tried to figure out what happened. The roadway was open within a few hours.

There is no word on any injuries or who's at fault for the crash. It remains under investigation.

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Big rig accident shuts down Katy Freeway

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A big rig wreck has turned the morning commute west of downtown Houston into a nightmare.

The drive in would be tricky with the rain and wet roads this morning, but this crash has made the drive that much worse.

The accident happened around 2:30am. An 18-wheeler jack-knifed on the inbound lanes between Studemont and Taylor. The driver was apparently going too fast, lost control and hit the concrete pillar, sheering off the cab, which caught fire.

Although the big rig has been removed, debris and diesel fuel are still obstructing the freeway. Cleanup is expected to continue well into the morning rush hour.

"We found an 18-wheeler wrecked. The cab was sheared off of the frame and we had two patients back against the concrete pillar," said Captain Chris Jouett with the Houston Fire Department. "They were cut out of the cab. Both patients were sent to the hospital in stable condition."

At one point, both directions of the freeway were closed but the westbound lanes have since reopened. Travelers are being urged to take another route.

Remarkably, two people in the 18-wheeler survived the accident. They were transported to Ben Taub Hospital.

Check real-time traffic information in our ABC13.com traffic section

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Pedestrian struck, killed on East Freeway

A fatal pedestrian accident on the East Freeway is causing major traffic delays in the area.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police are on the scene of a fatal accident on the East Freeway.

The accident happened just before noon on the westbound lanes of the East Freeway near Crosby Lynchburg.

Details are still pretty sketchy at this point but a truck was apparently broken down and some people were working on it when something went terribly wrong. Authorities have confirmed one person was struck and killed. There were at least three vehicles involved in the accident.

A police investigation is underway. Traffic is being affected in the area.

Check real-time traffic information in our ABC13.com traffic section

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Piece of metal rips open semi on freeway overpass

Constructions spent the night repairing a freeway overpass.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- TxDOT had to inspect the East Freeway after a piece of metal ripped open the top of a big rig last night.

It happened on the eastbound side of the freeway near Meadow just after 11pm. Police say the metal ripped open the 18-wheeler like a can opener. HPD shut down the freeway to prevent other trucks from hitting the metal.

TxDOT removed the metal from underneath the overpass, but closed it for about three hours to make sure it was safe for your morning drive.

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Big rig's lost load shuts down freeway ramp for hours

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A big rig with a lost load on Houston's west side shut down a freeway ramp for nearly four hours Wednesday.

At about 10:40am, an 18-wheeler traveling northbound on the West Loop took the exit to the eastbound lanes of I-10 when it flipped on its side. The truck appears to have been carrying stacks of metal wire fencing. Several fell onto the road itself, with others falling into the grassy area.

Crews worked to clear the mess and the ramp finally reopened to traffic around 2pm.

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Woman critically injured in accident on Gulf Freeway

 A woman was critically injured after an alleged drunk driver slammed into an SUV in southeast Houston.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Traffic is back open along the Gulf Freeway, after a wreck had traffic tied up for hours.

A speeding pickup slammed into an SUV around 2:45am. The impact sent the SUV flying over the retaining wall, and caused it to flip onto the feeder road. One of the women in that SUV is in critical condition.

The man driving the pickup failed a sobriety test. It took about three hours to clear the investigation.

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