Female passenger killed when Houston driver runs red light
It only takes a split-second for a bad decision made behind the wheel to turn into a fatal car accident. This is apparently what happened recently in Houston in an early morning crash involving three vehicles; the crash left one person dead.
The accident occurred when an SUV ran a red light at an intersection. It was not immediately clear what caused the driver to ignore or disregard the signal; no charges, including driving while intoxicated, were filed in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
When the SUV was running the red light, two vehicles -- a small car and a second SUV -- were turning left in front of each other; both had a green arrow enabling them to proceed through the intersection.
However, the first SUV came barreling through the intersection, striking the car. The force of the impact then pushed the car into the second SUV. The passenger in the car, a 22-year-old woman, was killed; both the driver of the car and the passenger in the second SUV were injured and taken to separate hospitals. The driver of the second SUV was not hurt.
According to reports, the driver of the SUV that ran the red light exited the vehicle and was located nearby behind some bushes. It is not clear if the driver was attempting to flee the scene or was stunned by the events that had just occurred.
In any case, it seems fairly clear that the driver of the first SUV was at fault because of the missed red light and the fact that the other two vehicles had green arrows. It may be inevitable that the family of the woman who was killed seeks compensation from the liable party.
Source: Houston Chronicle, "HPD: Missed red light leads to fatal 3-car wreck," Robert Stanton, March 27, 2013