23-Year-Old Woman Killed in Chain-Reaction Crash on Eastex Freeway

Houston police are investigating a deadly chain-reaction crash that killed a 23-year-old woman early Thursday morning on New Year’s Day on the Eastex Freeway.

The crash happened around 6:50 a.m. in the 700 block of the Eastex Freeway, also known as North U.S. Highway 59. According to the Houston Police Department, the freeway was already partially closed due to an earlier crash when the incident occurred.

Investigators said a white Honda Accord struck a gray Nissan Kicks from behind while traffic was slowed by the partial closure. The driver of the Nissan exited her vehicle and was standing along the side of the freeway when a maroon Ford F-150, traveling northbound, collided with the rear of the Honda.

The impact pushed the Honda into a retaining wall and into the woman standing outside her vehicle. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. Her identity is pending confirmation by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

The driver and a passenger in the Honda, along with a passenger in the Ford F-150, were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Ford was not injured.

The Houston Police Department’s Vehicular Crimes Division continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.