One Dead, Three Injured After Car Goes Airborne in Crash on Eastex Freeway in Houston

Houston police are investigating a deadly overnight crash on the Eastex Freeway that left a 21-year-old man dead and three others injured early Sunday morning.

The crash happened around 2 a.m. in the 5900 block of the freeway when the driver of a gray Infiniti Q50, identified as Ricardo Herrera, was heading south and attempted to exit onto the 610 westbound ramp. Investigators say Herrera failed to maintain his lane, sending the car off the roadway and up a large dirt pile. The vehicle went airborne and slammed into a tree. Two of the four people inside were ejected from the car.

Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced Herrera dead at the scene. The three passengers were taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The investigation remains open as officers work to determine what led up to the crash.