Posted on 09/14/2006 8:13:36 AM PDT by weegee
A woman is dead after she was struck by several vehicles while trying to run across Southwest Freeway Wednesday night.
Police said around 10:25 p.m. Wednesday, a woman attempted to run across four lanes of traffic on the 6800 block of Southwest Freeway near Hillcroft Avenue when she was struck by an unknown vehicle traveling north
The driver of the vehicle did not stop.
Her body was then struck by at least 4 more vehicles and an 18-wheeler. None of the vehicles stopped after striking the woman's body except the driver of the second vehicle.
Police said motorist may not have realized what was happening.
The woman's identity is pending verification.
"Honey, did you just hit a deer?"
"I don't know, I think I might have, but we are REALLY late for the conference."
"Well, just take the car by the shop first thing in the morning."
Don't know. When there is an accident in front of me I assume I have a responsibility to stop and offer assistance. First responders will get there when they get there. The last such accident I witnessed and stopped for nobody else stopped. Nobody at all. It was kind of hard to overlook the SUV up on the concrete median barrier wheels still spinning. The driver was okay but had lost her grip on her cellphone and couldn't find it. I don't believe anybody stopped for that at all until the tow truck blocked the lanes to get the SUV back down to pavement.
>>>I've seen the ribcage of a large dog on the highway one time, but generally not much "debris" in the lanes.>>>
After this article... "I've seen the ribcage of WHAT I ASSUMED was a large dog..."
A couple of years back, I was driving through the Medical Center on my way to a dental appointment and I pulled to a stop at a stop sign at the intersection of the street and a cross walk. I had just started accelerating when a young man on a bike flew out in front of me, and he went flying across the hood of my truck and onto the pavement. I immediately stopped to render aid. I was HORRIFIED by what had happened, and was horrified for the man...and I wasnt going much faster than he was. Fortunately he was not hurt to the extent of needing to go to the hospital, but it was an awful moment for the both of us. Still, how anyone can hit someone and NOT stop is beyond me. If I hit ANYTHING I want to know what it was. I guess youd have to be a pretty cold heart in order to keep driving...
I tend to agree, as hitting just about anything on the road is going to cause some damage. Years ago, my father was driving my grandfather's pickup with all three of us in there. He had just turned the corner, started speeding up (going ~30-35) and this chicken flies out from nowhere. The chicken hit one side of the front and took out the headlight and (plastic) grill and put a small dent in the bumper. I couldn't believe how much damage that thing did to that truck. Yes, easily fixed (junkyards come in handy!), but still.
Carolyn
Goobags from the future do not realize that it is dangerous to cross a freeway, there is no traffic where they come from.
Driving on our Houston freeways is scary enough. You'd have to be an idiot to try and cross one on foot.
Houston is a crazy place to drive, even under the best of circumstances. The freeway systems, the always changing *new pattern* work, people who really don't know how to drive, people on cell phones, crap cars in the left lane, which have no business on ANY road, never mind interstates, people jaywalking across 65 mph interstates, drunk, stoned, people not being able to read english and going the wrong way UP an exit ramp, people who think they're part of the next COPS program, etc.
A blind couple in my area, their child in a baby carriage, and their guide dog were hit and killed crossing a street IN the crosswalk with the light green. I'm not sure they ever caught the people that hit them, either.
A similar incident as this happened in Denver about 15 years ago. A pedestrian was struck on the I-25 freeway at 5 o'clock rush. No one stopped, and the result was a bloody steak on the highway about 1/4 mile long. The amazing thing was that the Rocky Mountain News did not grieve for the identity of the person, but rather that the person might have had AIDS and ultimately the city had to wash the highway with Clorox. I do not recall if the person was ever identified.
Twenty years ago I was on 610 at the intersection of 59 and about 10 kids ran across the freeway. One of them didn't make it and the woman tried her best to avoid them but it was impossible to do.
That woman sobbed uncontrollably and blamed herself. It was a shame. Freeways are for cars, not pedestrians
Gee, thanks. Blame a whole city for the actions of a few.
>>"this town sickens me">>>>
Ummmmmmmm........ maybe it time you moved instead of blaming the whole town for the actions of a couple of people when you have no idea whether they were aware of what happened or not.
Only 8, how many each side is 610South these days :)
You're absolutely correct. In the late 90s, I lived just down the street from where this woman was killed. Each side of 59 literally has 6-8 lanes.
" This town sickens me."
I love Houston, if you live in a city that large, you have to get used to the ever ready availability of weird local stories.
It is an incredibly diverse, and international city with a larger collection of people than several states put together.
It seems that a freeway exists for the express purpose of high speed vehicular traffic, no matter how desirable it may seem to a pedestrian...
A person with the intelligence level of a 6 year old should realize that.
Let's put the fault of this incident where it belongs...if you are doing the speed limit, and a pedestrian appears on the freeway in a traffic lane forcing you to come to an immediate stop,that puts you in danger of being flattened from traffic behind you.
Someone being killed in traffic is terrible, but this incident sounds like it is the fault of the pedestrian, not the drivers of the vehicles that were presumably driving lawfully on a roadway that exists for that purpose.That said, however, there is no excuse for not stopping after an accident.
Note to self: don't run across busy freeways.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.