Power pole lands on SUV in rollover crash, 1 dead

HPD: Speed and alcohol both factors in crash

HOUSTON – One person is dead and another was hospitalized after a rollover crash in southeast Houston.

Police said the driver was speeding down Long Drive near 610 when the driver lost control and hit a power pole.

It happened around 3:15 a.m. Tuesday.

The SUV flipped over and the pole landed on top of the vehicle, trapping the victims inside.

Jeff Zamora was on his way home when he noticed dangling power lines and an SUV flipped over on the side of the road. He said there were no police or emergency crews around, so he jumped out of his car to try and help.

"The windows were real dark tinted, so I couldn't see inside the vehicle but all of the sudden a male voice started yelling out from inside," Zamora said. "It was real muffled. It sounded like help but it was over and over real muffled."

Zamora also called 911.

"I kept yelling back at him that I had help on the way, that I was calling for help and to stay calm," he said.

Police said they had to wait more than 15 minutes for CenterPoint Energy crews to arrive to verify the power lines were not live before they free the victims.

Officials said a 26-year-old man in the SUV died on the scene.

The the other person in the vehicle was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital in serious condition.

Police said neither person was wearing a seat belt.

Authorities said they are unsure which of the two victims were driving the SUV at the time of the crash.

Houston police said speed and alcohol contributed to the crash.

"At this time we do believe that alcohol was a factor," Sgt. Ignacio Izaguirre with the Houston Police Department.

The names of the victims were not immediately released.