HOUSTON – Three people have died in separate crashes in the past two weeks at intersections along or near Telephone Road in southeast Houston. This includes a man in a wheelchair killed on Wednesday.
KPRC 2 is examining the recent crashes and the conditions along the roadway, including traffic volume, pedestrian access and the distance between sidewalks and moving vehicles. At some points, sidewalks appear to be about a foot and a half from the roadway, leaving a little separation between walking and passing traffic.
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On Wednesday, Aug. 19, a man using a walker was fatally struck at Moline Street and Telephone Road, according to Houston police. The driver, identified later as Bernandino Bautista, 55, told police he was blinded by the sun. He was arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide, police said. The victim’s identity had not been released.
On Aug. 8, police said a man in a wheelchair was struck while crossing in a marked crosswalk near Westover Street and Telephone Road. The driver continued without stopping, and the man later died at a hospital. Police described the suspect vehicle as a small white sedan.
Hours later, a woman in her 20s died in a separate crash at Telephone Road and Reveille Street, police said. Investigators said she was driving south on Reveille at a high rate of speed, ran two red lights and struck another vehicle. The other driver suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
The crashes happened amid heavy traffic through the area, where drivers, pedestrians and people using wheelchairs or walkers share a busy corridor. Residents have also described the area as dangerous. After the Aug. 8 crash, Lashanda Simmons told KPRC 2 she had seen multiple dangerous incidents nearby and urged drivers to watch for others.
KPRC 2 has reached out to the Texas Department of Transportation to ask what safety measures are in place along Telephone Road, whether the agency has reviewed the recent crashes and whether any improvements are planned. This story will be updated if TxDOT responds.
Drivers should use caution, watch for pedestrians in crosswalks and obey traffic signals. Anyone with information about the Aug. 8 hit-and-run is asked to contact the Houston Police Department Vehicular Crime Division at 713-247-4072 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
This is a developing story. Details may change as investigators release more information.