Unsecured towing hitch smashes through windshield on North Freeway

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – The Harris County Sheriff's Office has issued a warning to drivers in the Houston area after an unsecured towing hitch smashed through a motorist's window Monday morning.

The Sheriff's Office said no one was injured when the hitch ended up in the motorist's passenger seat.

Officials said the incident happened while the vehicle was southbound on the North Freeway near Spring Cypress Road.

"Extremely heavy, moving at traffic speed, kicked up by another vehicle 20, 40, 50 miles per hour already going through a windshield," Sgt. Ray Parker of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said. "That windshield didn't even slow it down I don't think."

Parker, who also works with TranStar's Motor Assistance Program said the hitch was kicked up by another vehicle that was passing by and that debris left on local roadways is becoming a bigger problem.

Last month, a piece of a pipe went through another driver's windshield. In March 2017, a driver was killed when a large bolt flew through a windshield on Highway 146 in La Porte.

The Sheriff's Office made a plea for drivers to ensure their hitches were properly installed.

Officers said the debris seems to piling up ever faster and they need more bodies to collect it. They also have advice for anyone hauling any equipment or debris -- no matter how big or small.

"Secure the load," Parker said. "It may seem light and insignificant for a tree branch. But that tree branch at 50 miles an hour is going through a windshield or anything else."

Last week, a sergeant with the Sheriff's Office started collecting debris from Harris County roadways.

Here's what he's found so far:

 

 


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