Large chunk of concrete falls off overpass onto North freeway feeder, narrowly misses driver

HOUSTON – A large chunk of concrete fell off an overpass in north Houston severely damaging the truck of a driver who hit the debris seconds after it dropped.

According to authorities, the incident happened around 5:50 a.m. Thursday on the North Freeway at the North Sam Houston Parkway. 

The piece fell from the southbound I-45 ramp onto the Beltway to the North Freeway feeder road below, authorities said.

Carl Keller hit the concrete seconds after it fell, which caused his truck to get a flat tire.

"I was driving to work and as I was going down the street here, this concrete was just in front of me," Keller said. "It was so fast ... and my truck had hit it. When my truck hit it, it was a big boom ... and the front end of my truck just went to the side. When I got out to look, I couldn't pull my truck over because it was flat."

Keller said a man came to help him out and when they walked over and looked up, they saw a piece of the bridge had collapsed, bringing with it some pieces of PVC piping that were also on the ramp.

"We didn't know where the PVC pipe had came from until we looked up and saw that it came from on top of the bridge," Keller said. "I'm a little shook up right now. I’m just glad it didn’t fall on my vehicle, that’s one of the main things, I could’ve been seriously hurt, you know

The debris has since been cleared and the road is back open.


About the Authors

Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli has been a digital news editor at KPRC 2 since 2018. She is a published poet and has background in creative writing and journalism. Daniela has covered events like Hurricane Harvey and the Astros World Series win. In her spare time, Daniela is an avid reader and loves to spend time with her two miniature dachshunds.

Reporter, family-oriented, sports fanatic, proud Houstonian.