Two deputies were hit while on duty in a Beltway 8 crash at Ella Blvd. Five people were hospitalized, including one flown by Life Flight.
HOUSTON — A driver slammed into law enforcement officers on the North Sam Houston Tollway early Thursday morning, shutting down the freeway and sending five people to the hospital — including two Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables.
According to Pct. 4 Constable Mark Herman’s office, the deputies were responding to a pedestrian in the roadway on the tollway near Ella Boulevard when a driver crashed into their patrol units and hit the deputies who were out of their vehicles.
One deputy was taken by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital with serious injuries. Another deputy was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, Pct. 4 said. Their conditions have not yet been released.
The Houston Fire Department confirmed a total of five people were taken from the scene.
Houston TranStar reported the crash at 4:04 a.m., shutting down all eastbound lanes of the tollway at Ella. Only the feeder road is passable, and traffic quickly began backing up in the area.
Alternate routes for drivers
Morning commuters should avoid the North Sam Houston Tollway eastbound near Ella Boulevard. Here are the best options until lanes reopen:
- Take the frontage road to bypass the closure and re-enter the tollway past Ella.
- Use Beltway 8 frontage eastbound as a parallel option to reconnect with I-45 or Hardy Toll Road.
- Ella Boulevard north or south can also be used to reach nearby cross streets and loop back onto the tollway beyond the crash site.
Constable Herman’s office is asking the public to keep the injured deputies in their prayers as investigators continue working the crash scene.
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