A high-speed crash in Houston ended with a truck in flames, leaving one person dead.
HOUSTON — One person is dead after a high-speed crash overnight on Houston’s north side that ended with a truck engulfed in flames, according to the Houston Police Department.
It happened just after midnight early Monday on the North Freeway near Rankin Road. Police say a driver in a truck traveling at a high rate of speed lost control after entering the intersection, then jumped the curb and rode along the sidewall of the freeway for approximately 150 to 200 yards before crashing into a pole.
The vehicle caught fire upon impact, and the driver was unable to escape, police said.
“His vehicle was engulfed in flames, and unfortunately, he was unable to make it out of the vehicle,” Sgt. Dallas with HPD’s Vehicular Crimes Division said.
Fire crews responded and extinguished the fire before discovering the body inside the truck.
While investigators believe the victim is an adult male, the body was badly burned, making positive identification difficult.
“Until the medical examiner gets here, we won’t be able to confirm that,” Sgt. Dallas said.
Police confirmed that the feeder road near the crash site would be closed for at least another hour or two during the early morning hours.
Although there was a crash reported in the intersection at the same time, investigators say no other vehicles were involved in the deadly crash.
“We do have witnesses. We do know that a crash occurred at the intersection, but we do not believe the vehicle that was enflamed had anything to do with that crash,” Sgt. Dallas added.