MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – The Texas Department of Public Safety reports that three persons died in a catastrophic crash on the I-45 North Freeway in Montgomery County.
For most of the morning, traffic from The Woodlands to Houston was slow-moving. The southbound lanes of I-45 were closed at Rayford Road/Sawdust Road.
The main lanes reopened at 9:43 a.m., over five hours after the fatal crash.
According to the Texas DPS, the crash occurred shortly after 5 a.m. on Monday.
Sgt. Erik Burse stated that a passenger vehicle carrying seven people was disabled due to a flat tire. That’s when a truck driving south collided with the van.
“The van was rendered inoperable due to a flat tire. So they were either slowing down, coming to a stop, or stopping in the inner lane,” Burse explained. “We’re still trying to get that out.”
Three occupants in the van were pronounced deceased at the scene: two men and one woman. Burse stated that the four other individuals in the van, including a kid, were taken to the hospital.
The truck driver was also brought to the hospital in severe condition.
Reference: 3 people killed in major crash on I-45 SB at Rayford/Sawdust Road in Montgomery Co., DPS says
