Houston police investigate a crash near Memorial Park that killed a 17-year-old and hospitalized another driver.
HOUSTON — Houston police are investigating a deadly crash near Memorial Park that left a 17-year-old boy dead and another driver hospitalized Thursday night.
According to HPD Lt. Larry Crowson, officers were dispatched just before 8 p.m. to Memorial Drive near Picnic Lane after reports of a major crash involving two vehicles. Investigators said both cars were traveling westbound on Memorial Drive when the collision occurred.
Crowson said one vehicle was driving at about the speed limit when a second vehicle, traveling at a high rate of speed, slammed into the back of it. The impact pushed the first vehicle over the median and into the eastbound lanes. That driver was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The driver of the speeding vehicle lost control, left the roadway, struck a light pole, and then crashed into a retaining wall inside the park area. The 17-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators are interviewing witnesses and reviewing evidence to determine what led up to the crash. Memorial Drive was shut down in both directions inside Memorial Park as police worked the scene. The medical examiner’s office is handling the autopsy.
“It’s a very tragic incident,” Crowson said. “As they always say, speed kills. When you drive extremely fast and you have an accident, it has deadly consequences. We encourage people to slow down, drive the speed limit, be patient and look out for each other.”
Drivers were urged to avoid the area until the roadway reopened.
