Was Safe Clear cause of I-10 fatal accident?

05:36 PM CST on Tuesday, February 1, 2005

By Amy Tortolani / 11 News

Click to watch Amy Tortolani's report

Click to watch Mayor White's response

What happened next is still under investigation, but witnesses say he was waiting on the shoulder of the freeway to cross back over, holding a gas can when a Safe Clear vehicle pulled up to his car.

Witnesses say that's when Kahng dropped the can and tried to run across four lanes of traffic, shocking the drivers heading down the road at 60 mph.

"It was something like out of a Hitchcock movie or something," said witness Sam Hewitt who added that it appeared the person made it across three lanes before being hit.

KHOU-TV

Emergency personnel sort things out at the scene of the accident.

That's when he was hit by an SUV, and his body was thrown into the air in the middle of the freeway.

Hewitt said that he thought he hit the person and was not sure how many other drivers had done the same.

Witnesses say the man appeared to be rushing back to his van when the Safe Clear wrecker appeared.

Police say that's why you should never leave your vehicle if it breaks down.

Kahng's family is blaming the city and plans to seek legal advice regarding the fatal accident.

"That's exactly what Safe Clear was developed by the mayor's staff to avoid, to prevent injuries and death to pedestrians walking away from stranded vehicles and vehicles being left on the freeway unattended, that's exactly right," says HPD Sgt. David Crain.

Some city leaders say Monday night was a deadly reminder of why the Safe Clear program needs to be stopped immediately.

"We need to stop the program," says city council member Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. "We need to reassess the goals, we need to relook at it, give it a thorough washing and maybe come back at a later time with the support of the state and the county."

"I don't think you can say Safe Clear played a role in this death," said HPD Sgt. David Crane. "We'll never know the reasons the gentleman ran across the moving lane of the freeway. We don't want his death to be in vain. If we can learn anything from Mr. Kahng's tragedy last night, it would be: If you stay with your vehicle, we will get safety to you."

Wednesday city council will once again address the Safe Clear program which could include amendments such as free tows from the shoulder for most motorists.