HOUSTON — A 3-year-old child is in critical condition after a wild chase and car crash on the North Freeway, according to the Houston Police Department.
Houston police said the child’s family was riding in an Uber at the time of the crash. That Uber was a van, carrying a mother, father, and their 3-year-old child. Investigators said the van was involved in a wreck with the driver of an F-350 pickup truck.
That's when the driver of the F-350 reportedly tried to flee the scene and the Uber driver followed him up the North Freeway service road.
Investigators said both lost control of their vehicles and crashed when trying to make a U-turn under the freeway near West Road.
“It seems like the white van was trying to maintain a visual of him or something” HPD Commander Michael Chaney said. "Not sure. They were both coming through this U-turn when the collisions started happening."
The driver of the F-350 crashed into a pole and was taken into custody not far from the crash scene. Police said he showed signs of intoxication.
The Uber van crashed into a traffic box.
Two of the passengers in the Uber, including the child, were injured. The father was taken to a hospital where he is listed as stable. The toddler is in critical condition at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Police said both drivers could potentially face charges, but that hasn’t happened yet. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office will make the call on that.
We reached out to Uber for a response and they sent the following statement.
“The details of this crash are deeply upsetting. We are keeping those injured in our thoughts and wish them a full recovery. Road safety is a critical focus for us. We have removed the driver’s access to the platform while this investigation is ongoing and will assist police however we can.”