HOUSTON A Houston man who stopped at a gas station to put air in a tire lost his life when he was hit by a speeding pickup truck.
It happened Tuesday afternoon at the Shell gas station at Aldine Mail Route and the Eastex Freeway around 2:10 p.m.
Authorities said the driver of a red Ford F-150 pickup truck, Graye Coody, exited the highway and lost control of the vehicle.
Deputies said Coody was driving erratically so a passenger, who was begging him to stop, grabbed the steering wheel and swerved it to the right in order to avoid striking other vehicles that were stopped on the service road.
That is when the Ford drove off the east side of the roadway, hopped a curb, took out several poles and crashed into a coin-operated air pump machine and a Dodge Charger. The Dodge then rotated clockwise and struck Charles Garley, who was pumping air into one of its tires. Garley, who was 38 years old,died instantly.
Hiswife, who was inside the Dodge at the time of the crash, and the pickup truck passenger were both transported to local hospitals in stable condition.
Authorities were questioning the driver under suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
Garley s family members rushed to the scene and offered sympathy to the person believed responsible.
I just hope that they can sleep and just find peace with God, said Carla Hall, the victim s sister. We need to pray for them, too.
