Reckless Driver Engages HPD in Car Chase and Crashes into IHOP

A reckless driver led Houston police on car chase early Friday morning before eventually crashing into an IHOP restaurant.

Details of the Accident

According to the Houston Police Department (HPD), the chase began at 2:15 a.m. west of downtown, and ended on Washington Avenue, near I-10, according to law enforcement officials.

A man driving recklessly led Houston police on a chase early Friday before crashing into a busy IHOP restaurant, authorities said.

The car chase lasted approximately four minutes before the motorist crashed into the IHOP building, which was occupied by customers and employees inside at the time. The incident began when the driver yelled derogatory statements at off duty police officers who were working a second job.

Luckily, no one was injured as a result of the crash, and law enforcement officials suspected the driver was intoxicated.

The IHOP in question had to close for a period of time because of the incident to allow for repairs.

Related Car Crash Specifics

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) , collisions with fixed objects accounted for:

• Roughly 20 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths resulting from a vehicle leaving the roadway and hitting a fixed object alongside the road.
• Trees, utility poles, and traffic barriers are the most common objects struck.
• Almost half of the deaths in fixed object crashes occur at night.
• Alcohol is a frequent contributing factor.
• Motorists also run off the road because of excessive speeds, falling asleep, inattention, or poor visibility.

Cars Crashing Into Buildings Isn’t a Rare Occurrence in Texas

Car crash data reviewed by the Storefront Safety Council discovered that between 2014 to 2017 :

• States with the highest number of licensed drivers ages 65 and over coincidentally rank higher in terms of storefront crashes.
• Florida leads in storefront crashes across the nation.
• Drivers around 20 to 29 years of age cause around 20 percent of storefront crashes.
• Older adults are responsible for about 13 percent of storefront crashes.
• Approximately 24 percent of these incidents affected retail stores, while cars crashing into commercial buildings were around 23 percent and restaurants at 19 percent.

Roughly 30 percent of storefront crashes were attributed to operator error, while pedal error and DUIs contributed to 26 percent and 17 percent respectively.

Texas DWI Car Crashes by the Numbers

In Texas , for 2018, drivers under the influence of alcohol accounted for:

• 229 fatal crashes
• 500 suspected serious crashes
• 701 possible injury crashes
• 98 unknown severity crashes

Lapeze & Johns: Houston Car Accident Attorneys Ready to Serve You

When a reckless driver chooses to endanger the lives of innocent people by engaging law enforcement in a car chase, they enhance the potential for a serious car accident. No one should be the victim of such careless behavior, yet it happens time and again.

Law enforcement officials are often put in the difficult position to make judgement calls on whether to pursue the individual fleeing. Thankfully, police do have protocols in place to keep the public safe during these occurrences;l however, these cases can be quite difficult to navigate on your own, especially without experience. That is why Lapeze & Johns are here to advocate on your behalf.

Source: KTRK