Crime & Safety
Big Rig Remains Submerged After Plunge Into San Jacinto River
The driver of a big rig is feared dead after he swerved off the I-10 bridge to avoid a crash with a wrecked car, police said
HOUSTON — The entire cab of an 18-wheeler that flew off on Interstate 10 and into the San Jacinto River Thursday morning remains underwater, officials said. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the big rig cannot be safely removed from the silt and murky water, and will remain in place overnight.
Meanwhile, rescuers from the U.S. Coast Guard and the sheriff's offices are still searching for the driver of an 18-wheeler that plunged off the San Jacinto Bridge at about 3:30 a.m.
Update on East Fwy crash: it does not appear that the truck can safely be moved today. The submerged truck will remain in place overnight and a private vendor will join the effort tomorrow. @HCSOTexas will provide security of the site overnight. #HouNews
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) June 27, 2019
Sgt. Simon Chang with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Vehicular Crimes Division said the driver of the 18-wheeler was avoiding a car that had been involved in a hit and run crash in the 2100 block of I-10 East with another 18-wheeler that left the scene of the crash.
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Chang said a sheriff’s deputy came upon the crashed out Chevrolet Cavalier on the side of the bridge, and was speaking with the two men who’d been in the car when the second crash happened.
"As the deputy was making contact with the two males on the shoulder, that’s when the other 18-wheeler traveling westbound, hit the Chevrolet causing it to rotate, and causing that 18-wheeler to...go into the San Jacinto River," he said.
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Chang said the two men who were in the car didn’t show any signs of intoxication and will not be charged.
The cab of the semi-truck was completely submerged in the river, and police, firefighters, and the U.S. Coast Guard were on the scene to and find the driver.
Investigators, who are still searching for the driver, said they are not yet sure if the driver is still trapped inside the cab of the semi-truck, or if he managed to escape.
The eastbound lanes of I-10 are closed while police continue their investigation.
This is a developing story.
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