5 dead after 4 Houston-area crashes this weekend
HOUSTON - Five people are dead after several crashes throughout the Houston area just this weekend.
The first wreck happened around 6 p.m. Friday. Police went to investigate what they called a "street takeover" with cars driving recklessly on South Gessner Road near Sam Houston Parkway.
MORE: Suspect in custody after NW Houston police chase, deadly multi-vehicle crash
When officers tried to pull over a vehicle involved, police say the suspect, identified as Damian West, took them on a high-speed chase and eventually blew through a red light on Hempstead near West Little York Rd.
"He struck a vehicle and a few other additional vehicles along with it, approximately five at this time," said Assistant Chief Ban Tien with the Houston Police Department.
The crash killed the driver of one of those cars and sent a woman to the hospital in extremely critical condition.
MORE: Teen killed after car driven by mother with baby inside crashes in SE Houston
The next fatal crash happened around noon Saturday. Police say a 16-year-old girl and 19-year-old girl were crossing the street near Reed Rd. and Martin Luther King Blvd. when a car slammed into the 19-year-old, killing her on the scene. After hitting the young woman, the car crashed into a pole and a bus stop, then caught fire. The driver was a 20-year-old woman and there was a 2-year-old baby in the car. Both were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive.
RELATED: Sheriff: 2 people killed after crashing into oncoming train in NE Harris County
Another collision turned fatal around 11 p.m. Saturday when deputies say a car slammed into an Amtrak train near Beaumont Hwy and Van Hut Lane. Both the man and woman inside were ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.
"The lights were activated, the sound and arms were down at the train crossing. Initial reports we’re receiving is that a vehicle, possibly a Chrysler 300, just went around the vehicle that was stopped for the train, tried to cut through the arms and collided with the train that was approaching," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez explained.
The train had 83 passengers on board at the time of the crash. One passenger suffered minor injuries, but none of the passengers were seriously injured.
RELATED: Motorcyclist killed after crashing into SUV in southwest Houston
And less than an hour later, a motorcycle was involved in a crash with a Nissan Pathfinder. It happened in the southbound lanes of State Hwy 6. Paramedics rushed the motorcyclist to the hospital, where he later died.
As of right now all of these crashes are under investigation.