Man walking along I-45 freeway onramp hit, killed by rideshare driver

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Authorities say a man who appears to be homeless died overnight Tuesday in downtown Houston after he was walking along the freeway onramp and was hit by an SUV. 

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According to Sgt. Rose with the Houston PD's Vehicular Crimes Division, the incident happened around 3:30 a.m. That's when an unidentified man was walking across the I-45 freeway onramp, where Allen Parkway feeds into the entrance ramp just outside of downtown, "which is not a place for pedestrians to be walking," he said.

(Photo: Houston OnScene)

The rideshare driver, 31, had picked up a passenger, 24, and reportedly did not see the pedestrian and hit him. Responding officers pronounced him dead at the scene but said the rideshare driver stayed at the scene, does not appear to show signs of impairment, and was cooperating with officers. 

"It doesn't seem like he did anything wrong at this time, but our investigation will be ongoing," Sgt. Rose explained. 

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Meanwhile, the pedestrian, who has yet to be identified, appears to be homeless but was only described as an older Black man. 

As a result of the crash, all traffic from Pease and St. Joseph was being diverted onto Houston Ave. from the freeway onramp until the investigation was complete.