HOUSTON — Houston police are investigating what caused one vehicle to crash in the Galleria area Friday night.
It happened in the 2700 block of Fountain View Drive at around 7:15 p.m. The driver and passenger were driving north towards Westheimer Road, according to Sean Teare with the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
Teare said the vehicle left the road and crashed into a pillar in the median of the roadway.
The Houston Fire Department had to cut the vehicle's doors to remove the driver and passenger. Both women were sent to a hospital. The passenger was pronounced dead and the driver went into surgery. She's expected to recover.
Based on initial reports of the crash, police believe that the driver was intoxicated. Teare said it's not clear if she'll be charged during or after the investigation, if at all. If so, she'll face a charge of intoxicated manslaughter.
"There's no indication that another car was involved. There's no indication that there was any pre-braking or anything like that," Teare said. "It was simply the car left the roadway and a woman's dead because of it."
Police believe they have identified the driver and passenger. Their names will not be released to the public until their families are notified.
As Spring Break and St. Patrick's Day approaches, Teare sends a reminder to stay safe during social outings. He's also warning of police that will be in the area to look for danger.
"Be good citizens. Be good community members," he said. "If you're going to go out and have a drink, if you're going to go out and celebrate, do it. But get an Uber, get a Lyft, stay where you are, get a friend that's not going to drink to take you around. There's so many other options."