HOUSTON — The Katy Freeway has reopened after being shut down Wednesday morning heading outbound due to two major crashes from Tuesday night, according to the Houston Police Department.
According to Houston Transtar, the first crash happened around 11:15 p.m. just before Highway 6, while the second crash happened 15 minutes later just before Kirkwood Road.
The freeway reopened at 7:50 a.m. but the closure led to a backup of about five miles.
Woman pinned inside car after being hit by 18-wheeler, police say
In the first crash, a woman is fighting for her life after she was hit by an 18-wheeler and pinned inside of her car. Houston police said the big rig hit the back of her car sending her from the main lanes to the left shoulder.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Suspected drunk driver slams into patrol car, police say
Also on the Katy Freeway, a Houston police officer was injured after a suspected drunk driver slammed into his patrol car.
The officer was blocking the main lanes because of the 18-wheeler wreck, police said. After hitting the officer, the driver also struck two other vehicles.
The suspected drunk driver was also taken to the hospital with injuries, police said.
As of right now, they are both expected to survive with the suspect expected to face multiple charges.
Check out our interactive traffic map to see this and other trouble spots across the Houston area: