Nicolas Resendiz: A toddler died in Houston when a cement truck crashed into an SUV off an overpass
The infant’s mother, grandmother and siblings were rescued by rescue workers, but he was pronounced dead on the spot.
HOUSTON, TEXAS:
On Friday, August 5, a 22-month-old child was killed when a concrete truck crashed into the SUV he was riding in after falling off an overpass.
Nicolas Resendiz, a young child, was accompanied by his mother, Jennifer, 22, his grandmother, 54, and his twin sister. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Newsweek that the cement mixer in Woodforest, East Harris County, rolled over after losing control in the storm.
The family’s car was apparently struck by the truck while crossing an intersection on the Beltway 8 East freeway as it was traveling south. The twins were in the back seat, his mother in the front and his grandmother at the wheel.
According to the sheriff’s office, three occupants of the SUV were pulled out of the wrecked SUV by onlookers. However, Resendiz got stuck and despite their best efforts, they were unable to save the young child.
Raymond Romo, a witness, told ABC 13 that Resendiz’s twin sister was “kind of nailed down”, adding: “I resorted to [but] the front seat was a little hard to get to,” and that “I started yanking at the car seat so the baby could get her out, and we were actually able to get her out before she got trapped.”
The three survivors were taken to the hospital and treated with minor wounds. Joe Tijerina, another witness who assisted the family, said, “We tried to do everything we could. He added: “To see if there’s a way to postpone that [concrete mixer], everyone had to come together. An 18 wheeler tried to tear it off by attaching a chain to it. We had a big four by four double vehicle. It just wasn’t moving, you know?”
An unidentified 36-year-old woman operated the concrete truck. Before losing control, the woman attributed the truck’s skid to the wet roads.
Lt. Simon Cheng of the sheriff’s office confirmed in an address to the local press that the truck driver was not under the influence of alcohol. He added that the truck was free of defects that could have caused the collision.
An accident reconstruction team, the county’s Institute for Forensic Sciences and the district attorney’s office all offered their assistance early in the investigation. According to Cheng, there is currently no basis for indictment.