Houston — Man in Wheelchair Dies Along the East Freeway
Posted on Monday, January 14th, 2019 at 9:12 pm
On the morning of January 7, 2019, a man in a wheelchair died when an 18-wheeler truck struck him along the East Freeway feeder road, near Sheldon Road in the Channelview Area, Houston.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the man is identified as Angel Quintanilla, a homeless man living under the Sheldon Road underpass at I-10 East. Furthermore, the officials said that the crash happened just before 11 a.m. when the unnamed truck driver was making a U-turn on Sheldon Road, heading westbound on the feeder road, and then suddenly hitting Quintanilla in his wheelchair, who was in the road. Unfortunately, Quintanilla died at the scene.
The driver stayed on the scene and spoke with the authorities, and he claimed that he never saw the wheelchair. The crash has been investigated, but the deputies said that the truck driver did not appear to be intoxicated.
What happened to Angel Quintanilla is truly a terrible thing, and though he is said to be homeless, those who have become close to him throughout his life must have felt the grief when he passed away. Unfortunately, vehicular accidents like this aren’t rare. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), car accidents happen almost every minute of the day, and for every 16 minutes, a car accident occurs that results in death. Additionally, it has been noted that over 37,000 people die in car crashes every year.
Some of the most common factors that increase the risk of being involved in a car accident are the following: very young or novice drivers, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI/DWI), speeding, and driving while distracted (this includes texting, eating, or any other behavior that takes the driver’s attention away from the road). The latter seems to fit Quintanilla’s case perfectly.
