Katy — 1 Child Dead, 2 Others Injured, After Major Crash in West Harris County
Posted on Sunday, January 27th, 2019 at 7:57 pm
On Friday, January 25, 2019, one child is dead, and two are injured after a two-vehicle crash that occurred in west Harris County.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. near the intersection of Morton Ranch Road and Elrod Road. Jose Chavez was driving a Honda Pilot SUV with his wife and his three children, and as he attempted to make a left turn on Elrod Road, he was struck by a Chevrolet Camaro driven by Rafael Quiroz.
Chavez’s 3-year-old daughter, Nora Chavez, was thrown out of the SUV during the collision. She was sent to Memorial Hermann TMC where she was declared to be in critical condition. Another daughter, 4-year-old Ella, was also injured, and she and her parents were sent to the nearby hospital where they were reported to be stable.
However, Chavez’s son, 6-year-old Elijah Chavez, later died after he was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital Katy.
The Sheriff’s Office reported that it seemed like none of the children were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident.
It’s unfortunate to hear of what happened to the Chavez family in this particular accident. Alas, they are not the first victims of a car accident. Car accidents like this one are fairly common nowadays, especially in the U.S. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car accidents happen almost every minute of every day, and for every 16 minutes, a car accident occurs that results in death. This can be translated to roughly about 6 million car accidents every year and 90 people dying in car accidents every day in the U.S. alone.
Additionally, the NHTSA also reports that 85% of fatal car accidents occur on the open road while 15% happen near intersections, which is the case of this particular accident.
Studies have also shown that seatbelts matter in vehicular accidents. In fact, it is noted that seatbelts reduce the risk of death by 45%, and they also cut the risk of serious injury by 50%. With this, people not wearing a seatbelt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from the vehicle during the crash.
If you are a victim of this kind of car accident, or you know someone who is, or you lost a loved one because of this, then please don’t hesitate to ask for help. The police will be there for you, but more than that, car accident lawyers are willing to help you in protecting your rights and in getting you the justice that you deserve.
