Slick roads may be to blame for fatal accident

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A deadly accident involving an 18-wheeler had all westbound lanes of the East Freeway near Highway 59 closed for hours Friday morning.

The rainy weather began causing problems in the early morning before rush hour, with an 18-wheeler crash. That accident shut down the East Freeway westbound at Jensen. The truck driver, a woman in her 40s, was said to have swerved, hitting the guardrail, and crashing into a concrete pillar. She died at the scene.

The investigation and cleanup would take hours, documenting the fatality, checking the integrity of the pillars, and moving the big rig full of chips and salsa. Traffic is starting to get by around the accident scene, but it was completely closed for hours.

"Messy, frustrating, we have to deal with the traffic," said frustrated driver Katasha Grimes. "Not only the traffic of people going to work, but the accidents."

"The traffic, the rain, it's a lot of traveling to go to work," said driver Jose Diaz. "I'm late already."

Firefighters had to clean up a fuel spill as a result of the accident, and when they tried to turn the trailer upright, it split, spilling the contents and adding to the cleanup.

TxDOT is taking a look at the integrity of the overpass that was damaged. To see the latest traffic conditions in the area, check our live traffic map.

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