Vehicle Hits Tree, Two Injured on Richmond Ave in Houston, TX
Houston, TX — July 22, 2022, two people were injured when their vehicle crashed into a tree on Richmond Avenue in west Houston.
According to reports the incident happened Friday night on the 9800 block of Richmond. Preliminary investigation suggests only that the couple were in a vehicle traveling on the road when the driver may have lost control. The vehicle left the roadway and hit a nearby tree, after which its driver and passenger became pinned.
After responders rescued them from the vehicle the pair were taken to area hospitals. They are expected to recover.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Auto Accident on Richmond Ave in Houston
People may be inclined to jump to certain conclusions when reading that a driver crashed into a tree on a Friday night. Those who don't reflexively point fingers at texting or speeding will probably suggest that intoxication was a factor, as it often is when a vehicle runs off the road and/or hits a stationary object.
It's true that distraction, speeding, fatigue, and impairment are among the most common causes of accidents like the one (vaguely) described in Houston, but at the same time nothing should be assumed or taken for granted while investigators work to put the puzzle together. For all anyone knows right now something less common but just as devastating like poor road quality, a vehicle malfunction, a medical emergency, or even some other vehicle that ran the victims off the road could be the true culprit.
I can appreciate the temptation to explain things as quickly as possible and forego important steps like finding evidence, but obviously that's not fair to the victims. As always the right thing to do is investigate carefully and thoroughly, taking into account all the possible explanations and ruling them out until only the true facts remain. Will law enforcement take those steps, or would the victims be better off with the help of independent experts?
