A driver who was trying to avoid hitting an animal on Ella Boulevard lost control of his truck, which crashed into a tree and killed a passenger, according to the Houston Police Department.
Officials on Thursday were investigating the fatal crash that happened around 12:15 a.m., a news release states. The driver of a blue Ford F-150 truck travelling northbound on Ella Boulevard lost control and hit a tree that was located in the divided median of the roadway.
Houston Fire Department responders pronounced the passenger of the vehicle dead at the scene, and the driver was transported to a nearby hospital.
The driver told investigators that he was trying to avoid hitting what he believed to be an animal in the road and did not show signs of intoxication, HPD said in its report.
The identity of the passenger has not been released, and is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.