Lane closure led to 8-vehicle crash yesterday

More details today on the multiple-vehicle wreck that shut down the Katy Freeway near Highway 6 yesterday: According to KPRC, it was apparently caused when one of the Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables escorting a wide load decided to shut down an outside lane of the eastbound freeway, which caused drivers in other lanes to stop, too. One of those cars was a Ford Expedition, which ended up being rear-ended by an 18-wheeler that couldn't stop in time; the crash turned into a chain reaction, the SUV burst into flames and chaos ensued.

"I was the last person to actually stop. A couple of cars behind me and the tractor-trailer just plowed us. I'm blessed to be alive," witness John Bankey told Channel 2. The woman in the SUV died and was so badly burned she'll have to be identified by dental records, officials told the Chronicle. Precinct 4 Sgt. Stan Jolly, a member of the motorcycle escort, was scraped up when his motorcycle skidded onto the pavement after he was hit by an exhaust pipe from the accident. In all, eight vehicles were involved in the crash, which had traffic backed up for miles.

It wasn't the only crash on the Katy yesterday, though: Near Silber, westbound lanes of the freeway were blocked until about 4:45 p.m. by a three-vehicle accident.