HPD officer barely escapes 3-car pileup

An HPD officer barely avoided injury last night by jumping out of the way when a speeding SUV rammed into the back of his patrol car, wedging it under the back of an 18-wheeler. It happened at about 12:30 a.m. on the Katy Freeway at Heights Boulevard, where the officer had pulled the 18-wheeler over; the officer was outside his car when the SUV drove right into the back of his squad car.

It's not clear from reports where the officer was when his cruiser was hit, but we assume he wouldn't have had to jump out of the way if he wasn't standing pretty close to it — in any case, sounds like it's lucky he had such quick reflexes. According to KPRC, police said the driver of the SUV might have been drunk; he was taken to Ben Taub with minor injuries, and KTRK said he'll undergo blood-alcohol testing. The SUV driver suffered minor injuries, but neither the cop nor the driver of the 18-wheeler was hurt.