By Kate Linderman
Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.)
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — An off-duty deputy was parked along the shoulder of a Texas freeway, “ensuring the safety of maintenance workers,” when an “impaired” driver struck the vehicle, officials said.
Harris County Deputy Katherine Hutson was with her 7-year-old daughter when flames burst from her car and a Texas Department of Transportation truck upon impact around 3 a.m. on Nov. 22, Houston police said. The 46-year-old mom, who was working another job at the time, and her daughter died at the scene.
An hours-long investigation shut down part of Interstate 10 Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Adrian Rodriguez said in a news conference.
Five people and three vehicles were involved — the “impaired” driver, his passenger, a TXDOT worker standing outside of a truck, Hutson and her daughter, Kacey, according to Houston police and Harris County Constable Precinct 5.
The passenger and a TXDOT worker were taken to the hospital, according to Rodriguez, while the driver accused of causing the crash stayed at the scene, police said.
Rodriguez said at the news conference that the events leading up to the crash were under investigation, but Houston police later said the 23-year-old driver was “impaired” and will be facing charges, according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Police did not name the driver because formal charges had not been filed.
A Harris County Precinct 5 spokesperson told KHOU that the child was with her mother because Hutson was a single parent.
“Katherine was a loving and caring mother as well as a dedicated deputy,” Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap said in a statement. “She was a friend to many in our department, and her smile and upbeat personality will be dearly missed. I ask you all to keep her family and loved ones in your prayers.”
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