Driver killed after pickup hits HPD vehicle on Eastex Freeway at 610 Loop

Houston police say an HPD officer was hospitalized early Thursday after a speeding red pickup crashed into a patrol vehicle on the northbound Eastex Freeway (US-59) at the 610 Loop near Kashmere Gardens. Officers had been blocking traffic while crews handled a semi that leaked cargo onto the roadway when the pickup struck the HPD vehicle. One officer was taken to a hospital in stable condition and is expected to be OK. The pickup's driver, described as a Hispanic woman in her 20s to 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not released her identity; it is not yet known whether intoxication was a factor. Source: KPRC/Click2Houston; FOX 26 Houston (Sgt. Mike Barrow).