A 2-year-old on life support after a fiery crash in northwest Harris County that killed a mother and siblings has died.
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman announced on Monday afternoon the child’s passing less than a day after the tragedy.
A 7-month-old baby, a 5-year-old and their 28-year-old mom were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on FM 2920 near Gosling Road. The incident happened around 8:50 p.m. Sunday in Spring, Texas.
According to Herman, the 2-year-old was taken via Life Flight to Memorial Hermann in the medical center.
The woman was stopped at a light when she was struck from behind by a suspected impaired driver, Herman said.
The impact of the crash caused the mother’s car to be pushed into the vehicle in front of her, ultimately causing a seven-vehicle pile-up. Her car went up in flames.
Investigators determined the cause of the accident, and the district attorney’s office has accepted three counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault on the suspect believed to be responsible for the crash.
A mother identified as Porsha Branch, her 7-month-old baby, and 5-year-old were tragically killed, and her 2-year-old is currently on life support after a chain reaction crash involving seven cars.
“This is a tragedy. This is a situation of, again, a possible impaired driver who basically snuffs a family out of existence,” Herman said. “We at Precinct 4 will do everything we can investigatively to prosecute this individual and hold him accountable.”
Herman said the suspect, identified as Daniel Canada, was taken to the hospital with “bumps and bruises.”
Herman added the suspect had a blood alcohol level of 0.15% at the time of the crash, which is nearly twice the legal limit in Texas.
“Driving impaired is 100% preventable. Don’t do it,” he warned. “It’s a choice.”
A few other individuals involved in the crash also sustained minor injuries, officials said.
Later Monday, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy actually stopped Canada’s vehicle for speeding just after 8 p.m. that evening.
“The deputy had the driver exit the vehicle and briefly detained him. The driver told the deputy he had a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle, which the deputy took into evidence,” the sheriff’s office stated.
Despite the stop, the sheriff’s office said Canada displayed no “outward signs of impairment” and was released from custody.
HCSO went on to say the stop is being investigated internally to determine whether policies were followed.
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