KATY, Texas (KHOU) – A crash on the Katy Freeway in Houston early Friday morning claimed the life of 46-year-old Harris County Constable Precinct 5 Deputy Katherine Hutson and her 7-year-old daughter, Kasey.
The Houston Police Department says the crash happened while Hutson was working an extra job, providing traffic control for a road construction convoy.
Police say the sedan Hutson and her daughter were in was stationary on the shoulder when a 23-year-old man driving a Mazda hit them from behind at around 3:45 a.m.
“He remained on scene. He is a young adult male and he is cooperating with the investigation,” Assistant Police Chief Adrian Rodriguez said.
The man driving the Mazda was found to be impaired, according to Houston police.
A passenger in the Mazda was also taken to the hospital, but is expected to be OK.
A procession was held Friday with constable and sheriff’s vehicles as the bodies of the mother and her daughter were taken to the medical examiner’s office.
Hutson was an 18-year veteran of Precinct 5.
“I do ask Houstonians to please pray for these families, and especially with the holidays coming up, this is a very tragic scene that we have,” Rodriguez added.
Hutson’s 7-year-old daughter was a second grade student at Turlington Elementary School, which is part of the Waller Independent School District.
“Our hearts just break for everyone involved,” Sarah Marcus said.
Marcus serves as chief communications officer for the school district.
“The loss of any student is incredibly difficult, and on this last day before the Thanksgiving break, it makes it even tougher,” Marcus added.
Counseling services are available for students and staff in the district, according to Marcus.
“Waller I.S.D. is a family and we take care of each other as a family, and so when we learned of the news, we started implementing the tools that we have in place to be able to help our staff and to be able to help our students and reach out to our parents,” Marcus described.
School district officials are keeping Harris County Precinct 5 in their hearts and on their minds.
“We extend our sincerest condolences and our thoughts and prayers from the Waller I.S.D. family to theirs,” Marcus said.
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