About 8:40 a.m. central standard time, on January 7, 2013, a 2004 Toyota
Camry passenger vehicle operated by a 37-year-old female driver was traveling
southbound in the 14400 block of South Main Street in Houston, Texas. The Camry
driver was returning home after completing a 13-hour shift as a nurse at a local
hospital. The Camry was in the left lane of a three-lane divided roadway when
the vehicle drifted to the left and departed the lane, mounted the curb, crossed
over a 17-foot-wide earthen median, and entered the northbound lanes. The Camry
struck the front left corner of a 2005 Lincoln LS passenger vehicle that was
traveling northbound in the left lane on South Main Street. The initial
collision redirected the Lincoln into the center lane of the northbound roadway,
where it was subsequently struck in the rear by a 2000 Toyota Avalon passenger
vehicle. Both the Lincoln and the Avalon traveled an additional 160 feet prior
to coming to rest in the intersection of a side street. The Camry came to rest
in the left lane of the northbound roadway.
As a result of the crash, the driver of the Lincoln was fatally injured. The
driver of the Camry was transported to an area hospital where she was treated
for her injuries, and the driver of the Avalon was reportedly uninjured. All
three drivers were restrained by three-point lap and shoulder belts.