US-59 southbound crash at SH-288; 34 incidents in 30 days

A crash on US-59 southbound at the SH-288 exit ramp early Sunday morning sent at least one person to the hospital and left the corridor backed up during the overnight hours.

The wreck happened at 1:05 AM on June 14 near Almeda. Responding officers worked the scene as crews cleared debris and assessed injuries. Lane restrictions were in place during the initial response, though the roadway was fully open by the time typical weekend traffic resumed.

This exit ramp sits in one of the busiest crash corridors in the Houston area. According to LocalTrafficAccidents.com data, US-59 southbound at the SH-288 exit has logged 34 major incidents in the past 30 days alone. Over the past 90 days, the count climbs to 138 total incidents — 96 of them major. The pattern extends further back: state crash records from the Texas Department of Transportation document 1,122 crashes within about a quarter-mile of this location since January 2020.

Crashes here occur at varied times throughout the week rather than concentrating in a single rush-hour window, though the LTA database shows Saturdays historically see the highest incident count at this location. The single busiest hour is 1–2 PM, with 10 crashes logged during that window over the data period.

Contributing factors as recorded by investigating officers, per TxDOT CRIS, show "Failed To Control Speed" as the most common factor cited at this corridor, appearing in 403 of the crashes documented since 2020. The hit-and-run rate at this exit ramp sits at 13.6% — meaning roughly one in every seven crashes involves a driver who leaves the scene.

Weather conditions at the time of early Sunday's crash were clear, with temperatures around 81 degrees. Lane configuration and visibility were not a factor in this incident.

The exact cause of this morning's wreck remains under investigation by responding officers. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Harris County Sheriff's Office.