Chimney Rock at Richmond sees 69th crash in 30 days

A major crash at the intersection of Chimney Rock Road and Richmond Avenue happened around 10:26 AM on Saturday, July 25, adding to what's become one of the busiest crash corridors in Harris County.

This intersection is in the thick of it. According to LTA data, 69 crashes have been documented here over the past 30 days alone — 34 of them major. Zoom out to 90 days, and the count jumps to 176 total incidents, with 84 marked as major severity. Over the past year, 310 crashes have occurred at this location, including 138 major incidents and 2 fatalities.

The pattern isn't confined to rush hour. While the single busiest hour is between 5 and 6 PM — when 13 crashes have occurred over the tracking period — crashes here happen throughout the day at varied times. On Fridays specifically, the intersection sees its highest incident count, with 25 crashes documented in the 90-day window.

Historically, this spot has drawn a long trail of collisions. According to TxDOT CRIS public crash records, 531 crashes have been recorded within about a quarter-mile of this intersection since January 2020. Contributing factors as recorded by investigating officers, per TxDOT CRIS, show "Failed To Control Speed" as the leading factor, cited in 146 crashes. The hit-and-run rate here runs 13.7% — meaning roughly one in seven crashes involve a driver who doesn't remain at the scene.

Saturday's weather was clear: broken clouds, 90 degrees. Those conditions didn't prevent the major crash from happening in the late morning.

For anyone regularly traveling through this intersection, the numbers paint a stark picture. This isn't an isolated incident — it's part of a sustained pattern that makes Chimney Rock and Richmond one of the most crash-prone intersections in the region. The frequency speaks for itself.