I-45 at Quitman closed after overnight crash; 147 incidents in 30 days

A crash at I-45 and Quitman Street brought traffic to a halt early Sunday morning. The incident happened at 2:08 AM on August 16, and responding officers found a major vehicular collision that required lanes to be secured.

This intersection sits in one of the region's most active crash corridors. According to LTA data, the I-45 and Quitman area has logged 147 incidents over the past 30 days—an average of nearly five per day. Over the past 90 days, the tally reaches 605 total incidents, with 529 classified as major. The pattern extends across a full year: 844 total incidents since August 2025, including two fatal crashes.

The numbers reveal a consistent problem. While the busiest single hour at this intersection is 4–5 PM (36 crashes), incidents occur throughout the day and night rather than clustering in one rush-hour window. Saturdays see the highest incident count in the 90-day window, with 73 crashes recorded on that day alone. Contributing factors as recorded by investigating officers, per TxDOT CRIS public crash records, show "Failed To Control Speed" as the leading factor, cited in 363 crashes at the corridor since January 2020.

State records covering the past six-and-a-half years document 880 crashes within a quarter-mile of this intersection, accounting for 3 fatal incidents. The area also shows a hit-and-run rate of 12.4%—237 of the 1,918 vehicles involved in crashes at this location fled the scene, per TxDOT CRIS data.

Clear skies and 79-degree temperatures prevailed at the time of this morning's crash. Authorities cleared the scene and reopened lanes as of early Sunday morning. Commuters using I-45 through this corridor should remain alert, particularly during afternoon peak hours when crash frequency spikes sharply.

**Update (10:10 AM CT):** The major crash at Quitman St & I-45, first reported at 2:08 AM, has cleared after more than 8 hours. All lanes have reopened and normal traffic flow has resumed in the area.