Two people died in an accident involving an 18-wheeler in Houston on Friday.

Details about the Fatal Accident

Multiple sources are reporting that an accident involving an 18-wheeler and at least one other vehicle in the northwest part of Houston left two people dead.

A witness to the accident said that they saw the truck driver who was driving at a speed of about 50 miles per hour when he ran a red light near the Beltway 8 feeder road and Antoine Drive. The witness said that the 18-wheeler collided with a sedan in the intersection.

The driver of the truck, Demetrius Bucanan, was ejected from the inside of the big rig, and then crushed by the loaded crate he was transporting, according to the police. Bucanan was killed at the scene of the accident.

In the other vehicle were, a woman, man, and their 5-month old baby. 29-year-old Ashley Roberson McGaha also died at the scene of the accident. The man, who happened to have been driving the car at the time of the accident, and his child were transported to the hospital.

The condition of the father was not made available, but the child was reportedly not seriously injured because the child was properly secured in a car seat inside the vehicle during the accident.

Important Information about Accidents Involving Large Trucks

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

• In 2013, there were a total of 3,964 people who were killed in traffic accidents involving large trucks like the one involved in the accident in Houston.
• Nearly 79 percent of all traffic accidents involving large trucks happened on weekdays in 2013.
• Of all of the fatalities that happened in 2013, 71 percent of them were the occupants of other vehicles.