City garbage truck fatally hits pedestrian in west Houston

Authorities investigate the scene where a pedestrian was fatally struck by a city garbage truck at the intersection of Gessner Road and Bellaire Boulevard Monday, Aug. 14, 2017, in Houston. Authorities investigate the scene where a pedestrian was fatally struck by a city garbage truck at the intersection of Gessner Road and Bellaire Boulevard Monday, Aug. 14, 2017, in Houston. Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close City garbage truck fatally hits pedestrian in west Houston 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

A city garbage truck fatally struck a pedestrian at a west Houston intersection about 9 a.m. Monday, police said, leaving personal possessions including a grocery cart strewn on the street.

The garbage truck's driver stopped when another motorist flagged her down after the crash at the intersection of Bellaire and Gessner, police said.

"She did not realize that she'd been involved in a crash," Capt. William McPherson, who oversees the Houston Police Department's vehicular crimes unit, said at a news conference at the scene. "(When) you have a big truck versus a small pedestrian ... sometimes that does happen, unfortunately."

The captain said the victim, who has not yet been identified publicly, was pronounced dead at the scene.

McPherson said the driver did not show any signs of intoxication and was cooperating fully with police, going downtown for an interview and offering to give a blood sample for testing.

The captain said police would like to talk with the motorist who flagged down the garbage truck's driver; that driver apparently left the scene before officers arrived.

McPherson said officers were asking nearby businesses for possible surveillance video of the area, which he called "a pretty busy intersection."

When a reporter asked whether the cellphone and cart strewn on the street belonged to the victim, the captain said they did. It's not clear if the victim was pushing a cart to or from a nearby grocery store, or whether the victim may have been a homeless person pushing a cart with his or her belongings.