[The Toninator]

Woman Dies While Sleeping Under Pickup
Police Hope Autopsy Clears Mystery
Posted: 10:33 a.m. CDT August 9, 2002
Updated: 10:35 a.m. CDT August 9, 2002

HOUSTON -- A woman who regularly wandered a southwest Houston neighborhood was killed when she crawled underneath a pickup to sleep and the owner of the vehicle later drove over her, not knowing she was there.
The truck owner said he pulled out of his driveway on Thursday to go to work. The truck passed over the woman and dragged her body 12 to 15 feet out into the street, police said.

The 44-year-old woman, whose name was not released, was dead by the time she hit the road, officials said. Indeed, she may have been dead before the truck ran over her; police hope an autopsy will answer that question.

Neighbors told police that the woman was homeless and sometimes slept in people's yards, the Houston Chronicle reported in Friday's editions.

Houston police were still trying late Thursday to locate the woman's family.

"I've seen some strange things, but that was strange," said Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Joel Clouser Sr., who pronounced the woman dead.

Before the driver left, he started his truck to warm up the engine and went back into the house to take out the garbage, Clouser said.

"It's the strangest thing, that she didn't wake up when he turned the engine on and was warming up the truck," Clouser said.

The justice of the peace said the man looked back and saw the woman stretched out in the middle of the street. He went on to work, but phoned his wife and told her to call 911, Clouser said. The man later returned home when he realized what happened.

The incident will go to a grand jury for review.

"It was not intentional," Clouser said.

 

[Damn True]

I was feeling sorry for the poor guy until I read, "He went on to work, but phoned his wife and told her to call 911, Clouser said. The man later returned home when he realized what happened."

Good lord, if I realized I had run over a cat I would stop to see if it was still alive.

 

[I Are Baboon]

You sleep under a truck, you've got to expect bad things to happen.

 

[sub6]

Originally posted by Damn True
I was feeling sorry for the poor guy until I read, "He went on to work, but phoned his wife and told her to call 911, Clouser said. The man later returned home when he realized what happened."

Good lord, if I realized I had run over a cat I would stop to see if it was still alive.

I think that means he saw her laying in the street but wasn't aware that she got there by being dragged under his truck. He presumed she was just some old hag sleeping in the street. Later, upon putting two and two together, he came home.

That's how I see it anyway. Otherwise, humanity is in a pretty sad state.....

 

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by sub6


I think that means he saw her laying in the street but wasn't aware that she got there by being dragged under his truck. He presumed she was just some old hag sleeping in the street. Later, upon putting two and two together, he came home.

That's how I see it anyway. Otherwise, humanity is in a pretty sad state.....

umm you don’t call some one and tell them to call 911 because you think someone is "sleeping" in the street. You also do not CALL someone and tell them to call 911. I think something is amiss.

THe guy is a liar. I think he hit her because he was on the phone with his wife, decided that it was a vagrant and didn’t feel he had to be held accountable for his action. Told his wife to call 911 and went about his day.
Ps I don’t know how old his vehicle is but it's almost 80 degrees in the morning there's not really a need to "warm' up your car. (unless once again he has a hooptie)

 

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by Damn True
I was feeling sorry for the poor guy until I read, "He went on to work, but phoned his wife and told her to call 911, Clouser said. The man later returned home when he realized what happened."

yep that's the once sentence i was talking about.

 

[Damn True]

Originally posted by The Toninator

umm you don’t call some one and tell them to call 911 because you think someone is "sleeping" in the street. You also do not CALL someone and tell them to call 911. I think something is amiss.

THe guy is a liar. I think he hit her because he was on the phone with his wife, decided that it was a vagrant and didn’t feel he had to be held accountable for his action. Told his wife to call 911 and went about his day.
Ps I don’t know how old his vehicle is but it's almost 80 degrees in the morning there's not really a need to "warm' up your car. (unless once again he has a hooptie)

I've had cars that needed to idle a while before they would run right. Both hooptie's and big 'ol V-8s with absurdly large cams.

 

[Tenaciousle0]

Originally posted by I Are Baboon
You sleep under a truck, you've got to expect bad things to happen.

Damn right

 

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by Damn True



I've had cars that needed to idle a while before they would run right. Both hooptie's and big 'ol V-8s with absurdly large cams.

oh yes i had hoopties as a kid too and had to let them "warm" up.

 

[Slice]

I think assuming the guy was cold and didn't care is a bit rough. I wouldn't stop if I didn't know I hit them and my wife was home to handle it. The person who should have been in jail is the homeless person for trespassing on this guys property. But that is the unfortunate state of our country for the moment.

I have little patients for homeless people, they should be cared for by their families or by the state in some other fashion than being sent a check and left to roam the streets. If they refuse a reasonable method and want to live in the street then put them in jail. There are tons of places for people to go and get help if they want it.

 

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by Slice
I think assuming the guy was cold and didn't care is a bit rough. I wouldn't stop if I didn't know I hit them and my wife was home to handle it. The person who should have been in jail is the homeless person for trespassing on this guys property. But that is the unfortunate state of our country for the moment.

I have little patients for homeless people, they should be cared for by their families or by the state in some other fashion than being sent a check and left to roam the streets. If they refuse a reasonable method and want to live in the street then put them in jail. There are tons of places for people to go and get help if they want it.

great so run them down like trash and be done because homeless people are worthless and not worthy to live on your earth

 

[TN]

Another thing that most people, myself included, forget or dont know/realize is that most of these people are mentally ill, & EVEN IF they had their own homes, they would require special needs anyways.
If you are poor & mentally ill in this country you are F'd.
Sad but true.
-TNF

 

[fourgivn1]

Personally, if I saw someone "sleeping" in the middle of the street, I would probably stop and check it out. Granted, there may be a lot of homeless people out there, but generally, as a rule, they don't stop to catch a few Z's in the MIDDLE of the street.