BEAUMONT, Texas — A 73-year-old Houston man was killed and five others were injured late Sunday night after a car drove off a ramp and landed on the road below.
Richard Baker, 73, of Houston, died at the scene of the wreck along westbound Cardinal Dr near Interstate 10 at about 9:50 p.m. Sunday night, according to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department.
Baker was driving a 2008 Toyota Camry west on Cardinal Dr toward the westbound Interstate 10 ramp heading to Houston after getting on Cardinal Dr from Fannett Rd, according to police.
As Baker drove toward the ramp, he left Cardinal Dr and drove into the grassy median between the east and westbound lanes. Police say they don't know why he left the road and drove into the median.
The car kept moving through the median and then drove off the ramp dropping to the access road below. The Camry came to rest upside down in the turnaround lanes below the highway.
When officers arrived they began getting the five passengers out. Beaumont EMS medics pronounced Baker dead at the scene, police said.
All five passengers, who are expected to live, were taken by ambulance to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont before being transferred to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, according to police.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.