Rollover crash causes multi-vehicle wreck with injuries on East Freeway in Houston, Texas

A rollover crash on the East Freeway caused several additional crashes and prompted an hours-long freeway closure Saturday morning. It started around 2:15, when a driver in an SUV lost control of the vehicle and rolled over near Oates. A wrecker arrived to assist in removing the SUV. Police said no one was injured in that crash; however, an 18-wheeler attempting to avoid the wrecker and the crash site ended up hitting the wrecker truck, sending it into a concrete wall and a Mustang. The semi truck then flipped, according to officers on the scene, and spilled its load across several lanes of the freeway. The driver of the wrecker was taken to the hospital in stable condition. The 18-wheeler's driver was transported in critical condition. Neither of their identities was released. Police said the two people who were in the SUV involved in the initial wreck fled the scene on foot. All of the westbound lanes on the freeway were blocked off for more than 10 hours while crews worked to clear the scene and clean up metal shavings from the overturned 18-wheeler.