On Monday 11/28/2022 at approximately 6:30 pm, calls began to come to the Cleveland Police Department reporting a crash in which two teens had been struck on SH 105 Business in front of the Cleveland High School. The first units arrived on the scene to find a male age 14 and another male, age 16 lying in the roadway next to the crosswalk. A commercial pickup truck was parked a short distance away. A crowd had also started to gather near the driver and began to get unruly until officers were able to control the situation. Medics began working on the pair of teens who suffered critical leg and back injuries. Cleveland Police detained the driver of the truck on suspicion of intoxication. Air Medical was requested and the teens were flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. According to Cleveland Police, the teens left the campus while attending a basketball game. They walked across SH 105 to Fish Tales for a take-out dinner. They were returning to the basketball game and believed to have been in the crosswalk when the crash occurred. Several witnesses said the same. Since the driver refused a request for a blood draw a warrant was issued. He was taken to a medical facility for a blood draw. Police determined that he struck them on the left side of the truck. There was a dash cam in the truck owned by Hunton Trane. Cleveland Police requested DPS to the scene to assist in the investigation. In addition, Jennifer Bergman with the Liberty County District Attorney’s Office responded to the scene to assist as did the Liberty County Precinct 6 Constables Office. Cleveland ISD Police assisted with traffic control. Cleveland ISD Superintendant Stephen W. McCanless was on the scene through the investigation. He was upset not just about his students being injured but the fact TXDOT has the crosswalk poorly marked. The sign telling motorists of the crosswalk ahead is 10 feet from the crosswalk. In addition no caution lights. Student has no sidewalk along the busy highway and with a new subdivision just down the road fears students walking on their shoulders as vehicle speed by at highway speed.
By Scott Engle/MCPR- https://montgomerycountypolicereporter.com/
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