Just after 6 a.m. Tuesday morning a Montgomery County Deputy was traveling north on FM 2432 and attempted to turn left onto Seven Coves Road. A Mercedes Benz was traveling northbound and came around the curve striking the patrol car head-on. At the same time, a Harley Davidson motorcycle was in the right turn lane of Seven Coves about to go south on FM 2432. With two vehicles spinning toward him the driver dropped the bike and ran out of the way. He was not hurt. The vehicles did not strike the bike but left it in a heavy debris field. The deputy was transported to the hospital in stable condition. The driver of the Mercedes cut his arm and refused EMS transport. However, a short time later as the family arrived he did request EMS Transport. After the wreck was cleared the issue was the oil left on the roadway. and who would clean it up? Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office’s new rotation tow policy does not require wreckers to carry absorbent. Rarely will fire departments wash it down as it will ultimately end up in the waterways. On TXDOT highways, TXDOT forbids washdown. Also once the absorbent is put down it is classified as hazardous with the fluids in it and has to be disposed of properly. In this morning’s situation both wreckers had very minimal absorbent on their wreckers which was used but covered a very little area. The Trooper on the scene seeing the hazardous condition and learning wreckers weren’t’ carrying it took matters into his own hands and using a wrecker drivers shovel shoveled dirt from the shoulder of the road over it until it was no longer slick. TXDOT also responded and put some absorbent they had on the truck down at the request of DPS. In Harris County, the wrecker policy requires drivers to carry at least five pounds of absorbent. They apply it and leave it down as the absorbent continues to work as vehicles drive over it but eliminates the roadway being slick.
