At 11:17 a.m. Montgomery County EMS received multiple calls for a major accident at SH 105 and Fostoria Road. Splendora Fire Department was first to arrive on the scene. They found a 1997 Toyota Previa mini-van with four occupants. The driver identified as Juan Valentin Gante, 34 of Houston and his front seat passenger Maria Gomez, 38, of Houston were deceased on the scene. A three-year old child Monica Gomez and Marisela Gomez, 34 of Cleveland in the back seat were trapped in the vehicle and in critical condition. Additional crews from Cleveland, Cut and Shoot and New Caney were called to assist. PHI Air Medical and Lifeflight were both called to the scene.
As crews worked to free the victims in the van the remaining crews worked to free the driver, Richard Johnson, 67, of Cleveland who was driving the Ford F-350 and had been westbound on SH 105 pulling a gooseneck trailer.
According to witnesses the mini van stopped for the stop sign at 105 then continued south on Fostoria into the path of the Ford Truck. The force of the impact crushed the driver side of the van. The truck continued westbound as the trailer jack-knifed, slamming into the driver side of the pickup and pinning the Johnson in. Firefighters worked over thirty-minutes to free the driver who was talking with them the entire time. He was sent by Lifeflight to Houston Hermann Hospital in critical condition.
Marisela Gomez was transported to Hermann Houston by ground ambulance. The baby was flown by PHI Air Medical.
Highway 105 was closed most of the afternoon as Troopers investigated the crash. Justice of the Peace Trey Spikes pronounced the driver and front seat passenger, both from Houston, dead on the scene and ordered an autopsy.
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