A tragic crash on the Gulf Freeway has left a 5-year-old girl dead, and a 60-year-old driver now faces manslaughter charges, according to court documents and Houston police.
The crash occurred on Thursday evening in the 16700 block of the Gulf Freeway near FM 2351, when authorities say the driver, identified as Daniel Ruiz, 60, was traveling at an unsafe speed and failed to control his vehicle, striking another car.
According to the Houston Police Department (HPD), the child was a passenger in Ruiz’s vehicle and was seated in the front passenger seat without a child safety seat. After the collision, she was transported to a hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
Officials said no one in the other vehicle was injured.
Court records obtained by ABC13 show Ruiz has been charged with manslaughter and was denied bond following the fatal crash.
Prior Child Endangerment Case
Court documents also reveal Ruiz has a prior criminal case involving child neglect. In December 2024, deputies with Constable Mark Herman’s Office responded to a welfare check at Sam Houston Race Park in the 7500 block of N Sam Houston Parkway West, after reports of a child inside a non-running vehicle.
Deputies located a four-year-old child alone in the vehicle. Investigators determined Ruiz had left the child unattended for more than four hours while he was inside the facility gambling. Child Protective Services was contacted, and a guardian later arrived and took custody of the child.
Ruiz was later charged in that case with abandoning a child with intent to return and received four years of probation, according to records.
The investigation into the fatal Gulf Freeway crash remains ongoing.
