Pasadena woman killed in hit-and-run on morning coffee walk
Maria Trejo died after a hit-and-run on her routine coffee walk near Burke and Red Bluff. Pasadena police arrested a 43-year-old driver as investigators review surveillance video.
A Pasadena woman died after being struck in a hit-and-run near Red Bluff Road and Burke Road while she was walking to get coffee, turning a familiar neighborhood errand into a fatal crash and setting off a police investigation that ended with an arrest.
Police said the crash happened near the Burke Road and Red Bluff Road intersection around 6 a.m. Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Maria Trejo later died from her injuries. Pasadena police arrested 43-year-old Silvestre Martinez Rivera and charged him with failure to stop and render aid, the offense tied to a driver leaving the scene after a crash that causes injury or death.
Trejo’s family said she followed the same morning routine nearly every day. She would leave her home along Burke Road, walk to a nearby gas station or convenience store for coffee, and return by the same route. On Tuesday, she never made it safely across the street. Surveillance video from the store appears to show Trejo crossing before a dark-colored truck hits her and drives away.
Emergency crews worked to stabilize Trejo before she was taken to the hospital, and family members gathered at her home as news of the crash spread through the neighborhood. Relatives said they were grateful police were able to make an arrest quickly, even as they waited for more details about how investigators identified and located Rivera. Police have not publicly explained that part of the case, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The crash also raises a broader question for Pasadena and the rest of Harris County: whether corridors like Burke Road are safe for people walking at the hours they actually use them. Texas law requires a driver involved in a collision that results in injury or death to stop, determine whether anyone needs aid and remain at the scene. Leaving after a death can be charged as a second-degree felony.
The stakes are high in a county where pedestrian crashes remain common. A Harris County pedestrian-safety presentation says 2,806 people were struck while walking or biking in 2024. Harris County adopted a Vision Zero resolution in August 2020 and a county action plan in September 2022, setting a goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2030. TxDOT says pedestrians are more likely than vehicle occupants to suffer fatal or severe injuries in crashes, and the agency’s safety plan calls for identifying locations of concern and suggested countermeasures.
For Pasadena, the immediate question is whether this arrest will lead only to a criminal case or also to changes along a corridor where residents rely on short walks for daily errands.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
