HOUSTON --
The driver of a U-Haul truck fell asleep at the wheel and caused a chain-reaction wreck involving a Houston Police Department patrol car, investigators said.
The wreck happened in the southbound lanes of the Eastex Freeway near Rankin Road about 11:35 a.m. Monday.
Houston police said an officer pulled over the driver of a silver Jaguar and was writing a ticket when a U-Haul hit the officer's patrol car.
The patrol car then hit the back of the Jaguar, investigators said.
The police officer was put on a stretcher and taken to a hospital. Houston police said she was OK.
The driver of the Jaguar was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, officials said.
Two passengers inside the U-Haul were also injured. The extent of their conditions has not been released.
Police spoke to the driver of the U-Haul. The driver told investigators that he and his passengers had been driving from Tyler, Texas, and had been up all night. Police said he told them that he fell asleep at the wheel.
Several lanes of the freeway were closed while police investigated and removed the wreckage.
The cause of the wreck is under investigation.
Copyright 2011 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.