Nihiniolawa Alabi, 2 Others Killed, 3 Injured in Alleged Drunk Driver Accident near Richmond, TX

Basic Facts

Crash date: March 15, 2026

Crash location: U.S. Highway 90 Alternate near Harlem Road east of Richmond, TX

People involved:

• Nihiniolawa Alabi, 44
• Unidentified SUV occupant, 19
• Unidentified SUV occupant, 22
• Unidentified SUV occupant, 14
• Unidentified SUV occupant, 4
• Unidentified pickup driver, 20

Do authorities suspect alcohol played a role in this crash? Yes

Did authorities recommend criminal charges? Yes

Do authorities suspect a product defect caused the crash? Unknown

Accident Report

Fort Bend County, TX — March 15, 2026, Nihiniolawa Alabi and two other people were killed and three others were injured in an alleged drunk driver accident at about 9 a.m. on U.S. Highway 90 Alternate.

Authorities said a westbound 2019 Toyota Tacoma lost control and went through the median, crashing head-on with an eastbound 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe between Harlem Road and Pitts Road.

Three people in the SUV — 44-year-old Nihiniolawa Alabi and two of her children: a 19-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman — were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near Richmond, according to authorities, while a 14-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy were hospitalized with serious injuries.

The pickup driver, 20, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault, authorities said. He was seriously injured in the crash as well.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Fort Bend County crash at this time.

How Did This Accident Occur?

I expect authorities ran through a lot of questions in trying to piece together how this accident happened, but in my opinion they likely aren’t asking a very important one: Where did the pickup driver get his alcohol?

That means looking back to the time before the Toyota driver decided to get behind the wheel. If he was served or sold alcohol while it was clear he was already intoxicated, that alcohol provider could share responsibility for the injuries he caused under Texas law.

This isn’t an avenue of investigation typically undertaken by law enforcement agencies in our state, but it is an important one because it will identify anyone who may have been responsible for this crash.

Do you know anything that could aid in this investigation? Let us know in the comments.