A busy highway in north Houston, Texas, was closed for several hours on Thursday after a 64-year-old woman, involved in a vehicle accident, pulled out a gun and sat down in the middle of the road, causing a tense standoff with authorities that lasted hours.

The incident occurred on Interstate 45 near Spring and ended with no injuries when the woman finally surrendered to crisis negotiators, the Harris County Sheriff's Office reported.

"We saved a life," Major Cedrick Collier said during a news conference Thursday night. "The good thing is that someone's mother and grandmother are coming home tonight."

How the incident began

It all began when the woman, who authorities say has a history of mental illness, apparently intentionally crashed into the back of an 18-wheeler in the southbound lanes of the interstate. No one was injured in the accident.

After the crash, the woman took a lawn chair out of her vehicle, placed it in the middle of the road, and sat there with a revolver in her hand, which she repeatedly pointed at her own head, Collier said.

The Role of Negotiators and Family

Crisis negotiators were able to engage the woman in a dialogue, even creating a rapport that helped her surrender peacefully. The woman's daughter also responded to the scene and was able to speak with her mother during the incident. Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Office released images showing the woman sitting in the roadway surrounded by a heavy police presence. "The suspect is refusing to comply with verbal commands and is refusing to drop his weapon," the Sheriff's Office reported earlier in the day. During the operation, authorities completely closed both lanes of the interstate, diverting traffic for several hours. After the incident was resolved,The road has been reopened to traffic.