Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Monday January 24, 2011: At 9:00AM Deanne Erdmann, assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine was killed when she was pinned by her own SUV in the Texas Medical Center. Prof. Erdmann was exiting the parking area of the McGovern campus in the 2400 block of Holcombe. Erdmann exited her white Cadillac Escalade to swipe her access card but apparently failed to put the vehicle in park. The Cadillac then rolled forward, pinning her between the SUV and a metal pole near the access gate.  Sadly Professor Erdmann died at the scene. Houston Police Department Captain Roger Goralski said that there was only two inches between the SUV and the metal pole.

If you use dentures, you may have exposed yourself to dangerous amounts of zinc. You may not even be aware of what’s causing your pain, since the ingredient was not listed on many common brands of denture cream.

Common brands of denture cream, including Fixodent and Super PoliGrip, use zinc as an ingredient to aid in both adhesion and odor control. Zinc is an essential mineral for humans, but too much zinc can lead to a reduction of copper in your body. A copper reduction can lead to neurological disorders.

Denture creams are listed as Class 1 medical devices by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means they do not have to list their ingredients on the packaging.

However, the denture cream makers have a duty to inform consumers that zinc is an ingredient. And they have a duty to warn users about serious side effects of denture cream zinc poisoning!

Common side effects of zinc poisoning related to denture cream use include:

Hands and feet feeling numb (paresthesias)

Difficulty in walking

Paralysis in some cases

Abnormal sense of touch or painful sense of touch (dysesthesias)

Loss of sensation

What would you do if you experienced any of these potentially debilitating symptoms? You may be unable to work. You may be unable to pay your bills. You may feel overwhelmed.

While zinc poisoning from dangerous denture cream can turn your life upside-down, you do have options. You may be entitled to compensation. Turn to a Houston law firm experienced in handling complex zinc poisoning cases. At Smith & Hassler, we understand Texas’ complex legal system. Our aggressive products liability attorneys can scrutinize your case and pursue justice for you!

Don’t hesitate to contact us for a free and confidential case review. At Smith & Hassler, we put our experience and resources to work for clients who have been injured due to denture cream zinc poisoning. Our attorneys are not intimidated by insurance companies and their teams of lawyers.

Don’t let a zinc poisoning injury ruin your life. Demand justice. Call 1-877-777-1529. Contact Smith & Hassler today. Tell them you mean business.

An accidental shooting in northeast Houston on Sunday has left a 16-year old boy in critical condition. The teen was with three other persons in a bedroom of a home in the 7600 block of Teesdale, playing with a handgun and a shotgun at around 1:40am, according to Houston police. Another teenage boy was unloading the shotgun, which he believed to be empty, and pulled the trigger: the gun discharged striking the 16-year old in the head. The case has been referred to a Harris County grand jury; the shooting is believed to be unintentional.

The Houston Chronicle’s article did not provide any information on how the boys got the guns they were handling. Depending on the specific facts, accidental shootings sometimes occur due to negligence on the part of the homeowner. Acts of homeowner negligence leading to injury to another person or their property are covered under homeowner’s insurance policies.

Smith & Hassler previously posted a blog entry regarding the tragic accident involving Fort Bend County Sheriff’s deputy John Norsworthy and the severe injuries he sustained.  Sadly Deputy Norsworthy ultimately succumbed to his injuries in hospital and passed away, leaving a wife and two children. Texas DPS officers investigating the deputy’s crash have now concluded that two factors may have contributed to the deputy’s accident: another motorist’s failure to yield the right-of-way to the deputy’s cruiser and debris in the roadway.

The accident happened two days after Christmas when Deputy Norsworthy was closely following another cruiser on northbound FM762: the deputies were en route to assist with the stop of what was believed to be a stolen car. The DPS has released a statement that video footage from the dashboard cameras of both cruisers show a 4 foot square board, probably made of a thick cardboard type material used as sound-deadening material, had fallen from a truck and was in the middle of the two-lane road as the cruisers approached.

In addition to the road debris a green-colored Ford Expedition failed to yield the deputies by pulling over to the shoulder to the right to allow them to pass. The driver of the Expedition was later tracked down thanks to a tip and she signed a statement that while the car accident happened in front of her she did not think she was involved so she kept going. The lead patrol car cut to the left to go around the Expedition and in doing so drove over the board, the draft of the passing police car causing the board to lift up off the roadway. When Deputy Norsworthy tried to pass the Expedition, the board gave the appearance of a barrier so he swerved to try to avoid it, but his car left the roadway, entered a ditch and crashed into a tree, pinning him for more than an hour. He died of his injuries a week later on January 4, 2011.

State transportation records show that debris on Texas’ roadways has contributed to 2,728 vehicle crashes in the past 5-years.  In fact former mayor of Dallas Ron Kirk was injured when a ladder left on I-30 was sucked-up by a passing 18-wheeler and smashed through his windshield. During that 5-year span, 756 injuries and 9 deaths have been caused by road debris accidents. Investigators are trying to determine how the board, which was manufactured by Bison Construction, got onto the roadway, but acknowledge they may never find out.

ABC News Channel 13 is reporting that a driver crashed into the front of the Montrose area business in Houston on Friday January 21. The car accident happened at around 9:00am at West Alamaba and Cummins. Its not entirely clear what caused the driver to collide with the building, but from Channel 13’s video footage it appears a four-door Volkswagen sedan, either a Passat or a Jetta, mounted the curb in front of a Goodwill donation center and a convenience store and hit the front wall of the buildings. The driver was taken from the scene of the accident via ambulance to be treated for injuries. Fortunately there are no reports of injury to any pedestrians inside the store or on the sidewalk out front.

Early in the morning of Thursday January 20, 2011 Clayton Sieverton was heading southbound along FM484 near Ferris Green Road in Porter, Texas when his Ford F-350 pickup truck crashed into a Toyota Celica head-on, according to DPS Troopers. Sieverton is suspected of being intoxicated at the time of the crash. Alicia Sanchez, 43-years old, was riding in the passenger seat of the Celica and was killed on impact. Sanchez’ injured 20-year old daughter was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. Sanchez and her daughter were driving to work at a donut shop at the time of the collision.

Both vehicles sustained very heavy damage in the crash; according to DPS Troopers after the collision Sieverton got out of his vehicle and ran away. Shortly after the accident a man drove up to offer help to Sanchez and her daughter and when he did so he recognized Sieverton’s vehicle: the two men had been out drinking together the night before and Sieverton had dropped the man off at his own car shortly before the collision. Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies were able to use tracker dogs and a DPS helicopter to track down Sieverton 3 miles north of where the crash happened.

Sieverton suffered minor injuries and is now facing multiple serious charges, including intoxication manslaughter, intoxication assault, and failure to stop and render aid. He remains in the Montgomery County jail.

Drunk driving collisions, deaths and injuries are an epidemic in the Houston area and have been for years. The selfishness of those who choose to get behind the wheel of their vehicle while impaired by drugs or alcohol causes families to experience unimaginable tragedies on a weekly basis. If you or a loved one have been injured by a drunk driver, talk to an attorney at Smith & Hassler about your legal rights and remedies.  Insurance companies know jurors take a hard line with drunks who injure others and try to settle DWI-related claims quickly and for much less than the claims are worth.

A six vehicle accident that included a big rig shut down Houston‘s 610 west loop today at Beechnut Street in southwest Houston. News Channel 2 has a slideshow showing pictures of the accident which included an 18-wheeler apparently pinning a Chrysler car against the concrete center divider and lifting the car off the surface of the road. The collision apparently happened at 2:30pm today, but the freeway had been cleared and reopened by 3:45pm. At the time of Channel 2’s report, there was no word of any injuries to the drivers involved: hopefully nobody was hurt even though the accident looks serious.  As is customary when a major wreck happens on one of Houston‘s main thoroughfares, traffic was backed up for miles.

Smith & Hassler has represented hundreds of Texans injured in 18-wheeler accidents over the firm’s 20+ year history. If you or a loved one has suffered injury in an accident with a big rig, Smith & Hassler’s personal injury attorneys will review your case at no cost, no strings attached, either in person or by phone.

Tuesday January 18, 2011: Metro rail service came to a temporary halt when a pedestrian was hit by a car and pushed into the side of a moving metro rail trial near Reliant Park.  The collision happened at around 4:40am at Holly Hall and Fannin according to a spokesperson for Houston‘s Metropolitan Transport Authority. Fortunately the train immediately stopped when the male pedestrian hit the side of it. The man was taken to a nearby hospital, his injuries and condition have not been disclosed. A vehicle traveling southbound on Fannin hit the man and he fell into the side of the northbound train. Houston police are still investigating.

Yesterday morning a bicyclist was killed when a truck accidentally hit him as he tried to cross a road in northeast Harris County. Jeremias Santis has been identified as the deceased bicycle rider by the Harris County Sheriff’s Department. The collision was at 8500 East Mount Houston Road neat Nanette at approximately 5:30am. A GMC pickup truck was traveling westbound on Mount Houston Road when Santis tried to cross, failing to yield the right-of-way to the truck. The driver of the truck stopped to check on Santis and when he did, another truck hit Santis’ bicycle that was lying in the roadway. The second driver moved Santis’ bicycle from under his truck and then drove away.

Police resumed their search today in Baytown for a driver still missing after a high speed chase by police ended when the driver crashed into Goose Creek. Baytown Police were chasing the driver early Sunday morning when he lost control of his vehicle near Market Street and crashed into Goose Creek in front of Lee High School. According to police the driver was ejected from the car; the car has since been recovered from the lake. Bad weather called off a search on Sunday. Police originally tired to pull the car over because it had been reported stolen.