Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Monday January 17, 2011: Hazmat crews had a busy morning in a Southwest Houston neighborhood cleaning up after an 18-wheeler wreck caused a fuel spill.  According to police the truck  accident happened on East Anderson Road at Milan Drive. The trucks back tire slipped into a ditch causing the entire big rig to tip over. Houston firefighters said that the liquid the 18-wheeler was transporting was non-hazardous, but they were called out because the truck’s fuel tank started leaking. Fortunately the truck driver did not suffer any injuries and the big rig was towed away by 6:00 AM. Houston’s News Channel 2 has a written report of the incident here, video footage here and pictures of the wrecked 18-wheeler here.

Click here to watch a video of a rear-end collision between two cars on a Chinese freeway.  The video footage shows the collision as it happens from inside the vehicle that hit the car in front.  What’s interesting about this footage is that even though the impact looked to be quite hard (certainly the kind of impact that could cause injury to the unwary occupants of the front vehicle), there was not much visible damage to the rear of the front car. Injuries resulting from collisions that did not cause much damage to the vehicle are often the hardest claims to resolve outside of a lawsuit.  Insurance companies have convinced themselves that nobody can be hurt in collisions that involve minor property damage.

16-year old Maximillian Keevil of Kingwood, Texas died Sunday morning when his vehicle left a Montgomery County road and crashed into a fence. Keevil was driving westbound on Ford Road around 7:15am when his Dodge Liberty entered a ditch and crashed into a fence near Parker Road, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety representative. A piece of wood from the fence came through the vehicle’s windshield striking the teenager, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The case is still under investigation.

Channel 13 eyewitness news is reporting that a suspected drunk driver rear-ended a Houston Police Department cruiser on the East Loop last night. Police say the officer was standing outside his cruiser at the time of the collision while he worked to clear an accident scene. The driver of a pickup truck then slammed into the back of the patrol car: the pickup truck driver failed a field sobriety test and was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. A picture of the wrecked police cruiser is below:

You have to wonder how intoxicated a person has to be to slam into the back of a stationary police car with emergency lights flashing. A very similar incident occurred in December 2008 when an intoxicated driver of a tow truck rear-ended a Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy working an extra job providing security to a construction road crew working on the US-290 service road. Smith & Hassler represented the deputy who sustained a low back injury in the collision. After a lawsuit was filed against the intoxicated driver and the towing company, the case settled for a confidential amount.  If you have been injured due to the selfishness and gross negligence of a drunk driver, consider calling Smith & Hassler right away: insurance companies realize injury accidents involving drunk drivers have a higher value and try to settle these claims quickly, and for less than the true value of the claim.

An 18-wheeler collision on Monday January 10th has resulted in the death of a female driver and injury to boys aged 4 and 12 riding in her Jeep. According to police, the driver of the Jeep pulled over to the right shoulder of the inbound lanes of the Northwest Freeway in Houston near west 43rd street at around 3:50am on Saturday. The 18-wheeler had been traveling behind the Jeep: according to the 18-wheeler driver, the Jeep suddenly pulled to the left causing the collision. The 35-year old driver of the Jeep was taken to Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital where she died. The boys were taken to Texas Children’s Hospital with the 12-year old in critical condition. A front seat passenger in the Jeep was treated for minor injuries and released. Police indicate alcohol was not a factor.

Houston police are trying to figure out a bizarre incident that occurred yesterday afternoon. It appears that an SUV driver used his vehicle to repeatedly push a woman’s car into the side of an apartment building. The woman told officers she was sitting in her parked car at the Woodway Square Apartments on Wood Hollow near Winrock. Allegedly the suspect rammed her Lexus pushing it up over a curb and into the side of the apartment building, then continued to push her vehicle. Although a lot of damage was done, fortunately nobody was hurt.

Hopefully the owner of the Lexus has full coverage auto insurance. It appears the driver of the SUV that rammed her Lexus did so intentionally. If that proves to be the case, the SUV driver’s automobile insurance carrier would be within their rights to deny the woman’s claim for damage to her Lexus. Automobile insurance policies only cover unintentional acts of negligence, but do not provide coverage for damage caused intentionally such as purposeful ramming .

KHOU is reporting that Houston’s current freezing temperatures are expected to continue. A freeze warning remains in effect for the Houston area and temperatures are expected to dip into the 20’s again today. Along with freezing weather comes the increased likelihood of ice on Houston’s roads and freeways and a greater likelihood of car accidents. KHOU has posted to their web site a list of tips that can help you prepare for a hard freeze, including how to prepare your vehicle.

Ice on the roadways in Houston is a rare event, so most Houstonians have little experience driving in icy conditions. Here are some suggestions on how to drive safely in freezing weather and a short YouTube video demonstrating driving techniques that can help you avoid a car wreck: How to Drive in Winter Weather

Two car accidents over the weekend are being blamed on drivers running a red light.

Two separate car accidents occurred in Southwest Houston on Sunday afternoon just a few miles and a few hours apart. Both resulted in deaths and both are due to red light running, according to police. The first car accident was at around 2:20 PM on the southwest freeway. 52-year old Christopher Hughes was driving a Ford Mustang northbound according to HPD, when Hughes allegedly ran a red light at the West Sam Houston Parkway and collided with a black Ford Explorer. Hughes was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. An injured passenger in the Mustang was taken to Memorial Hermann with non life threatening injuries.

The second car crash was about four miles away. A Ford F-250 pickup truck traveling north on the South Sam Houston Parkway service road. Allegedly the pickup truck driver ran a red light and collided with a Saturn. The driver of the Saturn was pronounced dead at the scene ; a passenger in the Saturn was transported to hospital with life threatening injuries.

Smith & Hassler recently filed a lawsuit against a drunk driver who injured a Houston area woman in a three car collision last August. The drunk driver crashed his Honda Accord into the rear of an Acura, the Acura was in turn pushed into the rear of our client’s Ford Mustang. All vehicles were damaged, the drunk driver’s Honda had to be towed from the scene. The drunk driver was arrested by a Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy and registered a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) of .201.  That is approximately two-and-one-half times the legal limit for intoxication in the State of Texas (anything at or over .08 BAC is legally intoxicated under Texas law). The drunk driver pleaded guilty and was convicted of DWI a month later.

Our client was checked by an ambulance at the scene because she was complaining of back and neck pain, but she chose not to be transported to the hospital right away.  She later went to the emergency room, then followed up with physical therapy and an MRI to help determine the source of her neck pain.

An attempt was made to reach a fair and reasonable settlement with Amica Mutual Insurance Company, the liability insurer for the drunk driver. Amica received the settlement packet (which included the client’s medical bills and records) and, even though they had been given 30-days to evaluate the settlement packet, the very next day responded with an offer of $1,100 less than our client’s medical bills.

Smith & Hassler filed suit right away. Hopefully with an opportunity to re-evaluate, Amica County Mutual Insurance will reconsider their evaluation of the claim.

Sean Carter, a 27-year old Texas man, has become a uniquely qualified speaker on the subject of the dangers of drunk driving. Sean was a college student in North Texas when he made a fateful decision to ride home with some friends after a night’s drinking. An intoxicated friend drove and the pickup truck Sean was riding in left the road and slammed into a tree in Wichita Falls, Texas. Sean had cuts and multiple broken bones and Sean’s mother was told by doctors that Sean’s prospects looked bleak.

Sean sustained a traumatic brain injury that has taken away his ability to speak. He is also unable to walk.  With time Sean regained the ability to recognize letters and now is able to communicate via a computer touch screen. Through determination and perseverance he is also regaining some physical abilities too. Sean has formed a non-profit called When Sean Speaks, and he travels throughout the state speaking to various groups including DWI offenders.