Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A number of local news outlets are reporting that a worker was rescued by emergency services after he fell 20 feet into a hole at Fluid Power Equipment in Northwest Harris County in the 3600 block of Cunningham. A paramedic was lowered into the hole for the rescue, and Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department was able to hoist the paramedic and the man to safety. In the fall the man had become entangled in a ladder. A splint was put on the man’s shoulder and arm, and reportedly he was conscious the whole time. Click2Houston.com’s report of the accident states that the man sustained multiple fractures in the fall, and that the hole he fell into was a maintenance shaft. Apparently Fluid-Power Equipment, Inc. has not issued any comment on the incident.

A worker suffered multiple fractures after falling 20 feet at Fluid-Power Equipment in Houston

Smith & Hassler has represented hundreds of workers injured in on-the-job accidents over our 20+ years of practicing exclusively personal injury law in the Houston area. If you need the advice of experienced personal injury attorneys for your work accident or work injury, you can call 1-800-WIN-WIN1 or 713 739 1250 for a free consultation, or submit your case online.

An HPD sergeant on his way to work was injured in a collision with a private school bus, Click2Houston.com is reporting. The collision happened in East Houston around 2:00PM today in the 7900 block of Harrisburg Boulevard. The sergeant was injured when his pickup truck hit a private school bus that ran a stop sign. The injured police officer was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital where fortunately his injuries were reported as being non life threatening.

HPD sergeant driving his pickup truck to work was hurt in a collision with a private school bus that ran a stop sign

A quick review of the Smith & Hassler blog archive will show all too many instances where a police officer has been injured in a car accident.  Over the years Smith & Hassler has represented men and women from the law enforcement community injured due to the negligence or gross negligence of other drivers. Insurance adjusters know that police officers typically are good witnesses on their own behalf and do well before Harris County juries, so many times insurance companies try to settle police officers’ injury claims cheap and early.  Law enforcement is a physically demanding career and officers need to be able to work free of injury.  If you or a friend are in law enforcement and have been injured in a car accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident or truck accident, call the personal injury attorneys at Smith & Hassler for a free consultation.

Channel 11 News is reporting that a woman was killed in a two-car accident at approximately 2:30am Monday April 11, 2011. The woman was driving on Highway 290 near West Road in a Toyota RAV4 SUV when she collided with the rear of a Chevrolet pickup truck that was apparently stopped in a center travel lane. The woman died as a result of her injuries, despite the assistance of a passing truck driver who stopped to help. The two men had to be cut out of the pickup truck and transported to hospital. Click2Houston.com has a video story covering the accident; in the video the reporter makes reference to law enforcement investigating a box found on the freeway near the pickup truck: the box contained alcohol and law enforcement officers think the box may be the reason the truck was stopped in a travel lane.

A woman driving a Toyota RAV4 was killed in a rear end collision with a pickup stopped in a travel lane

Smith & Hassler’s experienced Houston automobile accident attorneys are available for a free consultation, either in person or by phone. In the aftermath of a serious car accident, usually the first people an injured car accident victim speaks to are insurance adjusters representing the liability insurance carrier of the at-fault driver. Many times adjuster offer “walk away settlements”: a relatively small amount of money very early on that requires the injured person sign a release of any and all injury claims. Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into signing away your legal rights before your injuries and damages are fully understood: call a Smith & Hassler personal injury attorney and ask about your legal rights and remedies.

ABC Channel 13 eyewitness news is reporting a 4 vehicle car accident on Almeda Road this morning. An HPD officer responding to a call in midtown was involved in the wreck. The crash happened at around 10:00 AM near the intersection of Almeda Road and Alabama. The HPD officer was responding to a call with lights and sirens operating when an SUV t-boned the police cruiser and pushed it into oncoming traffic. The cruiser was then struck by a second vehicle and it spun into a pole, at which point the SUV then hit another vehicle. Two people were transported to hospital, including the HPD officer. It was not clear if anyone would be cited for the collision. Law enforcement is a dangerous profession: police officers spend a large part of their working lives in motor vehicles and are frequently called upon to respond to emergency calls at high speeds in heavy traffic conditions. A read back through Smith & Hassler’s blog archive has many references to serious motor vehicle accidents involving police officers.

HPD officer and a civilian were injured in a 4 vehicle wreck on Almeda Road on April 9, 2011

Car accidents commonly result in medical bills, lost income from work and a period of time after the accident when the injured person is in pain and is impaired from performing their normal activities. Texas law allows a person injured in a motor vehicle accident by another’s negligence to seek recovery of money damages.  Speaking to an experienced Houston personal injury attorney early in the process can make the difference between a relatively straightforward claim under the other driver’s insurance policy and a real nightmare.  Insurance companies will deny or undervalue claims if they have a reason to.  Smith & Hassler’s trial-tested Houston personal injury attorneys will provide you with a free consultation regarding yourmotor vehicle accident injury claim: call now or submit your case online.

45-year old motorcyclist Richard Hernandez was killed this morning while on his way to work when his motorcycle collided with a Dodge pickup truck. A Houston Police Department spokesman said Mr. Hernandez was riding his motorcycle southbound in the 3000 block of South Wayside when he clipped the rear of the pickup, which was headed northbound as the female driver of the pickup was making a left turn onto Brock. Apparently Mr. Hernandez received severe lacerations, probably from the truck’s trailer hitch or muffler. A good Samaritan who was driving by stopped and tried to help, using a t-shirt in an attempt to stem the flow of blood. The HPD spokesman said the pickup driver’s view of traffic approaching may have been blocked by high brush in the median of South Wayside. Mr. Hernandez was not wearing a motorcycle helmet.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, call the experienced personal injury attorneys at Smith & Hassler for a free consultation on your injury claim. Of all the motorized transportation types on public roads,motorcycle accidents have the highest potential to cause serious injury or death: having a Smith & Hassler personal injury attorney working on your Houston motorbike accident injury claim puts knowledge and experience on your side.

A bill introduced by Representative Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham that would raise the speed limit on some Texas highways to 85 MPH has been approved by the Texas House. The measure, which was passed on Wednesday April 6th, 2011 by voice vote, is part of a larger transportation bill. The bill would authorize TexDOT to raise the speed limit on designated lanes or entire stretches of roadway after conducting engineering and traffic studies. Texas currently has more than 520 miles of interstate highways where the speed limit is 80MPH. Some automobile insurers are opposed to the measure and say they have safety concerns. Jerry Johns, a spokesman for the Southwestern Insurance Information Service is quoted as saying that speed and alcohol kill most people on Texas’ highways, so increasing the speed limit to 75 or even 85 MPH will have a “dramatic effect on the death and injury rate” on the highways where the measure is implemented. He also said that driving 85MPH on a flat road is “simply ludicrous.”

Click2Houston.com is reporting two deaths in separate but related accidents stemming from a police pursuit. A man was attempting to evade METRO police officers when he fled across I-45 at Crosstimbers on Tuesday April 5th: he was struck by a car and killed, and that collision then caused another fatal crash according to Houston police. The incident happened shortly after 10:00PM. Allegedly the man was suspected of assaulting and robbing someone near downtown Houston, after which he got on a METRO bus and exited at a stop at Acres Homes. METRO police then caught up to the man at the northbound North Freeway feeder road, at which time the man argued with police officers and tried to flee across I-45. The man was able to make it across the northbound lanes of I-45 but when he tried to cross the southbound lanes he was hit by a Ford Expedition and possible two other vehicles. The fatal collision then caused the freeway to back up. As an 18-wheeler sat in the backed-up traffic, a 19-year old female driver failed to slow her car in time and struck the rear of the big rig. The driver died at the scene and her two rear seat passengers were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition: the front seat passenger was said to have sustained minor injuries. The victims have not been identified: police said the man who ran from them had no weapons and no identification on him.

The 19-year old woman driving this car was killed and her rear seat passengers severely injured in a rear-end collision with a big rig on I-45

Our sympathies go out to the friends and families of the occupants of the car.

KHOU is reporting another tragic loss of life on Houston’s roads, apparently due to the gross negligence of a highly intoxicated driver. According to police the woman was traveling eastbound on Clear at around 2:30AM when she collided with a vehicle driven by a man that pulled in front of her while turning south onto Campbell. The victim (who had the right-of-way according to police) died at the scene. The man, who was highly intoxicated, was taken into custody by police.

A crash at Clear and Campell caused by a suspected drunk driver killed a female motorist

Various local media outlets are reporting the death of two men in a barge fire in Freeport. The men are 31-year old Jose Jesus Gonzalez-Alvarez and 41-year old Daniel Santacruz. The Saturday April 3rd fire was at Texas Barge & Boat, Inc. near the 4100 block of Floodgate Road. An ABC Channel 13 report says one man was caught in the blaze and the other man perished when he went in to save him. The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident as an industrial accident. KHOU said that the fire was in a cargo vessel that was sitting on top of a dry docked barge at the time of the fire. Freeport, Texas is about 65 miles south of Houston.

The Houston Chronicle has reported that the worker killed in yesterday’s plant explosion at KMTEX‘s Port Arthur plant was 58-year old Mr. Johnny Williams of Groves, Texas.  Another online media report says that OSHA will visit the plant to determine how and why the deadly explosion happened. Under the heading “quality” on the company’s web site, KMTEX states that: “KMTEX complies with mandated and governmental standards involving health, safety, and environmental measures. We are responsible business professionals, fully prepared to meet the standards of our customers.”