Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

An SUV driver wrecked a couple of parked vehicles last night on Harbrook Drive and decided to jump out and run off. Police say the driver was traveling too fast while trying to turn onto Edna, causing him to lose control: he skidded into a parked truck, took out an iron fence then smashed into a red minivan. Then he jumped out and fled the scene: he was located and arrested by police officers a few blocks from the accident scene.  Police said they will check to see if the man was drunk. Without passing judgment on this specific case, there are a handful of frequent reasons that hit-and-run drivers take off after a car accident: they don’t have insurance, their license is suspended, they are driving drunk or on drugs, they have drugs on them or in their vehicle, the vehicle is stolen or they have warrants for their arrest. Channel 2’s account of the antics of this particular mastermind can be read here.

Hit-and-run driver's wrecked Nissan SUV

Parked pickup damaged by hit-and-run driver

A driver was killed in a car accident at Highway 288 and MacGregor last night, though media accounts of how and why the accident differ. Channel 11’s report states that the driver of a dark blue compact sedan was”recklessly racing up an embankment” at the time of the crash, along with another driver in a white-colored car. One driver lost control and struck a support column of the freeway underpass: that driver then struck the other vehicle. Both drivers were taken to Ben Taub hospital where one died. Channel 13’s story on the other hand states the accident happened when the driver of the blue car was about to exit when he changed his mind at the last second, but lost control and struck a wall, causing the car to catch fire.

At around 4:00 a.m. this morning a single vehicle rollover accident resulted in the driver’s death. Harris County Sheriff’s Deputies say a man was speeding in a Jeep Grand Cherokee when he reached a curve in the road in the 2900 block of Fallbrook and began a sideways slide. The vehicle hit the median and rolled several times across the eastbound lanes, coming to rest in a wooded area. The driver was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. Channel 11’s report, including video.

The driver of this Jeep Grand Cherokee was ejected and killed

A woman riding an adult-sized tricycle was struck and injured by a hit-and-run driver early this morning. At around 4:15 a.m. the lady was riding near the North Loop at Eastman in Houston when an unknown vehicle hit her: the driver fled the scene instead of sticking around to render aid. The woman was transported to hospital in stable condition. If you have any information on the identity of the hit-and-run driver, call HPD’s non-emergency number at 713-884-3131. Channel 11’s story is here.

A driver’s failure to take account of standing water on a roadway appears to have been the cause of a two car head-on crash yesterday. At around 9:15 p.m. firefighters were called to Parker Road at Bretshire Road to pry a woman out of her red Dodge car. Police say the Dodge driver failed to notice water covering the roadway as she drove eastbound: she lost control of her car and slid into the westbound lane, striking a blue-colored car head-on. The four adults taken to the hospital were in stable condition. Channel 2’s report is here. Channel 13’s story is here (note this article shows two different vehicles from the Channel 2 story).

If you have been injured in a serious car accident, an experienced personal injury attorney will help you navigate the insurance claim maze and make sure you avoid common mistakes that can complicate or delay a claim. Smith & Hassler has proudly represented injured clients in Houston and throughout Texas for the past 23-years. Contact Smith & Hassler and speak directly to an attorney for a no-charge case evaluation.

Channel 2's picture of a vehicle involved

Channel 13's picture of the vehicles involved

A Channel 11 News story has identified 16-year old Tristan Martin as the teenage driver of an 18-wheeler pulling a loaded horse trailer that struck and killed Amanda Omo-lyamu (38) and Shun Jones (48) on Interstate 70 near Limon, Colorado. Omo-lyamu of Balch Spring, Texas and Jones of Carrollton, Texas were stopped changing a spare tire at the time of the accident.

Tristan Martin’s 37-year old father Michel Martin had initially said he had been driving the 2003 Volvo tractor trailer, but police investigation determined Tristan was behind the wheel at the time. Very soon after the impact Tristan Martin’s friends, who had been following the big rig in another vehicles, picked up Tristan and drove him away from the accident scene leaving his father Michel behind to speak to the police.

Some states permit teenagers to get a commercial driver’s license, but they must be at least 18-years old. Interstate truckers must be at least 21-years old. Lydia Martin, Tristan’s aunt, is quoted in the Channel 11 article as telling reporters that Tristan didn’t need a commercial driver’s license because the vehicle only had one axle and they considered it to be a personal farm vehicle. Authorities in Colorado are still investigating whether Tristan and his father were in compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

Amanda Omo-lyamu’s husband Emmanuel said he “…would have preferred somebody capable of handling a truck like that was the one behind the wheel.” Emmanuel told reporters that Amanda had recently lost her job at a Marshall’s department store and was trying to reconnect with old family members.