Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

According to an online obituary, the funeral is to be held today for Mr. Vincent Leggio, a victim of the tragic Thanksgiving Day pileup accident that involved 130 to 140 vehicles and sent between 80 and 90 people to the hospital to be treated for injuries.  Mr. Leggio and his wife Debbie Leggio were killed while traveling on Interstate 10 East toward Beaumont when their Chevrolet Suburban was struck from behind by an 18-wheeler. It is believed fog on the roadway impaired visibility and contributed to some of the collisions that day. Mr. Leggio ran Vinco Electric, Inc. with his son Richard Leggio, and the Leggios were well known and well liked in their Pearland community. The funeral mass will be held at St. Helen Catholic Church, followed by interment in the Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. The Leggio family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, supporting wounded military veterans: www.support.woundedwarriorproject.org

Vincent Leggio: 09-20-1948 to 11-22-2012

A single vehicle accident early this morning has left one man dead, another injured, and the driver is facing drunk driving charges. Houston police say that the driver of the blue-colored sedan missed a curve striking a fence at the Willowbrook Mall at Tomball Parkway around 3:30 this morning. Three men were in the car, one of the passengers was declared dead at the scene. The second passenger was taken to the hospital with non life threatening injuries. Police detained the driver and planned to charge him with intoxication manslaughter. Officers say the driver refused a field sobriety test but did admit that he had been drinking, so he was transported to the hospital for a mandatory blood draw. ABC Channel 13’s story is here.  The personal injury attorneys at Smith & Hassler, half of whom are Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law, aggressively pursue claims against drunk drivers. If you have been the victim of a drunk driving car accident, call (713) 739 1250 or visit www.smithandhassler.com to discuss your claim and see how we can help.

One passenger was killed and another injured in the single vehicle accident this morning

A motorcyclist fell 30 – 40 feet from an elevated portion of I-10 after an accident yesterday and was rushed to hospital.  The facts aren’t very clear from Channel 13’s report, but it appears the motorcycle rider either swerved to avoid an 18-wheeler truck or collided with an 18-wheeler, causing him to fall off an elevated portion of Interstate 10 East. Fortunately it appears the man wore a helmet, probably saving his life. A gold-colored Toyota appears in Channel 13’s video footage (see below) and the vehicle has passenger side front end damage, but again, there’s no indication that vehicle was involved in the motorcycle accident.

U.S. Coast Guard photo of the West Delta 32 rig

John Hoffman, Black Elk Energy CEO

Injured workers’ rights:  Depending on the facts and circumstances, persons injured at work may be entitled to recover damages from their employer and/or third parties responsible for the incident that injured them. Injured workers should seek competent legal advice as soon as possible to ensure their rights and protected, and absolutely should avoid signing any documents that may affect their legal rights. Contact Smith & Hassler.

A person was killed in a collision between a UPS truck and a passenger SUV yesterday. The silver-colored SUV and UPS truck crashed around 4:00 p.m. on FM 529 near Jackrabbit Road in northwest Harris County. The name of the person who died has not yet been released. The SUV rolled over in the crash: detective say it appears on of the drivers tried to turn and was hit by the other driver. A photograph from Channel 2’s web site (see below) appears to show passenger side front corner damage to the UPS truck.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News

A two vehicle accident in the early hours of Sunday morning critically injured four children, and the woman driving their car, Lourdes Lopez, is suspected of driving drunk. The Jeep Liberty carrying the children collided with a Dodge Ram dually pickup truck at the intersection of Fry Road and the Interstate 10 feeder road in west Houston. Police say 22-year old Lopez was driving northbound on Fry Road when she ran a red light and the eastbound pickup truck t-boned the driver’s side of the Jeep. The four children are ages 1 through 12. One of the children was ejected from the Jeep. Lopez and a 45-year old man in the front seat of the Jeep were treated for non-life threatening injuries. According to a Channel 11 story, police said tests confirmed Lopez was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

This Dodge Ram pickup t-boned the Jeep Liberty

Police say Lourdes Lopez was driving this Jeep Liberty while intoxicated