Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A two-vehicle collision at 3:15 this morning has left two people dead and one injured. Houston police told Channel 2 News that a Buick was heading westbound on the Interstate 10 feeder road, and a Ford Focus was heading northbound on Gessner. It appears one of the vehicles ran a red light causing the collision. A male and female in the Ford Focus died at the scene, and a female in the Buick was transported to hospital. The police investigation will likely include trying to determine whether drunk driving was a factor, as it often is with late night/early morning accidents. Channel 2’s reporter said there was an odor of alcohol from the Ford Focus, and open containers inside the vehicle.

The Buick

The Ford Focus

A fatal accident involving two vehicles occurred on North Houston Rosslyn Road just before 2:00 a.m. this morning. A Nissan Altima passenger car collided with a blue-colored Chrysler van, apparently because the woman driving the van attempted an illegal u-turn, causing the collision (according to Channel 13’s report). A male passenger in the van was killed in the crash, the female driver was transported to Ben Taub hospital with serious injuries that required surgery. During the accident the vehicles struck a power pole, interrupting power supply to the area. Channel 13’s reporter stated that police officers’ preliminary investigation showed alcohol was involved.

Blue Chrysler van involved in fatal crash

White Nissan Altima

A speeding silver BMW sedan crashed into a Ford pickup truck in the 12000 block of West Bellfort in Houston 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning, injuring five people in the truck and ejecting and killing the driver of the BMW. Investigators from HPD suspect the BMW driver was intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol: he was wearing several club bracelets and had an odor of alcohol on his body. Two adults and three children were in the pickup truck and they were all transported to the emergency room; the children ranged in age from 10 to 14 years.

Damage to the pickup carrying a family of five

The driver of this BMW was ejected and killed

Family gathered recently to celebrate the life of 62-year old Hope “Anna” Vu, who died in a multi-vehicle crash on Tuesday evening. The driver of a white Mazda, pictured below, was weaving in and out of traffic at high speed on Highway 288 before he crashed into the rear of a black Acura sedan driven by Hope’s son. The Acura was then pushed into two other vehicles, including a red Volkswagen car. Hope was riding in the back seat of the Acura; Hope’s son was treated and released at Ben Taub Hospital but the son’s fiancee remained hospitalized with internal injuries.

The driver of the white Mazda, described as a Hispanic male around 20-years old wearing a red shirt and red jacket, jumped out of the wrecked vehicle and fled the scene. Despite searching with K-9s and a helicopter, the police were unable to track the driver down, including at the Pearland address of the registered owner of the vehicle. Call 713-222-TIPS if you have any information on the driver’s whereabouts.

You can tell from Channel 2’s interview that Hope was very close with her family and will be missed. Hope survived the Vietnam War and was brought to the United States by her family in the 90’s.

The hit-and-run driver’s white Mazda

The black Acura Hope Vu was riding in is pictured to the right

A violent car accident at 9:30 last night sent five people to hospital. Police say a Dodge Charger was speeding when it t-boned a red-colored Ford SUV on the passenger side. The crash happened at the intersection of Hiram Clarke Road and Brentwood Park Drive in Houston. The front passenger in the SUV was transported in critical condition, other occupants were transported with less life-threatening injuries. Police will attempt to determine whether alcohol was a factor in the accident (as is frequently the case with major accidents on the weekend evenings).

Photo credit: Channel 2 News

An umbrella insurance policy provides an additional layer of coverage above the coverage provided by an automobile insurance policy. An automobile insurance policy has three “pots” of coverage: (1) a per individual coverage limit for bodily injury or death; (2) a per accident coverage limit for bodily injury or death caused to more than one person; and (3) a per accident property damage coverage limit.

In the State of Texas all non-commercial drivers are required to carry a minimum of $30,000 per person for bodily injury, $60,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 per accident for property damage. See Texas Transportation Code Sec. 601.072. This is often referred to as a minimum limits policy, or a 30/60/25 policy. Anyone who has ever had any significant medical treatment will appreciate that $30,000 will not go very far given how expensive medical care is nowadays: you could easily spend twice that amount on a simple surgery for a broken wrist or arm.

Different insurance companies offer different policy limits that people can purchase, but the typical coverage increments aside from minimum limits are:
50,000/100,000/50,000
100,000/300,000/100,000
250,000/500,000/250,000
300,000/500,000/300,000

So someone with what would be considered a lot of car insurance may have up to $250,000 of coverage for bodily injury/death caused to one person. That sounds like a lot, and compared to what the average person carries it is a lot, but if the person insured under the policy causes a fatal accident or injures someone so severely they may not be able to work again, $250,000 is a drop in the ocean.

An umbrella policy typically provides an additional $1,000,000 of coverage above and beyond the coverage on an automobile policy. Relative to the cost of the primary automobile policy, umbrella policies are typically not too expensive. Depending on the demographics of the person buying the policy and their driving record, a $1MM umbrella may only cost a couple of hundred dollars for a year’s worth of coverage.

Having an umbrella policy will serve two important purposes: it will protect the assets and property of the person covered under the policy should they cause an accident resulting in very serious injury or death. It will also ensure that in the event of such an accident, the injured person or their family is more likely to be adequately compensated and the claim settled within the insurance policy limit.