Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

An alleged hit-and-run driver is in police custody after a serious car accident on W Mount Houston at Veterans Memorial last night. Police say the hit-and-run driver struck the rear of a black-colored Cadillac sedan that was stopped at a red light, causing major damage to the Cadillac. The at fault driver then fled the scene of the crash but passed out while driving and struck a pole by the roadside. Two occupants of the Cadillac were taken to hospital in serious condition, not surprising given the amount of damage to the back of their vehicle.

The injured victims’ Cadillac

Two people were killed and several others injured in a four vehicle accident at the intersection of Beltway 8 feeder and Antoine. According to media accounts of the accident, it started when a 17-year old driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck ran through a red light, colliding with an SUV occupied by a family of four. A 34-year old woman and a 15-year old boy in the SUV lost their lives; the father, driving the SUV, and a daughter, riding in the rear seat, were transported to hospital.

After it was struck by the pickup truck the SUV rolled onto two other vehicles causing additional injuries to those occupants.

An article that recently appeared on the Houston Chronicle’s web site states that Houston leads the entire nation in red light runner fatal accidents. T-bone type crashes have perhaps greater potential to cause serious injury or death than any other type of motor vehicle collision because of the proximity of the point of impact to the occupants of the vehicle.

Running a red light to try and get where you are going a few minutes sooner is simply not worth the risk and, as in his tragic case, endangers the lives of other innocent drivers.

The victim’s SUV and the Dodge Ram that ran the red light

The victims’ Tahoe where it came to rest

The HOV lane for Houston’s Eastex Freeway was shut down this morning due to a multi-vehicle crash that included an 18-wheeler. At around 7:30 a.m. the 18-wheeler crashed through the concrete barrier that separates the main lanes from the HOV lane. News media pictures show an SUV lying on its driver’s side.

A driver has been charged with intoxication manslaughter for a fatal crash on FM 1960 near Fritz Oak Place at 2:00 a.m. this morning, and apparently had his unrestrained 4-year old daughter with him in the vehicle at the time.

According to Channel 13 Houston, the alleged drunk driver was heading westbound on FM 1960 when he attempted to make a u-turn. His SUV pulled in front of the victim’s vehicle, and the victim’s vehicle t-boned the drunk driver. The victim died instantly. The alleged drunk driver wasn’t hurt, but his 4-year old daughter was transported to the emergency room.

The victim’s vehicle

The alleged drunk driver’s SUV

All inbound lanes of Interstate 45 (Gulf Freeway) were briefly closed early this morning after a two car accident. A Chevrolet Malibu sedan was heading northbound when, for some reason, the vehicle struck the center divider wall and spun out of control, stopping in a travel lane in the freeway. The Malibu was then hit by an approaching yellow-colored Chevy Camaro. The driver of the Malibu was thrown from the vehicle in the crash. Remarkably neither driver sustained life threatening injuries according to Channel 13. The accident happened around 12:30 a.m. and the freeway was reopened by 4:15 a.m.

A woman was walking along Crosby-Lynchburg Road around 2:00 p.m. Monday afternoon when an out-of-control pickup truck struck her, pinning her beneath the vehicle.

A major two car accident resulting in a vehicle fire has left at least one person dead. The crash happened early this morning on the North 610 Loop eastbound at Ella Boulevard at around 2:20 a.m. A man apparently pulled over his Chrysler 200 sedan between the TC Jester entrance ramp and the main lanes of 610. The Chrysler driver exited his vehicle, and another vehicle struck both the man and his car. The man was killed and his vehicle caught fire.

The wrecked Chrysler 200

34-year old Maria Guadalupe Udave is currently in Harris County Jail, charged with intoxication manslaughter after a collision on Laura Koppe Road in Houston late Friday night. KHOU News Houston reports that Udave was driving her Nissan Armada SUV westbound on Laura Koppe while the victim, identified in documents filed with the Harris County District Clerk as Sheila Lovings, was heading eastbound on Laura Koppe. Udave, apparently arguing with a male passenger in her vehicle, swerved into the eastbound lanes crashing head-on into the victim’s Toyota Camry. Udave’s male passenger fled the scene of the accident, and Udave was taken to Memorial Hermann Northwest for medical treatment and a mandatory blood draw.

Maria Guadalupe Udave

20-year old landscape worker Edson Alanis Manzano was fatally struck by an out-of-control 18-wheeler as he worked alongside Highway 146 in Bacliff, Texas. The accident happened Monday June 30th as Edson was trimming back weeds at Highway 146 and FM 646. The big rig, pulling a tanker trailer, veered off the roadway on its way from La Porte to Texas City, striking Edson. Witness Jacob Cortez, who saw the accident, said he thought perhaps the driver had fallen asleep, and said that when the driver exited the truck after the accident the driver looked stunned. Edson was working for a company called BIO Landscape and performing a contract for the Texas Department of Transportation.

Victim Edson Alanis Manzano

The driver, 55-year old Glendall Bickwenhert from Kentucky, was cooperating with the police investigation. The 18-wheeler is owned by Indiana-based Time Dedicated DC Carriers, whose U.S. Dept of Transportation profile states the company operates 45 trucks.

Scene of the fatal accident

Two men were seriously injured when a 22-year old suspected drunk driver lost control of his pickup, crashing head-on into another pickup truck on Tidwell Road in Houston. The crash happened around 3:30 a.m. Saturday; Houston Fire Department had to use the jaws of life to free the injured men whose vehicle was hit by the alleged drunk. Both victims were transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital but were expected to survive.

The Smith & Hassler Law Firm headquartered in Houston, Texas was formed in 1989 and has recovered millions of dollars for victims of drunk driving. Smith & Hassler is 100% dedicated to personal injury matters and the majority of the firm’s attorneys are Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.