Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A two vehicle accident on Almeda Genoa Road in Houston claimed two lives over the weekend.  Around 2:45 a.m. on Sunday morning a car pulled out from a stop sign on Martin Luther King Boulevard and attempted to turn right onto Almeda Genoa Road. The car apparently interfered with the right-of-way of a red or maroon-colored pickup truck heading westbound on Almeda Genoa, causing a collision. The car was knocked in a ditch by the impact and the pickup rolled over, coming to rest on its roof before catching fire. Tragically the driver and passenger in the pickup were unable to exit the vehicle and were trapped inside: both were killed. The car driver was taken to Ben Taub in serious condition and police are continuing to investigate.  Channel 2 Houston’s story is here.

Photo credit: Channel 2 houston

A police officer was injured and a handcuffed female passenger in the police car was killed in a two vehicle accident early this morning in downtown Houston. The crash happened at the intersection of Chartres Street and Texas Street at around 3:35 a.m. when a red-colored Chevy Cobalt compact car driven by a 21-year old woman crashed into the side of the police car. The officer suffered minor injuries and was taken via EMS to the emergency room to be checked out. The woman who was handcuffed and detained in the police car was thrown out of the vehicle and died at the scene.

H.P.D. Sergeant Ignacia Izaguire told Channel 11 News that police department policy requires detainees be belted while they are being transported (which makes sense, because if they are handcuffed they can’t fasten their own seat belt). An investigation will be conducted to determine if that policy was followed by the 15-year veteran officer who was driving the police car. Typically police patrol units have a camera inside the car that records occupants riding in the back seat, so presumably a review of that camera footage will be a big part of the investigation. It is difficult to imagine how the detainee could have been completely ejected from the police car if she were properly seat belted. The woman had been taken into custody earlier in the evening on the grounds of Hobby Airport because she was determined to be a hazard to herself: she was being transported to a facility to sober up.

Photo credit: KHOU

Photo credit: KHOU

Channel 11 reports that an accident on I-45 North this morning involved more than a dozen vehicles. The crash happened in the northbound lanes near Little York around 6:32 a.m. Of course, traffic in both directions ground to a halt.

A pedestrian was injured after being hit by a dump truck while crossing the street, Channel 2 is reporting. The collision happened today at around 7:30 a.m. on HIghway 134 near Miller Cut Off Road in La Porte.  The pedestrian was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital. The photograph below from Channel 2’s web site appears to show where investigators have marked the location of the dump truck tires.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston

Related content: Houston truck accident attorneys

A lady was killed early this morning in a two car accident on Bammel N. Houston Road, and police say the driver responsible for the accident was driving drunk.  Harris County Sheriff’s told Channel 11 News that a man driving a Honda Accord was traveling eastbound on Bammel N. Houston Road near Kleinbrook Drive around 1:30 a.m. when he rad a red light and smashed into a woman driving a Nissan Maxima.  The woman in the Maxima died at the scene, and the alleged drunk driver was transported to hospital in stable condition.  The driver of the Honda has been charged with intoxication manslaughter.

Photo credit: KHOU

Photo credit: KHOU Houston

A motorcyclist was critically injured and the driver of a car transported to hospital last night around 9:00 p.m. after a collision on W. Little York and Plantation Crest. Investigators told Channel 2 News Houston that the man riding the motorcycle pulled out of the Wal-Mart parking lot and accelerated away at a high rate of speed.  A woman who had just pulled onto W. Little York didn’t see the motorcycle, and the bike crashed into the side of the woman’s car, throwing the man from his motorbike.  The woman’s arm was injured and the motorcyclist was taken via life flight to Memorial Hermann.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston

The morning commute ground to a halt today due to a three vehicle accident.  According to KHOU, an 18-wheeler rear ended a small car, causing the car to spin out and collide with a METRO bus.  The accident happened around 7:08 a.m. on the Gulf Freeway southbound near the exit for Monroe Road. The driver of the car was transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Photo credit: TranStar Houston

The weekend turned tragic for the family of a 20-year old woman killed last night in a crash on the Gulf Freeway in League City.  According to reports from Channel 13 and Channel 11, the young lady was transporting a mattress on her vehicle when her car was struck by a Ford pickup truck.  The Channel 13 article states the woman was driving slowly because of the load.  The young woman died in the accident; the pickup driver was not injured although his vehicle hit the median after crashing into the woman’s car.

Photo credit: Channel 13 News Houston

A Houston Police Department officer was injured this morning in a crash on the Eastex Freeway at the North Beltway. The officer was attempting to block part of the freeway at the scene of a previous accident that left debris in the roadway; a car hit the vehicle that spilled the debris, pushing that vehicle into the officer.  The officer’s condition was unknown at the time of Channel 2’s report: he or she was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital.  Police say the driver who knocked the vehicle into the officer will be cited for failure to control speed.  The crash happened around 11:00 a.m. and the freeway was reopened at 1:10 p.m.

Rear-end car accidents

A 24-year old woman from Austin and a 57-year old man from San Antonio were killed this morning in a crash on Interstate 10 westbound near Beaumont.  At around 4:30 a.m. a 2013 Toyota sedan crashed into the rear of an 18-wheeler that was carrying concrete powder.  The man and the woman who died were passengers riding in the Toyota according to Channel 11; the driver of the Toyota was transported to Christus St. Elizabeth hospital to undergo surgery. Names have not been released, but the driver is reported to be a 21-year old man from San Antonio; Troopers think the Toyota driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.  The 57-year old driver of the 18-wheeler was under observation at the hospital: he is from the Houston area. An investigation of the accident is ongoing.

Photo credit: KFDM News