Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

All main lanes of the Gulf Freeway south (I-45 S) were closed this morning near Almeda Genoa Road after a fatal head-on crash. A spokesperson for HPD said a Chrysler 300 sedan was driving the wrong way when it hit a police officer’s SUV head-on. Both drivers died at the scene. The officer who was killed was not with HPD, but a smaller local agency. The crash happened around 2:40 a.m. according to Transtar. The officer, who was apparently on his way to work, has not been identified yet pending notification of family members.

Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11 News

Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11 News

Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11 News

Harris County deputies are investigating a fatal accident involving a bicyclist to determine if the driver of the pickup that killed him was intoxicated at the time.  According to witnesses, the bicycle rider was proceeding on the shoulder of Highway 6 near Empanada Drive when he was struck by the red-colored Ford F-series pickup truck, which was also driving on the shoulder for some reason.  The bicycle was thrown about 75 feet onto the grass verge to the roadside and the pickup sustained front end damage to the passenger side.  The driver of the pickup truck remained at the scene and investigating officers performed field sobriety tests and will also order a blood draw to determine if the pickup driver was driving drunk. The victim of the accident has not yet been identified, but according to Channel 2’s report he was in his late 40’s.

A man was killed in a rear-end collision yesterday around 3:00 p.m. The man’s Jeep Cherokee had broken down on the East Beltway 8 feeder road near West Lake Houston Parkway. The man had called a family member for assistance and was waiting in his vehicle when it was struck from behind by a wrecker, causing the Jeep to catch fire. The wrecker driver and one other person pulled the man from the Jeep and attempted CPR but the man died at the accident scene.

Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11 News

Photo credit: Channel 11 News Houston

Houston personal injury attorneys since 1989: Smith & Hassler law firm.

A fire truck was stopped on Highway 288 this morning with light and sirens operating when a black Ranger Rover rear-ended the fire truck, injuring a Houston Fire Department firefighter. The fire truck was stopped to assist a motorist who vehicle was disabled. Channel 2 News Houston reported on the accident, and while the driver of the Range Rover was not identified by law enforcement, Channel 2 ran the license plate on the Range Rover and learned it is registered to 29-year old former NFL player Brian Iwuh. Iwuh, who was born in Houston, played for the University of Colorado, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos. Houston Police Department spokesperson J.R. Roberts told Channel 2 that the DWI task force was at the hospital with the driver of the Range Rover and will make a determination whether a case needs to be referred to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. The firefighter who was hurt in the accident is expected to recover well.  According to Channel 2’s story, family members of the driver showed up at the accident scene and were drinking beer. The driver of the Range Rover has not yet been identified, but it was reported he was not wearing a seat belt.

Houston drunk driving accident attorneys; Houston automobile accident attorneys

Photo credit: Channel 2 News

Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston

Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston

A pickup truck rear-ended a Chevrolet Monte Carlo at 9:45 p.m. last night, Thursday May 30th, killing the driver of the Monte Carlo and injuring his female passenger.  According to Channel 2 News Houston, the Monte Carlo and the pickup truck were both heading westbound on the North 610 Loop when the pickup struck the car, causing major rear-end damage.  As the photograph shows, the trunk of the Monte Carlo is completely collapsed.  The driver and passenger of the Monte Carlo were both trapped inside the vehicle, probably because the rear-end impact pushed the rear panels forward jamming shut the driver and passenger doors.  The driver of the Monte Carlo was taken to the hospital where he died. Police say the pickup truck driver was not intoxicated at the time of the crash and no charges are anticipated.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston

Photo credit: KHOU

Unfortunately this is a fairly typical event for a holiday weekend in Houston.  A drunk driver caused a head-on crash at around 2:15 a.m. on Memorial Day (Monday) morning.  The male driver was heading westbound on Washington Avenue when he veered over into the center lane at Snover Street, hitting another car head-on, pushing that car backwards into a third vehicle.  A female driver in the vehicle that was struck head-on was transported to the hospital.  The suspected drunk driver was arrested at the scene: his name has not been released.  Washington Avenue was temporarily shut down in both directions as police worked the scene.

Drunk driving accident attorney; car accident attorney.

A motorcyclist was seriously injured in an early morning crash today.  The rider was heading down Briar Forest near the West Sam Houston Parkway around 3:00 a.m. when he struck the rear of a garbage truck that was pulling out of a business.  Houston Police Department representative Javier Tapia told Channel 2 News that the motorcycle rider wound up underneath the garbage truck and sustained head injuries, including a fractured skull.  He was rushed to the hospital.

In some of the comments to Channel 2’s story readers seem quick to blame the motorcyclist for the accident, but they may well be rushing to judgment.  For example, the timing of when the trash truck pulled out into the main lanes is relevant to fault.  Also based on Channel 2’s photograph (see below) the area where the accident happened does not appear to be particularly well-lit. Maybe the garbage truck had it’s lights on, maybe it didn’t.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News

49-year old Aurora Garcia and her 17-year old son were driving eastbound on Hardin Store Road north of Tomball when their vehicle was struck head-on by a Chevy pickup truck. Ms. Garcia was driving a 1996 Toyota Sedan and her 17-year old was her passenger.  Trooper Kenneth Hebert with the Texas Department of Public Safety told Channel 2 News that a 2000 model Chevy pickup truck was heading westbound on Hardin Store Road when it failed to maintain its lane in a curve, crossed the center line and struck Ms. Garcia’s car head-on. It appears that the pickup fled the scene, rather than the occupants fleeing the scene as earlier reports had indicated.  Although a perimeter was set up, police have not yet caught the culprits.  Ms. Garcia’s son was rushed to hospital in critical condition; Ms. Garcia herself was pronounced dead at the scene.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston

A Houston Police Department officer is lucky to be alive after his patrol car was struck by a pickup truck in a major car accident on US 290 at Hollister Road. Investigators say the office was using his patrol car to block traffic while working the scene of another accident when his vehicle was struck at around 4:00 a.m. Both the police officer and the driver of the pickup truck were taken to hospital.  Channel 2 Houston’s story does not state whether the driver of the pickup was impaired, but someone hits a police car on the freeway at 4:00 a.m. in Houston, the probability of alcohol involvement is extremely high.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News