Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A female pedestrian was killed after she was hit by a pickup truck early this morning as she walked on the improved shoulder of FM 1097 East in Willis, Texas. According to the Montgomery County Police Reporter, when EMS arrived on the scene the woman was deceased in the American Legion parking lot, having been thrown just over 100 feet in the collision.  The white-colored Chevrolet 2500 utility truck that struck the woman was driven by 30-year old Jeffery Atkinson from Willis. The police reporter article states Atkinson said he did not see the woman prior to striking her.  A field sobriety test and breath-alcohol test both indicated that alcohol was not a factor in the accident.  The name of the woman who died in the accident has not yet been released, pending notification of her family members.  The pickup truck showed a significant amount of damage to the passenger side front.

Photo credit: Montgomery County Police Reporter

Two women were hospitalized after a dog attack by this morning at the Covered Bridge Condominium Complex at 5005 Georgi Lane in Houston. According to a Channel 2 News report, Sonny Pena’s two-year old Boxer named Rocky attacked the two women just before 7:00 a.m., inflicting serious injury, primarily to the women’s legs. A Houston firefighter who arrived to help was then bitten by another of Pena’s dogs, a 3-year old Lab named Apollo. Both dogs are now being held under a 10-day quarantine by BARC – Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care. The dogs will not necessarily be automatically euthanized: if a Justice of the Peace determines they are dangerous dogs, Pena may have to pay an annual special registration fee and carry liability insurance. Pena reportedly told Channel 2 that he was surprised by the attacks since the dogs had never showed signs of aggression before.

Assuming Pena is a resident of the condo complex and has homeowner’s insurance, the women would probably be able to make an insurance claim to compensate them for medical expenses, any scarring and physical impairment resulting from the dog attack (though of course, whether the insurer would pay is another matter).

35-year old Jennifer Lopez Harden from Spring, Texas has been charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with a deadly motorcycle accident Sunday morning. Lopez Harden was taken into custody after the 3:00 a.m. crash on Birnham Wood Boulevard near Riley Fuzzel Road in Spring. She is accused of driving drunk when she swerved into a center lane, crashing head on into a motorcycle driven by 42-year old John McSwain, also of Spring. Mr. McSwain was reportedly thrown 100 feet in the impact, and he died at the scene. Harden and her passenger were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

A person named Jennifer Lopez Harden with a date of birth of May 8, 1978 was arrested just a few months ago by Houston Police Department on 12/18/2012 and charged with public intoxication, according to this web site.

Photo credit: Houston Chronicle

Photo credit: Houston Chronicle

A car accident at around 9:10 a.m. this morning outside Smith & Hassler’s office on the 610 North Loop at Ella Boulevard is already causing a significant backup of the westbound lanes.  A full size pickup truck and a smaller sedan, possibly a Nissan Sentra or Nissan Altima were involved. The pickup truck appeared to sustain minimal damage and after a fairly brief conversation between the drivers, the pickup truck drove away. The wrecked car is currently blocking the two far right lanes.

Channel 2 News reports that two people were taken from the scene of a serious car accident by life flight last night. The crash between a smaller white-colored car and a truck happened around 1:15 a.m. at Briar Forest Drive near Crystal Hills Drive. It is unclear who was at fault, particularly because Channel 2’s article says that the truck failed to yield the right-of-way but also says the car failed to yield. Either way, it appears the truck T-boned the car on the driver’s size, causing significant damage and forcing the car up onto the median.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston

Six people were hospitalized after a Friday morning car accident on FM 529 and police think drunk driving may be to blame. Harris County Sheriff’s Office say a Ford Explorer was heading eastbound on FM 529 when the driver attempted a left turn onto Ridgeberry; the Explorer got in front of a Honda Accord heading westbound and the Accord T-Boned the Explorer. There were three people in each vehicle and all of them were injured; a passenger in the Honda and a passenger in the Explorer were taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann. HCSO Deputy Wilkie told Channel 11 News that both of the drivers involved admitted to drinking, to they were investigating the possibility of one of them being intoxicated.

Photo credit: KHOU

Photo credit: KHOU

Local media outlets are reporting a person was killed in a rear end accident involving a white van and an 18 wheeler on the North Loop near Jensen Thursday afternoon. At around 3:30 p.m. the van hit the rear of an 18 wheeler in the eastbound lanes. The van, apparently a commercial vehicle, sustained massive front end damage in the crash. Lanes were closed for several hours as Houston police investigated the cause of the accident. Two media outlets, the Chronicle and Channel 13, report that a person was injured rather than this being a fatality.

Photo credit: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle