Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A person was killed in a collision between a UPS truck and a passenger SUV yesterday. The silver-colored SUV and UPS truck crashed around 4:00 p.m. on FM 529 near Jackrabbit Road in northwest Harris County. The name of the person who died has not yet been released. The SUV rolled over in the crash: detective say it appears on of the drivers tried to turn and was hit by the other driver. A photograph from Channel 2’s web site (see below) appears to show passenger side front corner damage to the UPS truck.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News

A two vehicle accident in the early hours of Sunday morning critically injured four children, and the woman driving their car, Lourdes Lopez, is suspected of driving drunk. The Jeep Liberty carrying the children collided with a Dodge Ram dually pickup truck at the intersection of Fry Road and the Interstate 10 feeder road in west Houston. Police say 22-year old Lopez was driving northbound on Fry Road when she ran a red light and the eastbound pickup truck t-boned the driver’s side of the Jeep. The four children are ages 1 through 12. One of the children was ejected from the Jeep. Lopez and a 45-year old man in the front seat of the Jeep were treated for non-life threatening injuries. According to a Channel 11 story, police said tests confirmed Lopez was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

This Dodge Ram pickup t-boned the Jeep Liberty

Police say Lourdes Lopez was driving this Jeep Liberty while intoxicated

An 8th grader was struck by a car today as he walked to school.  The auto-pedestrian accident happened around 7:45 a.m. as the vehicle was making a left turn in front of Timberwood Middle School in Humble, Texas. The boy suffered a possible broken leg and some bruises, and he was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital.  The driver remained at the scene. Channel 2’s report is here. Hopefully the young man will make a full recovery. No word on whether the driver was cited for the accident.

An explosion at the AmeriGas Cylinder Exchange facility in Conroe, Texas injured several people today.  The blast happened around noon at the AmeriGas facility at 10985 FM 1485 in Montgomery County, Texas. Two victims of the explosion were flown to area burn centers via medical helicopter. Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s are investigating and the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the propane industry, was also notified. Channel 13 story here.

Photo credit: ABC Ch 13

75-year old Neil Smith has been charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with the death of 54-year old Danny Hunt.  On Saturday November 3rd Danny Hunt and his son Chase Hunt, an off-duty Galveston County Deputy Sheriff, were riding their motorcycles on Highway 6 near FM 2004 it Hitchcock, Texas around 1:00 a.m. Investigators say that at some point Chase’s baseball cap fell off so the men pulled to the side of the road and chase went to retrieve his hat.  At that point Neil Smith’s Ford SUV struck Danny Hunt. Smith continued driving for about a half mile until damage to the SUV forced him to stop.  Danny Hunt was pronounced dead at the scene. Channel 2’s story is here. Galveston Daily News story here. This weekend marked the conclusion of the Lone Star Rally in Galveston, a motorcycle rally that drew 500,000 people to Galveston Island. According to initial police reports, 19 people were charged with drunken driving, including Neil Smith.

Neil Smith

A boy and a girl out trick or treating last night were struck and injured by an SUV as they crossed Saddle Rock Drive near Sweetwater in a north Houston neighborhood. Witnesses say the boy who was struck was thrown up in the air by the impact. Neighbors say the girl was transported to the hospital by ground ambulance and the boy via life flight. Neighbor Cory Samuel, interviewed by Channel 11 News, said he saw the boy go up into the air, then when the boy came down it was like the SUV driver was unable to stop. Channel 2’s report indicates the driver’s SUV was towed away after the accident: that indicates (but doesn’t guarantee) that the driver had no license or no insurance, but maybe she was just too shaken up to drive.

The Suzuki SUV involved in last night's accident

Channel 13 is reporting that a city inspector and an off-duty HCSO deputy were hospitalized after they were struck by a car at a Clear Lake construction site. The deputy and the worker were standing outside the deputies truck on Seawolf Drive near Bay Area Boulevard around 1:45 a.m. last night when a dark green Chrysler Sebring convertible crashed into the back of a blue Dodge Ram pickup truck, pushing it into the men. While investigators were working the first accident, a second car came through the construction barriers. Drivers of both vehicles were tested for possible intoxication. According to Channel 11’s report, the woman driving the Sebring has an extensive criminal record.

The alleged drunk driver's Chrysler Sebring

The off duty deputy's Dodge Ram pickup