Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Perhaps small consolation for the family of hit-and-run motorcycle accident victim Jeremy Choate, but Shannon Garcia, the suspected hit-and-run driver wanted in connection with Jeremy’s death, has been arrested by the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force in a Gainsville hotel.

Shannon Garcia was (allegedly) driving a black Ford Fusion car that struck Jeremy Choate’s motorcycle in the Houston Heights area on Saturday night.  The 25-year old Gainsville resident then hugged her boyfriend Robert Maddux who got out of the car.  Garcia reportedly said “I’m leaving” before departing the accident scene on foot along the I-10 service road. The crash happened around 9:15 p.m. at Studemont and the Interstate 10 service road.

Tragically Jeremy Choate, a father of two girls aged 5 and 7, suffered major head trauma in the accident (he was not wearing a helmet) and died Sunday afternoon from his injuries.  Jeremy was one of Houston’s most sought-after lighting designers and a nationally recognized artist

Robert Maddux remained at the scene and identified Shannon Garcia as the driver. According to the Houston Chronicle’s story, Maddux said he had been dating Garcia for about two weeks, and prior to the accident the couple had been drinking at El Tiempo Cantina on Washington Avenue.  He said Garcia had one margarita at his (Maddux’) house before they went out, then three more margaritas at El Tiempo.  Reportedly Maddux told police Garcia was “no OK to drive.”

Channel 11 and Channel 13 are reporting a fatal accident earlier today involving an 18-wheeler truck that shut down several lanes on Highway 59 northbound at East River. The crash happened around 2:00 p.m. north of Splendora, Texas in Montgomery County. It appears the driver of a Dodge pickup truck crashed into the rear of an 18-wheeler broken down by the roadside: the pickup driver was killed. Photographs from Channel 11’s helicopter (see below) do not appear to show any warning triangles or cones placed behind the broken down 18-wheeler.

Channel 13 News is reporting a head-on collision between pickup trucks that resulted in two fatalities.  The accident happened after 6:00 a.m. this morning on FM 2100 near Afton Way in Huffman, Texas. Channel 13 said at least one person was taken from the scene by life flight helicopter.  FM 2100 was closed as authorities investigated the cause of the crash.  The accident involved two white-colored pickup trucks, one a Toyota Tundra, the other a Dodge Ram.  Both trucks sustained extremely severe front-end damage, which is typical for a moderate to high-speed head-on crash.

Dodge Ram pickup involved in this morning's head-on collision

Toyota Tundra pickup truck involved in this morning's collision

Channel 13 is reporting a fatal pedestrian accident in Houston this morning. Police say a man was leaving Doctors Hospital Tidwell around 5:30 a.m. when he was struck by a car on West Tidwell and West Montgomery.

Channel 2 and FOX News are reporting that a bicyclist was killed at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon when he rode in front of a car traveling northbound on Jensen near Collingsworth.  Driver Phyllis Broussard said the bicyclist came out of nowhere, and that she tried to swerve to avoid him but couldn’t. The bicycle rider rolled on top of her windshield.

A hit-and-run accident in Montgomery County last night leaves one person dead and another critically injured. The crash happened at approximately 9:00 p.m. on FM 2978 and Hardin Store Road in The Woodlands. According to an account of the accident reported by Channel 2, the sequence of events leading up to the crash was that a Nissan passed a pickup truck, the pickup truck then rear-ended the Nissan, the pickup truck entered a ditch before crossing the roadway and striking a third vehicle, then the driver fled from the accident scene. Channel 2’s report states the Nissan was split in two in the crash, and that the driver of the Nissan, 22-year old Steve Fullerton, was killed. Third vehicle involved that was struck by the pickup was a white Chevrolet Suburban driven by Justin Smith: Smith was reported to be in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital. Police are searching for the driver of the pickup truck. That driver faces at least one charge for failure to stop and render aid.

Steve Fullerton's severely damaged Nissan

Justin Smith, driver of this Chevy Suburban, was critically injured