Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Manuel Funez, described by Channel 11 as a contract worker for Richardson Steel has died in an accident at the Port of Houston. Workers were taking steel pipe from an 18-wheeler trailer at city dock 17, ramp 5, when one of the pipes became dislodged and struck the 18-wheeler driver, Manuel Funez, who was standing near the back of the truck as it was being loaded. Channel 11’s story is here. Channel 2’s story is here. The channel 2 news story states that Mr. Funez was an employee of Lone Star Staffing.

An 18-wheeler driver was killed by falling steel pipe at the Port of Houston today

Smith & Hassler has been helping injured workers and their families for work injury claims, plant explosions and workplace wrongful death claims for 23-years. Houston workers are entitled to do an honest days work in a safe workplace: if you or a loved one have been injured at work, contact Smith & Hassler any time, day or night, and ask to speak to an attorney to make sure you understand your legal rights.

Channelview emergency responders rush to the scene of the explosion at Oiltanking Partners plant.

A speeding driver who is suspected of driving drunk died in an accident early this morning when he crashed into the rear of a Houston Fire Department ambulance that was stopped on Kempwood Drive at Ryson Street to pick up a patient. Two paramedics were getting out of the ambulance when they heard screeching tires.  They then saw a young man driving a white-colored Nissan Altima approaching at an estimated speed of 80MPH, in a residential area no less.  One of the paramedics was able to react quickly enough to jump clear before the collision, but the other jumped back into the driver’s seat before the Altima struck the ambulance. That paramedic was transported to the hospital for observation. The driver of the Nissan Altima had to be rescued by Houston Fire Department because he was trapped inside his severely damaged car: he was rushed to Ben Taub hospital but did not survive. The driver has been identified as 21-year old David Lopez. Police said drunk driving was definitely a factor in causing the accident.  Channel 11’s story is here. Channel 2’s story is here. Channel 13’s story is here. FOX News’ story is here. The Houston Chronicle’s story is here.

A paramedic working on this ambulance was taken to the hospital for observation

This white Nissan Altima was thought to be traveling at 80MPH in a residential area before the crash

The attorneys at Smith & Hassler practice exclusively in personal injury and have handled many serious injury and wrongful death claims resulting from the negligence and gross negligence of drunk drivers. Smith & Hassler believes a drunk driver should bear the cost of their actions, not the injured victim.  You can contact Smith & Hassler any time day or night and ask to speak directly to an attorney about your drunk driving injury claim.

The Katy Freeway (I-10) outbound lanes were shut down today for an extended period after an accident near Taylor at around 1:45pm. According to Channel 2’s report, investigators say a car swerved to avoid a collision with another car: one of those cars ended up under an 18-wheeler that was stranded by the roadside. A second 18-wheeler driving down the freeway ended up overturning and blocking all but one lane of the freeway. Three people involved in the accident were injured and taken to hospital, but their specific condition wasn’t mentioned.

Casimiro Campos stands charged with his fifth Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offense in connection with a crash that killed a 46-year old woman. Campos, 64, was first charged with drunk driving in Harris County more than 20 years ago, the racked up another 3 additional DWI charges. On Thursday May 24th Campos was charged with felony murder in the death of Amelia Perez. The crash happened May 23rd on South Post Oak at around 2:00p.m.  Amelia Perez was riding in the front passenger seat of Campos’ SUV. While other drivers involved in the accident were moving their vehicles into a nearby parking lot, Campos’ Chevrolet Suburban accelerated and crashed into a convenience store building. Campos then drove along the side of the building before leaving the parking lot and hitting the concrete bank of a drainage ditch on Anderson Road. Ms. Perez was thrown through the windshield of the Suburban: she died later at Memorial Hermann Hospital. The Houston Chronicle’s article is here. Channel 13’s story is here.

Casimiro Campos

Insurance adjusters try to settle DWI accident injury claims quickly because insurance companies view these as higher value claims. Don’t allow yourself to be talked into a small, early settlement by an insurance company: call Smith & Hassler and ask to speak to an attorney for a no-charge consultation.

Channel 13 is reporting that a 14-year old girl is dead and a young man injured after they were struck by a black Dodge traveling on Louetta. The accident happened today around 2:30pm at Louetta and Kuykendahl in northwest Harris County. According to investigators the young man was riding his bicycle eastbound on Louetta and the young girl was walking next to him in the grass when they were struck. The14-year old girl died at the scene, the young man was transported by ambulance. Investigators say that before the accident they got at least one call complaining about the black Dodge driving erratically on Louetta. The driver of the Dodge stopped and was questioned by investigators: he will have to undergo a mandatory blood draw.