Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

The video below shows a collision between a passenger car and a man walking on a freeway: the video was shot in Russia. The man was walking close by a vehicle that appears to have broken down in a freeway travel lane. He was not looking in the direction of approaching traffic when the car came from his right side and struck him, throwing him many feet into the air. Despite how severe the accident looks, the man was fortunate to escape with only a broken leg. This video provides a powerful reminder of why Texas has a “steer it and clear it” law. Chapter 550.022 of the Texas Transportation Code governing accidents involving damage to a vehicle says: “If an accident occurs on a main lane, ramp, shoulder, median or adjacent area of a freeway and each vehicle can be normally and safely driven, each vehicle operator shall move the operator’s vehicle as soon as possible to a designated accident investigation site, a location on the frontage road, the nearest suitable cross street or other suitable location to complete the requirements of Section 550.023 and minimize the interference with existing freeway traffic flow.”

Sometimes there is a tendency for people involved in an accident not to move their vehicle from a travel lane until the police arrive so the police can determine who was at fault. If your vehicle is still driveable and there is a lot of traffic passing by, the safer approach would be to move the vehicles out of the roadway. If you have a cell phone with a camera, as almost everyone does these days, you can always take a couple of quick pictures to show the position of the vehicles before you move them.

After a multi-vehicle accident that involved a METRO bus yesterday morning, nine people were hospitalized. Police say that traffic was backed up when METRO bus number 5891 crashed into other vehicles at around 9am. The location of the accident was the 3100 block of Antoine in northwest Houston. Bus passenger Chris Tidwell told Channel 11 News that the METRO bus accelerated and hit the car in front. Wilfred Wilkins, another passenger, said the car that the bus hit lifted off the ground and partially came through the windshield of the bus, then that car swerved away from the bus striking two more vehicles. Wilkins injured his wrist during the collision and said the scene was chaotic because the bus passengers did not know what was happening. In total, the bus and ten other vehicles were damaged. One accident witness, Wilhemina Ellison said the driver of the METRO bus was not to blame because a car cut in front of the bus, and the driver reacted to avoid it. Officials said seven people on the METRO bus were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries, and two people from the other vehicles involved. METRO has said the bus driver will be taken off the road until METRO‘s investigation of the accident is completed.

Vehicle damaged in the May 1, 2012 METRO bus accident on Antoine

METRO bus number 5891 was involved in the crash

Several vehicles sustained heavy damage in the bus crash

One of nine injured people is placed in an ambulance

Channel 11 News interviews bus passenger Chris Tidwell

Bus passenger Wilfred Wilkins injured his wrist in the METRO bus crash

Smith & Hassler has represented injured people throughout Texas for more than 23-years. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call Smith & Hassler or submit your case online to speak with an attorney today.

Smith & Hassler trial attorney Roger Sullivan preparing to select a jury in Harris County District Court

If you have been involved in a serious motor vehicle accident and you are looking for effective representation, one of the questions you should be asking the attorney you are considering is if they have recently taken a case to trial. Generally speaking it is preferred to reach a settlement of a personal injury case when possible: settlement is preferred because settlement saves resources (for both sides) by keeping expenses down, settlement happens relatively soon compared to pursuing a lawsuit, and perhaps most importantly, settlement eliminates risk and gives the client a guaranteed outcome. The outcome of a personal injury lawsuit is not certain.

Still, there are some times when settlement is just not possible and a particular case is destined to be decided by a jury. That is why you should check with any personal injury attorney you are considering to see when they most recently took a case to trial. The answer doesn’t have to be “yesterday” or “last week” but ideally a personal injury attorney would continue to try cases during their career to keep their trial skills sharp.

Above is a photo taken May 1, 2012 of Smith & Hassler attorney Roger Sullivan preparing for jury selection in a trial against a drunk driver who rear-ended our client. The trial was in Harris County Civil District Court.

If you have been injured and need serious representation, Smith & Hassler’s experienced personal injury attorneys would be honored to give you a no-charge consultation. Smith & Hassler has represented injured people in Houston and throughout Texas since 1989.

Four vehicles were involved in the crash on State Highway 123

The Smith & Hassler law firm has spent 23-years protecting the rights of persons injured throughout Texas in motor vehicle accidents.

Matthew Green Shelton's red Mitsubishi is shown to the right, the black Nissan Sentra he struck to the left

Matthew Green Shelton (27) has been charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter

The experienced attorneys at Smith & Hassler practice only personal injury law and have handled injury and wrongful death claims brought against drunk drivers throughout Texas.  Contact Smith & Hassler to make sure you understand your legal rights.