Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Here is a link to an interesting story posted on Channel 11’s web site on February 23, 2012 discussing how some unscrupulous tow truck drivers in Houston are taking advantage of car crash victims. The City of Houston and Harris County place a cap on the amount a tow truck company can charge for moving a vehicle after an accident, however in some cases tow truck drivers and storage lots are turning what should have been a maximum $150 tow into thousands of dollars of expense for the car accident victim.

In the Channel 11 article Houston driver Ryan Haley talks about his experience after his Toyota was rear-ended and ordered to be towed by police. His vehicle was towed to Vickery Auto Storage, located off East Mount Houston Road near Highway 59. The morning after the accident he signed papers presented to him by the storage lot: Ryan claims it not honestly explained to him that he was actually signing papers to have his vehicle repaired at City Wide Collision Center, a repair facility that is owned by the same man who owns Vickery Auto Storage.

When the Haley’s insurance company came to pick up the vehicle (which was deemed a total loss and not repairable), Vickery Auto Storage reportedly charged $2,000: labor, a “yard/gate fee”, storage and a $370 tow charge. “The consumer is very, very vulnerable,” said Monica Russo, Investigations Manager of the Houston Better Business Bureau. The BBB gives Vickery Auto Storage and City Wide Collision Center an “F” grade for unresolved consumer complaints.

If you are involved in a car accident Texas law says you have a right to decide where your vehicle is repaired. You should promptly report the accident to your own insurance company, even if you do not plan to file a claim with them. Your insurance contract requires you promptly notify the insurer of an accident so they have an opportunity to investigate. Your insurance company should be able to give you some guidance regarding towing and storage charges to help you avoid some of the problems mentioned in the Channel 11 investigation.

Also remember that you do NOT have to agree to have your vehicle towed to whatever storage lot the tow truck drivers wants to take it to. Tow companies make money towing vehicles but, as the Channel 11 news story makes very clear, they make a lot more money on storing vehicles and repairing them. Put another way, in many cases the tow truck driver will be actively working to get you to agree to have your vehicle taken to a particular storage lot so they can get the repair work. You probably wouldn’t let a complete stranger decide where you went to dinner, so why would you let one decide where to repair your vehicle?

Smith & Hassler has helped thousands of car accident victims over our 20+ years in business.

An overnight car accident has claimed the life of 42-year old Robert Scruggs, and police are saying a drunk driver is to blame. The chain of events apparently started when a car failed to yield the right-of-way when exiting a private driveway on Highway 105 near Conroe (according to the Texas Transportation Code, a vehicle leaving a private driveway must yield the right-of-way to vehicles traveling on the main lanes). That car hit Robert Scruggs’ white pickup truck, wrecking it an trapping him inside. While witnesses to the original accident were trying to help Robert get out of his vehicle about 3-4 minutes later, Kenneth Nichols heading eastbound on Highway 105 struck the rear of Scrugg’s pickup causing Robert to be ejected. Scruggs died at the accident scene and Kenneth Nichols was arrested for intoxication manslaughter. The Houston Chronicle’s story on the accident is here, and gives the location of the accident as near McCaleb Road, and the time of the accident as approximately 8:30pm. Channel 2’s story is here.

Pickup truck involved in fatal crash on Highway 105 on February 22, 2012

Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) car accidents seem to happen every single night in the Houston area and throughout Harris County.  Sadly Harris County Texas ranks among the highest counties in the nation for drunk driving fatalities anddrunk driving accident injuries year after year.  Drunk driving car accidents often create even more complications for the victim than a regular car accident: insurance companies usually won’t pay a claim or provide a rental car until they speak to their insured driver and get their version of what happened. The insurance companycan’t do that if their insured was charged with DWI and is in jail. Call Smith & Hassler if you have been injured by a drunk driver’s gross negligence and ask for speak to one of our personal injury attorneys right now.  Smith & Hassler aggressively pursues claims against drunk drivers.

Sunday February 19, 2012: five people were hospitalized after a crash involving a METRO bus on the North Freeeway. According to officials there was an initial collision around noon between a car and a truck; the car spun around and hit the METRO bus head-on. The truck veered off the freeway where it went into the parking lot of Northline Mall and struck several other vehicles. One witness who was in a van struck by the out of control truck, Kasandra Loera, reported seeing beer in the pickup truck. One bus passenger, two people in the car and two others were taken to hospital to be treated for injuries. The driver of the truck is being investigated for possible DWI. Channel 2’s coverage of the METRO bus accident is here. Channel 2’s story identifies the truck involved as a Dodge pickup and the car that spun out and collided with the bus as a Honda Accord. Channel 13’s coverage of the crash is here.

Channel 13 is reporting that a suspected drunk driver caused a rear-end collision involving an HPD police car at a red light at around 1:00am on Friday February 17, 2012. The driver, who was thought to be highly intoxicated, crashed into the back of one car and pushed it forward into the police car. The driver was arrested for suspected DWI. The news report did not mention whether anyone was injured in the accident.

Smith & Hassler aggressively pursues settlements on behalf of clients hurt by drunk drivers, and this law firm has no interest in low-ball offers on cases against intoxicated drivers. If you have been hurt by a drunk driver, do not allow an insurance adjuster talk you into taking too little, too soon. Speak with a Smith & Hassler personal injury trial attorney and make sure you understand your rights.

At around 10:15pm on Tuesday February 14 a hit-and-run driver struck and seriously injured a bicycle rider who was crossing FM529 in northwest Harris County. The accident happened near FM529 and Log Cradle Drive. The victim was hit so hard by the car that he was knocked out of his shoes; the victim remained in the roadway until several minutes after the accident when he was discovered and someone called the Sheriff’s department. The unidentified white male bicyclist was taken to Memorial Hermann where he was in critical condition; unfortunately there is no description of the hit-and-run vehicle.

Smith & Hassler has represented thousands of injured Texans over our more than 20-years in business. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident you can speak to an experienced personal injury lawyer for a no-cost assessment of your case, either by phone or in-person.

At around Sunday morning a single car accident near the Galleria sent one woman to the hospital. A white vehicle that appears to be a minivan or SUV slammed into a tree when the driver lost control at a sharp curve as she traveled from the West 610 Loop onto Hidalgo at around 2:00am. A female passenger was transported to Ben Taub in stable condition.

A multi-vehicle wreck on US290 today has left one person dead. The wreck happened around 3:00pm: all three lanes of the freeway were shut down as emergency services worked the scene. FOX News Houston is reporting that five vehicles were involved in the accident, and that it appears an older model Chevrolet pickup truck sustained heavy driver’s side damage and was leaking fluid. A blue four-door car also sustained heavy damage. Channel 2 News’ account of the accident relates that the deceased person was driving a Ford Taurus, and the Taurus driver caused the collision by swerving across the freeway.

Channel 11 is reporting a head-on collision that left a pickup truck driver seriously injured and killed the driver of a car. Police say that the car was driving eastbound on Dixie near Tucker in Houston around 1:40am on Sunday January 29, 2012 when the car crossed the center line and went into oncoming traffic, striking the pickup truck head-on. The driver of the pickup was taken to Ben Taub general hospital in serious condition and the car driver was killed on impact. The names of the drivers were not available in the article and police are investigating to determine what caused the accident.

The driver of this car died and the pickup driver was seriously injured in a head-on collision on Dixie Road in Houston.

If you, a friend or a family member have been injured in a car accident, Smith & Hassler’s experienced personal injury attorneys are available to give you a free consultation either in-person or by phone.  Sometimes people injured in car accident wait before consulting an attorney. They have good intentions: not wanting to seem “sue happy,” waiting to see if their injuries will get better or because aninsurance adjuster is discouraging them from seeking legal advice (that happens).  It is better to know your rights early in the process and have an experienced Houston personal injury attorney explain the steps involved in car accident injury claim and what you can do NOW to increase the chances of a good outcome.

Harris County Sheriff Deputies had to wrestle and then Tase hit-and-run driver Jerad Thomas to take him into custody after a fatal hit-and-run collision in northwest Harris County. The deadly wrecked happened on southbound Jones Road near Fallbrook when a 53-year old man riding his bicycle was hit by a man driving a cargo van. The victim on the bicycle was transported to the hospital but died shortly after that. Police were able to identify the cargo van because the license plate was dislodged at the scene of the accident. The van owner indicated he had loaned the vehicle to a friend; when officers accompanied the owner to the friend’s apartment they found Jerad Thomas asleep in the stairway of his apartment with the van keys underneath his body. Thomas initially resisted the officers when they woke him but was brought into compliance when deputies Tased him. Thomas admitted to driving the van but had no recollection of hitting anything. He will be charged with driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest and possibly other charges.

According to Harris County criminal records, this represents 36-year old Thomas’ third DWI arrest.

Jerad Thomas has been charged in a January 24, 2012 fatal hit-and-run

Smith & Hassler’s attorneys aggressively pursue drunk drivers and their insurance companies in order to compensate those injured or bereaved by the gross negligence of intoxicated motorists.

At around 7:30pm on Thursday January 19, 2012 Keylon Napper was walking on Rio Bonito near Howell Sugarland Road when he was struck by a late model red-colored Toyota car. 26-year old Keylon was walking on Rio Bonito on his way to work at HEB when the Toyota left the roadway and struck him. The driver of the Toyota then stopped and got out to check on him, but then got back in the vehicle and left the scene. Napper and his family live in apartments near the scene: family members heard a crash and someone screaming. Napper’s brother-in-law Brian Henderson ran from his apartment to the scene and found Napper covered in blood: Napper was life-flighted to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he was listed as being in stable condition.

Hopefully the hit-and-run driver of the red Toyota can be identified by law enforcement or will do the right thing and turn themselves in. There is no legitimate reason for a driver who hits a pedestrian to leave the scene of an accident; in fact failure to stop and render aid is a criminal offense under the Texas Transportation Code. Many times drivers leave the accident scene because they have outstanding warrants, are intoxicated or do not have a valid driver’s license or insurance. Certainly we wish Keylon Napper a speedy recovery from his injuries.