Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Two officers riding in a marked HPD patrol car were injured when they crashed into a flat bed truck driven by a suspected drunk driver. The crash happened at around 9:35pm while the officers were traveling eastbound on Berry near Bauman. The officers were responding on an emergency basis to a report of a shooting. The Isuzu flatbed truck took a sudden left turn in front of the officers and they were unable to stop in time and crashed into the side of the truck. The driver of the flatbed was not injured and was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. The police officer in the passenger seat sustained serious injuries in the crash, the officer driving the patrol car was taken to hospital with injuries to his hands. An article on Channel 2’s web site identifies the driver of the flatbed as 51-year old Sagred Ubaldo and states Ubaldo has been charged with intoxication assault.

A possibly intoxicated driver crashed into a Harris County Sheriff’s Office patrol truck early Friday morning. The wreck happened at FM1960 and Treschwig Road. A Harris County Sheriff’s Office sergeant was in the patrol truck and the time and saw a pickup truck speeding toward him. The sergeant reported there was nothing he could do other than hold on and brace for impact, because if he had tried to move he would have struck the vehicle in front of him. The sergeant was transported to a local hospital to be checked and the driver of the pickup truck was taken into custody to be tested for alcohol impairment. KHOU’s story is here. Smith & Hassler recently represented a Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy who suffered a low back injury when he was struck from behind by an intoxicated tow truck driver: the lawsuit arising from that accident was settled on terms favorable to our client.

A HCSO sergeant was injured when rear-ended by this pickup truck on FM1960 at Treaschwig on November 4, 2011. The pickup driver was taken into custody and may have been drunk.

A car accident is a very disruptive event for most people.  A damaged vehicle may mean you cannot get to work, grocery shop, take your kids to school or sporting events, and so on.  Injuries may mean you are unable to work, hence unable to support yourself or your family due to lost wages.  And not only are you missing income because you are unable to work, but you now have unexpected debts for medical treatment, sometimes in the tens of thousands of dollars.  Dealing with all of these challenges at once can feel overwhelming, particularly if you have never been involved in an accident before.  If the at-fault driver had insurance, you are probably dealing with requests for information from the insurance company too.  Smith & Hassler firmly believes that the earlier in the process you get sound advice from an experienced personal injury attorney who is willing to listen to you, answer your questions and provide you guidance, the better.  The insurance company will press you early on to give a recorded statement about the accident, your injuries, your medical history and more: don’t do it, the statement is for their benefit, not yours.  You can call or email Smith & Hassler any time for a free consultation on your car accident injury claim.

Halloween evening turned tragic for the friends and family of 58-year old Russell Brandon last night when Mr. Brandon was fatally struck by a pizza delivery driver.  The delivery driver worked for Big B’s Pizzeria in Huffman, TX and was driving a Ford Mustang when he struck Mr. Brandon’s motorized bicycle on Huffman-Cleveland near FM2100 around 8:00pm.  According to a report by Channel 11 News, the pizza delivery driver said he did not see Mr. Brandon until it was too late: Mr. Brandon was pronounced dead at the scene.   Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies said both Mr. Brandon and the pizza delivery driver were well known in the Huffman, Texas area and that the driver would not face any charges in the accident. A Channel 2 News report lists the pizza delivery driver’s age as 19 and states that Mr. Brandon was a few blocks from his home at the time of the crash. Mr. Brandon apparently hailed from Scotland and was the father of no less than 11 children.  The Channel 2 report says the pizza delivery Mustang struck Russell from behind. Alison Roth, Mr. Brandon’s daughter is quoted in the Channel 2 report as expressing her concern for how the driver of the Mustang must feel being so young and involved in a fatal accident: Ms. Roth’s gracious concern is very impressive under the circumstances.

Russell Brandon was struck and killed on 10-31-2011 while riding his motorized bicycle by this red Ford Mustang driven by a pizza delivery driver.

At approximately 8:15am this morning a serious accident happened on the North 610 Loop West in the westbound lanes, just across the Loop from Smith & Hassler’s office. The wreck involved a WCA Waste Corporation 18-wheeler and a black colored pickup truck.  The pickup truck sustained very heavy front end damage: the airbag was deployed and the fire department removed the driver’s door of the pickup truck. Hopefully the driver of the pickup truck and any passengers were not seriously hurt. Fortunately Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital is less than half a mile from the scene of the wreck.

Video of the wreck: 610 and Ella wreck 11-01-2011

WCA Waste Corporation 18-wheeler and a black pickup truck were involved in a serious collision on the 610 Loop near Ella this morning.

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 an insurance 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.

KHOU Channel 11 is reporting a fatal accident in the Montrose area early Sunday morning. A Cadillac was seen traveling at a high rate of speed on West Dallas near Columbus at around 3:00 am and when the Cadillac crossed Montrose the driver lost control and the car went into a sideways skid. The Cadillac then hit two wooden telegraph poles splitting both poles in half. The driver of the Cadillac was pronounced dead at the scene and the two passengers were transported to Ben Taub General Hospital in stable condition. HPD indicated tests on the driver would be done to determine if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the wreck.

Car accidents commonly result in medical bills, lost income from work and a period of time after the accident when the injured person is in pain and is impaired from performing their normal activities. Texas law allows a person injured in a motor vehicle accident by another’s negligence to seek recovery of money damages.  Speaking to an experienced Houston personal injury attorney early in the process can make the difference between a relatively straightforward claim under the other driver’s insurance policy and a real nightmare.  Insurance companies will deny or undervalue claims if they have a reason to.  Smith & Hassler’s trial-tested Houston personal injury attorneys will provide you with a free consultation regarding your motor vehicle accident injury claim: call now or submit your case online.

A Houston Police Department motorcycle officer was injured yesterday while escorting an over-sized load on an 18-wheeler. The incident happened at South Wayside near Avenue R in Houston when the overly tall load made contact with an overhead wire connected to a phone pole. The wire was pulled free of the pole and fell onto the officer causing him to crash his motorcycle. The officer suffered road rash and injury to his neck and back, but is expected to make a good recovery. He was reportedly conscious and alert after the incident and while being transported to Ben Taub with a police escort. Liability for the incident almost certainly lies with the operator of the 18-wheeler: the big-rig driver is responsible for making sure there is adequate clearance for his vehicle to pass.

KHOU’s report of the HPD motorcycle officer’s telephone wire accident is here.
Click here to read the Houston Chronicle’s report of the motorcycle officer injured by the big-rig phone wire collision.

Jose Olivarez, a 32-year old undocumented immigrant from Mexico, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection with a high-speed crash on the W. Sam Houston Tollway near Bellaire Boulevard yesterday. According to the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable’s office, Olivarez was driving at high speed in his SUV when he lost control of the vehicle, hit a wall, then a toll booth light, then another wall and finally an SUV in the EZ Tag lane.  The SUV struck by Olivarez flipped over, killing the man driving the flipped SUV.  The man’s wife who was with him in the vehicle reportedly was not physically injured. Officers placed Olivarez in custody on discovering he was uninsured and did not have a driver’s license. A female vehicle in Olivarez’ vehicle fled on foot.

Our hearts go out to the poor lady who lost her husband in this avoidable tragedy.  ALWAYS ensure you are driving at a safe speed for Houston’s busy roads and stop/start traffic conditions.

A traffic accident took the life of an 88-year old lady Monday and Houston police are investigating. The accident was in the 900 block of Eldridge at the Katy Freeway around 10:15am. The elderly lady was riding in a silver-colored Mercury Cougar heading northbound on Eldridge when it was hit in the intersection by a black Acura MDX SUV. According to police the driver of the Acura ran a red light and caused the crash: the elderly lady was transported to Methodist West Houston Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The Acura driver received a citation for running the red light and driving without a license.

A tow truck slammed into the back of a car on FM1960 at Cypress Station causing the car to roll over. A mother and child in the car were transported to hospital to be treated for their injuries. The wrecker driver was not injured. No information was available from local media outlets on the condition of the mother and child.

A multi-vehicle pileup on the Sam Houston Parkway on Saturday left two people dead and several others injured. The accident happened at around 11:30pm on Sam Houston Parkway near Veterans Memorial. Channel 13 is reporting that the wreck involved a total of five vehicles and that a suspected drunk driver is being blamed. Tragically a brother and sister in their 20’s were killed in the crash: they have been identified as 27-year old Erica Montez and 24-year old Nick Montez. Sunday evening the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office announced that 55-year old Barry Lewis Andrews has been charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter for the accident. Andrews is from Hockley, Texas.

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 and drunk 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 company can’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.

Siblings Killed in 5-Vehicle Accident: MyFoxHOUSTON.com