Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Channel 2 News is reporting a fatal collision that occurred early Tuesday October 4, 2011. According to investigators the driver of a pickup truck lost control of his vehicle and crashed head-on into a Wal-Mart 18-wheeler on FM 1314 near Houston Road in Montgomery County. The wreck happened at around 1:00am. Sadly the pickup truck driver died at the scene. Fuel leaked from ruptured tanks onto the roadway closing FM1314 for a time.

Channel 2 News is reporting a serious accident during this morning’s commute. Four vehicles were involved in a crash at around 8:30am on the Interstate 45 northbound HOV lane near the West Mount Houston road exit. Images from FOX News’ helicopter show several large vehicles including a light blue colored commercial van.

Update: KHOU has released a report on this collision indicating the accident happened when the blue van rear-ended a white van, which caused the white van to flip over and land on a red vehicle. The jaws of life were apparently used to extract a teenage victim from one of the vehicles. The injured were transported to Northwest Memorial Hermann Hospital. The KHOU story does not refer to any of the vehicles involved driving the wrong way.

A story on Channel 2’s website about the crash states that officials had originally thought it was a wrong way crash because two of the vehicles involved came to rest facing one another. Channel 2 said that one man who was extracted from the wreck suffered a broken arm and broken ribs. A story on the Houston Chronicle’s blog provides a clear pictures of the blue van, which appears to belong to Crestmark Construction Services: Crestmark Realty is located on Shepherd Drive in Houston.

This light blue commercial van was one of the four vehicle involved in the head-on crash on the I-45 HOV lane this morning.

A Channel 2 News story identifies this blue colored Crestmark Construction Services van as being at fault for this morning's collision on the I-45 HOV lane

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.

A head-on collision on Club Creek near the Southwest Freeway sent seven people to the hospital on Saturday. A man was driving a pickup truck eastbound on Club Creek at around 9:30pm when he crashed head-on into a Dodge Charger occupied by three adults and three small children.   Five of the people in the Dodge Charger (two adults and the three children) were transported to the hospital, one in serious condition. The driver of the pickup truck was also taken to hospital in serious condition. Police are investigating to determine if alcohol was a factor in the collision. KHOU has footage of the collision available here.

Unsure of how to handle an insurance claim for personal injuries you have suffered in a car accident?  Don’t rely on the insurance adjuster handling your claim for advice…they have a conflict of interest! The less adjusters pay on injury claims, the more profitable their company remains. Insurance adjusters want to settle automobile accident injury claims as quickly as possible so they can cut-off the insurance company’s liability for additional medical bills and close their file.  Since Smith & Hassler was founded in 1989 by Michael Smith and Al Hassler, this law firm has practiced exclusively in the area of personal injury and has handled thousands of car accident injury cases.  Call Smith & Hassler for a free consultation AS SOON AS YOU CAN AFTER YOUR CAR ACCIDENT—get advice from someone with your best interests at heart.  There is no charge for an initial consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys.

A motorcyclist who was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed was killed in a collision with a Nissan Altima at around 3:30am on Sunday October 2, 2011. The motorcyclist was traveling southbound on the West 610 Loop near Westpark when the collided with the rear of the Nissan Altima. The Altima then spun out of control and struck a concrete retaining wall; a third vehicle (a small BMW car) was struck by debris from the crash. The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet but died at the scene. Reportedly the occupants of the cars were not injured. Channel 11’s report is here.

Two drivers were pulled from their burning vehicles by a witness after a head-on collision on Park Row near Broadfield at around 2:40am on Sunday October 2, 2011 according to a Channel 11 News report. A witness reported that a Nissan Altima was weaving back and forth on Park Row when it crashed head-on into a Ford Explorer. The witness saw both vehicles burst into flames and rushed in to pull both drivers to safety. The driver of the Ford Explorer was transported to hospital to be treated for injuries and the driver of the Nissan Altima was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators will try to determine if alcohol was factor in the crash. KHOU has video footage of the collision available here.

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.

KHOU is reporting a one-car accident in Montgomery County that has claimed the lives of three Porter High School students and injured two others. 17-year old Juan Manuel Velasquez was driving a white Honda Accord south on Sorters Road at South Plantation Estates at around 3:03pm on Wednesday September 28, 2011 when he lost control, crossed the roadway and the vehicle flipped over striking a tree. Juan Manuel Velasquez, 17, died at Kingwood Hospital. Two passengers also died in the accident: Jose Alberto Arreola age 17 was pronounced dead at the scene of the wreck and Osbaldo Avila age 18 died at Memorial Hermann Medical Center. Two other passengers, Joel Jonalie Alarcon (17) and Julian Avila (16) were listed as being in good condition at Kingwood Medical Center. It appears that excessive speed was a factor in causing the collision. Channel 2’s coverage of this tragedy is available here. Channel 13’s report is available here. The Houston Chronicle’s story is available here.

Channel 2 News is reporting that 13 people have been injured in an accident involving a school bus. According to the article, the privately owned school bus struck the rear of another vehicle which caused a multi-vehicle chain reaction style collision.  The wreck happened at around 8:00am on Tuesday September 27 on north beltway 8 at Greens Crossing. A total of 13 people were taken to Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, Doctors Hospital and Northwest Medical Center. The school bus is owned by AFC Transportation – the story did not state which school(s) the students on the bus attended. AFC Transportation’s web site refers to the company providing contracted school bus services for Awty International School Houston, The Village School in West Houston and the University of Houston. Hopefully none of the kids involved were seriously hurt.

Diana DeLeon has been identified as a pedestrian who was hit and killed by a hit-and-run driver on Highway 249 near Perry Road. Diana was hit at around 2:00am while walking eastbound on the inside lane in the 2100 block of Highway 249. Sadly she died at the scene. The car is described as a small, black four-door car that should have front end damage. Anyone with information should contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-674-5393 and help bring the hit-and-run driver to justice.

Early on Sunday September 25th a driver police say was intoxicated was involved in a serious two car collision at US290 and 34th Street. A black pickup truck crashed into a red-colored SUV: the driver of the SUV was intoxicated. An occupant of one of the vehicles was ejected in the crash and was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. Another person was taken to the hospital with a head injury. Channel 13’s story is here and according to Channel 13, one driver died in the collision.

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.

KHOU is reporting that 60-year old Stephen Loyd Hudetts of Dickinson, Texas has been accused of leaving the scene of a fatal accident involving a concrete truck and a motorcyclist.  Motorcyclist Wallace Trexler, aged 53 of Santa Fe, Texas was found deceased at around 5:00am on September 12 in the 200 block of Delaney Road near the southbound I-45 entrance in La Marque, Texas. Video surveillance helped police track down Hudetts, whose bond has been set at $25,000. KHOU’s story is available here. The Galveston Daily News’ story is here. The Galveston Daily News states that the concrete truck belongs to Kelso Concrete which is based in Galveston, and that management of Kelso are cooperating with the police investigation.

Stephen Loyd Hudetts has been charged in the hit-and-run death of motorcyclist Wallace Trexler

If you have lost a family member due to the negligence of another, contact the wrongful death attorneys at Smith & Hassler. In the more than 20-years Smith & Hassler has existed in the Houston area, the Smith & Hassler firm has handled many wrongful death cases from 18-wheeler accidents to food poisoning incidents and we understand the special attention wrongful death cases require. You can arrange a free consultation with a Smith & Hassler Houston personal injury attorney for your wrongful death claim, either in-person or by phone.