Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

ABC Channel 13 News is reporting yet another car accident involving an HPD vehicle.  On this occasion a driver allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Scott Street and the South  610 Loop at around 3:30am, crashing into the front of a marked HPD patrol car. The driver of the SUV was taken into custody for traffic violations and the report indicates the police officers were not seriously hurt. Two female passengers in the SUV were taken to be checked out at the hospital.

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.

Channel 2 News is reporting that a 3-year old boy drowned in a swimming pool at the Seasons at Cypress Station Apartments in Spring, Texas. The boy was pulled from the pool at around 9:00pm on Wednesday June 8, 2011. He was rushed to Houston Northwest Medical Center where he died. ABC Channel 13 Eyewitness News also reported on the same story, however in their report the boy is listed as being 4-years old, and the circumstances of the drowning are reported to be that there was a party being held in the pool area and the boy fell into the pool but nobody noticed him fall.

According to the YMCA Water Wise program, a child can become submerged within 10 seconds and lose consciousness within two minutes. It takes just four to six minutes for a child to suffer permanent brain damage. There have been 5 other drownings in Harris County this year. Photographs on the web site for Seasons at Cypress Station show a large swimming pool surrounded by a tall metal fence, however it was not reported how the child gained access to the pool area. Here is a link to an informational video on the YMCA Water Wise Program.

Channel 13 News is reporting a fatal accident on southbound US Highway 59 near the Grand Parkway in Sugar Land. Sugar Land police department reports that the accident happened at around 11:00am today when a big rig hauling a tanker trailer of diesel fuel crashed. The diesel fuel spilled onto the highway shutting down southbound US 59 completely. The cause of the crash is under investigation according to Channel 2’s story.

A severe crash involving two pickup trucks has occurred at the 17400 block of I-45 at around 6:29AM on Sunday June 5, 2011. Two Dodge Ram pickup trucks, one heading northbound in the right lane, another going eastbound on 1960 in the outside lane. The northbound pickup truck ran the red light, t-boning the eastbound Dodge Ram causing it to flip over and come to rest on its roof. The driver of the eastbound Dodge Ram was confirmed dead at the scene. No charges had been filed however the District Attorney’s Office had sent an investigator to the scene. The drivers of the two trucks were the only occupants. The driver who ran the red light was not transported to the hospital and remained at the scene during the investigation.

Over our more than 20-years practicing personal injury law in the Houston area, Smith & Hassler has amassed great experience in handling automobile accident claims and wrongful death claims resulting from automobile collisions.

This serious 2 vehicle collision happened today around 10:45am at the US290 feeder and 43rd

A serious two car accident happened this morning at the intersection of 43rd and the US 290 eastbound feeder road. Both drivers were visibly injured, the female driver of the silver SUV was bleeding and sustained an injury to her arm. A witness who was in a furniture delivery truck that was stopped at the intersection said the driver of the red pickup truck disregarded the traffic signal striking the silver SUV. The SUV spun 180 degrees after the impact. A Houston Fire Department ambulance responded to the scene.

A serious 3 vehicle car accident happened around 7:25am this morning on John Lizer Road in Pearland near Pearland Parkway, injuring two off-duty Houston Police Department officers and a child. A white-colored Ford pickup truck driven by an off-duty HPD officer was traveling northbound on Pearland Parkway when a Chevy Trailblazer heading eastbound on John Linzer ran a red light, smashing into the pickup truck and causing it to flip over. A third vehicle (also driven by an off-duty HPD officer) was struck in the crash and sustained damage. A 2-year old child riding in the Trailblazer was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital and both of the police officers were reported to have sustained injury.  Hopefully the at-fault party was properly insured and their insurance company will accept responsibility for the damage done.  KHOU’s story is available here.

3 people were injured including the off-duty police officer driving this flipped Ford pickup truck

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.

Today is Houston Police Department Officer Kevin Will’s funeral.  Officer Will was killed in the line of duty Sunday, struck by a drunk driver while investigating a motorcycle accident on Houston’s North 610 Loop. Officer Will’s funeral service is to be held at Champion Forest Baptist Church and will be followed by a private burial service. 26-year old Johoan Rodriguez, driving a silver-colored Volkswagen Beetle, drove through a police barricade before fatally striking Officer Will. Rodriguez’ Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was reported to be .238 which is very nearly three times the legal limit for intoxication in the State of Texas.  It is estimated Rodriguez was traveling around 80MPH when he struck Officer Will. Rodriguez also had a quantity of cocaine in his pocket at the time of his arrest.  Rodriguez has been deported from the U.S. on two prior occasions and denied entry to the U.S. on one occasion: Rodriguez works construction in the Houston area. Rodriguez has been charged with intoxication manslaughter of a police officer, among other offenses.  Prosecutors have stated Rodriguez is a member of the notorious MS-13 gang.

Officer Will leaves behind his wife who is 7-months pregnant with the couple’s first child together, a son, and also his 7 and 10 year old stepchildren.

In 2008 there were 3,382 fatalities resulting from motor vehicle accidents in the State of Texas: of those accidents 1,463 (which is 43%) were alcohol related. 1,269 of the alcohol-related fatalities involved drivers whose BAC was greater than .08, meaning they were legally intoxicated. Harris County consistently ranks top or near the top of the nation’s most heavily populated counties for DWI fatalities.

If you or a loved on have been victimized by an automobile accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident, bicycle accident or truck accident caused by a drunk driver, call the experienced Houston personal injury attorneys at Smith & Hassler for a free consultation. The earlier in your case you call, the better: the insurance company will want you to settle for a small amount as early as possible and have you sign a release. This will limit the insurance company’s liability and prevent them from having to pay more later. Smith & Hassler’s personal injury attorneys have aggressively represented injured people in the Houston area and throughout Texas for more than 20-years, including bereaved family members bringing wrongful death lawsuits.

2 children died riding in this Suburban carrying 16 people after an intersection collision. Centerpoint Energy cut power to the traffic signal before the wreck.

8 month old Laura Abrego and 3 year old Valeria Mendoza were killed in intersection collision in Harris County when the Suburban they were riding in collided with a Chevrolet pickup truck, causing the two children to be thrown from the Suburban. The Suburban was driven by 27-year old Brenda Mendoza and a total of 16 people occupied the Suburban at the time, 12 of them were children. The Suburban was headed northbound on the Beltway 8 feeder road when the collision happened with the Chevrolet pickup that was heading eastbound on Garrett.

Two other children in the Suburban had to be flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital. No charges were pending against either driver for the accident. Deputies reported that the traffic lights were out at the intersection at the time of the deadly crash. Investigators said CenterPoint Energy was doing work in the area and cut power to the intersection’s traffic lights at 12:37PM Sunday: the collision had occurred by 1:40PM, within an hour of the power being cut. When KPRC Local 2 contacted CenterPoint about the incident, officials said they were looking into it. News Channel 2’s story is online here.

If you have questions about how to handle your automobile accident you can speak to a personal injury attorney at Smith & Hassler for a no cost consultation. Just give our office a call or submit your case through our web site at www.smithandhassler.com

Houston Police Department is mourning the loss of one its officers after a fatal drunk driving collision on Houston’s North Loop early Sunday May 29, 2011.  Officer Kevin Will was investigating a motor vehicle accident on the 610 Loop near Yale when he was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by 26-year old Johoan Rodriguez. Rodriguez is in jail and has been charged with intoxication manslaughter of a police officer, evading arrest and possession of a controlled substance. Every loss of life due to drunk driving is a tragedy, but especially so when the victim has a family: Officer Kevin Will is married with two children ages six and ten and his wife is six months pregnant with the couple’s third child.

Officer Will joined HPD in 2009 and had been with the vehicular crime unit for almost a year. At the time of the crash Officer Will was interviewing a witness to a hit-and-run accident when Rodriguez’ Volkswagen came around a barricade and hit Officer Will at around 3:15am. Officer Will yelled to the witness when the vehicle was looming: the witness jumped over the concrete barrier dividing the freeway and the witness said he heard the impact before he even reached the ground.

Our prayers are with Officer’s Will’s widow, his children and his colleagues. It is hard to imagine the heart-breaking task of explaining to Officer Wills’ children that their father will not be coming home. The Houston 100 Club frequently seeks donations after the on-duty death of a police officer or fireman: please consider making a donation to help Officer Wills’ family.

The Houston Chronicle’s story is here. News Channel 2’s story is here. Fox News’ story is here. Channel 13 Eyewitness News’ story is here. KHOU’s story is here.

HPD Officer Kevin Will, killed by a drunk driver on Houston's North 610 Loop. Officer Will has two young children, his wife is pregnant with their third child.

48-year old Sheila Lindsey has been identified by the Houston Chronicle as the victim of the latest Harris County drunk driving incident resulting in a fatality. Ms. Lindsey worked as a custodian for the Harris County Toll Road Authority and was performing her job duties late Wednesday May 25th, 2011 when a Chevrolet Camaro driven by a 38-year old bartender named Julie Little crashed into a concrete barrier, went airborne and struck Ms. Lindsey, presumably killing her instantly. Ms. Lindsey is the first Harris County Toll Road Authority employee to be killed while on the job. The Houston Chronicle’s story sets out a glowing picture of Ms. Lindsey whose coworkers say she was very well liked, friendly, caring, always ready to help others out and was known to always have a big, bright smile. Ms. Lindsey was assigned to the North Sam Houston Tollway toll plaza.

The driver of the Camaro, Julie Little, was arrested around 1:00pm on Thursday May 26th by Harris County Constables at a home in Montgomery County. A blood draw was taken from Little after the crash because investigating officers could smell alcohol on her. It was subsequently determined that Little’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was .165 which is more than twice Texas’ legal limit for intoxication, which is .08. It was also determined that Ms. Little had no less than 3 narcotics in her system also.

The Precinct 4 Contable’s office has said that investigators are going to examine the 2011 Camaro’s black box to download crash data and determine how fast the Camaro was traveling at the time of the deadly crash. Little had bought the Camaro only three days before the crash. Indications are that the Camaro was traveling at a very high rate of speed and that Little made no attempt to brake. Assistant Chief Mark Herman with Precinct 4 Constables said that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) was also assisting in the investigation because Little is supposedly a bartender in Harris County, and if Little were intoxicated while she was on the job that would be illegal. If the TABC investigation were to reveal that Little was intoxicated while working at a bar prior to the accident, there may be liability on the bar for Ms. Lindsey’s death.

This incident is a prime example of the tragic consequence that can result from a person’s selfish decision to drive while intoxicated. Our condolences to Ms. Lindsey’s friends, family and co-workers for their loss.