Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A bill introduced by Representative Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham that would raise the speed limit on some Texas highways to 85 MPH has been approved by the Texas House. The measure, which was passed on Wednesday April 6th, 2011 by voice vote, is part of a larger transportation bill. The bill would authorize TexDOT to raise the speed limit on designated lanes or entire stretches of roadway after conducting engineering and traffic studies. Texas currently has more than 520 miles of interstate highways where the speed limit is 80MPH. Some automobile insurers are opposed to the measure and say they have safety concerns. Jerry Johns, a spokesman for the Southwestern Insurance Information Service is quoted as saying that speed and alcohol kill most people on Texas’ highways, so increasing the speed limit to 75 or even 85 MPH will have a “dramatic effect on the death and injury rate” on the highways where the measure is implemented. He also said that driving 85MPH on a flat road is “simply ludicrous.”

Click2Houston.com is reporting two deaths in separate but related accidents stemming from a police pursuit. A man was attempting to evade METRO police officers when he fled across I-45 at Crosstimbers on Tuesday April 5th: he was struck by a car and killed, and that collision then caused another fatal crash according to Houston police. The incident happened shortly after 10:00PM. Allegedly the man was suspected of assaulting and robbing someone near downtown Houston, after which he got on a METRO bus and exited at a stop at Acres Homes. METRO police then caught up to the man at the northbound North Freeway feeder road, at which time the man argued with police officers and tried to flee across I-45. The man was able to make it across the northbound lanes of I-45 but when he tried to cross the southbound lanes he was hit by a Ford Expedition and possible two other vehicles. The fatal collision then caused the freeway to back up. As an 18-wheeler sat in the backed-up traffic, a 19-year old female driver failed to slow her car in time and struck the rear of the big rig. The driver died at the scene and her two rear seat passengers were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition: the front seat passenger was said to have sustained minor injuries. The victims have not been identified: police said the man who ran from them had no weapons and no identification on him.

The 19-year old woman driving this car was killed and her rear seat passengers severely injured in a rear-end collision with a big rig on I-45

Our sympathies go out to the friends and families of the occupants of the car.

KHOU is reporting another tragic loss of life on Houston’s roads, apparently due to the gross negligence of a highly intoxicated driver. According to police the woman was traveling eastbound on Clear at around 2:30AM when she collided with a vehicle driven by a man that pulled in front of her while turning south onto Campbell. The victim (who had the right-of-way according to police) died at the scene. The man, who was highly intoxicated, was taken into custody by police.

A crash at Clear and Campell caused by a suspected drunk driver killed a female motorist

Various local media outlets are reporting the death of two men in a barge fire in Freeport. The men are 31-year old Jose Jesus Gonzalez-Alvarez and 41-year old Daniel Santacruz. The Saturday April 3rd fire was at Texas Barge & Boat, Inc. near the 4100 block of Floodgate Road. An ABC Channel 13 report says one man was caught in the blaze and the other man perished when he went in to save him. The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident as an industrial accident. KHOU said that the fire was in a cargo vessel that was sitting on top of a dry docked barge at the time of the fire. Freeport, Texas is about 65 miles south of Houston.

The Houston Chronicle has reported that the worker killed in yesterday’s plant explosion at KMTEX‘s Port Arthur plant was 58-year old Mr. Johnny Williams of Groves, Texas.  Another online media report says that OSHA will visit the plant to determine how and why the deadly explosion happened. Under the heading “quality” on the company’s web site, KMTEX states that: “KMTEX complies with mandated and governmental standards involving health, safety, and environmental measures. We are responsible business professionals, fully prepared to meet the standards of our customers.”

ABC Channel 13 News has posted a brief report on an explosion at the KMTEX chemical plant near Port Arthur, Texas that has injured 3 workers and killed one worker. The incident happened around 2:00PM on Thursday March 31, 2011.  Apparently an explosion was followed by a flash fire. A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy named Rod Carroll is quoted as telling KFDM-TV of Beaumont that the explosion involved gasoline that was being processed. Another statement credited to Jefferson County Emergency Management Coordinator Greg Fountain was that a 500 barrel fuel tank had exploded. Two of the injured workers were airlifted, one to Memorial Hermann Hospital and one to John Sealy Hospital in Galveston. Another was taken by ambulance to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont.

KMTEX’s web site identifies the company as a specialist in the custom processing of petrochemicals, speciality chemicals, oleochemicals, agricultural chemicals, and food grade chemicals. The plant is located at 2450 S. Gulfway Drive, Port Arthur, Texas 77641.

KMTEX chemical plant near Port Arthur, scene of a deadly explosion on March 31, 2011

The Houston Chronicle also provided coverage of the KMTEX explosion. The Chronicle article indicates authorities will be investigating how a flammable solvent remained in a pipeline workers were welding when the explosion occurred. According to unnamed witnesses, one of the workers was welding a pipeline that contained coal tar naptha solvent when the fire occurred: the workers thought all of the solvent had been evacuated from the line. Naptha is a by-produce of crude oil and is highly flammable. According to authorities, one of the injured workers suffered a head injury and another had fractured legs.

Our thoughts are with the friends and family of the deceased worker and the three men injured in the blast. Smith & Hassler believes that the hard-working men and women of the Houston energy industry deserve a safe working environment and should be able to expect to return home safely at the end of each work day. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a plant explosion, call our experienced personal injury attorneys right away.

KHOU.com is reporting a motorcycle crash that injured a police officer early Wednesday in Dickinson, Texas. The officer was taken via helicopter to a Houston hospital; fortunately his condition is listed as good. Officer David Donaldson was heading eastbound on FM 517 in Dickinson when he collided with a vehicle at Pabst Road. Dickinson Police Chief Ron Morales said Donaldson locked up the brakes on the Suzuki Hayabusa he was riding but was unable to stop in time: Donaldson was ejected from the motorbike and somersaulted through the air. The wreck happened shortly after 8:00am. The driver of the other vehicle was not hurt in the crash.

Texas lawmakers are considering whether to ban texting while driving across the Lone Star State. There are 10 bills that have been filed in Austin: Senate Bill 138 would ban texting while driving except when using a hands-free device. House Bill 93 provides for a penalty of up to $200 for texting while driving, and another bill (HB103) doubles that fine in school zones. A Channel 11 News article however reports that the various bills don’t seem to be getting much traction and suggests a couple of possible reasons why: telephone company lobbyists or lack of public interest. In the Houston area six cities have banned texting while driving recently: Conroe, Missouri City, West University Place, Bellaire, Alvin and Galveston. Missouri City‘s ban has been in effect since last June, so for about 10 months, however thus far Missouri City P.D. has issued only 5 citations for texting while driving. Only 11 citations have been issued in Galveston and none have been issued in West University Place.

Click2Houston.com has reported an automobile versus pedestrian accident that happened on Westpark Drive near Rampart Street about 8:15AM on Tuesday March 29, 2011. Sadly the pedestrian died after being hit by a vehicle. Investigators say the pedestrian walked across Westpark Drive against the light and the vehicle had the right-of-way at the time. The pedestrian was in a crosswalk. She was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital where she died: her name has not yet been released. Sergeant G. Hall with Houston Police Department is quoted in the article as saying the driver of the vehicle was very distraught, and will not be charged with any offense. Sgt. Hall told the reporter speed wasn’t a factor and a witness waiting at a red light saw what happened.

Scene of a fatal automobile versus pedestrian accident on Westpark Drive on 03-29-2011

Smith & Hassler has practiced exclusively in the area of personal injury for more than 20-years. Attorneys are available for a free consultation, and you can even submit your case online. Run a Google search for “Smith and Hassler” and check out the reviews from previous clients.

Monday March 28, 2011: Click2Houston.com is reporting a METRO bus crash at La Branch and Franklin in Houston at around 10:10AM. The bus collided with another vehicle that investigators said made a wrong turn. One passenger on the bus was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital with a leg injury.

This crash between a Houston METRO bus and another vehicle caused a leg injury to a bus passenger

If you have been injured in a bus accident, you can call Smith & Hassler at 1-800-WIN-WIN1 or 713-739-1250 and ask to speak to one of the firm’s personal injury attorneys for a free consultation.