Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A 56-year old La Marque woman fended off an attempted robbery by a man in a Wal-Mart parking lot when she pulled a concealed handgun and opened fire. The woman struggled with the man shortly before 3:00pm as he apparently attempted to take her car. The woman, a concealed handgun holder, was able to grab the pistol from the console of her car. She pointed her gun at the man who fled toward a silver or gray SUV driven by an accomplice. The woman fired several shots at the fleeing SUV as it sped away, one of the bullets struck the rear of the vehicle. The attacker was armed with a pistol. Police are looking for a silver or gray SUV with a bullet hole and Texas license plate number NMG 714. The Houston Chronicle’s story is here and has drawn many reader comments, which are overwhelmingly in praise of the woman’s actions.

CNN is reporting that an oil rig owned by Mariner Energy has suffered an explosion this morning. The rig is located off the Louisiana coast. The site is 80 miles south of the Vermilion Bay and coast guard helicopters are responding. The Coast Guard is reporting that 12 oil rig workers are overboard. There was a total of 13 people aboard the rig at the time of the explosion and 12 have been accounted for thus far. It is unknown at this time if there are any injuries.

Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Tom Phillips (and his family) were sued yesterday over an automobile accident that followed a party last year at the Phillips’ home in Bastrop, Texas just outside Austin.  A 17-year old girl became intoxicated at the party, held in the garage apartment of the Phillips’ son.  Mrs. Phillips ordered everyone attending the party to leave when the noise level rose: the car accident happened as the girl drove away.  The Phillips’ are being sued under social host liability: that they knowingly permitted alcohol to be served to a minor at their home, and that the minor became intoxicated as a result.

Houston lawyer Dax Faubus contends in the lawsuit on behalf of the parents of Audrey King, the 17-year-old who died in a drunken car crash shortly after leaving the party, that Tom and Lynn Phillips were “well aware that minors were getting drunk in their back yard.” Through their attorney, the Phillips say they didn’t even know a party was taking place in their son’s quarters in a carriage house behind their home.

Monday August 30, 2010: The Houston Chronicle is reporting that a 67-year old woman is dead and her 71-year old husband is critically injured after an early morning car accident with a City of Houston police car. The accident occurred in southwest Houston in the 7500 block of South Braeswood near Braesridge at around 12:30am. The woman and her husband were taken from the accident scene to Ben Taub hospital where the woman died. The names of the couple have not been released. The police officer was taken to Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center: police say the officer suffered a broken neck, arm injury and a gash to his forehead. The officer, who has been with HPD for about a year, was responding to an urgent call for assistance and was in a marked patrol car at the time of the car accident. The patrol car’s siren and emergency lights were not on at the time of the crash according to police.

Ford has issued a recall for Ford Windstar minivans, model years 1998 to 2003. A total of 575,000 vehicles are affected. The recall is due to possible corrosion problems with the rear axle.  Because cracking problems or axle failure affect vehicle handling, corrosion problems or defects could lead to accidents or injuries. People who own a 1998-2003 Windstar are advised to take their vehicle to a Ford dealership for inspection. Ford states that if the axle shows signs of cracking, owners will be offered a repair and alternative transportation while the repair is performed. If there is no cracking, owners will be offered a reinforcement bracket for the axle. A story is available here, including a Youtube video highlighting the problem.

Ford Motor Company’s official recall notice is here and reads as follows:

Ford is voluntarily recalling older, high-mileage Windstar minivans produced between mid-1997 and early 2003 for rear axles. In a very small number of cases, the axles have fractured in certain locations on the right and/or left side, and affected vehicle handling. We will notify affected owners in the very near future and ask them to bring their vehicles to their local dealers for inspection and any necessary repairs. As always, Ford is committed to responding quickly for our customers.

The recall for the Windstar – which is no longer in production – applies to vehicles in 21 states, the District of Columbia and Canada where road salt corrosion is more common.

Ford dealers at no charge to customers will reinforce the axles of the affected vehicles as parts are available. If it’s determined the axle can’t be reinforced, it will be replaced as soon as parts are available. Ford will provide for rental vehicles for customers until the rear axle of their vehicle has been replaced.

A man was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital with severe leg injuries after his pickup truck collided with the trailer of an 18-wheeler in Houston on Thursday August 26th.  The accident was south of Reed Road on Alameda Road in Houston. Both vehicles were traveling south when the 18-wheeler stopped to make a left turn and the pickup truck collided with the rear of the trailer. A Houston Chronicle report available here shows severe damage to the pickup truck.

News Channel 2 is reporting that Gina Wiggins has been accused of driving drunk and causing a car accident in Houston that resulted in the death of another driver. Harris County Sheriff’s Office states that Wiggins was driving a Nissan Xterra SUV southbound in the 21000 block of FM2100 in Houston at about 6:15pm on Wednesday August 25, 2010. Detectives say Wiggins failed to stay in her lane and hit a Ford Escort coming from the other direction nearly head-on.  Angela Maxwell, driving the Escort, sustained injuries that proved fatal. Wiggins was transported to hospital where a blood sample was drawn, and she was subsequently charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault.  Wiggins is being held in the Harris County Jail in lieu of $60,000 bail. The Houston Chronicle’s report is here.

Former Houston-area hand surgeon Michael Glyn Brown, owner of the Brown Hand Center, currently stands accused of assaulting his fourth wife by twisting her arm behind her back.  He was arrested Tuesday August 24th.  Mr. Brown pleaded guilty in 2002 to assaulting his third wife. Mr. Brown is free on $40,000 bail, must surrender his passport and is to have no contact with his wife Rachel Brown.  Mr. Brown has retained high-profile Houston defense attorney Dick DeGuerin. Mr. Brown’s television commercials for his carpal tunnel surgery center are frequently seen by Houston residents: the commercials feature Mr. Brown with his wife and daughters telling viewers that he will care for his patients just as he cares for his own family. Mr. Brown’s medical license was revoked in 2006 after he tested positive for cocaine.  Mr. Brown’s marketing materials state that he personally trains the physicians at the Brown Hand Center. In the 2002 incident, Brown pleaded no contest to an aggravated assault charge for beating his then-pregnant wife Darlina with a bed post. A year before Mr. Brown admitted guilt in the assault on Darlina, a jury hearing the facts of the couple’s divorce awarded Darlina $5.4 million for her injuries, including pain and suffering.

The Houston Chronicle’s story is available here and in less than 24 hours has already drawn 447 comments.

The Texas Department of Transportation compiles a lot of facts and information on car accidents, including factors that contribute to car crashes in rural and urban areas.  In an urban area such as Houston, some of the leading factors contributing to car accidents are:

Failure to control speed, which caused 93,552 total crashes in 2008 of which 358 were fatal crashes and 11,621 caused serious injury
Failure to drive in a single lane, which caused 22,217 total crashes in 2008 of which 257 were fatal crashes and 3,062 caused serious injury
Speeding over the limit, which caused 5,237 total crashes in 2008, of which 256 were fatal crashes and 1,537 caused serious injury
Driving under the influence of alcohol, which caused 10,071 total crashes in 2008, of which 241 were fatal crashes and 2,072 caused serious injury
Driver inattention, which caused 76,276 total crashes in 2008, of which 176 were fatal crashes and 8,805 caused serious injury.

These statistics are compiled from information gathered from police accident reports, a report a police officer completes after investigating an automobile accident.  A portion of a Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report often referred to as “contributing factors” allows the officer to list his or her opinion as to factors or conditions that caused or may have caused of contributed to the collision.  If you have been involved in an automobile accident and would like advice on how to interpret what the officer has written in your crash report, you can contact Smith & Hassler for a free consultation.

A motorcyclist died in a crash on a Houston freeway on Saturday August 21st, 2010 at approximately 11:35pm.  Police are reporting that a group of motorcycles was traveling south in the 9700 block of the North Freeway. A 32-year old man riding a Kawasaki motorbike was riding in the back of the group when the group sped up to pass a vehicle. The man lost control and was thrown off his bike: he was transported to Memorial Hermann hospital where he died. The man was wearing a helmet at the time. Read News Channel 2’s report here.