Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A Splendora Police Officer is in serious condition in hospital after being injured in a collision with a Navajo 18-wheeler on FM 1485 near SH 242 last night. The officer was assisting Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in a search for a suspect when the collision happened at around 1:45am. The Spendlora officer was heading westbound on FM 1485, apparently without his sirens activated, when the 18-wheeler pulled out in front of him. The officer’s patrol car then t-boned the 18-wheeler‘s trailer. Witnesses said the officer has the right-of-way at the time of the crash. The Texas Dept of Public Safety is investigating the accident. Unfortunately the officer was seriously hurt and was taken via life flight helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Channel 13’s story is here. The officer’s name has not yet been released. The Montgomery County police blotter story is here. Channel 2’s story is here. The 18-wheeler involved in the accident appears to belong to Navajo Express, a long-haul trucking company founded in 1981 and based in Denver, Colorado.

A Splendora police officer was seriously hurt in a collision with an 18-wheeler on FM 1485 last night

We wish the Splendora officer a full recovery and our prayers are with him, his family and his colleagues.

A major accident involving a big rig caused traffic to grind to a halt in Dallas on Thursday and investigators have concluded the 18-wheeler was to blame. The wreck caused several accidents on the tollway and the ramp from Interstate 635 on to the Dallas North Tollway was closed. Evidently there is video footage showing how the accident happened and investigators are blaming the 18-wheeler’s excessive speed. The big rig crossed 3 lanes of traffic, flipping onto its side and crushing a car. The 18-wheeler also struck an SUV pushing into over the concrete median and into the path of oncoming traffic. The truck driver was uninjured and the drivers of the crushed car and SUV were taken to hospital, but fortunately do not appear to have suffered life threatening injuries.

The driver of this car is lucky to be alive. A speeding 18-wheeler flipped onto the car, crushing it.

Since it appears to have been established through video evidence that the 18-wheeler was at fault for this serious accident, presumably the 18-wheeler company’s insurer will not challenge any claims on liability (in other words, they will likely not try to claim the 18-wheeler was not at fault). What the insurer may attempt to do however is secure early settlements with those injured in this accident due to the 18-wheeler driver’s negligence. Early settlements such as these, even in less severe collisions, are always a bad idea. Automobile accident victims should always make sure their injuries are fully understood before ever considering settling a claim. Once a release is signed there is no coming back later seeking more money for necessary medical treatment. Smith & Hassler has litigated hundreds of trucking accidents, including wrongful death claims against 18-wheeler companies. Smith & Hassler attorneys Roger Sullivan and Daragh Carter were in trial this month in Harris County, Texas on an 18-wheeler accident case. If you have been injured due to the negligence of an 18-wheeler driver, call Smith & Hassler for a free consultation.

A frightening accident unfolded today in Temple, Texas when an 18-wheeler apparently ran a stop sign, colliding with a school bus filled with children and causing the bus to flip onto its side. The accident happened around 7:30am on FM93 on the outskirts of Temple, Texas which is 60 miles northeast of Austin. A total of 32 people, 29 of them children, were sent to Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple. Trooper Harpin Myers of the Texas DPS said the apparent cause of the accident was when the hardware truck (18-wheeler) ran a stop sign and hit the Academy school district bus. It was not readily apparent if foggy conditions were a factor in the wreck. The school bus driver was also listed in critical condition. A 9-year old boy was ejected through the escape hatch in the roof of the bus and the bus driver was knocked unconscious.

An 18-wheeler versus school bus crash in Temple, Texas on 01-19-2012 sent 32 to the hospital

Parents of the children riding in the school bus would be well advised to be extremely wary of settling their children’s claims, meeting with any insurance representatives or representatives of the 18-wheeler company, or signing any document that may affects their rights or their children’s ability to recover their damages. The most prudent approach would be to allow sufficient time to make sure their children are physically (and mentally) recovered or well on the road to recovery before resolving any legal claims. A precautionary visit to the pediatrician would be entirely appropriate given the severity of the collision. It would also be a good idea to consult with an experienced injury attorney who can fully explain their legal rights as parents and also the rights of their children. Although it doesn’t happen too often, unfortunately sometimes unscrupulous insurance representatives will rush injured persons or their family members into signing release documents very soon after an accident, usually before all injuries are fully understood.

57-year old Joe Gamez died yesterday when he was run over by a dump truck in north Houston. Mr. Gamez, who was an independent dump truck operator, and another man were working near the intersection of Duoto and West Tidwell on private land at around 12:30pm on January 18, 2012. A truck tire got stuck in the mud so Mr. Gamez walked behind it and told the other driver to reverse, then as the dump truck was backing up Gamez was hit. According to officials the dump truck belonged to Antonio Segovia Trucking. Channel 2’s report on the accident is available here.

Joe Gamez was struck and killed January 18, 2012 by a reversing dump truck

Smith & Hassler has over 20-years experience assisting bereaved Texans with wrongful deaths claims. If you have lost a loved one due to an accident, contact Smith & Hassler.

Authorities are investigating the cause of a major big rig crash followed by a fire on Interstate 10 near downtown Houston early morning Monday December 5, 2011. The wreck happened around 3:00am when an 18-wheeler went out of control and crashed into the concrete freeway divider, scattering debris across the roadway. The impact was severe enough to throw the engine out of the truck and into the roadway, and the fuel tank also caught fire. The 18-wheeler cab had two people inside and ended up on top of the concrete divider. Houston Fire Department said one occupant was driving the big rig, the other was asleep at the time, and that is was miraculous that both survived the crash. Both were transported to hospital in stable condition.

Tragedy has come to two Houston area families when one teenage driver is killed and another injured in a collision between an 18-wheeler hauling gravel and a pickup truck. The collision happened on Katy Mills Boulevard on Tuesday November 29, 2011 at around 3:30pm. The 18-wheeler was heading east on the feeder road and the pickup truck was southbound on Katy Mills Boulevard when one of the drivers ran a red light: during the impact both teenage boys were ejected from the pickup truck. The 18-wheeler flipped onto its side and landed on one of the teenagers, killing him instantly. This poor young man’s name has not yet been released. Police were interviewing both drivers to see what happened; a television news reports indicated that both drivers said they had the green light. The driver of the pickup truck and the driver of the 18-wheeler were taken to hospital and were in stable condition. A blood sample will be taken from the 18-wheeler driver to rule out alcohol or drug involvement. The intersection was blocked for a considerable amount of time as emergency services responded, which included cleaning up the load of gravel spilled from the overturned 18-wheeler. Channel 2’s report on the big rig collision is here.

Losing a young family member is a terrible tragedy for any family. It will be particularly hard for the deceased young man’s family with Christmas less than a month away.

This Toyota minivan with what appears to be out of state license plates was severely damaged in the November 8, 2011 chain reaction wreck on US 59 in Houston

Around 3:30pm on Tuesday November 8, 2011 a major collision shut down the southbound lanes of US59. The multi-vehicle chain reaction style crash involved an 18-wheeler, an RV and at least 10 passenger cars, including the severely damaged Toyota minivan pictured above. Three children had to be extracted from the van according to Channel 11, and they were transported to the hospital along with others involved. An 18-wheeler lost a load of pipe in the collision. Channel 13 reports the location of the wreck as US 59 near Northpark outside Kingwood.  Channel 2 is the only media site that lists an apparent cause for the collision: the 18-wheeler came upon the scene of a previous wreck and was unable to stop in time causing the big rig to swerve and jackknife.

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.

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.