Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A 61-year old man driving an SUV was killed in a two-vehicle accident yesterday afternoon. According to the account witness Elizabeth Summerlin gave Channel 2 News Houston, the man’s SUV lost control after clipping the back of a United States Postal Service 18-wheeler, causing the SUV to lose control and flip onto its side. The SUV became wedged between the 18-wheeler and the concrete retaining wall, and the SUV became engulfed in flame. Good Samaritans stopped their vehicle, some using fire extinguishers, and tried to rescue the SUV driver. Unfortunately the man was unable to escape the burning SUV and he died at the scene. The crash happened on Houston’s Southwest Freeway near the Chimney Rock exit at around 3:00 p.m.

Update 1: the deceased SUV driver has been identified as Dan Winfrey. Mr. Winfrey’s sister Donna Griffin was interviewed by KHOU, stating her brother was on his way to collect his girlfriend from her workplace when the accident happened. Ms. Griffin told KHOU her brother was unfamiliar with the area and was using his cellphone to ask his girlfriend what exit he should take; reportedly Mr. Winfrey exclaimed “Oh God” and the phone went dead.

24-year old Danny Sandoval has been charged with Driving While Intoxicated in connection with a fatal crash on Houston’s East 610 Loop.  The wreck happened around 3:20 a.m. on Saturday March 22nd.  A 23-year old woman driving a Honda Civic northbound struck a concrete wall, after which the Honda went back into the travel lanes.  Danny Sandoval’s Jeep Wrangler then struck the Honda, killing the woman driving and injuring a 23-year old male passenger in the Honda.  Sandoval, who was not injured in the collision, was questioned and then arrested.

Photo credit: KHOU

Tyler Schlegel (17) is facing charges of evading arrest, racing on a highway causing serious bodily injury and accident causing serious bodily injury after police say the teen engaged another driver in a drag race that turned into a serious car accident.

KHOU reports the teens had just left a movie (ironically, the movie was Need for Speed) when Schlegel, driving a 2014 Ford Mustang, and another unnamed teen driving a white-colored BMW 3-series sedan, began racing on Gosling Road in The Woodlands. At some point the two vehicles made contact, causing the BMW to lose control and leave the roadway, hitting an Entergy electrical box and then a tree. Carlos Cardoza, a passenger in the BMW, was able to extract himself from the passenger seat of the wrecked Mustang and run to a nearby Shell gas station for help.

BMW wrecked in the accident

Schlegel allegedly fled the scene of the crash and parked his Mustang at a nearby fast food restaurant then returned on foot, where he was identified by bystanders as the other driver. Apparently Schlegel then took off on foot when approached by officers, but was apprehended after a brief foot chase.  Cardoza reportedly suffered an arm injury, the condition of the driver of the BMW (who had to be cut from the car) was not reported.

Tyler Schlegel's 2014 Ford Mustang

An 18-wheeler and a Chevy Tahoe SUV collided in an accident this morning on the North Freeway (Interstate 45 North) near Tidwell around 4:30 a.m.  Three of the four travel lanes were blocked due to the accident, and police closed all lanes to remove the 18-wheeler.  One person in the SUV was injured and transported to hospital.

Truck accident attorneys in Houston, Texas | Houston personal injury attorneys, Smith & Hassler | What to do after a car accident

Police are saying that excessive speed and possibly alcohol were factors in a major collision on Highway 290 (a.k.a. Northwest Freeway) this morning. A woman driving a Chevy Camaro rear-ended a blue-colored SUV near the 43rd Street exit, and the impact caused the SUV to roll over. Two passengers in the SUV, a blue-colored Dodge Nitro, were taken to hospital in stable condition; the driver of the Camaro was transported in critical condition.  If the Camaro driver is found to have been legally intoxicated at the time of the crash, she will likely be charged with intoxication assault. Channel 2’s coverage is here. KHOU’s coverage is here.

This SUV rolled when it was hit by a speeding Camaro

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A man and woman sitting in a disabled vehicle on the shoulder of Interstate 45 near Airtex in Houston were injured in a major collision early this morning and Harris County deputy sheriffs think street racing may be the cause of the accident. The driver of a full-size white pickup truck with custom rims and lowered suspension was apparently racing a second vehicle, when the pickup stopped on the northbound side of the freeway and turned around, heading into oncoming traffic. The front of the pickup then smashed into a disabled green-colored Chevy Trailblazer SUV on the side of the freeway with a man and woman inside. The second vehicle apparently involved in the race has not been located. Police will investigate to see if alcohol was a factor in the crash.

Smith & Hassler helps hundreds of clients resolve automobile accident injury claims each year.  Our firm currently have 29 Google reviews from former clients with an average rating of 4.8/5.

The victims' Chevy Trailblazer

A single vehicle accident on Long Drive in Houston early this morning claimed the life of a passenger traveling in the vehicle. The red-colored Ford SUV left the roadway on Long Drive near the 610 Loop and struck a power pole, causing the pole to break and fall on top of the flipped vehicle. It took 20 minutes for emergency crews to remove the power line and get to the driver and passenger: the passenger died on the scene. Police think excessive speed and alcohol were likely factors in the accident.

Very little detail was available but an 18-wheeler was involved in an accident with at least one other vehicle on Monday January 27th at around 12:50 p.m. The crash happened on the East 610 Loop at Highway 225. A Houston Transtar image on KHOU’s web site seems to show an 18-wheeler trailer resting on its side, possibly having crashed over a concrete retaining wall. No word on whether anyone was injured.

Photo credit: Houston TranStar

Injured in an 18-wheeler accident in Houston? Smith & Hassler has four attorneys who are Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the firm has been is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

A METRO police officer was injured in a car accident at 5:30 this morning near the intersection of Hamilton Street and Gray Street near downtown Houston. Houston police say a driver who ran a red light struck the officer’s vehicle. The officer was transported to an area hospital with non life threatening injuries, Channel 2 reports. The other driver wasn’t hurt. Channel 11’s story on the accident says the officer was in uniform but driving a private vehicle. Interestingly it appears the other driver, who was on his way to work at the post office, told Channel 11 he “may have just not noticed the light.”

Photo credit: KHOU

An accident this morning in Humble involving a flatbed truck carrying a bucket lift has injured at least one person. The crash occurred around 10:15 a.m. on E. FM 1960 near Moon Trail Drive.  A picture from Channel 2’s web site shows the flatbed truck laying on its driver’s side, apparently having slid on the roadway for some distance based on the scrape marks. Life Flight was called out to transport at least one victim, and FM 1960 was temporarily closed.

Update: an article on KHOU’s web site identifies the victim in the passenger car as being a retired HPD police officer named Larry Moody. The passenger car involved appears to be a Mercury Grand Marquis.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston

Board certified personal injury attorneys for truck accidents: Smith & Hassler, Houston, Texas.

Photo credit: KHOU

Photo credit: KHOU

Photo credit: KHOU