Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A car accident on Highway 290 at Antoine around 3:30 a.m. involved one fatality. Two vehicles were involved, a dark-colored sedan and a mid-size SUV that appears to be a Toyota Forerunner. Channel 13’s report from the scene indicated someone was ejected from one vehicle, though which vehicle wasn’t clear. From the damage to the vehicles it appears the car rear ended the SUV causing the Toyota to spin out, however police are still investigating. All westbound lanes of Highway 290 were closed to traffic as police worked the accident scene.

Photo credit: Houston Chronicle

One killed in car accident at US290 and Antoine

Three were killed early this morning when a wrong way driver caused a head-on crash in northwest Harris County. The accident happened just after 3:30 a.m. on Highway 290 between Kickapoo Road and Binford. A woman in her 20’s was heading south in the northbound lanes when she struck a Ford Explorer head-on. The female was pronounced dead at the scene. A Harris County Sheriff’s Office sergeant at the scene stated there were three males from the Texas A&M University Corps. of Cadets in the Ford Explorer. The driver and rear seat passenger in the Explorer were killed and the front seat passenger was transported via ground ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital, reportedly in stable condition. It appears that alcohol was a factor in the crash.

Update: Harris County Sheriff’s Office has identified all four of the young people involved in the crash. The driver of the white Ford Mustang was 21-year old Katie Thomas: Channel 11’s news story says beer bottles were found in Ms. Thomas’ wrecked Mustang. The driver of the Ford Explorer was Amy Pacheco (18), and her passengers were Miguel Hernandez (18) and Francisco Campos (18). Miguel and Amy were killed in the collision, Francisco was injured and in critical condition. After the collision the Ford Explorer burst into flames. The A&M Corps. Cadets were heading back to College Station for an official function Sunday morning, having been in Houston judging a Houston ISD drill competition.

Photo credit: Channel 13 News Houston

Katie Thomas' 2005 Mustang. Photo credit: Channel 11 News

Amy Pacheco's Ford Explorer. Photo credit: Channel 11 News

According to the Texas Tribune, lawmakers are pushing to end a program in Texas called the Driver Responsibility Program. The reason: the program is having some unexpected negative consequences that are actually making drivers less safe.

Our Houston, TX accident attorneys believe that lawmakers need to act in a way to improve the safety of the road for every driver. Because the Texas Driver Responsibility Program is having the opposite of its intended impact and may actually be putting drivers at risk, we urge lawmakers to move forward on plans to put an end to the unsuccessful legislative program.

The Texas Driver Responsibility Program

The Texas Diver Responsibility program was signed into law in 2003. The purpose was to deter certain types of dangerous behavior. Driving with no insurance, driving on a suspended license, driving drunk and certain other types of behavior were singled out by the Driver Responsibility Program.

Drivers who committed an offense that was included in the program were subject to additional surcharges, above and beyond the standard fines and penalties. The surcharges often totaled in the thousands of dollars for serious offenses and drivers received points for lesser offenses that were added to their license. Drivers received notices of the surcharges assessed to them and were expected to pay within 105 days.  The intent was for the money to go toward trauma centers to provide support and funding for these centers. If drivers didn’t pay up, they would end up having their license suspended.

Unfortunately, a lot of drivers did not pay. In fact, there are now an estimated 1.3 million drivers who have had a license suspended as a result of a failure to pay their surcharges under the Driver Responsibility Program. Of course, this creates a compounding cycle because the drivers are now committing the offense of driving on a suspended license which can result in them being hit with even more surcharges.

Another unintended consequence of the legislation was that people didn’t want to take DUI pleas any more because they didn’t want to be hit with the huge surcharge. Prosecutors were forced to take cases to trial or to plead DUI charges down to lesser offenses, so the DUI conviction rate went down because of the Driver Responsibility Program.

Considering A Change

The program, while it may have been well-intentioned, clearly did not work as it should. Drivers are actually in greater danger as a result of the program for several reasons. First, with a lower rate of DUI convictions, there may be more drunk drivers who are able to stay on the roads and avoid the legal consequences of driving impaired. Second, drivers without a license cannot get insurance. Drivers without insurance put everyone in serious risk of financial peril. If these drivers get into an accident and hurt someone, they are not going to be able to pay for the damages that they are expected to cover, and the victim is going to be left with no viable recourse for collecting damages due.

With such serious problems created by the law, it is no wonder that lawmakers are moving to end the obviously unsuccessful program.

If you have been seriously injured in an accident and you are seeking experienced, aggressive attorneys to represent you, call Smith & Hassler for a no charge consultation: 713 739 1250.

According to the Sugar Land Sun, the “Safe Light Sugar Land” program has been a great success. The Program involved the placement of red light cameras at certain targeted locations in this city within the Houston metropolitan area in order to make targeted high-volume intersections safer.

Our Houston, TX accident lawyers are strongly in favor of any laws that are successful in encouraging drivers to be safer and in reducing the risk of auto accidents. Injuries resulting from auto accidents are devastating, and it is heartbreaking when someone loses a loved one in a crash. Running a red light is a top cause of accidents, and if the cameras curb that behavior, that is a very good thing.

The Success of the Sugar Land Red Light Program

The Sugar Land program, known as Safe Light Sugar Land, was intended to encourage motorists to stop at red lights rather than breaking the law and driving through. While prompting motorists to follow the law, the aim was also to improve mobility in Sugar Land, which is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Houston metro area.

Cameras were placed at targeted intersection, with the last of the current cameras installed in 2009. Data was then recorded on the number of accidents that took place as well as on the other impacts of the cameras. The statistics revealed that program has largely been successful. For example, according to the Sugar Land Sun:

• The number of auto accidents decreased at certain targeted intersections by more than 58 percent.
• At several intersections, including along Highway 59 and State Highway 6, compliance levels for stopping at red lights improved by almost 60 percent. Cameras at these locations were removed after the compliance levels improved.
• Approximately 70 percent of those caught on camera violating red light laws lived outside of the Sugar Land area.
• Violations of red light laws were most likely to occur in the afternoon, especially on Saturday afternoon.
• 90 percent of those who received a violation notice for running a red light did not ever a receive second notice for another violation, which means they did not run a red at an intersection with a camera again.

As these statistics show, putting red light cameras at targeted intersections can make people significantly safer. Making use of the cameras to stop those who are breaking the law and running the light also frees up police to work on other important matters rather than simply monitoring intersections to ensure people are stopping at lights.

When a person is caught on camera running a red, he or she can be subject to a civil fine of $75.00. The proceeds from the fine are split between the state and a Sugar Land City account set up to fund traffic safety programs and other projects including traffic enforcement and the right light cameras.  This penalty acts as a deterrent which prompts people to think twice about running a red. This, in turn, helps to prevent more people from becoming the victim of a traumatic car crash caused by running a red.

If you have been seriously injured in an accident and you are seeking experienced, aggressive attorneys to represent you, call Smith & Hassler for a no-charge consultation: 713 739 1250.

A suspected drunk driver bought himself a trip to Harris County jail last night when he crashed his white-colored Chevrolet Tahoe into several over vehicles, including a marked Houston Police Department patrol unit. The Tahoe driver lost control of his SUV while driving on Corporate Drive in southwest Houston, striking two vehicles and the police car. According to Channel 13 there were no reports of any injuries in the accident; the driver was given filed sobriety tests and then charged with drunk driving.

If you have been injured in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, Smith & Hassler has four board certified personal injury attorneys with a very significant amount of experience handling drunk driving accident cases. Visit www.smithandhassler.com to arrange a free consultation.

Photo credit: Channel 13 News Houston

Police say a small black coupe was speeding on the West 610 Loop in Houston last night around 1:00 a.m. when it rear-ended a white-colored Chevy Tahoe causing both vehicles to strike the concrete divider. The black coupe rolled over in the accident, which took place near the San Felipe exit in the Houston Galleria area. The driver of the coupe was transported to the hospital and the driver of the white Tahoe was treated at the accident scene. Both vehicles sustained significant damage and appear to be totaled. Channel 11’s story on the accident is here.

If you or a family member have been seriously injured in a car accident, Smith & Hassler has the experience to handle your claim properly.  Click here to check out Google reviews from former Smith & Hassler clients.

Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11 News

Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11 News

A crash between a Precinct 6 Constable‘s patrol vehicle and a passenger van from the Iglesia de Cristo Fuente de Vida church sent five people to the hospital Wednesday. The accident happened at 4006 Navigation near North York. Authorities say deputies were responding to a call with lights and sirens operating when the white van pulled away from a stop sign, failing to yield the right-of-way to the deputies. Three people in the van and two deputy constables were transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital, fortunately none suffered life-threatening injuries. Read Channel 2’s report here. Hopefully the church van is properly insured: it looks like the Precinct 6 patrol unit is totaled. Channel 13’s report is here.

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident and would like a free consultation with a board certified personal injury attorney, you can call Smith & Hassler at 713 739 1250, or visit www.smithandhassler.com

Three vehicles collided in Spring, Texas around 7:30 p.m. Saturday at FM 1960 and Millstone Drive leaving one driver dead and another seriously injured.  The vehicles involved were a blue-colored Scion four door car, an SUV and a pickup truck. Detective say the crash sent the pickup truck off the roadway, causing it to strike a utility pole and land in parking lot. The driver of the pickup truck died at the scene, and the Scion driver was taken to hospital in serious condition. Channel 2’s article is here.

If you have been injured in a serious car accident, Smith & Hassler offers a no-charge consultation, either in person or by phone.  Visit www.smithandhassler.com or call 713 739 1250 to speak to an attorney.