Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Two HPD officers were transported to hospital after their police cruiser was struck by an SUV at the intersection of Bay Area Boulevard and Space Center Boulevard around 11:30pm. Channel 2 is reporting that the driver of the SUV was a 37-year old woman who was under the influence of the prescription sleep aid medication Ambien. A field sobriety test conducted at the scene confirmed the woman was impaired and she was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. The officers were transported to Clear Lake Regional and, thankfully, are expected to be able to return to work today.

This HPD police cruiser sustained heavy damage when it was t-boned at 11:30pm on Wednesday November 16, 2011 by a female SUV driver impaired by the sleep aid Ambien.

Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) car accidents seem to happen every single night in the Houston area and throughout Harris County.  Sadly Harris County Texas ranks among the highest counties in the nation for drunk driving fatalities and drunk driving accident injuries year after year.  Drunk driving car accidents often create even more complications for the victim than a regular car accident: insurance companies usually won’t pay a claim or provide a rental car until they speak to their insured driver and get their version of what happened. The insurance company can’t do that if their insured was charged with DWI and is in jail. Call Smith & Hassler if you have been injured by a drunk driver’s gross negligence and ask for speak to one of our personal injury attorneys right now.  Smith & Hassler aggressively pursues claims against drunk drivers.

Two people died and three others, including a child, were seriously injured in a collision on Highway 105 near Fostoria Road in Montgomery County on Friday November 11, 2011. According to state troopers the wreck happened when a pickup truck broadsided a minivan. Juan Valentin Gante, age 38, and Maria Gomez, age 34, died at the scene of the collision. Marisela Gomez, age 34 and 3-yeard old Monica Gomez were passengers in the minivan who were taken by life flight helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Also taken by helicopter was 67-year old Richard Olan Johnson, the driver of the pickup truck that struck the minivan. Investigators said Johnson tried avoiding the collision with the minivan.

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.

KHOU Channel 11 is reporting a fatal accident in the Montrose area early Sunday morning. A Cadillac was seen traveling at a high rate of speed on West Dallas near Columbus at around 3:00 am and when the Cadillac crossed Montrose the driver lost control and the car went into a sideways skid. The Cadillac then hit two wooden telegraph poles splitting both poles in half. The driver of the Cadillac was pronounced dead at the scene and the two passengers were transported to Ben Taub General Hospital in stable condition. HPD indicated tests on the driver would be done to determine if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the wreck.

Car accidents commonly result in medical bills, lost income from work and a period of time after the accident when the injured person is in pain and is impaired from performing their normal activities. Texas law allows a person injured in a motor vehicle accident by another’s negligence to seek recovery of money damages.  Speaking to an experienced Houston personal injury attorney early in the process can make the difference between a relatively straightforward claim under the other driver’s insurance policy and a real nightmare.  Insurance companies will deny or undervalue claims if they have a reason to.  Smith & Hassler’s trial-tested Houston personal injury attorneys will provide you with a free consultation regarding your motor vehicle accident injury claim: call now or submit your case online.

Jose Olivarez, a 32-year old undocumented immigrant from Mexico, has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection with a high-speed crash on the W. Sam Houston Tollway near Bellaire Boulevard yesterday. According to the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable’s office, Olivarez was driving at high speed in his SUV when he lost control of the vehicle, hit a wall, then a toll booth light, then another wall and finally an SUV in the EZ Tag lane.  The SUV struck by Olivarez flipped over, killing the man driving the flipped SUV.  The man’s wife who was with him in the vehicle reportedly was not physically injured. Officers placed Olivarez in custody on discovering he was uninsured and did not have a driver’s license. A female vehicle in Olivarez’ vehicle fled on foot.

Our hearts go out to the poor lady who lost her husband in this avoidable tragedy.  ALWAYS ensure you are driving at a safe speed for Houston’s busy roads and stop/start traffic conditions.

A traffic accident took the life of an 88-year old lady Monday and Houston police are investigating. The accident was in the 900 block of Eldridge at the Katy Freeway around 10:15am. The elderly lady was riding in a silver-colored Mercury Cougar heading northbound on Eldridge when it was hit in the intersection by a black Acura MDX SUV. According to police the driver of the Acura ran a red light and caused the crash: the elderly lady was transported to Methodist West Houston Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The Acura driver received a citation for running the red light and driving without a license.

A tow truck slammed into the back of a car on FM1960 at Cypress Station causing the car to roll over. A mother and child in the car were transported to hospital to be treated for their injuries. The wrecker driver was not injured. No information was available from local media outlets on the condition of the mother and child.

Second year law student Halley Catherine Shaw was tragically killed the night of Tuesday October 18th by a hit-and-run driver and according to the Houston Chronicle a man who may be connected to the wreck turned himself in Wednesday. The man walked into the office of the Precinct 6 Harris County Constables who then turned the man over to HPD. Halley attended Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She died late Tuesday night when a Nissan Altima in which Halley was riding as a rear seat passenger was struck by a car that ran a red light while trying to evade police. Two other people in Halley’s vehicle were injured in the wreck and taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital: one of those passengers is also a second year student at Thurgood Marshall Law School. The passenger in the fleeing vehicle remained at the scene but the driver fled on foot before police were able to apprehend him. Halley’s many law school friends erected a monument at the scene of the accident. A Channel 13 News story identifies the suspect as 17-year old Daniel Garcia Palacios.

Halley Catherine Shaw died tragically while riding in the rear seat of this Nissan Altima

A crash early this morning has left one man dead and two others injured. The crash happened on Houston’s Gulf Freeway at around 12:30am. The driver of a red-colored Chevrolet or GMC pickup truck was traveling on the Gulf Freeway at Woodridge when he lost control of his struck and struck the center median. Another motorist pulled over to assist the driver of the crashed pickup truck, and the pickup driver was using the other motorist’s cell phone when another vehicle crashed into both the wrecked pickup truck and the Good Samaritan’s vehicle. Sadly the pickup truck driver died at the scene, the Good Samaritan who stopped to help was transported to hospital with reportedly minor injuries and the driver of the vehicle that crashed into the stopped vehicles was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Channel 11’s report is available here and include video. Channel 2’s story is here, and this story identifies the vehicle that crashed into the already stopped vehicles as a Toyota Avalon. Channel 13’s story is here, and lists the Avalon as bring black in color. The Houston Chronicle’s story is here, and states there is no indication of alcohol involvement.

The main lanes of the Gulf Freeway were shut down this morning during rush hour due to a vehicle crash and fire. Two vehicles wrecked on the inbound lanes of the Gulf Freeway at around 6:15am near Telephone Road. One of the vehicles, possibly a motorcycle, burst into flames. Injuries were reported, but specifically what isn’t known at this time. The scene was cleared within about an hour but traffic backed up for miles.

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.