Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Houston’s rush hour abruptly ground to a halt for many motorists this morning when all westbound lanes of Beltway 8 were shut down for about an hour due to an eleven vehicle wreck at Aldine Westfield. A motorcyclist may have been involved in the collision. Channel 13’s very brief report of the accident is here and Channel 11’s report is here.

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.

Channel 2 News is reporting a serious accident during this morning’s commute. Four vehicles were involved in a crash at around 8:30am on the Interstate 45 northbound HOV lane near the West Mount Houston road exit. Images from FOX News’ helicopter show several large vehicles including a light blue colored commercial van.

Update: KHOU has released a report on this collision indicating the accident happened when the blue van rear-ended a white van, which caused the white van to flip over and land on a red vehicle. The jaws of life were apparently used to extract a teenage victim from one of the vehicles. The injured were transported to Northwest Memorial Hermann Hospital. The KHOU story does not refer to any of the vehicles involved driving the wrong way.

A story on Channel 2’s website about the crash states that officials had originally thought it was a wrong way crash because two of the vehicles involved came to rest facing one another. Channel 2 said that one man who was extracted from the wreck suffered a broken arm and broken ribs. A story on the Houston Chronicle’s blog provides a clear pictures of the blue van, which appears to belong to Crestmark Construction Services: Crestmark Realty is located on Shepherd Drive in Houston.

This light blue commercial van was one of the four vehicle involved in the head-on crash on the I-45 HOV lane this morning.

A Channel 2 News story identifies this blue colored Crestmark Construction Services van as being at fault for this morning's collision on the I-45 HOV lane

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 head-on collision on Club Creek near the Southwest Freeway sent seven people to the hospital on Saturday. A man was driving a pickup truck eastbound on Club Creek at around 9:30pm when he crashed head-on into a Dodge Charger occupied by three adults and three small children.   Five of the people in the Dodge Charger (two adults and the three children) were transported to the hospital, one in serious condition. The driver of the pickup truck was also taken to hospital in serious condition. Police are investigating to determine if alcohol was a factor in the collision. KHOU has footage of the collision available here.

Unsure of how to handle an insurance claim for personal injuries you have suffered in a car accident?  Don’t rely on the insurance adjuster handling your claim for advice…they have a conflict of interest! The less adjusters pay on injury claims, the more profitable their company remains. Insurance adjusters want to settle automobile accident injury claims as quickly as possible so they can cut-off the insurance company’s liability for additional medical bills and close their file.  Since Smith & Hassler was founded in 1989 by Michael Smith and Al Hassler, this law firm has practiced exclusively in the area of personal injury and has handled thousands of car accident injury cases.  Call Smith & Hassler for a free consultation AS SOON AS YOU CAN AFTER YOUR CAR ACCIDENT—get advice from someone with your best interests at heart.  There is no charge for an initial consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys.

Two drivers were pulled from their burning vehicles by a witness after a head-on collision on Park Row near Broadfield at around 2:40am on Sunday October 2, 2011 according to a Channel 11 News report. A witness reported that a Nissan Altima was weaving back and forth on Park Row when it crashed head-on into a Ford Explorer. The witness saw both vehicles burst into flames and rushed in to pull both drivers to safety. The driver of the Ford Explorer was transported to hospital to be treated for injuries and the driver of the Nissan Altima was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators will try to determine if alcohol was factor in the crash. KHOU has video footage of the collision available here.

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.

KHOU is reporting a one-car accident in Montgomery County that has claimed the lives of three Porter High School students and injured two others. 17-year old Juan Manuel Velasquez was driving a white Honda Accord south on Sorters Road at South Plantation Estates at around 3:03pm on Wednesday September 28, 2011 when he lost control, crossed the roadway and the vehicle flipped over striking a tree. Juan Manuel Velasquez, 17, died at Kingwood Hospital. Two passengers also died in the accident: Jose Alberto Arreola age 17 was pronounced dead at the scene of the wreck and Osbaldo Avila age 18 died at Memorial Hermann Medical Center. Two other passengers, Joel Jonalie Alarcon (17) and Julian Avila (16) were listed as being in good condition at Kingwood Medical Center. It appears that excessive speed was a factor in causing the collision. Channel 2’s coverage of this tragedy is available here. Channel 13’s report is available here. The Houston Chronicle’s story is available here.

Sadly there is yet another drunk driving accident fatality to report in Houston. Last night a woman driving a Toyota Corolla westbound on W. Fuqua at White Heather in southwest Houston around 9:15pm hit a young man and woman crossing the street: the driver of the Corolla ran a red light immediately before striking the couple. Shockingly, after striking the pedestrian the Corolla driver dragged the female for an additional 50-yards before coming to a stop. Rather than check on the people she had hit, the driver then jumped out of her car near Hiram Clarke and tried to run into a wooded area, but fortunately a witness chased her down and detained her until police arrived. Family and friends of the victims were present at the scene and were extremely emotional as they tried to learn if it was their loved ones who had been struck, but police officers would not allow them to get close to the crime scene. A young man asked a witness if the female who was struck was wearing a gray jumper: when he was told she was, the young man fell to the ground crying. The male and female who were killed were both in their 20’s.  The driver of the Toyota Corolla was taken into custody by police on suspicion of drunk driving, is currently in jail and is facing two counts of intoxication manslaughter. A story on Channel 2’s web site identifies the driver of the Corolla as 30-year old Chavon Frank. The dark gray-colored Toyota Corolla shows heavy front end damage:

What a terrible loss for the family and friends of the two innocent victims of the this driver’s selfish decision to drive drunk. FOX News’ story is available here. Channel 13’s coverage of the drunk driving accident is here. The Houston Chronicle’s story is here. Channel 2’s coverage is here.

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.

Channel 2 is reporting that 8 vehicles were involved in a chain reaction collision that temporarily shut down US 290 this morning. The accident happened at around 6:20am on westbound US290 near 43rd street. Apparently a vehicle that had engine trouble had stalled in the middle lane and vehicle traveling behind could not stop in time, which resulted in a chain reaction style rear-end collision. The stalled vehicle that initiated the sequence of events apparently left the scene and witnesses were unable to give police a description of the vehicle. Two people were taken to hospital with reportedly minor injuries and no citations were issued according to the article.

Unsure of how to handle an insurance claim for personal injuries you have suffered in a car accident?  Don’t rely on the insurance adjuster handling your claim for advice…they have a conflict of interest! The less adjusters pay on injury claims, the more profitable their company remains. Insurance adjusters want to settle automobile accident injury claims as quickly as possible so they can cut-off the insurance company’s liability for additional medical bills and close their file.  Since Smith & Hassler was founded in 1989 by Michael Smith and Al Hassler, this law firm has practiced exclusively in the area of personal injury and has handled thousands of car accident injury cases.  Call Smith & Hassler for a free consultation AS SOON AS YOU CAN AFTER YOUR CAR ACCIDENT—get advice from someone with your best interests at heart.  There is no charge for an initial consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys.

There was a two vehicle wreck on the training track at the Houston Police Department academy this morning. The academy is in the 17000 block of Aldine Westfield, and the accident happened just after 9:00am. Visiting law enforcement officials from China were at the track and were participating in the training exercise when the wreck happened. Two HPD squad cars were on the track, each carrying a Chinese official and an unknown number of police officers. One officer driving a patrol car attempted a J-turn and crashed into the other vehicle. As a precaution the victims of the crash were transported to the hospital, though fortunately none of the injuries are thought to be life-threatening. The video clip below is from KHOU and shows fairly severe rear-end damage to one of the cruisers. Looks like somebody is going to be buying the donuts for the next few shifts.

FOX News Houston is reporting a single car crash that killed both the driver and a passenger. The crash was witnessed by an off duty police officer. The wreck happened at around 2:30am Sunday September 18, 2011 when the new-style white-colored Chevrolet Camaro tore through a 30 MPH zone at an estimated 80 MPH. The Camaro was traveling south on Bering when it hit a curb near Doliver then collided with a light pole and a brick wall. The female driver and the male passenger both died at the scene: the male passenger was ejected from the Camaro during the collision. The medical examiner’s office will test the female driver for alcohol. A photograph of the wrecked Camaro shows extremely heavy front-end damage.

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.

Channel 2 News is reporting a collision between  a car and an ambulance that sent six injured people to the hospital. The crash happened just after 9:00am on Wednesday September 14 at the intersection of the Interstate 10 East feeder and Sheldon Road in Houston. A silver-gray Dodge Charger car crashed into the ambulance as the ambulance was responding to a call for another car accident. According to deputies, the car had the right-of-way in the intersection but the ambulance was responding to an emergency and had lights and sirens activated. Sergeant Mauro Alvardo with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said that every other car stopped at the intersection to allow the ambulance through the intersection, however the gray car proceeded through on a green light. A total of six injured people had to be transported to the hospital including three medics in the ambulance and a 4 and 5-year old. The driver of the gray car received a citation for failure to yield the right of way to the ambulance. The ambulance was broadsided in the accident and flipped over onto its side. ABC Channel 13’s story is available here.

A car accident is a very disruptive event for most people.  A damaged vehicle may mean you cannot get to work, grocery shop, take your kids to school or sporting events, and so on.  Injuries may mean you are unable to work, hence unable to support yourself or your family due to lost wages.  And not only are you missing income because you are unable to work, but you now have unexpected debts for medical treatment, sometimes in the tens of thousands of dollars.  Dealing with all of these challenges at once can feel overwhelming, particularly if you have never been involved in an accident before.  If the at-fault driver had insurance, you are probably dealing with requests for information from the insurance company too.  Smith & Hassler firmly believes that the earlier in the process you get sound advice from an experienced personal injury attorney who is willing to listen to you, answer your questions and provide you guidance, the better.  The insurance company will press you early on to give a recorded statement about the accident, your injuries, your medical history and more: don’t do it, the statement is for their benefit, not yours.  You can call or email Smith & Hassler any time for a free consultation on your car accident injury claim.