Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

At 2:30am on Saturday a speeding Corvette left the roadway on NASA Road 1 and slammed into the wall of a home. Alcohol and speed are thought to have contributed to the collision: reports indicate the driver of the Corvette was racing a motorcycle and may have been traveling at or about 100MPH when he wrecked. A female passenger riding in the Corvette died at the accident scene, her identity has not been released.

This silver Corvette convertible crashed into a home on NASA Road 1 in Pasadena killing the female passenger

If you have lost a loved one due to another’s negligence, call the experienced personal injury attorneys at Smith & Hassler who have successfully handled a great many wrongful death cases for Houston families.

ABC Channel 13 News is reporting yet another car accident involving an HPD vehicle.  On this occasion a driver allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Scott Street and the South  610 Loop at around 3:30am, crashing into the front of a marked HPD patrol car. The driver of the SUV was taken into custody for traffic violations and the report indicates the police officers were not seriously hurt. Two female passengers in the SUV were taken to be checked out at the hospital.

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 severe crash involving two pickup trucks has occurred at the 17400 block of I-45 at around 6:29AM on Sunday June 5, 2011. Two Dodge Ram pickup trucks, one heading northbound in the right lane, another going eastbound on 1960 in the outside lane. The northbound pickup truck ran the red light, t-boning the eastbound Dodge Ram causing it to flip over and come to rest on its roof. The driver of the eastbound Dodge Ram was confirmed dead at the scene. No charges had been filed however the District Attorney’s Office had sent an investigator to the scene. The drivers of the two trucks were the only occupants. The driver who ran the red light was not transported to the hospital and remained at the scene during the investigation.

Over our more than 20-years practicing personal injury law in the Houston area, Smith & Hassler has amassed great experience in handling automobile accident claims and wrongful death claims resulting from automobile collisions.

This serious 2 vehicle collision happened today around 10:45am at the US290 feeder and 43rd

A serious two car accident happened this morning at the intersection of 43rd and the US 290 eastbound feeder road. Both drivers were visibly injured, the female driver of the silver SUV was bleeding and sustained an injury to her arm. A witness who was in a furniture delivery truck that was stopped at the intersection said the driver of the red pickup truck disregarded the traffic signal striking the silver SUV. The SUV spun 180 degrees after the impact. A Houston Fire Department ambulance responded to the scene.

A serious 3 vehicle car accident happened around 7:25am this morning on John Lizer Road in Pearland near Pearland Parkway, injuring two off-duty Houston Police Department officers and a child. A white-colored Ford pickup truck driven by an off-duty HPD officer was traveling northbound on Pearland Parkway when a Chevy Trailblazer heading eastbound on John Linzer ran a red light, smashing into the pickup truck and causing it to flip over. A third vehicle (also driven by an off-duty HPD officer) was struck in the crash and sustained damage. A 2-year old child riding in the Trailblazer was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital and both of the police officers were reported to have sustained injury.  Hopefully the at-fault party was properly insured and their insurance company will accept responsibility for the damage done.  KHOU’s story is available here.

3 people were injured including the off-duty police officer driving this flipped Ford pickup truck

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.

2 children died riding in this Suburban carrying 16 people after an intersection collision. Centerpoint Energy cut power to the traffic signal before the wreck.

8 month old Laura Abrego and 3 year old Valeria Mendoza were killed in intersection collision in Harris County when the Suburban they were riding in collided with a Chevrolet pickup truck, causing the two children to be thrown from the Suburban. The Suburban was driven by 27-year old Brenda Mendoza and a total of 16 people occupied the Suburban at the time, 12 of them were children. The Suburban was headed northbound on the Beltway 8 feeder road when the collision happened with the Chevrolet pickup that was heading eastbound on Garrett.

Two other children in the Suburban had to be flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital. No charges were pending against either driver for the accident. Deputies reported that the traffic lights were out at the intersection at the time of the deadly crash. Investigators said CenterPoint Energy was doing work in the area and cut power to the intersection’s traffic lights at 12:37PM Sunday: the collision had occurred by 1:40PM, within an hour of the power being cut. When KPRC Local 2 contacted CenterPoint about the incident, officials said they were looking into it. News Channel 2’s story is online here.

If you have questions about how to handle your automobile accident you can speak to a personal injury attorney at Smith & Hassler for a no cost consultation. Just give our office a call or submit your case through our web site at www.smithandhassler.com

48-year old Sheila Lindsey has been identified by the Houston Chronicle as the victim of the latest Harris County drunk driving incident resulting in a fatality. Ms. Lindsey worked as a custodian for the Harris County Toll Road Authority and was performing her job duties late Wednesday May 25th, 2011 when a Chevrolet Camaro driven by a 38-year old bartender named Julie Little crashed into a concrete barrier, went airborne and struck Ms. Lindsey, presumably killing her instantly. Ms. Lindsey is the first Harris County Toll Road Authority employee to be killed while on the job. The Houston Chronicle’s story sets out a glowing picture of Ms. Lindsey whose coworkers say she was very well liked, friendly, caring, always ready to help others out and was known to always have a big, bright smile. Ms. Lindsey was assigned to the North Sam Houston Tollway toll plaza.

The driver of the Camaro, Julie Little, was arrested around 1:00pm on Thursday May 26th by Harris County Constables at a home in Montgomery County. A blood draw was taken from Little after the crash because investigating officers could smell alcohol on her. It was subsequently determined that Little’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was .165 which is more than twice Texas’ legal limit for intoxication, which is .08. It was also determined that Ms. Little had no less than 3 narcotics in her system also.

The Precinct 4 Contable’s office has said that investigators are going to examine the 2011 Camaro’s black box to download crash data and determine how fast the Camaro was traveling at the time of the deadly crash. Little had bought the Camaro only three days before the crash. Indications are that the Camaro was traveling at a very high rate of speed and that Little made no attempt to brake. Assistant Chief Mark Herman with Precinct 4 Constables said that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) was also assisting in the investigation because Little is supposedly a bartender in Harris County, and if Little were intoxicated while she was on the job that would be illegal. If the TABC investigation were to reveal that Little was intoxicated while working at a bar prior to the accident, there may be liability on the bar for Ms. Lindsey’s death.

This incident is a prime example of the tragic consequence that can result from a person’s selfish decision to drive while intoxicated. Our condolences to Ms. Lindsey’s friends, family and co-workers for their loss.

A toll booth worker died yesterday evening in a single vehicle car accident according to a Channel 13 Eyewitness News report when the driver of a black Camaro heading westbound on the Sam Houston Tollway crashed his sports car. The accident happened at around 11:00pm. Apparently the Camaro driver crashed into a heavy concrete barrier designed to protect the toll booth and the Camaro went airborne and then crashed down onto the toll employee who was standing next the booth in a closed toll lane. The employee was knocked 50 yards by the impact and was pronounced dead at the scene: the Camaro slid to a stop and came to rest on its roof. The Camaro driver was taken to the hospital in stable condition and tests will be performed to see if he had alcohol in his system at the time of the wreck.

Toll booth areas tend to be open area that are usually very well lit at night time and signs approaching toll booths tell drivers to slow down as they approach. It is difficult to see how a driver paying proper attention to the road ahead and traveling at an appropriate speed could be involved in an accident such as this. Precinct 4 Constables are investigating the cause of the accident and the Toll Road Authority is working to repair a wrecked toll booth. A report by Channel 2 News identifies the driver of the Camaro as being female, not male, and states the Camaro was speeding prior to the deadly crash.

If you have been injured in an automobile accident and will be making an injury claim under the other driver’s automobile insurance policy, there is a simple step you can take that will help document your claim. If you have sustained bruising, a laceration, have had stitches (including from a surgery) or as is with common with motorcycle accidents, road rash, or have other obvious injuries you can and should take photographs to document these injuries. Bruises heal fairly rapidly so you should document them before they fade away.

Here’s an example of how documenting injuries can help. “Dashboard knee” is an injury that car accident victims may experience, sometimes causing damage to their Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL), a ligament that helps stabilize the knee joint. Meniscus injuries in the  knee can also be caused by direct trauma to the knee. By photographing bruising to the knee area an injured person has documented evidence of direct trauma to the knee that is consistent with internal damage to the knee.  If a test such as an MRI later shows an internal knee injury, the photographs of the bruising are further support that the knee injury was a result of the car accident.

If you were taken to the emergency room or saw a doctor close in time to your car accident, you may think that the photographs are unnecessary because your bruises will be documented in your medical records. Unfortunately that is not always the case: just because you complain about pain to a part of your body does not necessarily mean your complaints will be recorded in your medical records. Likewise one part of your body may hurt much more than others, and your complaints may be focussed on the most painful part. Also bruises do not always show themselves right away but might appear after you have been discharged from the emergency room.

If you do take pictures to document injuries, you will probably be using a digital camera. A digital photographs costs you nothing, so take plenty of pictures. Make sure the pictures are well-lit but also make sure that if you are using a flash, the flash does not white-out the details, bruises, etc. Make sure a few pictures are taken showing the injured person’s face and injured body part in the same shot to avoid any accusations that the bruised knee could be anybody’s.

If you have questions about how to handle your automobile accident injury claim you can speak to a personal injury attorney at Smith & Hassler for a no cost consultation. Just give our office a call or submit your case through our web site at www.smithandhassler.com

In early April Smith & Hassler’s client, a disabled 73-year old Marine Corp. veteran with a heart condition, was involved in a two-vehicle collision in Harris County with another driver insured by Farmers Insurance. According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Department police crash report, the Farmers insured made an unsafe lane change when he merged to his left, colliding with the client’s pickup truck.  The front passenger corner of the client’s pickup truck was damaged, as was the driver’s door area of the Farmers’ insured’s vehicle.  The Farmers insured was issued a citation by the investigating police officer for making an unsafe lane change.

Smith & Hassler’s client had liability insurance only, so the only way his 10-year old pickup truck (his only transportation) was going to be repaired was if Farmers Insurance accepted liability for the accident and paid the claim. In early May, a month after the collision, Farmers Insurance denied the claim stating their insured had “legal control” (whatever that means) over the center turn lane where the collision occurred. Unfortunately our client’s pickup truck will be sold at auction by the storage lot it was towed to in order to cover the accumulated unpaid storage and towing fees that racked up while Farmers Insurance took a month to make a decision on the claim.

Smith & Hassler has filed a lawsuit in Harris County District Court on our client’s behalf seeking damages for his medical bills, general damages and his totaled pickup truck. Farmers Insurance’s slogan is: “Farmers. Gets you back where you belong.”  Hopefully you will never be involved in an automobile accident with someone insured by Farmers and have to learn firsthand whether the slogan holds true.

Our client's pickup was totaled in an accident with a Farmers insured: Farmers denied the claim.