Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Sadly another person has fallen victim to Houston’s chronic problem with drunk drivers. Aresha Griffin was a passenger in a car driven by 29-year old Tocarra Dubor that was driving on Richmond Avenue near Jeanetta in Houston early Sunday morning. The car slammed into the driver’s side rear fender of a Houston Police Department patrol unit, causing the Dubor vehicle to veer off the road and into a parking lot.  Police say Griffin was killed when she was slammed into a tree by the out-of-control vehicle. Dubor has been charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with the crash. According to Channel 2’s report, the police officer was not injured. Thank goodness the officer wasn’t standing next to the police car.

Tocarra Dubor is charged with intoxication manslaughter

Yet another major accident has happened on Interstate 45 due to a wrong way driver who may have been driving drunk.  The crash happened on I-45 near Dallas at around 2:00 a.m. last night.  A car and pickup truck crashed head-on, sending the woman in the car to the hospital. According to Channel 13’s report the pickup driver wasn’t injured.  Police say the woman driving the car went the wrong direction on a ramp and is suspected of being drunk. The crash is still under investigation.

Photo credit: ABC Ch. 13 News

The driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV is suspected of driving drunk in a crash on the West Beltway last night at around 3:30 a.m. The driver crashed into two precinct 5 deputy Constables‘ patrol cars while the deputies were out of their vehicles conducting a traffic stop on the northbound side when the white-colored Tahoe traveled across four lanes of traffic toward them. One deputy constable was struck, the other was able to jump over the crash barrier and get out of the way. The injured deputy was transported to Memorial Hermann with a head injury, though thankfully he was alert. The deputy that jumped over the wall remained at the accident scene. The Tahoe driver was taken into custody and is suspected of drunk driving. Channel 13’s story is here. KHOU’s story is here. Channel 2’s story is here.

Police suspect drunk driving may be the reason why a car left the southbound lanes of Airline Drive, bounced off a phone pole and pickup truck before plowing into a mobile home, landing atop a woman sleeping in her bed. Harris County Sheriff’s Office say the red car was traveling at a high rate of speed before it crashed in the 9200 block of Airline Drive around midnight. Amazingly the woman was transported to hospital in relatively good condition, save for some burns from the hot car. The driver of the car made an attempt to flee the accident scene on foot but witnesses held him down until police arrived. Read Channel 11’s report here. Channel 13’s report is here.

Smith & Hassler’s Houston personal injury attorneys have no patience for lowball settlement offers on drunk driving accidents from insurance companies and will aggressively represent clients to make sure they are properly compensated. Don’t allow an insurance adjuster to talk you into a small settlement days after an accident, visit www.smithandhassler.com to arrange a free consultation.

Perhaps small consolation for the family of hit-and-run motorcycle accident victim Jeremy Choate, but Shannon Garcia, the suspected hit-and-run driver wanted in connection with Jeremy’s death, has been arrested by the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force in a Gainsville hotel.

Shannon Garcia was (allegedly) driving a black Ford Fusion car that struck Jeremy Choate’s motorcycle in the Houston Heights area on Saturday night.  The 25-year old Gainsville resident then hugged her boyfriend Robert Maddux who got out of the car.  Garcia reportedly said “I’m leaving” before departing the accident scene on foot along the I-10 service road. The crash happened around 9:15 p.m. at Studemont and the Interstate 10 service road.

Tragically Jeremy Choate, a father of two girls aged 5 and 7, suffered major head trauma in the accident (he was not wearing a helmet) and died Sunday afternoon from his injuries.  Jeremy was one of Houston’s most sought-after lighting designers and a nationally recognized artist

Robert Maddux remained at the scene and identified Shannon Garcia as the driver. According to the Houston Chronicle’s story, Maddux said he had been dating Garcia for about two weeks, and prior to the accident the couple had been drinking at El Tiempo Cantina on Washington Avenue.  He said Garcia had one margarita at his (Maddux’) house before they went out, then three more margaritas at El Tiempo.  Reportedly Maddux told police Garcia was “no OK to drive.”

Alleged drunk driver responsible for head-on crash in Santa Fe, Texas: 53-year old Tony Rainey, pictured below, has been charged with two counts of intoxication assault in connection with a major car accident on July 4^th in Santa Fe, Texas that seriously injured a young woman and a little girl. Rainey is in custody on $100,000 bond.

Santa Fe Police say Tony Rainey was driving westbound on FM 1764 around 9:00pm when he suddenly swerved into the eastbound lanes crashing head-on into a vehicle driven by Terry Regnier.  25-year old Ashley Jackson and a five-year old girl were a passenger in Regnier’s vehicle. Both Ashley and the little girl suffered serious injuries and were life-flighted to hospital: thankfully they are now in stable condition. Ashley suffered facial fractures in the accident.

Two others were injured in the accident and were taken by ground ambulance to the hospital. Testing performed at the crash scene determined that Tony Rainey was legally intoxicated at the time of the crash. He was taken to the hospital for a mandatory blood draw and was then charged with intoxication assault. Rainey is currently in custody pending his transfer to Galveston County Jail. FOX News’ story is here.

According to the Galveston Daily News’ report, police found a spilled beer on the floorboard of Rainey’s vehicle. Hopefully Tony Rainey has plenty of automobile insurance to cover the injuries and damage caused. Speedy recovery to Ashley Jackson and the little girl.

Tony Rainey has been charged with two counts of intoxication assault

25-year old Ashley Jackson and a 5-year old girl were life flighted after the wreck

Terry Regnier's vehicle was hit head-on by Rainey: police say Rainey was drunk

HPD car wrecked in the wrong-way accident last night on the North Freeway near Tidwell

The patrol car sustained major damage after colliding with the concrete median

This blue Ford Mustang was involved in the chain reaction crash

If you or a family member have been injured by a drunk driver‘s selfish choices, Smith & Hassler is a Houston personal injury law firm that will aggressively pursue compensation for your damages.

Drunk driver hits pedestrian in Montrose: A woman was crossing West Alabama near Mandell in the Montrose area at around 2:30am this morning when she was struck by a 2008 Nissan Altima sedan. The driver of the Altima, Arturo Gonzales, initially left the scene, but then decided to return. Gonzales has been charged with driving while intoxicated. The female pedestrian was taken to Memorial Hermann hospital in serious condition. Channel 2’s report is here. Channel 13’s report is here. Unfortunately this will probably be one of many injury accidents caused by drunk drivers over the fourth of July weekend. Smith & Hassler has practiced personal injury law in Houston and throughout Texas since 1989, and leverages that experience to protect the rights of clients hurt by drunk drivers.

A female pedestrian was hit by a drunk driver on West Alabama in the Montrose area

The windshield of the Nissan Altima is shattered from the impact with the pedestrian

The pedestrian was transported to Memorial Hermann in serious condition