Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Ashton Craven, 38, has been identified as the suspected drunk driver involved in a two vehicle accident in Houston that injured a pregnant woman and claimed the life of her unborn child. The accident happened the afternoon of Saturday May 12, 2012: witnesses say Ashton Craven, driving a green-colored Ford Taurus, ran a stop sign around 1:10 pm while driving on Bataan at Jutland in south Houston. The Taurus crashed into the pregnant lady’s Toyota Corolla that was traveling on Jutland. The woman was rushed to Memorial Herman in the Medical Center, and it was determined her unborn child had died as a result of the crash. Ashton Craven was taken to Ben Taub by paramedics: the District Attorney’s office may upgrade Craven’s charges to intoxication manslaughter. The Houston Chronicle’s story is here.

Smith & Hassler trial attorney Roger Sullivan preparing to select a jury in Harris County District Court

If you have been involved in a serious motor vehicle accident and you are looking for effective representation, one of the questions you should be asking the attorney you are considering is if they have recently taken a case to trial. Generally speaking it is preferred to reach a settlement of a personal injury case when possible: settlement is preferred because settlement saves resources (for both sides) by keeping expenses down, settlement happens relatively soon compared to pursuing a lawsuit, and perhaps most importantly, settlement eliminates risk and gives the client a guaranteed outcome. The outcome of a personal injury lawsuit is not certain.

Still, there are some times when settlement is just not possible and a particular case is destined to be decided by a jury. That is why you should check with any personal injury attorney you are considering to see when they most recently took a case to trial. The answer doesn’t have to be “yesterday” or “last week” but ideally a personal injury attorney would continue to try cases during their career to keep their trial skills sharp.

Above is a photo taken May 1, 2012 of Smith & Hassler attorney Roger Sullivan preparing for jury selection in a trial against a drunk driver who rear-ended our client. The trial was in Harris County Civil District Court.

If you have been injured and need serious representation, Smith & Hassler’s experienced personal injury attorneys would be honored to give you a no-charge consultation. Smith & Hassler has represented injured people in Houston and throughout Texas since 1989.

Matthew Green Shelton's red Mitsubishi is shown to the right, the black Nissan Sentra he struck to the left

Matthew Green Shelton (27) has been charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter

The experienced attorneys at Smith & Hassler practice only personal injury law and have handled injury and wrongful death claims brought against drunk drivers throughout Texas.  Contact Smith & Hassler to make sure you understand your legal rights.

A crash on State Highway 249 at Willow Chase killed the driver of the vehicle and seriously injured two passengers, and law enforcement suspect drunk driving played a role in the crash.  The one car accident happened at around 5:00am on the southbound SH 249 feeder road.  According to police, the driver appears to have bumped up onto the curb on the left side, after which the driver overcompensated and lost control.  The car then slid across the travel lanes, left the roadway and struck a wooden telephone pole.  The driver of the car died at the scene and the two passengers were transported to the hospital in serious but stable condition. A Houston Police Department investigator reported finding open alcohol containers throughout the vehicle and officers could also smell the odor of alcohol.  Channel 11’s report on the crash did not indentify the driver that died.

William Thomas Johnson, 48, of Houston has been charged with intoxication manslaughter for his involvement in a multi-vehicle crash Wednesday that claimed the life of a 43-year old man driving a Volkswagen Jetta (see our previous blog post on the crash). Police say Johnson was drunk when he ran a red light crashing into the Jetta and striking other vehicles also. The pickup initially struck the passenger side of the blue Volkswagen Jetta, then struck three other vehicles that were heading westbound on Tidwell.

The crash happened at the intersection of the Eastex Freeway service road and Tidwell. Johnson reportedly was traveling at considerable speed when he entered the intersection: one witness estimated Johnson’s speed to be between 60 and 80 MPH. Video footage on Channel 11’s web site shows a newer model silver-colored pickup truck truck flipped over onto its passenger side, though it is not clear if that flipped truck is Johnson’s or one of the motorists he struck.

The driver of this Volkswagen Jetta was killed in the collision

For more than 23-years Smith & Hassler has represented the victims of intoxicated driving. If you have suffered due to a drunk driver’s selfish choices we want to help.

On April 5th we posted to this blog regarding a fatal drunk driving collision on the Tomball Parkway. Today Channel 11 News reports on their web site that the bond has been reduced for Amanda Lynn Woods, the driver charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with the crash. 22-year old Amanda Woods, who lists her employer on what appears to be her Facebook page, as Barney’s Billiard Saloon in Humble, Texas, has been charged with intoxicated manslaughter for the death of April Herrington, the driver of a Kia car that was struck by Woods’ pickup truck when Woods ran a red light.  Woods has also been charged with two counts of intoxication assault for injuring the two occupants of a Toyota Celica she collided with. Woods remains under a $30,000 bond for the intoxication manslaughter charge, but bond was reduced on the two assault charges from $30,000 to $15,000.

Harris County deputy Sheriffs say Woods was drunk when she ran a red light at the Tomball Parkway and Boudreaux intersection. Reportedly Woods told officers that she worked at a billiards hall in Humble and admitted to having a few drinks the night of the wreck. Woods failed a sobriety test performed by the deputies: prosecutors say Woods was two and a half time over the legal limit for intoxication. The Channel 11 story did not indicate what family members were left behind to mourn the loss of April Herrington in the wake of this tragedy, and no mention was made of how the occupants of the Toyota Celica are doing.

22-year old Amanda Lynn Woods has been charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with the drunk driving death of April Herrington

April Herrington's Kia car, struck by Amanda Woods' pickup truck

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that a three car accident on the Tomball Parkway (Texas 249) has left one person dead. The wreck happened at around 4:10am in the northbound lanes of the parkway according to Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Officials temporarily shut down all three northbound lanes of Tomball Parkway as emergency workers cleared the scene.

According to an article on Channel 13’s web site, investigators spoke to an accident witness who said a female driver of a Chevrolet pickup truck was speeding when she ran a red light before entering the intersection of Highway 249 and Boudreaux. The pickup truck driver then hit two cars, one heading east and the other heading west. The lone driver of a gold-colored Kia 4-door car was killed in the accident. Also involved in the crash was a Toyota Celica with two occupants, both injured: the driver of the Celica was listed as being in critical condition. The woman driving the pickup truck admitted that she had been drinking at a bar where she works.

The driver of this Kia sedan was killed when the Chevrolet pickup ran a red light. The pickup driver had been drinking.

Smith & Hassler’s highly experienced personal injury attorneys aggressively represent clients in Houston and throughout Texas who have been injured by drunk drivers. If you or a family member have been the victim of a drunk driving accident, contact Smith & Hassler to speak to an attorney right away.

Channel 2 is reporting that, per investigators, Ashli Nicol Heil‘s blood test revealed that she was three times the legal limit for intoxication at the time her Chevrolet Suburban left the roadway in Cut and Shoot earlier this week, striking a tree and killing Ms. Heil’s 8-month old daughter, baby Whilow Heil. Ashli Heil’s Facebook page indicates that she is from Kingwood, Texas and lives in Humble, Texas. The crash happened on FM 1484 on Monday. Investigators, whose names were not included in the Channel 2 article, said Ashli Heil’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was .28, significantly above Texas’ legal limit for intoxication of .08.  Investigators also said data downloaded from the Suburban’s on board computer showed the vehicle was speeding at 68 MPH at the time of the wreck. Harris County Clerk records indicate Ashli Heil has had two prior run-ins with the law: a 2004 criminal mischief arrest followed by a guilty plea and two days in jail, then a 2007 arrest for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, for which she got four years probation that ended in August. Baby Whilow was in a car seat at the time of the crash, but the impact was very severe and was to the rear passenger door where Whilow’s car seat was located.

One of Ashli’s favorite quotes on her Facebook page is “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” This accident is a terrible tragedy. Whilow’s life has been lost and of course, Ashli Heil’s life is forever changed.

Ashli Nicol Heil

8 month old Whilow Heil died 04/02/2012 in a single vehicle crash