Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A two car wreck happened last night at the intersection of Westheimer and Fountainview in southwest Houston. Firefighters had to cut out one the drivers out of his vehicle before transporting him to the hospital. Police reportedly said this driver smelled of alcohol and ran a red light, causing the collision. It was reported the occupants of the other car were not hurt, but “not hurt” often means they were able to get out of their vehicles and move around at the scene, and not everyone who is able to walk after an accident is totally uninjured. Here is Channel 13 Eyewitness News’ brief report on the crash.

Channel 11 News also reported on the same crash, only Channel 11’s report indicates that the vehicle struck by the suspected drunk driver was  Honda Odyssey minivan occupied by two adults and two small children. The same report also states the suspected drunk was driving a Honda Civic car.

If you or your family have been injured by a drunk driver, call Smith & Hassler for a free initial consultation (either in-person or by phone) with a personal injury attorney. All of the litigators at Smith & Hassler have experience handling both claims and lawsuits against intoxicated drivers. Smith & Hassler aggressively pursues compensation for clients injured by the selfishness of drunk drivers. Insurance companies want to settle claims involving drunk drivers EARLY and FOR AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. The insurance company knows Harris County juries have little sympathy for intoxicated drivers who hurt others and damage their property. Don’t let an insurance adjuster talk you into giving away your legal rights.

Today is Houston Police Department Officer Kevin Will’s funeral.  Officer Will was killed in the line of duty Sunday, struck by a drunk driver while investigating a motorcycle accident on Houston’s North 610 Loop. Officer Will’s funeral service is to be held at Champion Forest Baptist Church and will be followed by a private burial service. 26-year old Johoan Rodriguez, driving a silver-colored Volkswagen Beetle, drove through a police barricade before fatally striking Officer Will. Rodriguez’ Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was reported to be .238 which is very nearly three times the legal limit for intoxication in the State of Texas.  It is estimated Rodriguez was traveling around 80MPH when he struck Officer Will. Rodriguez also had a quantity of cocaine in his pocket at the time of his arrest.  Rodriguez has been deported from the U.S. on two prior occasions and denied entry to the U.S. on one occasion: Rodriguez works construction in the Houston area. Rodriguez has been charged with intoxication manslaughter of a police officer, among other offenses.  Prosecutors have stated Rodriguez is a member of the notorious MS-13 gang.

Officer Will leaves behind his wife who is 7-months pregnant with the couple’s first child together, a son, and also his 7 and 10 year old stepchildren.

In 2008 there were 3,382 fatalities resulting from motor vehicle accidents in the State of Texas: of those accidents 1,463 (which is 43%) were alcohol related. 1,269 of the alcohol-related fatalities involved drivers whose BAC was greater than .08, meaning they were legally intoxicated. Harris County consistently ranks top or near the top of the nation’s most heavily populated counties for DWI fatalities.

If you or a loved on have been victimized by an automobile accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident, bicycle accident or truck accident caused by a drunk driver, call the experienced Houston personal injury attorneys at Smith & Hassler for a free consultation. The earlier in your case you call, the better: the insurance company will want you to settle for a small amount as early as possible and have you sign a release. This will limit the insurance company’s liability and prevent them from having to pay more later. Smith & Hassler’s personal injury attorneys have aggressively represented injured people in the Houston area and throughout Texas for more than 20-years, including bereaved family members bringing wrongful death lawsuits.

Houston Police Department is mourning the loss of one its officers after a fatal drunk driving collision on Houston’s North Loop early Sunday May 29, 2011.  Officer Kevin Will was investigating a motor vehicle accident on the 610 Loop near Yale when he was struck and killed by a vehicle driven by 26-year old Johoan Rodriguez. Rodriguez is in jail and has been charged with intoxication manslaughter of a police officer, evading arrest and possession of a controlled substance. Every loss of life due to drunk driving is a tragedy, but especially so when the victim has a family: Officer Kevin Will is married with two children ages six and ten and his wife is six months pregnant with the couple’s third child.

Officer Will joined HPD in 2009 and had been with the vehicular crime unit for almost a year. At the time of the crash Officer Will was interviewing a witness to a hit-and-run accident when Rodriguez’ Volkswagen came around a barricade and hit Officer Will at around 3:15am. Officer Will yelled to the witness when the vehicle was looming: the witness jumped over the concrete barrier dividing the freeway and the witness said he heard the impact before he even reached the ground.

Our prayers are with Officer’s Will’s widow, his children and his colleagues. It is hard to imagine the heart-breaking task of explaining to Officer Wills’ children that their father will not be coming home. The Houston 100 Club frequently seeks donations after the on-duty death of a police officer or fireman: please consider making a donation to help Officer Wills’ family.

The Houston Chronicle’s story is here. News Channel 2’s story is here. Fox News’ story is here. Channel 13 Eyewitness News’ story is here. KHOU’s story is here.

HPD Officer Kevin Will, killed by a drunk driver on Houston's North 610 Loop. Officer Will has two young children, his wife is pregnant with their third child.

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.

Channel 2 News is reporting yet another tragic loss of life in Houston due to drunk driving. 35-year old nun Huong Do from the St. Catherine Convent in Houston was involved in a crash at approximately 5:00am Sunday May 22nd at the intersection of Main and Minnesota streets in the city of South Houston. A pickup truck driven by 19-year old Marcos Garza slammed into Huong Do’s Honda Civic, pinning her behind the wheel. Police reportedly said that Garza confessed to running a stop sign at the intersection because he was driving drunk after a night out with his friends. Do was flown to Hermann Hospital in critical condition and on Monday her family made the difficult decision to have her removed from life support. Garza has been charged with intoxicated assault with a motor vehicle and was released on $100,000 bond.

Update: KHOU is reporting today that Garza has been charged with intoxication manslaughter in the death of Sister Houng Do and he appeared in court today. Apparently Garza refused the breath test, so a mandatory blood draw was performed to measure his blood alcohol content. Houng Do was a member of the Vietnamese Dominican Sisters.

The driver of a stolen car was injured and life-flighted to Memorial Hermann hospital after a collision with an 18-wheeler on FM1960 last night. The 18-wheeler driver was headed westbound on FM1960 when the driver of the white car ran a red light while heading northbound on Stuebner Airline Road. The 18-wheeler crashed into the white-colored Ford car and pushed it about 100 feet, pinning the car beneath the 18-wheeler. Emergency crews had to cut the car driver out of the vehicle: the car he was driving had been reported stolen and the man did not have identification on him. Deputies said the driver smelled of alcohol.

An 18-wheeler collided with a stolen car that ran a red light

Houston drivers’ evening commute ground to a halt Tuesday May 10 when a 3 vehicle accident caused multiple lane closures. All 3 vehicles involved flipped over on the outbound lanes of US59 near Shepherd. Police arrested a driver who may have been drinking: that driver hit another vehicle and caused the crashes. Witness Alicia Gainer described the accident as a “domino effect” where one car flipped over into the next. ABC’s report on the accident did not include any details of injuries sustained in the crash: hopefully everyone involved is okay. A grainy image captured from Transtar’s footage shows one vehicle flipped over onto its roof.

A three vehicle accident on US59 at Shepherd involved a driver who may have been drinking

If you or a loved on have been victimized by an automobile accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident, bicycle accident or truck accident caused by adrunk driver, call the experienced Houston personal injury attorneys at Smith & Hassler for a free consultation. The earlier in your case you call, the better: theinsurance company will want you to settle for a small amount as early as possible and have you sign a release. This will limit the insurance company’s liability and prevent them from having to pay more later. Smith & Hassler’s personal injury attorneys have aggressively represented injured people in the Houston area and throughout Texas for more than 20-years, including bereaved family members bringing wrongful death lawsuits.

Deputies said a man was driving his car at a high rate of speed early Thursday morning when he lost control and veered off the side of the road, ran part way into a ditch, struck a concrete culvert and his car became airborne. The single vehicle car accident happened on Clay Road at Greenhouse at around 12:30am.  The man’s friend was following him in another vehicle and told law enforcement that the two had just left a bar at Clay Road and Highway 6 shortly before the collision. After going airborne the car hit an electric pole and landed on its side in a ditch. Rescue crews had to extract the man from inside his wrecked vehicle after which he was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in serious but stable condition. KHOU’s story is here.

The Houston Chronicle and Click2Houston.com are reporting a two-car rear-end collision on I-10 early this morning, Wednesday May 4, 2011. The deputy constable had pulled over another motorist on I-10 when a car carrying two passengers slammed into the back of her patrol car. The wreck happened around 3:00AM on I-10 near Gessner according to HPD. The deputy, whose name has not been released, was rushed from the accident scene to Memorial Hermann in the medical center: specifics regarding her injuries were not available. The officer was sitting in her stopped patrol car when she was struck. The car originally stopped by the deputy was pulled over for a tail light defect. The cause of the accident is under investigation, but the driver of the car that hit the deputy is suspected of drunk driving.

Damage to a precinct 5 deputy constable's patrol car, rear-ended on I-10 by a suspected drunk driver

If you or a loved on have been victimized by an automobile accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident, bicycle accident or truck accident caused by adrunk driver, call the experienced Houston personal injury attorneys at Smith & Hassler for a free consultation. The earlier in your case you call, the better: theinsurance company will want you to settle for a small amount as early as possible and have you sign a release. This will limit the insurance company’s liability and prevent them from having to pay more later. Smith & Hassler’s personal injury attorneys have aggressively represented injured people in the Houston area and throughout Texas for more than 20-years, including bereaved family members bringing wrongful death lawsuits.

There have been new developments in an accident between a private school bus and a pickup truck driven by an HPD officer previously reported on Smith & Hassler’s blog. Click2Houston.com is now reporting that HPD sergeant Ruben Trejo, age 46, was almost 3 times the legal limit for driving while intoxicated at the time of the crash. A mandatory blood draw performed on Sgt. Trejo at the hospital showed a blood alcohol content of .20 – the legal limit for intoxication under Texas law is .08. HPD officials have said that Trejo was relieved of duty on Friday as HPD investigates “criminal activity.” DWI charges were filed against Sgt. Trejo on Monday afternoon.  Sgt. Trejo was in uniform but off duty and on his way to begin his regular shift when the collision occurred.

If you or a loved on have been victimized by an automobile accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident, bicycle accident or truck accident caused by a drunk driver, call the experienced Houston personal injury attorneys at Smith & Hassler for a free consultation. The earlier in your case you call, the better: the insurance company will want you to settle for a small amount as early as possible and have you sign a release. This will limit the insurance company’s liability and prevent them from having to pay more later. Smith & Hassler’s personal injury attorneys have aggressively represented injured people in the Houston area and throughout Texas for more than 20-years, including bereaved family members bringing wrongful death lawsuits.