Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Just before midnight last night there was a three-vehicle car accident on Almeda Road near Beltway 8, and police think street racing is to blame. A Ford Mustang and a Dodge Charger were traveling on Almeda at high speed when the drivers of both vehicle lost control and hit the median. The Dodge Charger hit a pickup truck pushing the truck off the road where it caught fire. The Mustang hit a utility pole which split the car in half. Investigators say the two men in the Charger removed the vehicle’s license plate and ran off, meanwhile the two occupants of the Mustang walked home (but were apprehended).

Removing the license plate will probably do little to deter law enforcement from identifying the Charger owner considering the VIN plate was probably left intact on the dash.

A man was loading a lawnmower onto his truck when a speeding driver struck a parked car, pushing it into the man and seriously injuring him. The accident happened late Wednesday evening in the 10,000 block of Pine Cone Lane in Houston, and was witnessed by the man’s son David Mena, who was interviewed by Channel 13. The 20-year old driver who was at fault for the crash fled the scene, leaving the victim unconscious. The victim was transported by Life Flight helicopter in critical condition, and police were able to arrest the suspect who had been chased by the victim’s neighbors.

A man in his early 20’s was killed in a hit-and-run accident in the Montrose area of Houston this morning. The man was crossing in a pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Westheiemer and Taft when a black-colored sedan ran a red light, hitting the man and fleeing the scene. The vehicle will have visible damage from colliding with the pedestrian; anyone who has information they think might help police should contact Houston Crime Stoppers at 713 222 TIPS.

Montrose fatal auto-pedestrian hit-and-run accident

A 78-year old driver may be facing charges after he fatally struck a construction worker and kept going. The worker was apparently trying to cross Galveston Road between Pineloch Street and City Lake Boulevard when he was struck by the northbound silver Lexus outside an athletic complex. Instead of stopping the elderly driver of the Lexus kept going until he was pulled over by a witness. Police performed sobriety tests on the driver at a nearby gas station and then placed him in custody for further questioning. The name and age of the deceased construction worker has not been released.

Damage to the hit-and-run Lexus

The Lexus driver in custody

An alleged hit-and-run driver is in police custody after a serious car accident on W Mount Houston at Veterans Memorial last night. Police say the hit-and-run driver struck the rear of a black-colored Cadillac sedan that was stopped at a red light, causing major damage to the Cadillac. The at fault driver then fled the scene of the crash but passed out while driving and struck a pole by the roadside. Two occupants of the Cadillac were taken to hospital in serious condition, not surprising given the amount of damage to the back of their vehicle.

The injured victims’ Cadillac

A woman driving a red-colored GMC Envoy SUV was involved in a crash Saturday night while traveling on N. Shepherd at 34th Street in Houston. The woman apparently sideswiped a black Dodge Challenger and then kept on driving; she traveled about a mile before crashing into a pole and flipping the SUV onto its roof. The woman was taken to the hospital in serious condition; police found beer inside the Envoy, so drunk driving is suspected. KHOU’s story did not say if anyone in the Dodge Challenger was injured.

The wrecked GMC Envoy

Family gathered recently to celebrate the life of 62-year old Hope “Anna” Vu, who died in a multi-vehicle crash on Tuesday evening. The driver of a white Mazda, pictured below, was weaving in and out of traffic at high speed on Highway 288 before he crashed into the rear of a black Acura sedan driven by Hope’s son. The Acura was then pushed into two other vehicles, including a red Volkswagen car. Hope was riding in the back seat of the Acura; Hope’s son was treated and released at Ben Taub Hospital but the son’s fiancee remained hospitalized with internal injuries.

The driver of the white Mazda, described as a Hispanic male around 20-years old wearing a red shirt and red jacket, jumped out of the wrecked vehicle and fled the scene. Despite searching with K-9s and a helicopter, the police were unable to track the driver down, including at the Pearland address of the registered owner of the vehicle. Call 713-222-TIPS if you have any information on the driver’s whereabouts.

You can tell from Channel 2’s interview that Hope was very close with her family and will be missed. Hope survived the Vietnam War and was brought to the United States by her family in the 90’s.

The hit-and-run driver’s white Mazda

The black Acura Hope Vu was riding in is pictured to the right

19-year old Josey Scott of Shepherd, Texas was fatally struck by a hit-and-run vehicle while jogging eastbound on FM 2666, about four miles west of Shepherd. Texas Department of Public Safety investigators say there was minimal debris left at the scene of the accident, which happened around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday February 11th. Troopers think the hit-and-run vehicle may have been a teal or green-colored Chevrolet pickup truck, late 80’s model, with significant damage to the front of the vehicle. Anyone with information that may help law enforcement track down the driver who killed Josey and callously left her in the roadway should call Lufkin DPS at 936-699-7340.

Police are searching for the driver of a black Dodge Challenger who was involved in a fatal crash with a  motorcycle early Sunday morning and then fled the scene on foot. Channel 2 News Houston reports that the Challenger was speeding westbound on Interstate 10 around 12:45 a.m. near the Uvalde Road exit. The Challenger made a sudden lane change maneuver, switching two lanes over and hitting the back of the motorcycle. The 22-year old man on the motorcycle was killed in the crash; another motorcyclist riding with the victim remained with him at the scene waiting for police to arrive. Witnesses say the driver of the Challenger traveled about another two miles then parked the vehicle, jumped out and ran away.

This is not to say this is what happened in this particular case, but police officers will tell you that often drunk drivers flee the scene of a serious or fatal accident to avoid more serious charges. If they cannot be located quickly enough for a blood draw, there will not be evidence they were legally intoxicated at the time of the crash. That in turns means they cannot be charged with DWI, or something more serious like intoxication assault or intoxication manslaughter.

Police are looking for the driver of this Dodge Challenger

The driver of a pickup truck caused a six vehicle accident last night that killed a motorcyclist, then fled the scene before the police arrived. The crash happened around 10:30 p.m. on the East Freeway in Houston. A 2006 GMC Sonoma apparently became impatient due to backed-up traffic and decided to drive on the inside shoulder. The truck struck a motorcycle, causing the motorcycle to collided with a 2014 Dodge Dart passenger car; the motorcyclist slid into the center lane of the roadway, while the motorcycle hit a wall and caught fire. The GMC Sonoma picked then rear-ended a 2011 Cadillac CTS; the Cadillac then hit the Dodge Dart and also a 2014 Ford F-150. The motorcyclist was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he died; the two men in the GMC pickup fled the scene on foot.

Houston Chronicle story | Channel 2 News Houston story | KHOU story |