Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

At around 10:15pm on Tuesday February 14 a hit-and-run driver struck and seriously injured a bicycle rider who was crossing FM529 in northwest Harris County. The accident happened near FM529 and Log Cradle Drive. The victim was hit so hard by the car that he was knocked out of his shoes; the victim remained in the roadway until several minutes after the accident when he was discovered and someone called the Sheriff’s department. The unidentified white male bicyclist was taken to Memorial Hermann where he was in critical condition; unfortunately there is no description of the hit-and-run vehicle.

Smith & Hassler has represented thousands of injured Texans over our more than 20-years in business. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident you can speak to an experienced personal injury lawyer for a no-cost assessment of your case, either by phone or in-person.

Harris County Sheriff Deputies had to wrestle and then Tase hit-and-run driver Jerad Thomas to take him into custody after a fatal hit-and-run collision in northwest Harris County. The deadly wrecked happened on southbound Jones Road near Fallbrook when a 53-year old man riding his bicycle was hit by a man driving a cargo van. The victim on the bicycle was transported to the hospital but died shortly after that. Police were able to identify the cargo van because the license plate was dislodged at the scene of the accident. The van owner indicated he had loaned the vehicle to a friend; when officers accompanied the owner to the friend’s apartment they found Jerad Thomas asleep in the stairway of his apartment with the van keys underneath his body. Thomas initially resisted the officers when they woke him but was brought into compliance when deputies Tased him. Thomas admitted to driving the van but had no recollection of hitting anything. He will be charged with driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest and possibly other charges.

According to Harris County criminal records, this represents 36-year old Thomas’ third DWI arrest.

Jerad Thomas has been charged in a January 24, 2012 fatal hit-and-run

Smith & Hassler’s attorneys aggressively pursue drunk drivers and their insurance companies in order to compensate those injured or bereaved by the gross negligence of intoxicated motorists.

At around 7:30pm on Thursday January 19, 2012 Keylon Napper was walking on Rio Bonito near Howell Sugarland Road when he was struck by a late model red-colored Toyota car. 26-year old Keylon was walking on Rio Bonito on his way to work at HEB when the Toyota left the roadway and struck him. The driver of the Toyota then stopped and got out to check on him, but then got back in the vehicle and left the scene. Napper and his family live in apartments near the scene: family members heard a crash and someone screaming. Napper’s brother-in-law Brian Henderson ran from his apartment to the scene and found Napper covered in blood: Napper was life-flighted to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he was listed as being in stable condition.

Hopefully the hit-and-run driver of the red Toyota can be identified by law enforcement or will do the right thing and turn themselves in. There is no legitimate reason for a driver who hits a pedestrian to leave the scene of an accident; in fact failure to stop and render aid is a criminal offense under the Texas Transportation Code. Many times drivers leave the accident scene because they have outstanding warrants, are intoxicated or do not have a valid driver’s license or insurance. Certainly we wish Keylon Napper a speedy recovery from his injuries.

Fire fighters cut the roof off the Dodge Charger to rescue the trapped driver

A multi-vehicle accident on the Eastex Freeway near Hopper left a driver trapped yesterday evening. The wrecked happened around 11:30pm when a pickup truck heading northbound on Eastex swerved into the lane next to it, sideswiping the Dodge Charger. The Charger driver lost control and was then rear-ended by a Mercedes. A red colored SUV attempting to avoid the wreck hit the retaining wall, and the Dodge Charger then crashed into the same retaining wall. HFD heavy rescue crews cut the roof off the Dodge Charger to get the driver out; unfortunately the driver of the pickup that caused the accident fled the scene.

In a situation where a hit-and-run driver is at fault for a collision and there is physical contact between the vehicles, the person(s) injured by the hit-and-run driver can make a claim for uninsured motorist (UM) benefits with their own insurance carrier (provided they have that coverage).

According to the Houston Chronicle, Tomball Police Department patrol officer Kristina Tikal suffered a fractured shoulder blade when she was knocked down by a vehicle during a January 2, 2012 incident. Officer Tikal apparently walked up on a 17-year old female about to have sex with a male companion in a parked vehicle: the teenager sped away from the scene, striking Officer Tikal. The officer also sustained a hip injury, an elbow injury and abrasions to her arms and legs: she was treated and released from Tomball Regional Hospital.

Apparently the scene unfolded when Officer Tikal was leaving her apartment to head to work and noticed a Honda Civic parked with the rear door open, and when she walked up on the vehicle the male and female were in the back of the vehicle with no pants on. As the officer radioed for backup the female climbed into the driver’s seat and put the Honda in reverse: she disregarded the officer’s instructions to stop and reversed at high speed, knocking the officer about 10 feet. The Honda also struck a parked pickup truck before speeding away. An anonymous tip lead police to the Honda’s location, and the female suspect who was at Tomball High School went with her mother to the police station.

The 17-year old female driver now faces felony charges of aggravated assault against a public servant, evading arrest and detention with a vehicle. Hopefully there is plenty of insurance on the Honda Civic: with a fractured shoulder blade and the other injuries, Officer Tikal may not be medically cleared to return to work for some time, not to mention the physical impairment associated with that kind of injury. In a situation like this, if an injured pedestrian such as Officer Tikal has underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, that coverage would apply to help cover damages if the at-fault driver does not have sufficient coverage. Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage would apply if the at-fault driver did not have any insurance.

We certainly wish Officer Tikal a speedy recovery and return to patrol.

Tomball Police Department Patrol Officer Kristina Tikal (2nd from right), injured in a January 2, 2012 auto versus pedestrian incident.

Second year law student Halley Catherine Shaw was tragically killed the night of Tuesday October 18th by a hit-and-run driver and according to the Houston Chronicle a man who may be connected to the wreck turned himself in Wednesday. The man walked into the office of the Precinct 6 Harris County Constables who then turned the man over to HPD. Halley attended Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She died late Tuesday night when a Nissan Altima in which Halley was riding as a rear seat passenger was struck by a car that ran a red light while trying to evade police. Two other people in Halley’s vehicle were injured in the wreck and taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital: one of those passengers is also a second year student at Thurgood Marshall Law School. The passenger in the fleeing vehicle remained at the scene but the driver fled on foot before police were able to apprehend him. Halley’s many law school friends erected a monument at the scene of the accident. A Channel 13 News story identifies the suspect as 17-year old Daniel Garcia Palacios.

Halley Catherine Shaw died tragically while riding in the rear seat of this Nissan Altima

Diana DeLeon has been identified as a pedestrian who was hit and killed by a hit-and-run driver on Highway 249 near Perry Road. Diana was hit at around 2:00am while walking eastbound on the inside lane in the 2100 block of Highway 249. Sadly she died at the scene. The car is described as a small, black four-door car that should have front end damage. Anyone with information should contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-674-5393 and help bring the hit-and-run driver to justice.

KHOU is reporting that 60-year old Stephen Loyd Hudetts of Dickinson, Texas has been accused of leaving the scene of a fatal accident involving a concrete truck and a motorcyclist.  Motorcyclist Wallace Trexler, aged 53 of Santa Fe, Texas was found deceased at around 5:00am on September 12 in the 200 block of Delaney Road near the southbound I-45 entrance in La Marque, Texas. Video surveillance helped police track down Hudetts, whose bond has been set at $25,000. KHOU’s story is available here. The Galveston Daily News’ story is here. The Galveston Daily News states that the concrete truck belongs to Kelso Concrete which is based in Galveston, and that management of Kelso are cooperating with the police investigation.

Stephen Loyd Hudetts has been charged in the hit-and-run death of motorcyclist Wallace Trexler

If you have lost a family member due to the negligence of another, contact the wrongful death attorneys at Smith & Hassler. In the more than 20-years Smith & Hassler has existed in the Houston area, the Smith & Hassler firm has handled many wrongful death cases from 18-wheeler accidents to food poisoning incidents and we understand the special attention wrongful death cases require. You can arrange a free consultation with a Smith & Hassler Houston personal injury attorney for your wrongful death claim, either in-person or by phone.

Sadly there is yet another drunk driving accident fatality to report in Houston. Last night a woman driving a Toyota Corolla westbound on W. Fuqua at White Heather in southwest Houston around 9:15pm hit a young man and woman crossing the street: the driver of the Corolla ran a red light immediately before striking the couple. Shockingly, after striking the pedestrian the Corolla driver dragged the female for an additional 50-yards before coming to a stop. Rather than check on the people she had hit, the driver then jumped out of her car near Hiram Clarke and tried to run into a wooded area, but fortunately a witness chased her down and detained her until police arrived. Family and friends of the victims were present at the scene and were extremely emotional as they tried to learn if it was their loved ones who had been struck, but police officers would not allow them to get close to the crime scene. A young man asked a witness if the female who was struck was wearing a gray jumper: when he was told she was, the young man fell to the ground crying. The male and female who were killed were both in their 20’s.  The driver of the Toyota Corolla was taken into custody by police on suspicion of drunk driving, is currently in jail and is facing two counts of intoxication manslaughter. A story on Channel 2’s web site identifies the driver of the Corolla as 30-year old Chavon Frank. The dark gray-colored Toyota Corolla shows heavy front end damage:

What a terrible loss for the family and friends of the two innocent victims of the this driver’s selfish decision to drive drunk. FOX News’ story is available here. Channel 13’s coverage of the drunk driving accident is here. The Houston Chronicle’s story is here. Channel 2’s coverage is here.

Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) car accidents seem to happen every single night in the Houston area and throughout Harris County.  Sadly Harris County Texas ranks among the highest counties in the nation for drunk driving fatalities and drunk driving accident injuries year after year.  Drunk driving car accidents often create even more complications for the victim than a regular car accident: insurance companies usually won’t pay a claim or provide a rental car until they speak to their insured driver and get their version of what happened. The insurance company can’t do that if their insured was charged with DWI and is in jail. Call Smith & Hassler if you have been injured by a drunk driver’s gross negligence and ask for speak to one of our personal injury attorneys right now.  Smith & Hassler aggressively pursues claims against drunk drivers.