Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Following close in time to the funeral procession crash that seriously injured Pasadena Police Department Sergeant Matt Novotny comes another car versus motorcycle collision that has injured a Patton Village Police Department motorcycle officer, also escorting a funeral. According to a report from Houston’s Channel 11 News, the officer’s motorcycle was clipped causing him to lose control of his motorcycle and fly into the back windshield of another vehicle. The officer was struck by the vehicle in the 12800 block of Cullen at around 12:45pm: the officer was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital with non life threatening injuries. The accident happened on 12/23/2011.

A Patton Village Police Department motorcycle officer was injured when he crashed through the rear window of his car while escorting a funeral.

A motorcyclist is in Ben Taub hospital after a late night accident on the North Freeway. Police said the man was riding at a high rate of speed shortly before 1:00am when he lost control of his motorbike on the north freeway service road at West Canino: the man hit a guardrail and slid for about 50 feet. His condition is described as serious but stable. Wet roads may have been a factor in the accident.

Local media outlets are reporting a fatal collision on US290 near 43rd street involving a motorcyclist and a pickup truck. According to Houston Police, the motorcyclist was traveling in excess of 100MPH when he rear-ended the pickup truck at around 2:30am. Police also said that the driver of a red-colored Chevrolet was unable to avoid the motorcyclist when he was thrown from the bike, and the Chevrolet ran over the bike rider in the roadway. The freeway was shut down for three hours as emergency responders worked the accident scene.

Pasadena Police Department sergeant Matt Novotny needs our prayers after being seriously injured in a motorcycle accident on Monday December 12, 2011. During the 10:40am motorcycle crash in South Houston Sgt. Novotny’s motorcycle went flying into the air and the officer was thrown at least 30 yards according to a witness. Witness Cesar Chopp said Sgt. Novotny went straight up in the air, moved a little when he landed and then was still. Novotny was transported by life flight to Memorial Hermann to be treated for a broken pelvis and other injuries. The accident happened near the intersection of Almeda and West Fuqua while Novotny was escorting a funeral procession. According to witnesses a blue vehicle hit sergeant Novotny knocking him off his motorbike then continued on and hit another car. The woman driving the car that hit him said she saw the green light as she was approaching the intersection but said she didn’t see the officer’s motorcycle until it was too late. Habiba Halim is identified as the driver who struck Sgt. Novotny in an article by Houston’s Channel 11 News. Police indicated they planned to ticket Ms. Halim for failure to stop for an emergency vehicle: notwithstanding that she has a green light, she still had a duty to stop for the police motorcycle with lights and sirens activated.

Hopefully Sgt. Novotny will fully recover from his injuries.  Unfortunately a broken pelvis is a serious orthopedic injury that typically requires an extensive recovery period. Hopefully both Ms. Halim and Sgt. Novotny have plenty of automobile insurance coverage. The Houston Chronicle’s coverage of the accident is here and indicates that Novotny is a 32-year veteran of Pasadena Police Department. The Chronicle lists the blue vehicle that struck Sgt. Novotny as a Honda CRV and states that Novotny was stopped in the center of the intersection when he was hit. FOX News’ coverage is available here.

Sergeant Matt Novotny was seriously injured in this Dec 12, 2011 motorcycle crash

Sergeant Matt Novotny, 32-year veteran of Pasadena Police Department.

Channel 11 News is reporting a fatal motorcycle accident in Santa Fe, Texas on FM646 near Fourth Street. Dickinson man Devyn Peacock, 19, and a friend were riding motorbikes on FM646 when the driver of a Toyota car tried to make a left turn from Fourth Street onto FM646. Devyn’s motorcycle and the other bike broadsided the car. Devyn was pronounced dead at the scene and the 19-year old man riding the second motorcycle was taken to UTMB John Sealy Hospital. The 23-year old driving the car was not injured. According to a Galveston County Daily News article, the preliminary law enforcement investigation was that the driver of the Toyota misjudged the speed and distance of the motorcycles when he began his left turn. Devyn’s large group of friends have been leaving condolence messages on his Facebook page.

A Houston Police Department motorcycle officer was injured yesterday while escorting an over-sized load on an 18-wheeler. The incident happened at South Wayside near Avenue R in Houston when the overly tall load made contact with an overhead wire connected to a phone pole. The wire was pulled free of the pole and fell onto the officer causing him to crash his motorcycle. The officer suffered road rash and injury to his neck and back, but is expected to make a good recovery. He was reportedly conscious and alert after the incident and while being transported to Ben Taub with a police escort. Liability for the incident almost certainly lies with the operator of the 18-wheeler: the big-rig driver is responsible for making sure there is adequate clearance for his vehicle to pass.

KHOU’s report of the HPD motorcycle officer’s telephone wire accident is here.
Click here to read the Houston Chronicle’s report of the motorcycle officer injured by the big-rig phone wire collision.

The main lanes of the Gulf Freeway were shut down this morning during rush hour due to a vehicle crash and fire. Two vehicles wrecked on the inbound lanes of the Gulf Freeway at around 6:15am near Telephone Road. One of the vehicles, possibly a motorcycle, burst into flames. Injuries were reported, but specifically what isn’t known at this time. The scene was cleared within about an hour but traffic backed up for miles.

If you, a friend or a family member have been injured in a car accident, Smith & Hassler’s experienced personal injury attorneys are available to give you a free consultation either in-person or by phone.  Sometimes people injured in car accident wait before consulting an attorney. They have good intentions: not wanting to seem “sue happy,” waiting to see if their injuries will get better or because an insurance adjuster is discouraging them from seeking legal advice (that happens).  It is better to know your rights early in the process and have an experienced Houston personal injury attorney explain the steps involved in car accident injury claim and what you can do NOW to increase the chances of a good outcome.

A motorcyclist who was reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed was killed in a collision with a Nissan Altima at around 3:30am on Sunday October 2, 2011. The motorcyclist was traveling southbound on the West 610 Loop near Westpark when the collided with the rear of the Nissan Altima. The Altima then spun out of control and struck a concrete retaining wall; a third vehicle (a small BMW car) was struck by debris from the crash. The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet but died at the scene. Reportedly the occupants of the cars were not injured. Channel 11’s report is here.

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.

The Southwest Freeway was backed up Friday evening after a freak accident left a motorcyclist dead. The motorcycle was found standing upright leaning against the HOV exterior wall: its not clear at this time how the rider of the Suzuki lost control. At around 4:00pm the motorcyclist was heading southbound on the US59 South HOV lane near Edloe when the rider was ejected from the motorbike and fell 50 feet to the roadway of the lower freeway below, crashing through the windshield of a Toyota Camry. The poor motorbike rider was killed instantly authorities say. Despite what have must have been an incredible shock, the driver of the Camry was able to maintain control of his vehicle and came to a stop, suffering only cuts to his hands and arms. David Lee Cothran, Jr. aged 28 of Louisiana has been identified as the deceased motorbike rider. Mr. Cothran was wearing a helmet. Channel 13’s story is here. Channel 11’s story is here.

Update: The injured driver of the Toyota Camry has been identified in a subsequent story as Mr. Kelvin Wesley. In an interview with Channel 11 News Mr. Wesley expressed his sympathy for the family members of the deceased motorcyclist and also expressed his thanks for his own family’s safety: apparently he had dropped his son off at University of Houston shortly before the accident. Mr. Wesley’s son had been sitting in the front passenger seat beneath the portion of the roof that sustained the most crush damage. Mr. Wesley is a high school football coach and was on his way to a game at the time of the tragic accident.