Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Local news outlets are reporting a cement truck accident at a southeast Houston construction site near the Houston medical center that killed a construction worker. A construction crew was doing shoring work along Brays Bayou on North MacGregor Way at Highway 288. The accident happened shortly after 3:00PM: a construction worker was crushed by the cement truck. Two others were taken to Ben Taub Hospital to be treated for their injuries. A heavy duty wrecker was called to lift the cement truck off the workers’ body. Click2Houston.com’s video report of the cement truck accident is here.

A cement truck killed a construction worker in an accident along the Bayou

If you or a family member have been injured at work, such as in a construction site accident, call Houston-based personal injury attorneys Smith & Hassler for a free consultation regarding your legal rights. Smith & Hassler has represented hard-working Texans injured on the job for more than 20-years.

ABC Channel 13 eyewitness news is reporting a tragic accident involving a passenger car and an 18-wheeler that left a 21-year old University of Houston student dead. The accident happened around 9:00PM on Thursday April 14th on the north 610 loop near McCarty. According to police the big rig was driving down McCarty and tried to make a left turn. The student’s car drove under the trailer, shearing the roof off the car and killing the student instantly. The driver of the 18-wheeler was unhurt and police are currently investigating to determine which driver ran the red light. Our prayer and sympathies to the family and friends of the student, whose identity has not been released.

A UH student was killed when this car struck a big rig's trailer

The Houston Chronicle is reporting a two car rear-end collision at approximately 6:30PM on Wednesday April 13th, 2011. The crash happened the 1500 block of Bohemian Hall near near North Krenek in far northeast Harris County. Harris County Deputies said a man sitting in the rear passenger seat of a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the medical center where he later died. The Galant was waiting to make a left turn when it was struck from behind by a 2001 Ford F250 pickup that was also traveling northbound on Bohemian Hall. The wreck is under investigation.

Channel 11 News is reporting that a woman was killed in a two-car accident at approximately 2:30am Monday April 11, 2011. The woman was driving on Highway 290 near West Road in a Toyota RAV4 SUV when she collided with the rear of a Chevrolet pickup truck that was apparently stopped in a center travel lane. The woman died as a result of her injuries, despite the assistance of a passing truck driver who stopped to help. The two men had to be cut out of the pickup truck and transported to hospital. Click2Houston.com has a video story covering the accident; in the video the reporter makes reference to law enforcement investigating a box found on the freeway near the pickup truck: the box contained alcohol and law enforcement officers think the box may be the reason the truck was stopped in a travel lane.

A woman driving a Toyota RAV4 was killed in a rear end collision with a pickup stopped in a travel lane

Smith & Hassler’s experienced Houston automobile accident attorneys are available for a free consultation, either in person or by phone. In the aftermath of a serious car accident, usually the first people an injured car accident victim speaks to are insurance adjusters representing the liability insurance carrier of the at-fault driver. Many times adjuster offer “walk away settlements”: a relatively small amount of money very early on that requires the injured person sign a release of any and all injury claims. Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into signing away your legal rights before your injuries and damages are fully understood: call a Smith & Hassler personal injury attorney and ask about your legal rights and remedies.

KHOU is reporting another tragic loss of life on Houston’s roads, apparently due to the gross negligence of a highly intoxicated driver. According to police the woman was traveling eastbound on Clear at around 2:30AM when she collided with a vehicle driven by a man that pulled in front of her while turning south onto Campbell. The victim (who had the right-of-way according to police) died at the scene. The man, who was highly intoxicated, was taken into custody by police.

A crash at Clear and Campell caused by a suspected drunk driver killed a female motorist

Various local media outlets are reporting the death of two men in a barge fire in Freeport. The men are 31-year old Jose Jesus Gonzalez-Alvarez and 41-year old Daniel Santacruz. The Saturday April 3rd fire was at Texas Barge & Boat, Inc. near the 4100 block of Floodgate Road. An ABC Channel 13 report says one man was caught in the blaze and the other man perished when he went in to save him. The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident as an industrial accident. KHOU said that the fire was in a cargo vessel that was sitting on top of a dry docked barge at the time of the fire. Freeport, Texas is about 65 miles south of Houston.

The Houston Chronicle has reported that the worker killed in yesterday’s plant explosion at KMTEX‘s Port Arthur plant was 58-year old Mr. Johnny Williams of Groves, Texas.  Another online media report says that OSHA will visit the plant to determine how and why the deadly explosion happened. Under the heading “quality” on the company’s web site, KMTEX states that: “KMTEX complies with mandated and governmental standards involving health, safety, and environmental measures. We are responsible business professionals, fully prepared to meet the standards of our customers.”

ABC Channel 13 news briefly reported a balcony collapse at an apartment complex in Kaufman, Texas that caused the death of 37-year old Jose Martinez-Hernandez. Kaufman is about 30 miles southeast of Dallas. Investigators say an engineer will inspect all of the balconies in the complex. The accident happened Saturday March 26th; Mr. Hernandez fell 12 feet. Reports from WFAA-TV indicate that residents of the complex say crews had been working on several balconies. That report identified the complex as Windtree Apartments in Kaufman.

Under Texas law, just because a person is injured on another’s property does not make the property owner automatically responsible for paying the injured person’s damages. There must be evidence of negligence on the part of the property owner and/or the person responsible for maintaining the property. Often in the context of an apartment complex a property management company is contracted by the owner of the complex to manage the apartments, including safety and maintenance. If you have been injured in a trip and fall or slip and fall incident on another person’s property and suspect the negligence of the property owner was the cause, call the experienced premises liability attorneys at Smith & Hassler for a free consultation.

27-year old San Antonio police officer Stephanie Ann Brown was killed early Tuesday when a man on probation for a DWI charge drove his SUV the wrong way with the lights off down I-35, crashing in to Stephanie’s patrol car head-on. The collision happened at around 2:00am near McCullough Avenue as Officer Brown was responding to a call for officer assistance. The other driver, Christopher David Baldaramos, age 31, was pronounced dead at the scene. Public records indicate he had lived in the San Antonio area for about 5 years and his lawyer said he had served 8-years in the U.S. Army. Officer Brown has been with the San Antonio Police Department for 3-years and had been working the shift for a fellow officer: she died at 2:50AM at University Hospital according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Officer Brown leaves behind a baby girl. She was dating a patrolman working at the SAPD‘s north substation. Her father Stanley Brown is also an officer with SAPD. An officer who witnessed the crash said he did not see any headlights of Balderamos’ 2004 Nissan Xterra before the collision. A receipt in Balderamos’ pocket was from a bar.

SAPD police officer Stephanie Brown died in a wrong way collision with a driver on probation for DWI

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.

ABC Channel 13 (KTRK) is reporting that the two people killed in the Ship Channel Bridge hit-and-run car accident in Houston on Saturday have been identified as 34-year old Luz Campos and her 13-year old son David Campos. Luz and David were killed when a Chrysler Sebring car collided with the Chevy Astro van they were riding in on the Ship Channel Bridge: the van hit the guardrail causing Luz and David to be ejected: they fell an estimated 120 feet to the ground below. Police have not said whether they have identified the driver of the Sebring who ran away after the collision, however they are using the license plate of the vehicle and fingerprints in an effort to establish who was driving. The KTRK report indicates that Luz Campos was pregnant when she died, making an already tragic story even more so. The police investigation of the hit-and-run continues: anyone with any information on the driver and passenger of the Sebring is urged to contact the HPD Vehicular Crimes Division at 713-247-4072.

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.