Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

30-year old Arnesia Washington has been charged with murder after a multi-vehicle accident this weekend that claimed the life of a motorcyclist. Channel 13 reports that Washington was driving on the 610 West Loop in Houston with two young children as her passengers around noon Saturday when she rear-ended the motorcycle. At the time she was being followed by two other motorists whose vehicles she has previously struck in two separate hit-and-run accidents.

Washington appearing in court

Reportedly Washington also attempted to flee the scene after striking the motorcyclist but was blocked-in by the vehicles that were following her. Washington has previously been charged in Harris County with possession of a controlled substance, and is believed to have been under the influence of hydrocodone, a prescription painkiller, at the time of the fatal crash. Blood results are pending. Normally this type of accident (which is all too common in Houston) would be charged as intoxication manslaughter, but Washington has been charged with felony murder because she had the young children in her vehicle.

The deceased motorcyclist has been identified as Steven Rudoff who is from Sugar Land. Mr. Rudoff leaves a wife and three children.

One driver is dead and another is possibly facing failure to stop and render aid and intoxication manslaughter charges after a crash on Hiram Clarke near Orem at 2:00 this morning. KHOU reports that a gray-colored Infiniti was traveling around 80 MPH southbound on Hiram Clarke when it rear-ended a white-colored Pontiac Sunfire that may have been turning at the time. The Pontiac was struck so hard that the driver was thrown out of the vehicle through the rear window. The Infiniti traveled about a block before coming to a stop due to mechanical failure.

Two vehicles collided head-on at 9:45 p.m. on Sunday March 27th and one of the drivers has been charged with intoxication manslaughter. The allegedly drunk driver was traveling eastbound on W. Mount Houston in a silver-colored pickup truck when he crossed the center line and struck a Chevy Impala sedan traveling westbound. A woman driving the Impala was killed in the collision and her front seat passenger was critically injured. The pickup driver was taken to the hospital, presumably where blood was drawn.

Sunday night’s fatal crash

One worker was killed and two were injured when a chemical tank exploded at the PeroxyChem plant in Pasadena on Saturday January 16th. PeroxyChem officials say that the dead worker is a contractor and the two injured workers are employees. Although the specifics of the incident are still under investigation, routine maintenance was taking place when the blast occurred.

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 man riding as passenger in a speeding Honda Accord died in a violent crash last night. The wreck happened just past 9:00 p.m. on the southbound feeder road of U.S. 59 near Bissonnet. The Honda lost control and left the roadway, striking a light pole. The passenger in the car was pronounced dead at the hospital but the driver is expected to survive the crash. Police are investigating to see if drunk driving played a role in the wreck.

The wrecked Honda Accord

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

Two people were killed on US 290 in Houston this morning when an 18-wheeler crashed into a stalled vehicle.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported that a 1997 Ford Probe broke down in the right lane of the westbound lanes near Mason. A 32-year old woman who had been driving the Ford Probe got out and tried to signal to the approaching big rig without success. The big rig and the Ford Probe caught fire, killing the big rig driver and a male occupant of the Ford Probe.

Two people were killed and several others injured in a four vehicle accident at the intersection of Beltway 8 feeder and Antoine. According to media accounts of the accident, it started when a 17-year old driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck ran through a red light, colliding with an SUV occupied by a family of four. A 34-year old woman and a 15-year old boy in the SUV lost their lives; the father, driving the SUV, and a daughter, riding in the rear seat, were transported to hospital.

After it was struck by the pickup truck the SUV rolled onto two other vehicles causing additional injuries to those occupants.

An article that recently appeared on the Houston Chronicle’s web site states that Houston leads the entire nation in red light runner fatal accidents. T-bone type crashes have perhaps greater potential to cause serious injury or death than any other type of motor vehicle collision because of the proximity of the point of impact to the occupants of the vehicle.

Running a red light to try and get where you are going a few minutes sooner is simply not worth the risk and, as in his tragic case, endangers the lives of other innocent drivers.

The victim’s SUV and the Dodge Ram that ran the red light

The victims’ Tahoe where it came to rest

A driver has been charged with intoxication manslaughter for a fatal crash on FM 1960 near Fritz Oak Place at 2:00 a.m. this morning, and apparently had his unrestrained 4-year old daughter with him in the vehicle at the time.

According to Channel 13 Houston, the alleged drunk driver was heading westbound on FM 1960 when he attempted to make a u-turn. His SUV pulled in front of the victim’s vehicle, and the victim’s vehicle t-boned the drunk driver. The victim died instantly. The alleged drunk driver wasn’t hurt, but his 4-year old daughter was transported to the emergency room.

The victim’s vehicle

The alleged drunk driver’s SUV