An as-yet unnamed woman was killed today when her car was struck from behind by an 18-wheeler. The vehicles were on westbound Highway 225 near Preston when, according to media accounts, debris fell from a vehicle in front of the woman causing her to slow down. The 18-wheeler, approaching from behind, did not stop in time and drove partially over the rear of the woman’s vehicle, severely crushing it. Pasadena Police Department spokesman Vance Mitchell said the accident was under investigation and no decision has been made yet whether charges will be filed.
The scene of today's fatal truck accident on Highway 225
In 2011 Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan sued three companies for dumping toxic paper waste into the San Jacinto River. Those companies are Waste Management, International Paper and McGinnis Industrial Maintenance Corporation. The County’s factual claim is that these companies allowed dioxin, a dangerous chemical with documented risk to human health, to leak into a river system where Harris County residents have fished and swam since the 1960s. The County is seeking $2,000,000,000 ($2 billion) in penalties because the three companies failed to disclose the waste and clean it up. Residents of The Highlands have filed a lawsuit of their own; many of these residents are represented by Smith & Hassler.
In 2008 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) named the waste pits a Superfund site and took over remediation. Waste Management, International Paper and McGinnis Industrial Maintenance Corporation were ordered by the EPA to place a temporary cap over the waste pits, but the concern the Highlands residents have is that the cap could not withstand a major flood.
A red light runner caused a major collision last night at the intersection of Hempstead Highway and 43rd Street, injuring two people. Police said one vehicle with a male driver was heading northbound on Hempstead Highway when the driver disregarded a red light at 43rd Street, striking the side of a minivan. The collision was severe enough to flip the minivan over and through it into a ditch, trapping the driver. Fire fighters cut the roof off the minivan to free the lady driver. Both drivers were transported to the hospital and are expected to survive their injures.
Photo credit: Channel 2 News
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A woman driving an Audi was killed in a car accident last night as she made a left turn from Highway 6 onto Patterson Road, Channel 13 is reporting. The crash happened around 7:00 p.m. when an SUV in oncoming lanes struck the Audi. Both the SUV and the Audi then collided with a third vehicle driven by a pregnant lady. The lady driving the Audi was transported to the hospital but did not survive. Police say the Audi driver had a green light but failed to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic.
A major car accident this morning involving at least five vehicles had emergency responders using the Jaws of Life to rescue a trapped motorist. Channel 2 is reporting that three vehicles were propelled into a ditch that was flooded by this morning’s downpour. Westheimer Parkway near George Bush Park was shut down in both directions while the scene was cleared. No word on injuries, but the accident looks pretty severe based on the damage to the vehicles involved.
Photo credit: Channel 2 News
One contractor was killed and two others were injured while performing maintenance on a natural gas pipeline off the Louisiana coast yesterday. The incident happened around 11:10 a.m. Saturday September 13th; there were a total of four workers on the Chevron Pipe Line Co. platform at the time. Company spokesman Gareth Johnstone told the press he did not know what had caused the incident. The name of the deceased worker has not yet been released. The two injured workers were taken by helicopter to a waiting ambulance but declined to be transported to the emergency room.
Police say a Ford pickup truck driven by an adult male was heading northbound on N. Main at a high rate of speed when the vehicle crossed the center line and went into oncoming lanes. Two adults were killed in the accident and a child was injured.
Just after 9:00 p.m. Wednesday September 3rd a man was killed when his gray pickup truck crashed into the rear of a highway construction barricade truck. The westbound lanes of the Katy Freeway were closed for several hours. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. News coverage here.
Photo credit: Marvin Suggs
A METRO police officer’s foot was run over on Sunday by a DWI suspect. The incident happened on the North Freeway (Interstate 45) at the W. Little York exit. The female officer was directing traffic when a driver traveling over 60 MPH hit a plastic construction barrel. When the officer tried to stop the vehicle, the driver ran over her foot. A brief chase followed but the driver was quickly stopped and taken into custody. The man, who was found to be highly intoxicated, has been charged with intoxication assault. The officer was treated at Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital and is expected to recover.
The alleged drunk driver in police custody
Houston drunk driving accident personal injury attorneys – Smith & Hassler
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
