Police say a BMW ran a red light at the intersection of Westheimer and the West 610 Loop before crashing into a taxi and an SUV. Two women were riding in the BMW; police do not suspect alcohol was involved. One injured person was transported to the hospital in stable condition.
Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston
Car accident attorneys in Houston: Smith & Hassler.
A suspected drunk driver in a Chevy Suburban ran a red light last night at Cook Road and Bellaire Boulevard, crashing into a HFD ambulance, causing the ambulance to flip onto its side. Two paramedics and a six month old baby riding in the Suburban were injured in the accident. At the time of the accident, around 12:30 p.m., the ambulance was not on a call and was returning to base. The man driving the Suburban faces a felony DWI charge because of the age of his passenger.
Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston
Photo credit: Channel 13 News Houston
One person was killed and several others injured in a rear-end collision caused by a driver authorities say was heavily intoxicated. A red-colored Dodge Charger with black rims was reportedly speeding down Highway 6 when the Charger rear-ended a red colored pickup truck. The red pickup was pushed forward into the path of an oncoming truck, resulting in a head-on crash between those two vehicles. The driver of the red pickup truck died at the scene. The driver of the other pickup truck was rushed to hospital in serious but stable condition: the driver’s wife and two-year old daughter were also in the truck but reportedly were not injured. After the accident the driver in the Charger fled the scene on foot and was found face down, asleep, in the front yard of a nearby residence at the Copperfield subdivision. Due to the Charger driver’s high level of intoxication, he was taken to a nearby hospital. The accident happened at Highway 6 near Cherry Creek.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has accepted a charge of intoxication manslaughter against the Charger driver. Court records show that 22-year old Aaron Jacques from Cypress, TX was charged in Harris County on June 16th with one count of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault.
Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston
All main lanes of the Gulf Freeway south (I-45 S) were closed this morning near Almeda Genoa Road after a fatal head-on crash. A spokesperson for HPD said a Chrysler 300 sedan was driving the wrong way when it hit a police officer’s SUV head-on. Both drivers died at the scene. The officer who was killed was not with HPD, but a smaller local agency. The crash happened around 2:40 a.m. according to Transtar. The officer, who was apparently on his way to work, has not been identified yet pending notification of family members.
Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11 News
Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11 News
Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11 News
Harris County deputies are investigating a fatal accident involving a bicyclist to determine if the driver of the pickup that killed him was intoxicated at the time. According to witnesses, the bicycle rider was proceeding on the shoulder of Highway 6 near Empanada Drive when he was struck by the red-colored Ford F-series pickup truck, which was also driving on the shoulder for some reason. The bicycle was thrown about 75 feet onto the grass verge to the roadside and the pickup sustained front end damage to the passenger side. The driver of the pickup truck remained at the scene and investigating officers performed field sobriety tests and will also order a blood draw to determine if the pickup driver was driving drunk. The victim of the accident has not yet been identified, but according to Channel 2’s report he was in his late 40’s.
James Heath, an officer with Hempstead Police Department and Courtney Banks, a Galveston County Sheriff’s Deputy, are thankful to be alive after a major car accident on Wednesday night. The two officers were working second jobs providing security for a construction crew working on a section of I-45 near the Galveston causeway. Their vehicles were struck by a woman driving at an estimated 80-100 MPH: both officers’ vehicles had the blue and red emergency lights activated.
Interviewed by Channel 13 in his hospital bed, Deputy Courtney Banks reported a ruptured spleen, inter-cranial bleeding, and bruised if not fractured ribs. Photographs of the massive rear-end damage to Banks’ Chevy Tahoe are included below. In the impact the Tahoe was knocked forward about 500 feet into the rear of the white-colored vehicle, also shown below. To his credit, Deputy Banks told Channel 13 that he is “…like a tank…” and that he may break down now and then, but fix him up and he’s right back at it. You’ve got to respect that spirit.
The driver who crashed into the officers is hospitalized in fair condition and may face charges pending toxicology reports. Investigators found drugs in the woman’s vehicle.
Smith & Hassler has handled virtually this identical case. Several years ago our firm represented a Harris County Deputy Sheriff who was inside a coned-off construction area on the US 290 feeder road, providing security for a road striping crew. The deputy was in Ford Crown Victoria with red and blue emergency lights activated when an intoxicated tow truck driver plowed through the safety cones and destroyed the rear-end of the Crown Vic, injuring the deputy. That case settled on highly favorable terms.
If you have been seriously injured due to the gross negligence of an impaired driver, Smith & Hassler would like to help. We aggressively pursue drunk driving accident cases and can point to many, many lawsuits filed by our attorneys when insurance companies attempt to get off lightly without properly compensating our clients.
Officer James Heath in hospital
Deputy Courtney Banks' destroyed Chevy Tahoe
Deputy Courtney Banks recovering in hospital
Banks' Tahoe was pushed into this car
Courtney Banks' totaled Chevy Tahoe
A man was killed in a rear-end collision yesterday around 3:00 p.m. The man’s Jeep Cherokee had broken down on the East Beltway 8 feeder road near West Lake Houston Parkway. The man had called a family member for assistance and was waiting in his vehicle when it was struck from behind by a wrecker, causing the Jeep to catch fire. The wrecker driver and one other person pulled the man from the Jeep and attempted CPR but the man died at the accident scene.
Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11 News
Photo credit: Channel 11 News Houston
Houston personal injury attorneys since 1989: Smith & Hassler law firm.
A fire truck was stopped on Highway 288 this morning with light and sirens operating when a black Ranger Rover rear-ended the fire truck, injuring a Houston Fire Department firefighter. The fire truck was stopped to assist a motorist who vehicle was disabled. Channel 2 News Houston reported on the accident, and while the driver of the Range Rover was not identified by law enforcement, Channel 2 ran the license plate on the Range Rover and learned it is registered to 29-year old former NFL player Brian Iwuh. Iwuh, who was born in Houston, played for the University of Colorado, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos. Houston Police Department spokesperson J.R. Roberts told Channel 2 that the DWI task force was at the hospital with the driver of the Range Rover and will make a determination whether a case needs to be referred to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. The firefighter who was hurt in the accident is expected to recover well. According to Channel 2’s story, family members of the driver showed up at the accident scene and were drinking beer. The driver of the Range Rover has not yet been identified, but it was reported he was not wearing a seat belt.
Houston drunk driving accident attorneys; Houston automobile accident attorneys
Photo credit: Channel 2 News
Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston
Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston
A pickup truck rear-ended a Chevrolet Monte Carlo at 9:45 p.m. last night, Thursday May 30th, killing the driver of the Monte Carlo and injuring his female passenger. According to Channel 2 News Houston, the Monte Carlo and the pickup truck were both heading westbound on the North 610 Loop when the pickup struck the car, causing major rear-end damage. As the photograph shows, the trunk of the Monte Carlo is completely collapsed. The driver and passenger of the Monte Carlo were both trapped inside the vehicle, probably because the rear-end impact pushed the rear panels forward jamming shut the driver and passenger doors. The driver of the Monte Carlo was taken to the hospital where he died. Police say the pickup truck driver was not intoxicated at the time of the crash and no charges are anticipated.
Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston
Photo credit: KHOU
Unfortunately this is a fairly typical event for a holiday weekend in Houston. A drunk driver caused a head-on crash at around 2:15 a.m. on Memorial Day (Monday) morning. The male driver was heading westbound on Washington Avenue when he veered over into the center lane at Snover Street, hitting another car head-on, pushing that car backwards into a third vehicle. A female driver in the vehicle that was struck head-on was transported to the hospital. The suspected drunk driver was arrested at the scene: his name has not been released. Washington Avenue was temporarily shut down in both directions as police worked the scene.