Four people occupying a Volkswagen car were killed in a terrible automobile accident this morning on US 290 in Waller County. Channel 13 interviewed a DPS spokesman who explained that the Volkswagen was rear-ended by a speeding Chevy Impala sedan. That impact forced the Volkswagen off the roadway at which time the car caught fire. Firefighters did not discover the bodies of the victims inside the Volkswagen until they had extinguished the flames. The driver of the Impala was taken to a hospital in College Station in unknown condition. DPS is working on identifying the four folks who were killed.

Front end damage to the Impala

The four victims were in this Volkswagen car
21-year old Joseph Pena was driving home from work after finishing his shift when he was involved in a hit-and-run collision with another vehicle that has left Joseph serious injured and his mother wondering how the other driver could callously leave the scene. Joseph was giving a friend a ride home at the time of the crash, which sent Joseph’s car into a light pole. Joseph’s mother says he is now in critical condition and his heart has stopped twice since the wreck. The hit-and-run vehicle is described as a gray Toyota Scion; Harris County Sheriffs are investigating the crash.

Last night a Houston Police Department patrol officer had pulled over a suspected drunk driver and was conducting an investigation when the officer’s patrol car was smashed by a second suspected drunk driver. This is not a rare occurrence in Houston, and for some reason rather than emergency lights serving as a warning to drunk drivers, the lights seem to draw them in like moths to a flame. The crash happened on Houston’s North Loop (coincidentally Smith & Hassler’s office is on the North Loop). The officer and suspected drunk driver #1 were reported to be uninjured thankfully, and ABC Channel 13 has video of both drivers being sobriety tested.
If you’ve been hurt by a drunk driver, in Houston or anywhere else, give us a call and we’d be glad to explain what your legal options are.

A fatal crash early this morning shut down all lanes of Interstate 45 at the North 610 Loop. According to Channel 2 News, a black car was stopped in the fast lane of I-45 to change a flat tire. A white-colored Honda car stopped behind the black car to assist. One of the drivers was standing behind the white Honda when a white-colored Dodge Ram pickup slammed into the back of the Honda, killing the person who was standing between the two vehicles.

Congratulations to Smith & Hassler attorney Daragh Carter who was selected as a Super Lawyer in the Personal Injury practice area for 2017.
Daragh joined Smith & Hassler in April 2006 and has been representing injured clients ever since. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Daragh Carter
A man attempting to run across Interstate 45 North last night has miraculously survived being struck by an 18-wheeler. The accident happened just before midnight near Tidwell. Witnesses credit the 18-wheeler driver with attempting to swerve to avoid the crash, and after clipping the man the trucker pulled over and called 911. It is very difficult to gauge the speed of an approaching vehicle and how much time there is to cross a multi-lane roadway during daylight, let alone at night, so while taking a shortcut is tempting it can often prove fatal. The safer play is wait for help, don’t try to cross the freeway.

Pedestrian hit by big rig on I45
Two drivers are lucky to have survived a four vehicle accident the afternoon of Thursday March 23, 2017.
According to Channel 13 News, a flatbed hauling some pipe was traveling the 600 block of Blue Bell Road when it struck the rear of a large white box truck, causing the box truck to make an out-of-control turn and topple over onto two passenger cars. The box truck partially crushed a gold colored Honda and a dark-colored Cadillac behind it. Accident witness Mr. Cruz Hernandez told Channel 13 that a female existed the Honda bleeding from her head, and the Cadillac driver was up and moving after the crash.

Both were taken to the hospital to be checked out. The box truck driver wasn’t hurt in the crash, and the driver of the flatbed truck who cause the accident is going to be issued a citation for failure to control speed.
Westbound Interstate 10 near Katy Mills Mall was closed yesterday afternoon for a fatal car accident involving two vehicles. One vehicle was burned in the accident, a second vehicle came to rest on its side in the travel lanes of the freeway.

An 18-year old male driver and his 17-year old female passenger miraculously survived a crash with an 18-wheeler that ripped the roof completely off their vehicle late Monday evening. The couple’s pickup went under the trailer of an 18-wheeler that had pulled out onto the roadway at Decker near Oakland in Baytown, Texas.

Houston personal injury attorneys Smith & Hassler have been helping injured Texans get compensated for serious injuries from 18-wheeler accidents since 1989.
One person is dead after a car accident on Almeda Road and Reed Road at 11:30 p.m. last night. A black-colored Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck crashed into the rear of a silver colored sports car, possibly a Nissan 370ZX. Law enforcement told the media that the pickup was traveling at a very high rate of speed; the impact propelled the sports car forward into the front bumper of a Houston Rodeo bus that was parked and unoccupied at the time. The driver of the pickup appeared disoriented after the crash to bystanders who rendered aid, and there will be an investigation to determine if alcohol played a role. The driver of the Nissan died at the scene.

The crash victim’s vehicle