Posts Tagged ‘drunk driver’

Car lands on woman sleeping inside her Airline Drive home

Police suspect drunk driving may be the reason why a car left the southbound lanes of Airline Drive, bounced off a phone pole and pickup truck before plowing into a mobile home, landing atop a woman sleeping in her bed. Harris County Sheriff’s Office say the red car was traveling at a high rate of speed before it crashed in the 9200 block of Airline Drive around midnight. Amazingly the woman was transported to hospital in relatively good condition, save for some burns from the hot car. The driver of the car made an attempt to flee the accident scene on foot but witnesses held him down until police arrived. Read Channel 11’s report here. Channel 13’s report is here.

Smith & Hassler’s Houston personal injury attorneys have no patience for lowball settlement offers on drunk driving accidents from insurance companies and will aggressively represent clients to make sure they are properly compensated. Don’t allow an insurance adjuster to talk you into a small settlement days after an accident, visit www.smithandhassler.com to arrange a free consultation.

Mike Grayson charged in deadly accident with horse drawn carriage

Mike Grayson of Conroe, Texas has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and three counts of intoxication assault in connection with a crash at the intersection of 21st Street and Avenue L in Galveston. At around 11:00 p.m. Saturday July 21st Grayson’s black sedan struck a horse-drawn carriage, killing one person and injuring four others. Police say 21-year old Grayson attempted to flee the accident scene but was kept there by witnesses until the police arrived. At the time of the accident Grayson told police that he had been on medication: he failed a sobriety test and later admitted he had been drinking. Four people in the carriage were transported to the hospital where one victim died. One witness said the carriage rolled over three times, finally coming to rest on top of Grayson’s car. Grayson’s bond has been set at $250,000. Channel 2’s story is here. Channel 13’s story is here. Galveston Daily News’ story is here.

21-year old Mike Grayson of Conroe

Head-on crash in Santa Fe caused by drunk driver police say

Alleged drunk driver responsible for head-on crash in Santa Fe, Texas: 53-year old Tony Rainey, pictured below, has been charged with two counts of intoxication assault in connection with a major car accident on July 4th in Santa Fe, Texas that seriously injured a young woman and a little girl. Rainey is in custody on $100,000 bond.

Santa Fe Police say Tony Rainey was driving westbound on FM 1764 around 9:00pm when he suddenly swerved into the eastbound lanes crashing head-on into a vehicle driven by Terry Regnier.  25-year old Ashley Jackson and a five-year old girl were a passenger in Regnier’s vehicle. Both Ashley and the little girl suffered serious injuries and were life-flighted to hospital: thankfully they are now in stable condition. Ashley suffered facial fractures in the accident.

Two others were injured in the accident and were taken by ground ambulance to the hospital. Testing performed at the crash scene determined that Tony Rainey was legally intoxicated at the time of the crash. He was taken to the hospital for a mandatory blood draw and was then charged with intoxication assault. Rainey is currently in custody pending his transfer to Galveston County Jail. FOX News’ story is here.

According to the Galveston Daily News’ report, police found a spilled beer on the floorboard of Rainey’s vehicle. Hopefully Tony Rainey has plenty of automobile insurance to cover the injuries and damage caused. Speedy recovery to Ashley Jackson and the little girl.

Tony Rainey has been charged with two counts of intoxication assault

25-year old Ashley Jackson and a 5-year old girl were life flighted after the wreck

Terry Regnier's vehicle was hit head-on by Rainey: police say Rainey was drunk

Pedestrian injured by drunk driver in Montrose

Drunk driver hits pedestrian in Montrose: A woman was crossing West Alabama near Mandell in the Montrose area at around 2:30am this morning when she was struck by a 2008 Nissan Altima sedan. The driver of the Altima, Arturo Gonzales, initially left the scene, but then decided to return. Gonzales has been charged with driving while intoxicated. The female pedestrian was taken to Memorial Hermann hospital in serious condition. Channel 2’s report is hereChannel 13’s report is here. Unfortunately this will probably be one of many injury accidents caused by drunk drivers over the fourth of July weekend. Smith & Hassler has practiced personal injury law in Houston and throughout Texas since 1989, and leverages that experience to protect the rights of clients hurt by drunk drivers.

A female pedestrian was hit by a drunk driver on West Alabama in the Montrose area

The windshield of the Nissan Altima is shattered from the impact with the pedestrian

The pedestrian was transported to Memorial Hermann in serious condition

Passenger ejected, killed on US 59: drunk driving to blame say police

Police believe drunk driving was to blame for yet another fatal accident in the Houston area. At around midnight last night a 29-year old male driver and his 34-year old male passenger were traveling on the Southwest Freeway (US 59) near Edloe in a Nissan 350z sports car when the driver lost control and crashed into the concrete median. The sports car flipped over the median, rolled over, and landed in the beginning of the HOV lane, sliding down the freeway. The passenger was ejected in the accident and his body slid around 150 feet: he was pronounced dead at the scene.  The driver of the Nissan refused a breathalyzer test, however we are in a no refusal period through July 4th, so one way or the other police will obtain an alcohol test from the driver. Channel 13’s report of the accident is here.

The 34-year old man riding as a passenger in the Nissan 350z was pronounced dead at the scene

The Nissan flipped after hitting the median, ejecting the passenger

Another deadly wrong-way accident on I-45 claims 3 lives

Within a matter of a few days of a June 29 deadly wrong-way crash on the North Freeway (I-45) that claimed 2 lives, another deadly wrong-way accident on Interstate 45 has occurred. The second accident also appears to involve drunk driving. A Houston Chronicle story has identified the wrong-way driver as Edward Blackwell, 43, of Montgomery, Texas.

The accident happened around 1:30am today, Sunday July 1, 2012. State Troopers told Channel 13 that a white-colored Chevrolet Malibu sedan was spotted swerving on southbound I-45. The driver of the white Malibu, Edward Blackwell,  then entered the exit ramp at The Woodlands Parkway, driving the wrong way. Seconds later the Malibu crashed head-on into another vehicle, a gold-colored Pontiac, with two occupants. Troopers say Blackwell was speeding at the time of the crash. DPS Trooper Erik Burse said there did not appear to be any problems with road marking or signage that would cause a driver to turn around and drive the wrong way.
Blackwell survived the accident and was taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital where officials say he was determined to have an elevated alcohol level. The three victims killed in the accident were pronounced dead at the scene. Blackwell is 43-years old and his deceased passenger was 47. The two passengers in the other car that were killed were only 25 and 27-years old. One of the occupants in Pontiac killed in the accident has been identified by the Montgomery County Police Reporter as 27-year old Dominique Hobbs of Grand Prairie, Texas.

Wrong-way driver Edward Blackwell's Chevy Malibu

The gold Pontiac sedan struck head-on by Blackwell's Chevy Malibu

Both occupants of the Pontiac were killed in the collision

This is the second deadly wrong-way accident on I-45 in less than a week

Alleged drunk driver dies after crashing into HFD ambulance

A speeding driver who is suspected of driving drunk died in an accident early this morning when he crashed into the rear of a Houston Fire Department ambulance that was stopped on Kempwood Drive at Ryson Street to pick up a patient. Two paramedics were getting out of the ambulance when they heard screeching tires.  They then saw a young man driving a white-colored Nissan Altima approaching at an estimated speed of 80MPH, in a residential area no less.  One of the paramedics was able to react quickly enough to jump clear before the collision, but the other jumped back into the driver’s seat before the Altima struck the ambulance. That paramedic was transported to the hospital for observation. The driver of the Nissan Altima had to be rescued by Houston Fire Department because he was trapped inside his severely damaged car: he was rushed to Ben Taub hospital but did not survive. The driver has been identified as 21-year old David Lopez. Police said drunk driving was definitely a factor in causing the accident.  Channel 11’s story is here. Channel 2’s story is here. Channel 13’s story is here. FOX News’ story is here. The Houston Chronicle’s story is here.

A paramedic working on this ambulance was taken to the hospital for observation

This white Nissan Altima was thought to be traveling at 80MPH in a residential area before the crash

The attorneys at Smith & Hassler practice exclusively in personal injury and have handled many serious injury and wrongful death claims resulting from the negligence and gross negligence of drunk drivers. Smith & Hassler believes a drunk driver should bear the cost of their actions, not the injured victim.  You can contact Smith & Hassler any time day or night and ask to speak directly to an attorney about your drunk driving injury claim.

Mustang driver flees scene of collision with minivan on W Dyna

Police believe the driver of a red Ford Mustang who fled the scene of a two car accident last night may have run because he was driving under the influence. Drivers were slowing down along the freeway at W. Dyna to look at a low-rider car showing going on in the parking lot of a shopping center. A gold-colored GMC Safari minivan had slowed down on the feeder when it was rear-ended by the northbound Mustang. That impact pushed the minivan into an electrical pole, snapping it, and then into a water pipe that was also broken in the accident. Channel 13’s report said the driver of the minivan was injured in the accident but nobody else was hurt. Police believe the Mustang driver was drunk: officers at the scene said there were beer bottles in the Mustang. Memorial Day weekend is a no-refusal weekend, meaning whether they want to or not, drivers suspected of driving under the influence will be required to undergo alcohol testing. Injured by a drunk driver and not sure what to do? Smith & Hassler’s experienced personal injury attorneys can help. Call for a no cost case evaluation.

Police are looking for the driver of this Mustang who fled on foot

The driver of this GMC minivan was injured in the rear-end accident

Motorcyclist pulled over on South Freeway killed by suspected drunk driver

It appears the Houston area has lost yet another victim to drunk driving. Channel 13 News is reporting that a motorcyclist pulled over by police was killed last night when another vehicle hit his motorbike. The accident happened around 1:30am on the South Freeway near Yellowstone. An HPD officer pulled over the motorcycle on the feeder road and pulled him over on suspicion of running red lights. The motorcyclist pulled over and stopped at a narrow one lane entrance ramp: that’s when the driver of a blue Chevrolet pickup truck sideswiped the HPD patrol car and struck the motorbike and rider. The motorcycle rider died at the scene. Police say they were about to instruct the motorcyclist to pull over somewhere safer when the crash happened. The driver of the pickup was taken to Ben Taub to be treated for minor injuries: police say his blood alcohol level was above the legal limit for intoxication, so he will face drunk driving charges (probably for intoxication manslaughter). Channel 13’s article states no police officers were injured in the accident.

Crash with suspected drunk driver claims life of unborn child

Ashton Craven, 38, has been identified as the suspected drunk driver involved in a two vehicle accident in Houston that injured a pregnant woman and claimed the life of her unborn child. The accident happened the afternoon of Saturday May 12, 2012: witnesses say Ashton Craven, driving a green-colored Ford Taurus, ran a stop sign around 1:10 pm while driving on Bataan at Jutland in south Houston. The Taurus crashed into the pregnant lady’s Toyota Corolla that was traveling on Jutland. The woman was rushed to Memorial Herman in the Medical Center, and it was determined her unborn child had died as a result of the crash. Ashton Craven was taken to Ben Taub by paramedics: the District Attorney’s office may upgrade Craven’s charges to intoxication manslaughter. The Houston Chronicle’s story is here.