Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Houston Police Department Officer James Combs remains jailed on a charge of intoxication manslaughter after a head-on collision claimed the life of single father Brian Manring.

Investigators say that Combs’ blood alcohol content was more that twice the legal limit when he crossed the center line on Beechnut in Fort Bend County and his white Chevy Tahoe SUV struck Manring’s silver Corvette. The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. on Friday August 12th. After the crash Combs refused to take a field sobriety test. Combs’ blood was later drawn at a hospital and his BAC was reported to be 0.17. In Texas a person is legally intoxicated in they operate a motor vehicle with a BAC of .08 or greater.

Brian Manring’s Facebook page is populated with pictures of his young daughter. How sad that this little girl is now forever without her Dad.

Brian Manring’s wrecked Corvette

ABC Channel 13 has reported a crash late last night that injured three men. It was a single vehicle accident on Hollydale Drive in Houston. The report is that the vehicle, which appears to be a white-colored Buick crossover, was traveling at considerable speed when a change in the road surface caused a loss of control; the vehicle then struck two parked cars and flipped over. The driver was ejected from the vehicle and is in critical condition, the two passenger were transported to the hospital for treatment. Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigators are looking into whether alcohol-impairment was a factor in the crash.

24-year old Danny Sandoval has been charged with Driving While Intoxicated in connection with a fatal crash on Houston’s East 610 Loop.  The wreck happened around 3:20 a.m. on Saturday March 22nd.  A 23-year old woman driving a Honda Civic northbound struck a concrete wall, after which the Honda went back into the travel lanes.  Danny Sandoval’s Jeep Wrangler then struck the Honda, killing the woman driving and injuring a 23-year old male passenger in the Honda.  Sandoval, who was not injured in the collision, was questioned and then arrested.

Photo credit: KHOU

Six people were hospitalized after a Friday morning car accident on FM 529 and police think drunk driving may be to blame. Harris County Sheriff’s Office say a Ford Explorer was heading eastbound on FM 529 when the driver attempted a left turn onto Ridgeberry; the Explorer got in front of a Honda Accord heading westbound and the Accord T-Boned the Explorer. There were three people in each vehicle and all of them were injured; a passenger in the Honda and a passenger in the Explorer were taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann. HCSO Deputy Wilkie told Channel 11 News that both of the drivers involved admitted to drinking, to they were investigating the possibility of one of them being intoxicated.

Photo credit: KHOU

Photo credit: KHOU

Sadly another person has fallen victim to Houston’s chronic problem with drunk drivers. Aresha Griffin was a passenger in a car driven by 29-year old Tocarra Dubor that was driving on Richmond Avenue near Jeanetta in Houston early Sunday morning. The car slammed into the driver’s side rear fender of a Houston Police Department patrol unit, causing the Dubor vehicle to veer off the road and into a parking lot.  Police say Griffin was killed when she was slammed into a tree by the out-of-control vehicle. Dubor has been charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with the crash. According to Channel 2’s report, the police officer was not injured. Thank goodness the officer wasn’t standing next to the police car.

Tocarra Dubor is charged with intoxication manslaughter

The driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV is suspected of driving drunk in a crash on the West Beltway last night at around 3:30 a.m. The driver crashed into two precinct 5 deputy Constables‘ patrol cars while the deputies were out of their vehicles conducting a traffic stop on the northbound side when the white-colored Tahoe traveled across four lanes of traffic toward them. One deputy constable was struck, the other was able to jump over the crash barrier and get out of the way. The injured deputy was transported to Memorial Hermann with a head injury, though thankfully he was alert. The deputy that jumped over the wall remained at the accident scene. The Tahoe driver was taken into custody and is suspected of drunk driving. Channel 13’s story is here. KHOU’s story is here. Channel 2’s story is here.

HPD car wrecked in the wrong-way accident last night on the North Freeway near Tidwell

The patrol car sustained major damage after colliding with the concrete median

This blue Ford Mustang was involved in the chain reaction crash

If you or a family member have been injured by a drunk driver‘s selfish choices, Smith & Hassler is a Houston personal injury law firm that will aggressively pursue compensation for your damages.

Smith & Hassler trial attorney Roger Sullivan preparing to select a jury in Harris County District Court

If you have been involved in a serious motor vehicle accident and you are looking for effective representation, one of the questions you should be asking the attorney you are considering is if they have recently taken a case to trial. Generally speaking it is preferred to reach a settlement of a personal injury case when possible: settlement is preferred because settlement saves resources (for both sides) by keeping expenses down, settlement happens relatively soon compared to pursuing a lawsuit, and perhaps most importantly, settlement eliminates risk and gives the client a guaranteed outcome. The outcome of a personal injury lawsuit is not certain.

Still, there are some times when settlement is just not possible and a particular case is destined to be decided by a jury. That is why you should check with any personal injury attorney you are considering to see when they most recently took a case to trial. The answer doesn’t have to be “yesterday” or “last week” but ideally a personal injury attorney would continue to try cases during their career to keep their trial skills sharp.

Above is a photo taken May 1, 2012 of Smith & Hassler attorney Roger Sullivan preparing for jury selection in a trial against a drunk driver who rear-ended our client. The trial was in Harris County Civil District Court.

If you have been injured and need serious representation, Smith & Hassler’s experienced personal injury attorneys would be honored to give you a no-charge consultation. Smith & Hassler has represented injured people in Houston and throughout Texas since 1989.