Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

An early Sunday morning crash in Tomball claimed the life of a motorcyclist when a woman driving a Mercedes G Wagon SUV pulled in front of the biker.

HCSO lists the time of the crash as around 2:00 a.m. The woman’s SUV was traveling eastbound on Spring Cypress Road near Highway 249 when she commenced a left turn in the path of the westbound motorcycle. The motorbike struck the passenger side rear door of the Mercedes causing extensive damage. The motorcyclist died at the scene.

Damage to the Mercedes SUV

KHOU’s news story indicates that HCSO believe alcohol was a factor in the crash for the woman driving the Mercedes. If she is determined to have been legally intoxicated at the time of the collision she could face a charge of intoxication manslaughter.

Friendswood Police Department investigated a motorcycle accident around noon yesterday on W. Bay Area Boulevard in Friendswood. Aerial photographs taken by Channel 11 News’ helicopter showing a collision between the motorcycle and a red-colored Ford Mustang. The motorcycle appears to have t-boned the Mustang on the driver’s side front fender. A wider camera angle of the vehicles suggests that the Mustang pulled out of a driveway and was attempting to cross the motorcycle’s lane of travel, and the motorcyclist swerved to his or her left to try and avoid the crash.

30-year old Arnesia Washington has been charged with murder after a multi-vehicle accident this weekend that claimed the life of a motorcyclist. Channel 13 reports that Washington was driving on the 610 West Loop in Houston with two young children as her passengers around noon Saturday when she rear-ended the motorcycle. At the time she was being followed by two other motorists whose vehicles she has previously struck in two separate hit-and-run accidents.

Washington appearing in court

Reportedly Washington also attempted to flee the scene after striking the motorcyclist but was blocked-in by the vehicles that were following her. Washington has previously been charged in Harris County with possession of a controlled substance, and is believed to have been under the influence of hydrocodone, a prescription painkiller, at the time of the fatal crash. Blood results are pending. Normally this type of accident (which is all too common in Houston) would be charged as intoxication manslaughter, but Washington has been charged with felony murder because she had the young children in her vehicle.

The deceased motorcyclist has been identified as Steven Rudoff who is from Sugar Land. Mr. Rudoff leaves a wife and three children.

A motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a family in a Ford pickup truck last night. The accident happened at the intersection of Highway 6 and Yorktown Crossing in northwest Houston. According to a media report, the motorcycle had run several red lights before the crash. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene, and it was reported that the family were not injured.

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

Fatal motorcycle accident in Pasadena, TX: Police say the driver of a vehicle was heading southbound on Highway 146 in Pasadena, Texas when he slammed into the rear of a motorcycle, killing the motorcycle rider. The crash happened around 8:45 p.m. on Saturday August 16th; the identity of the deceased motorcyclist has not yet been released.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News

The driver of a pickup truck caused a six vehicle accident last night that killed a motorcyclist, then fled the scene before the police arrived. The crash happened around 10:30 p.m. on the East Freeway in Houston. A 2006 GMC Sonoma apparently became impatient due to backed-up traffic and decided to drive on the inside shoulder. The truck struck a motorcycle, causing the motorcycle to collided with a 2014 Dodge Dart passenger car; the motorcyclist slid into the center lane of the roadway, while the motorcycle hit a wall and caught fire. The GMC Sonoma picked then rear-ended a 2011 Cadillac CTS; the Cadillac then hit the Dodge Dart and also a 2014 Ford F-150. The motorcyclist was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he died; the two men in the GMC pickup fled the scene on foot.

Houston Chronicle story | Channel 2 News Houston story | KHOU story |

A motorcyclist was killed in an early morning accident near Dayton, Texas. Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and Dayton Police responded to the crash on Highway 1960 at CR 611 around 7:00 a.m. Monday January 27, 2014. It appears the 18-wheeler was turning onto Highway 1960 from CR 611 when the motorcyclist struck the middle the trailer portion of the 18-wheeler. Tragically, the motorcyclist died at the scene. Limited visibility from morning fog may have contributed to the cause of the crash. Channel 2 Houston’s report is here. KHOU’s report is here.

Information on motorcycle accidents | Information on 18-wheeler and commercial truck accidents

Around 9:00 p.m. Sunday January 12th a motorcycle rear-ended a minivan on Interstate 45 at Edgebrook in southeast Houston.  A woman riding on the back of the motorcycle was killed in the crash. Channel 2’s report is here. Houston Chronicle story here. The Chronicle’s article identifies the motorcycle as a Harley Davidson, and states that the minivan changed lanes to enter the freeway when the motorcycle, reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed, struck the rear of the van. Neither the motorcycle driver nor the passenger were wearing crash helmets. The police investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing.

Information on representation for motorcycle accidents in Houston; representation for rear-end collision accidents in Houston.

A motorcyclist was critically injured and the driver of a car transported to hospital last night around 9:00 p.m. after a collision on W. Little York and Plantation Crest. Investigators told Channel 2 News Houston that the man riding the motorcycle pulled out of the Wal-Mart parking lot and accelerated away at a high rate of speed.  A woman who had just pulled onto W. Little York didn’t see the motorcycle, and the bike crashed into the side of the woman’s car, throwing the man from his motorbike.  The woman’s arm was injured and the motorcyclist was taken via life flight to Memorial Hermann.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston