Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

A man in his early 20’s was killed in a hit-and-run accident in the Montrose area of Houston this morning. The man was crossing in a pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Westheiemer and Taft when a black-colored sedan ran a red light, hitting the man and fleeing the scene. The vehicle will have visible damage from colliding with the pedestrian; anyone who has information they think might help police should contact Houston Crime Stoppers at 713 222 TIPS.

Montrose fatal auto-pedestrian hit-and-run accident

A woman was walking along Crosby-Lynchburg Road around 2:00 p.m. Monday afternoon when an out-of-control pickup truck struck her, pinning her beneath the vehicle.

11-year old Gabe Rojas and his best friend Jartis Soloman were seriously injured when they were struck by an out-of-control car as the two boys played basketball in the Rojas family’s driveway. Gabe suffered a badly broken leg and was pinned under the car for several minutes after being dragged into the neighbor’s yard. Jartis suffered a broken wrist. Both boys play little league baseball for the Texas Bombers, and were visited by their coach and teammates at Memorial Hermann Hospital on Friday; the accident happened Wednesday. Team coach David Trevino has set up a fund to help the family pay the boys’ medical expenses. Investigators say the driver of the car was a teenager who lost control of the vehicle.

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Recovering damages for an auto-pedestrian accident | Getting your medical bills paid after a car accident

Scene of Wednesday's accident

Jartis Soloman (L) and Gabe Rojas (R) recover in hospital

One person was killed in an unusual series of collisions on the North 610 Loop at Ella Boulevard early Sunday morning. Two vehicles collided around 3:30 a.m. and Houston Fire Department was dispatched to respond. One of the drivers got out of his vehicle and was hit by a third vehicle heading eastbound on 610: he was pinned between two vehicles and killed. A passenger from this man’s vehicle then tried to run across the freeway to get help, and he was hit by a fourth vehicle causing a leg injury. Channel 11’s report is here.

Channel 2’s story provides a bit more detail, and a slightly different version of events. According to Channel 2, the eastbound vehicle rear-ended a black-colored Chevy Impala, which caused the Impala to spin out across the freeway and hit a Toyota. The vehicle that struck the Impala then fled the scene. The driver of the Toyota then exited his vehicle, complaining of a head injury, and lay down on the roadway. An additional vehicle, a Honda Accord, then came upon the scene and struck the man, killing him. Investigators say the Honda driver was driving drunk. Another vehicle was following the Honda, and when that driver saw his friend had been in a wreck, this man ran across the freeway trying to help and was hit by a car.

And of course, once police arrived and were handling the accident scene, another drunk driver crashed into a police patrol car.

A female pedestrian was killed after she was hit by a pickup truck early this morning as she walked on the improved shoulder of FM 1097 East in Willis, Texas. According to the Montgomery County Police Reporter, when EMS arrived on the scene the woman was deceased in the American Legion parking lot, having been thrown just over 100 feet in the collision.  The white-colored Chevrolet 2500 utility truck that struck the woman was driven by 30-year old Jeffery Atkinson from Willis. The police reporter article states Atkinson said he did not see the woman prior to striking her.  A field sobriety test and breath-alcohol test both indicated that alcohol was not a factor in the accident.  The name of the woman who died in the accident has not yet been released, pending notification of her family members.  The pickup truck showed a significant amount of damage to the passenger side front.

Photo credit: Montgomery County Police Reporter

A pedestrian walking her dogs in the 3300 block of D’Amico Street just west of Waugh Drive in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood was fatally struck by a car Friday evening. Official say an elderly lady was driving the car that hit the pedestrian. Police say it appears the driver came to a halt at a stop sign then stepped on the gas: witnesses who spoke to Channel 11 News said the victim didn’t have a chance to get out of the way. Witnesses also said the driver, who appeared to be in her 80’s was very upset. Neighbors say the victim is in her 50’s or 60’s and lives in a townhome near the scene of the accident.

The elderly driver being interviewed by HPD

An 8th grader was struck by a car today as he walked to school.  The auto-pedestrian accident happened around 7:45 a.m. as the vehicle was making a left turn in front of Timberwood Middle School in Humble, Texas. The boy suffered a possible broken leg and some bruises, and he was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital.  The driver remained at the scene. Channel 2’s report is here. Hopefully the young man will make a full recovery. No word on whether the driver was cited for the accident.

A pedestrian is in hospital in serious but stable condition after a hit-and-run accident at the Star Stop gas station and convenience store at 102 Cavalcade Street in Houston. According to FOX News’ story, two men were walking in the parking lot of the Star Stop around 4:15am Friday when a black SUV struck and ran over one of the men. The other man was able to jump out of the way and avoid being run over. A tow truck driver attempted to chase down the SUV but it would not stop: the driver is described as a bald, white male. Another witness told police he saw the two men and the SUV driver arguing near the door of the Star Stop before the hit-and-run, so the SUV driver may have intentionally struck the pedestrian.

The video below shows a collision between a passenger car and a man walking on a freeway: the video was shot in Russia. The man was walking close by a vehicle that appears to have broken down in a freeway travel lane. He was not looking in the direction of approaching traffic when the car came from his right side and struck him, throwing him many feet into the air. Despite how severe the accident looks, the man was fortunate to escape with only a broken leg. This video provides a powerful reminder of why Texas has a “steer it and clear it” law. Chapter 550.022 of the Texas Transportation Code governing accidents involving damage to a vehicle says: “If an accident occurs on a main lane, ramp, shoulder, median or adjacent area of a freeway and each vehicle can be normally and safely driven, each vehicle operator shall move the operator’s vehicle as soon as possible to a designated accident investigation site, a location on the frontage road, the nearest suitable cross street or other suitable location to complete the requirements of Section 550.023 and minimize the interference with existing freeway traffic flow.”

Sometimes there is a tendency for people involved in an accident not to move their vehicle from a travel lane until the police arrive so the police can determine who was at fault. If your vehicle is still driveable and there is a lot of traffic passing by, the safer approach would be to move the vehicles out of the roadway. If you have a cell phone with a camera, as almost everyone does these days, you can always take a couple of quick pictures to show the position of the vehicles before you move them.