Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

20-year old landscape worker Edson Alanis Manzano was fatally struck by an out-of-control 18-wheeler as he worked alongside Highway 146 in Bacliff, Texas. The accident happened Monday June 30th as Edson was trimming back weeds at Highway 146 and FM 646. The big rig, pulling a tanker trailer, veered off the roadway on its way from La Porte to Texas City, striking Edson. Witness Jacob Cortez, who saw the accident, said he thought perhaps the driver had fallen asleep, and said that when the driver exited the truck after the accident the driver looked stunned. Edson was working for a company called BIO Landscape and performing a contract for the Texas Department of Transportation.

Victim Edson Alanis Manzano

The driver, 55-year old Glendall Bickwenhert from Kentucky, was cooperating with the police investigation. The 18-wheeler is owned by Indiana-based Time Dedicated DC Carriers, whose U.S. Dept of Transportation profile states the company operates 45 trucks.

Scene of the fatal accident

A black SUV crashed through DiMassi’s Mediterranean Restaurant on Kirby Drive just before 2:00 p.m. yesterday injuring ten people and sending four of them to the hospital. Police spoke with the driver of the SUV, who was uninjured in the accident. It appears she hit the gas instead of the brake. The injured people will no doubt look to the insurer of the SUV to cover their medical bills, however there may be a “limits issue” meaning there may not be enough insurance coverage on the SUV’s policy to pay all of the injury claims. People are often surprised to learn that even if they were a pedestrian (and not in their own vehicle), if they have Underinsured Motorist (UIM) or Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage on their own automobile policy, they can make an injury claim with their own insurer. Trying to figure out what to do after a car accident can be tedious and frustrating, particularly if you’re injured. The Smith & Hassler law firm has represented injured people since 1989 and has four attorneys who are Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

A young boy was tragically killed and his sister seriously injured when an 18-wheeler trucker distracted by something in his cab failed to slow down and struck the back of a family’s vehicle. The crash happened early evening, Friday April 19th on Highway 290 near Mason Road. Channel 2’s story quotes Texas DPS investigators as saying the trucker was looking down at his cell phone at the time of the collision. By the time the driver looked up he had already rear-ended a silver-colored Kia Optima sedan, driven by the boy’s 40-year old mother. Also in the car were the boy, believed to be around 9-years old, and his younger sister. The impact to the Kia was so severe the back bumper of the Kia was pushed forward to the back of the car’s front seat. The Kia was pushed forward, striking a Ford F150 pickup, which then hit a fourth vehicle, a Toyota Camry. The occupants of the other vehicles were injured and transported to hospital.

What a terrible, avoidable tragedy. This family has been forever changed due to something totally preventable: distracted driving.

Driver of the 18-wheeler

A life flight helicopter transported the mother and daughter from the Kia to Memorial Hermann Hospital; the mother is expected to survive, the daughter was taken into surgery for a skull fracture. The boy in the Kia died at the scene.

Officials inspect the silver Kia Optima

KHOU’s coverage of the accident is here.

DPS Trooper Richard Standifer is interviewed

ABC Channel 13 News’ coverage of the accident is here.

Scene of last nigh's fatal crash on Highway 290

The Houston Chronicle’s coverage is here.

The F150 pickup involved in the accident

Police say a minivan driver caused a 3 vehicle accident on Harwin near Beltway 8 when he ran a red light. Police say the minivan hit an SUV, causing the SUV to roll over and land on top of a car carrying on off duty Houston police officer. According to Channel 13’s story, two people were treated for minor injuries at the scene and the police officer wasn’t hurt. Hopefully the driver of the minivan has plenty of insurance, it sounds like this accident totaled a couple of vehicles, or at least caused them major damage.

Channel 13 is reporting that a 14-year old girl is dead and a young man injured after they were struck by a black Dodge traveling on Louetta. The accident happened today around 2:30pm at Louetta and Kuykendahl in northwest Harris County. According to investigators the young man was riding his bicycle eastbound on Louetta and the young girl was walking next to him in the grass when they were struck. The14-year old girl died at the scene, the young man was transported by ambulance. Investigators say that before the accident they got at least one call complaining about the black Dodge driving erratically on Louetta. The driver of the Dodge stopped and was questioned by investigators: he will have to undergo a mandatory blood draw.

Channel 2 is reporting that 91-year old Relva McCarty passed away days after a May 13 motor vehicle accident in Houston. Mr. McCarty was a passenger in a Mercury Mariner SUV that collided with a Toyota Camry around 8:30am on May 13th at the intersection of Beltway 8 and Hammerly. Mr. McCarty was rushed from the accident scene to Memorial Hermann Hospital, and from there transferred to Kindred Hospital where sadly he died on May 17th.  Police have said that both drivers involved were at fault for the collision.

Two drivers were injured in a car accident early this morning. The accident was at the intersection of Pierce and Dowling in Houston. According to police the driver of a Toyota was traveling at a high rate of speed eastbound on Pierce and was running red lights. On reaching the intersection of Pierce and Dowling, the Toyota was struck by a Chevrolet Impala heading southbound. Police said the Impala had the green light when it entered the intersection. Both drivers were injured and were taken to the hospital in stable condition. The driver of the Toyota was pinned inside his vehicle and had to be extracted by heavy rescue. Channel 11’s report of the accident is here.