Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

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

The Houston Chronicle is reporting a fatal 18-wheeler accident that happened this morning around 2:00 a.m. on the Katy Freeway (I-10) westbound near the Grand Parkway. Harris County Sheriff’s Office is investigating and a cause of the accident was not included in the Chronicle’s report. Three feeder road lanes near the wreck were closed as emergency responders worked the scene. Channel 11 Houston’s story states that the driver who died was a woman driving a gold-colored Buick sedan; the Buick struck the rear of the big rig’s trailer at an intersection on the service road.

Photo credit: Channel 11 News Houston

Photo credit: Channel 11 News Houston

FOX News is reporting a major accident on State Highway 149 in Pinehurst, Texas involving two 18-wheeler trucks. The highway was shut down in both directions near Millhouse Road in southwest Montgomery County as crews worked to clear the wreckage.  The accident was reported around 9:00am this morning. A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety told FOX that an 18-wheeler lost a load of large timber logs, then another big-rig heading in the opposite direction crashed into the logs, causing that big-rig to leave the highway and crash, injuring the driver. That injured driver was transported via life flight to the hospital in unknown condition. The trailer carrying the logs lost its rear axle and wheels, and the other truck that struck the logs sustained heavy damage to the cab and cargo areas, spilling its cardboard box cargo onto the highway.

Hopefully the driver of the 18-wheeler that left the roadway is going to be okay.  If you have been injured in an 18-wheeler accident, do not risk damaging your claim by going it alone. Smith & Hassler’s experienced personal injury attorneys can be reached 24/7.

The driver of this 18-wheeler was life flighted after colliding with a load of spilled logs

An 18-wheeler lost its load of timber logs on State Highway 149 near Pinehurst

An 18-wheeler heavily damaged by a collision with the timber logs