Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Police say the driver of a silver Mitsubishi car was intoxicated when he crossed into oncoming traffic causing a head-on crash with a Ford F150 pickup truck. The crash happened around 9:30 p.m. on Gears Road at Crown Park; the Mitsubishi was heading westbound on Gears Road when it veered over into eastbound lanes, colliding with the Ford. The front seat passenger of the Mitsubishi was pronounced dead at the scene. Seven people in the pickup truck were taken to various area hospitals, and the driver and rear seat passenger in the Mitsubishi were injured also. The alleged drunk driver will face a charge of intoxication manslaughter.

Scene of last night’s fatal accident

At least five people were killed this morning in a collision on Beltway 8 at Wilson Road: one of the drivers involved was driving the wrong directions on the freeway. HCSO deputies said a sixth person was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital and the wrong-way driver was taken to Ben Taub. Click2Houston’s report is here. KHOU’s story is here and reports that the wrong way driver’s vehicle was a flatbed pickup truck; a photograph on KHOU’s web site appears to show a logo on the passenger door of the pickup, indicating it is a commercial vehicle. ABC Channel 13’s report states the victims were four adults and one child. The victims’ vehicle, a white-colored Ford F150, caught fire after the crash.

UPDATE: the wrong-way driver has been identified as Efraim Carmona – Carmona has been charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault.

UPDATE 2: Efraim Carmona’s blood alcohol content was reportedly .23, almost 3 times the legal limit of .08, according to an article on Channel 2’s web site. Carmona reportedly did not cooperate with the police investigation and would not answer question, although there were multiple alcohol containers in his vehicle. TABC is investigating to see if Carmona was drinking at a bar before the crash. The sole survivor of the crash aside from Carmona was an adolescent girl who is in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Photo credit: KHOU

Photo credit: KHOU

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