Posts Tagged ‘wrong-way accident’

Camile Stanley charged after wrong way driver accident on Beltway 8

16
Apr 2013
By: Smith & Hassler - Houston, TX Injury Lawyers

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Categories: Accident Lawyer Drunk driving accidents Wrongful death
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A head-on crash early Sunday morning claimed the lives of two people, and it appears the wrong way driver who caused the collision was driving while impaired by alcohol. 27-year old Camile Stanley of Baytown, Texas is facing two charges of intoxication manslaughter. Houston Police Department says Camile Stanely was driving a Nissan Altima in the eastbound lanes of north beltway 8 near Bush International Airport at around 4:15 a.m. Sunday morning.
drunk driving accident Beltway 8 Houston Camile Ermine Stanley

Camile Stanley's wrecked Nissan Altima

The Altima crashed head-on into a white Ford Focus with two people inside, after which 19-year old Freddie Ramirez crashed into the wrecked Focus and Altima. In an interview with KHOU, Freddy said that he and another driver pulled Camile Stanley from the wreckage and detected an obvious odor of alcohol. Stanley was taken to Ben Taub where she was treated for only minor injuries, then transported to Harris County Jail.

A&M cadets killed in crash with wrong way driver on Highway 290

3
Mar 2013
By: Smith & Hassler - Houston, TX Injury Lawyers

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Categories: Auto Accident Drunk driving accidents
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Three were killed early this morning when a wrong way driver caused a head-on crash in northwest Harris County. The accident happened just after 3:30 a.m. on Highway 290 between Kickapoo Road and Binford. A woman in her 20’s was heading south in the northbound lanes when she struck a Ford Explorer head-on. The female was pronounced dead at the scene. A Harris County Sheriff’s Office sergeant at the scene stated there were three males from the Texas A&M University Corps. of Cadets in the Ford Explorer. The driver and rear seat passenger in the Explorer were killed and the front seat passenger was transported via ground ambulance to Memorial Hermann Hospital, reportedly in stable condition. It appears that alcohol was a factor in the crash.

Update: Harris County Sheriff’s Office has identified all four of the young people involved in the crash. The driver of the white Ford Mustang was 21-year old Katie Thomas: Channel 11’s news story says beer bottles were found in Ms. Thomas’ wrecked Mustang. The driver of the Ford Explorer was Amy Pacheco (18), and her passengers were Miguel Hernandez (18) and Francisco Campos (18). Miguel and Amy were killed in the collision, Francisco was injured and in critical condition. After the collision the Ford Explorer burst into flames. The A&M Corps. Cadets were heading back to College Station for an official function Sunday morning, having been in Houston judging a Houston ISD drill competition.

A&M Cadets killed in crash with wrong way driver Highway 290

Photo credit: Channel 13 News Houston

Katie Thomas wrong way accident Highway 290

Katie Thomas' 2005 Mustang. Photo credit: Channel 11 News

Amy Pacheco Ford Explorer wrong way accident US290

Amy Pacheco's Ford Explorer. Photo credit: Channel 11 News

Allegedly drunk BMW driver causes head on accident near The Galleria

25
Feb 2013
By: Smith & Hassler - Houston, TX Injury Lawyers

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Categories: Drunk driving accidents
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An allegedly drunk, wrong way driver caused a head-on crash on West Alabama in Houston near The Galleria early Sunday morning. Around 1:30 a.m. a woman driving her BMW the wrong way on West Alabama crashed into another BMW. Three victims of the crash in the second BMW (i.e. the one that was driving safely) were taken to hospital: one of them was a child according to Channel 2’s report. The wrong-way driver was arrested at the scene and charged with drunk driving.

drunk driver in bmw head on crash near The Galleria

Photo credit: Channel 2 Houston

S 610 Loop wrong way driver killed in collision with 18-wheelers

16
Dec 2012
By: Smith & Hassler - Houston, TX Injury Lawyers

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Categories: 18-wheeler accidents Auto Accident
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A 36-year old man driving the wrong way on Houston’s South 610 Loop was killed Saturday morning when a Cadillac Escalade crashed into two 18-wheelers at an estimated 90 miles per hour. The accident was around 3:00 a.m. near Main Street. One of the truck drivers involved said the Escalade first struck her semi, then slammed into a second 18-wheeler before bursting into flames. The cause of the accident remains under investigation, including determining whether the Escalade driver was impaired. Channel 13’s story is here.

HPD cruiser causes wrong way accident on Fulton Street

26
Oct 2012
By: Smith & Hassler - Houston, TX Injury Lawyers

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Categories: Auto Accident
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Early this morning a Houston Police Department officer caused a wrong-way head on car accident, colliding with a pickup truck in a construction zone. The crash happened on Fulton Street at Bennington Street. HPD says a patrol unit occupied by two officers was responding to a Code 1 call and had its emergency lights on when it turned north on Fulton, not realizing the street was one-way southbound due to construction. The police car hit an oncoming pickup truck, sending the pickup driver and one of the officers to hospital. Apparently the underlying matter the patrol unit was responding to was a vehicle pursuit in the nearby area. Channel 2’s story is here.
Hopefully the City of Houston will take care of the truck owner’s medical expenses and the damage to his vehicle. Under Texas law, units of government have immunity from being sued in most circumstances, however the Texas Tort Claims Act provides exceptions to sovereign immunity, including negligence caused by a government employee while operating a motor driven vehicle. If the government employee happens to be a police officer responding to an emergency call with lights and sirens however, the person injured in the accident caused by the police officer would have to show either that the officer did not act in conformity with an emergency action law, or was acting with conscious indifference or reckless disregard for the safety of others. (See CPRC Sec. 101.055 (2) below). That can be a difficult burden to carry for someone looking to recover their damages from an accident caused by a Texas peace officer responding to an emergency call.
Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Sec. 101.055. CERTAIN GOVERNMENTAL FUNCTIONS. This chapter does not apply to a claim arising: (1) in connection with the assessment or collection of taxes by a governmental unit; (2) from the action of an employee while responding to an emergency call or reacting to an emergency situation if the action is in compliance with the laws and ordinances applicable to emergency action, or in the absence of such a law or ordinance, if the action is not taken with conscious indifference or reckless disregard for the safety of others; or (3) from the failure to provide or the method of providing police or fire protection.

Photo credit: KHOU

Photo credit: KHOU

Wrong way accident on I-45 at Dallas

20
Sep 2012
By: Smith & Hassler - Houston, TX Injury Lawyers

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Categories: Drunk driving accidents
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Yet another major accident has happened on Interstate 45 due to a wrong way driver who may have been driving drunk.  The crash happened on I-45 near Dallas at around 2:00 a.m. last night.  A car and pickup truck crashed head-on, sending the woman in the car to the hospital. According to Channel 13’s report the pickup driver wasn’t injured.  Police say the woman driving the car went the wrong direction on a ramp and is suspected of being drunk. The crash is still under investigation.

Photo credit: ABC Ch. 13 News

Wrong way driver causes multi-vehicle accident on North Freeway

6
Jul 2012
By: Smith & Hassler - Houston, TX Injury Lawyers

Tags:
Categories: Drunk driving accidents
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Drunk driving is suspected to be the cause of two more wrong-way accidents in the Houston area last night, coming hot on the heels of two deadly wrong-way accidents last week, one on June 29th and one on July 1st.
The first accident was on the North Freeway (I-45) near Tidwell Drive. Police say the driver of a brown-colored Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck got on Interstate 45 heading northbound in the southbound lanes. A Houston police officer in a marked patrol unit attempted to avoid a head-on collision with the wrong-way driver and crashed into the concrete median. The crash caused a chain reaction collision that involved a total of five cars.
The wrong-way driver was stopped one exit later and placed under arrest: police say he appeared to be driving drunk but blood alcohol tests will make that determination. This is now the third wrong-way accident on Interstate 45 in the past couple of weeks. Fortunately, unlike the two prior occasions, nobody lost their life in this accident.
Update: a Channel 13 report has identified the alleged drunk-driver responsible for the wrong-way accident as 33-year old Martin Hernandez. This is Hernandez’ second drunk driving charge. He has been charged with a felony offense, in addition to DWI.
The second wrong-way accident last night happened on Highway 225 and Richey Road in Pasadena, shortly after 12:45 a.m. Police say a man was traveling the wrong way when he struck the back of an 18-wheeler causing the big-rig’s rear axle to be knocked off the truck and injuring the driver. The pickup truck driver was life flighted to hospital in serious condition. Channel 2’s report is here. Channel 13’s report is here.

HPD car wrecked in the wrong-way accident last night on the North Freeway near Tidwell

The patrol car sustained major damage after colliding with the concrete median

This blue Ford Mustang was involved in the chain reaction crash

If you or a family member have been injured by a drunk driver’s selfish choices, Smith & Hassler is a Houston personal injury law firm that will aggressively pursue compensation for your damages.

Another deadly wrong-way accident on I-45 claims 3 lives

1
Jul 2012
By: Smith & Hassler - Houston, TX Injury Lawyers

Tags:
Categories: Auto Accident Drunk driving accidents Wrongful death
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Within a matter of a few days of a June 29 deadly wrong-way crash on the North Freeway (I-45) that claimed 2 lives, another deadly wrong-way accident on Interstate 45 has occurred. The second accident also appears to involve drunk driving. A Houston Chronicle story has identified the wrong-way driver as Edward Blackwell, 43, of Montgomery, Texas.

The accident happened around 1:30am today, Sunday July 1, 2012. State Troopers told Channel 13 that a white-colored Chevrolet Malibu sedan was spotted swerving on southbound I-45. The driver of the white Malibu, Edward Blackwell,  then entered the exit ramp at The Woodlands Parkway, driving the wrong way. Seconds later the Malibu crashed head-on into another vehicle, a gold-colored Pontiac, with two occupants. Troopers say Blackwell was speeding at the time of the crash. DPS Trooper Erik Burse said there did not appear to be any problems with road marking or signage that would cause a driver to turn around and drive the wrong way.
Blackwell survived the accident and was taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital where officials say he was determined to have an elevated alcohol level. The three victims killed in the accident were pronounced dead at the scene. Blackwell is 43-years old and his deceased passenger was 47. The two passengers in the other car that were killed were only 25 and 27-years old. One of the occupants in Pontiac killed in the accident has been identified by the Montgomery County Police Reporter as 27-year old Dominique Hobbs of Grand Prairie, Texas.

Wrong-way driver Edward Blackwell's Chevy Malibu

The gold Pontiac sedan struck head-on by Blackwell's Chevy Malibu

Both occupants of the Pontiac were killed in the collision

This is the second deadly wrong-way accident on I-45 in less than a week