Archive for April 20th, 2011

Suburban crashes into Kemah developer’s Ferrari

KHOU is reporting a two vehicle collision that sent Frans Gillebaard (71) to the hospital. Mr. Gillebaard is a Kemah waterfront developer who sold his restaurants to Landry’s Corp. in 1997. The crash happened around 11:12 AM at FM 517 and state Highway 146 when, according to the report, a 46-year old man traveling in a 1987 Chevy Suburban allegedly ran a red light and collided with Mr. Gillebaard’s Ferrari.  Apparently the crash temporarily trapped Mr. Gillebaard in the wrecked Ferrari and he was freed by San Leon Volunteer Fire Department and transported to UTMB by ground ambulance.

A car accident is a very disruptive event for most people.  A damaged vehicle may mean you cannot get to work, grocery shop, take your kids to school or sporting events, and so on.  Injuries may mean you are unable to work, hence unable to support yourself or your family due to lost wages.  And not only are you missing income because you are unable to work, but you now have unexpected debts for medical treatment, sometimes in the tens of thousands of dollars.  Dealing with all of these challenges at once can feel overwhelming, particularly if you have never been involved in an accident before.  If the at-fault driver had insurance, you are probably dealing with requests for information from the insurance company too.  Smith & Hassler firmly believes that the earlier in the process you get sound advice from an experienced personal injury attorney who is willing to listen to you, answer your questions and provide you guidance, the better.  The insurance company will press you early on to give a recorded statement about the accident, your injuries, your medical history and more: don’t do it, the statement is for their benefit, not yours.  You can call or email Smith & Hassler any time for a free consultation on your car accident injury claim.