Archive for September 14th, 2011

Car crashes into ambulance on I-10 East at Sheldon sending 6 to the hospital

Channel 2 News is reporting a collision between  a car and an ambulance that sent six injured people to the hospital. The crash happened just after 9:00am on Wednesday September 14 at the intersection of the Interstate 10 East feeder and Sheldon Road in Houston. A silver-gray Dodge Charger car crashed into the ambulance as the ambulance was responding to a call for another car accident. According to deputies, the car had the right-of-way in the intersection but the ambulance was responding to an emergency and had lights and sirens activated. Sergeant Mauro Alvardo with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said that every other car stopped at the intersection to allow the ambulance through the intersection, however the gray car proceeded through on a green light. A total of six injured people had to be transported to the hospital including three medics in the ambulance and a 4 and 5-year old. The driver of the gray car received a citation for failure to yield the right of way to the ambulance. The ambulance was broadsided in the accident and flipped over onto its side. ABC Channel 13’s story is available here.

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.