Archive for November, 2012

8th grader hit by car at Timberwood Middle School

An 8th grader was struck by a car today as he walked to school.  The auto-pedestrian accident happened around 7:45 a.m. as the vehicle was making a left turn in front of Timberwood Middle School in Humble, Texas. The boy suffered a possible broken leg and some bruises, and he was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital.  The driver remained at the scene. Channel 2’s report is here. Hopefully the young man will make a full recovery. No word on whether the driver was cited for the accident.

Several burned in explosion at AmeriGas facility in Conroe

An explosion at the AmeriGas Cylinder Exchange facility in Conroe, Texas injured several people today.  The blast happened around noon at the AmeriGas facility at 10985 FM 1485 in Montgomery County, Texas. Two victims of the explosion were flown to area burn centers via medical helicopter. Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s are investigating and the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the propane industry, was also notified. Channel 13 story here.

Photo credit: ABC Ch 13

Driver charged in fatal motorcycle accident involving deputy sheriff’s dad

75-year old Neil Smith has been charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with the death of 54-year old Danny Hunt.  On Saturday November 3rd Danny Hunt and his son Chase Hunt, an off-duty Galveston County Deputy Sheriff, were riding their motorcycles on Highway 6 near FM 2004 it Hitchcock, Texas around 1:00 a.m. Investigators say that at some point Chase’s baseball cap fell off so the men pulled to the side of the road and chase went to retrieve his hat.  At that point Neil Smith’s Ford SUV struck Danny Hunt. Smith continued driving for about a half mile until damage to the SUV forced him to stop.  Danny Hunt was pronounced dead at the sceneChannel 2’s story is hereGalveston Daily News story here. This weekend marked the conclusion of the Lone Star Rally in Galveston, a motorcycle rally that drew 500,000 people to Galveston Island. According to initial police reports, 19 people were charged with drunken driving, including Neil Smith.

Neil Smith

Deputies hit head-on by Chevy pickup on Highway 6 at Little York

Two Harris County Deputies and a person they were providing courtesy transportation were hit head on in a car accident last night at Little York and Highway 6. Two patrol vehicles were stopped at a light in a turn lane facing northbound on Highway 6. A full-size Chevy pickup truck heading southbound on Highway 6 crashed into the front of the first patrol vehicle, pushing it backwards into the second patrol unit. Apparently this was a major impact: one of the patrol units was pushed back 28 feet from the point of impact.

The driver of the pickup truck was a 16-year old male that police believe was driving under the influence of synthetic marijuana. He will be given a mandatory blood draw at the hospital. With him in the vehicle was another person who allegedly asked the 16-year old to drive because the passenger was too intoxicated. Another passenger was a female runaway whose parents came to collect her. The deputy sheriff in the first vehicle hit was transported to hospital with a wrist injury (probably from the airbag) and bruising. ABC Channel 13’s story is here, and includes video.

If the 16-year old was unlicensed and/or intoxicated at the time of the crash, the passenger who asked the 16-year old to drive would probably be liable to the injured deputy for what is called negligent entrustment. That is when a person knowingly entrusts their vehicle to a person who is an unlicensed, incompetent or reckless driver, and the negligence of the person entrusted with the vehicle results in injury to a third party.

The injured deputy's wrecked patrol vehicle

A 16-year old crashed this Chevy pickup into the police car

Trick or treaters hit by SUV on Sweetwater and Saddle Rock

A boy and a girl out trick or treating last night were struck and injured by an SUV as they crossed Saddle Rock Drive near Sweetwater in a north Houston neighborhood. Witnesses say the boy who was struck was thrown up in the air by the impact. Neighbors say the girl was transported to the hospital by ground ambulance and the boy via life flight. Neighbor Cory Samuel, interviewed by Channel 11 News, said he saw the boy go up into the air, then when the boy came down it was like the SUV driver was unable to stop. Channel 2’s report indicates the driver’s SUV was towed away after the accident: that indicates (but doesn’t guarantee) that the driver had no license or no insurance, but maybe she was just too shaken up to drive.

The Suzuki SUV involved in last night's accident