Posts Tagged ‘drunk driving’

HPD Officer James Combs charged in death of Brian Manring

Houston Police Department Officer James Combs remains jailed on a charge of intoxication manslaughter after a head-on collision claimed the life of single father Brian Manring.

Investigators say that Combs’ blood alcohol content was more that twice the legal limit when he crossed the center line on Beechnut in Fort Bend County and his white Chevy Tahoe SUV struck Manring’s silver Corvette. The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. on Friday August 12th. After the crash Combs refused to take a field sobriety test. Combs’ blood was later drawn at a hospital and his BAC was reported to be 0.17. In Texas a person is legally intoxicated in they operate a motor vehicle with a BAC of .08 or greater.

Brian Manring’s Facebook page is populated with pictures of his young daughter. How sad that this little girl is now forever without her Dad.

drunk driving accident attorneys Houston Texas

Brian Manring’s wrecked Corvette

 

 

Three hurt in rollover accident on Hollydale Drive in Houston

ABC Channel 13 has reported a crash late last night that injured three men. It was a single vehicle accident on Hollydale Drive in Houston. The report is that the vehicle, which appears to be a white-colored Buick crossover, was traveling at considerable speed when a change in the road surface caused a loss of control; the vehicle then struck two parked cars and flipped over. The driver was ejected from the vehicle and is in critical condition, the two passenger were transported to the hospital for treatment. Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigators are looking into whether alcohol-impairment was a factor in the crash.

personal injury car accident attorney Houston

Danny Sandoval charged with DWI after fatal crash on 610 Loop in Houston

24-year old Danny Sandoval has been charged with Driving While Intoxicated in connection with a fatal crash on Houston’s East 610 Loop.  The wreck happened around 3:20 a.m. on Saturday March 22nd.  A 23-year old woman driving a Honda Civic northbound struck a concrete wall, after which the Honda went back into the travel lanes.  Danny Sandoval’s Jeep Wrangler then struck the Honda, killing the woman driving and injuring a 23-year old male passenger in the Honda.  Sandoval, who was not injured in the collision, was questioned and then arrested.

drunk driving car accident attorneys Houston Smith & Hassler

Photo credit: KHOU

James Heath, Courtney Banks hospitalized after major car accident

James Heath, an officer with Hempstead Police Department and Courtney Banks, a Galveston County Sheriff’s Deputy, are thankful to be alive after a major car accident on Wednesday night.  The two officers were working second jobs providing security for a construction crew working on a section of I-45 near the Galveston causeway.  Their vehicles were struck by a woman driving at an estimated 80-100 MPH: both officers’ vehicles had the blue and red emergency lights activated.

Interviewed by Channel 13 in his hospital bed, Deputy Courtney Banks reported a ruptured spleen, inter-cranial bleeding, and bruised if not fractured ribs.  Photographs of the massive rear-end damage to Banks’ Chevy Tahoe are included below.  In the impact the Tahoe was knocked forward about 500 feet into the rear of the white-colored vehicle, also shown below.  To his credit, Deputy Banks told Channel 13 that he is “…like a tank…” and that he may break down now and then, but fix him up and he’s right back at it.  You’ve got to respect that spirit.

The driver who crashed into the officers is hospitalized in fair condition and may face charges pending toxicology reports. Investigators found drugs in the woman’s vehicle.

Smith & Hassler has handled virtually this identical case. Several years ago our firm represented a Harris County Deputy Sheriff who was inside a coned-off construction area on the US 290 feeder road, providing security for a road striping crew. The deputy was in Ford Crown Victoria with red and blue emergency lights activated when an intoxicated tow truck driver plowed through the safety cones and destroyed the rear-end of the Crown Vic, injuring the deputy.  That case settled on highly favorable terms.

If you have been seriously injured due to the gross negligence of an impaired driver, Smith & Hassler would like to help. We aggressively pursue drunk driving accident cases and can point to many, many lawsuits filed by our attorneys when insurance companies attempt to get off lightly without properly compensating our clients.

Officer James Heath in hospital

Deputy Courtney Banks' destroyed Chevy Tahoe

Deputy Courtney Banks recovering in hospital

Banks' Tahoe was pushed into this car

Courtney Banks' totaled Chevy Tahoe

Honda Accord and Ford Explorer collide on FM 529, six injured

Six people were hospitalized after a Friday morning car accident on FM 529 and police think drunk driving may be to blame. Harris County Sheriff’s Office say a Ford Explorer was heading eastbound on FM 529 when the driver attempted a left turn onto Ridgeberry; the Explorer got in front of a Honda Accord heading westbound and the Accord T-Boned the Explorer. There were three people in each vehicle and all of them were injured; a passenger in the Honda and a passenger in the Explorer were taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann. HCSO Deputy Wilkie told Channel 11 News that both of the drivers involved admitted to drinking, to they were investigating the possibility of one of them being intoxicated.

drunk driving accident FM 529 Accord Explorer

Photo credit: KHOU

Honda Accord t-Bones Ford Explorer injuring 6 in car accident

Photo credit: KHOU

Aresha Griffin – latest victim of Houston drunk driving epidemic

Sadly another person has fallen victim to Houston’s chronic problem with drunk driversAresha Griffin was a passenger in a car driven by 29-year old Tocarra Dubor that was driving on Richmond Avenue near Jeanetta in Houston early Sunday morning. The car slammed into the driver’s side rear fender of a Houston Police Department patrol unit, causing the Dubor vehicle to veer off the road and into a parking lot.  Police say Griffin was killed when she was slammed into a tree by the out-of-control vehicle. Dubor has been charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with the crash. According to Channel 2’s report, the police officer was not injured. Thank goodness the officer wasn’t standing next to the police car.

Tocarra Dubor is charged with intoxication manslaughter

Suspected drunk driver of Tahoe in accident with precinct 5 constables

The driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV is suspected of driving drunk in a crash on the West Beltway last night at around 3:30 a.m. The driver crashed into two precinct 5 deputy Constables‘ patrol cars while the deputies were out of their vehicles conducting a traffic stop on the northbound side when the white-colored Tahoe traveled across four lanes of traffic toward them. One deputy constable was struck, the other was able to jump over the crash barrier and get out of the way. The injured deputy was transported to Memorial Hermann with a head injury, though thankfully he was alert. The deputy that jumped over the wall remained at the accident scene. The Tahoe driver was taken into custody and is suspected of drunk driving. Channel 13’s story is here. KHOU’s story is here. Channel 2’s story is here.

Wrong way driver causes multi-vehicle accident on North Freeway

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.

Jaime Rodriguez Reyes charged with DWI in accident that killed 4-year old boy

Two men are facing DWI charges after a multi-vehicle accident Sunday night that claimed the life of a 4-year old little boy. The accident happened around 10:00pm in the 8200 block of South Loop East. Investigators say Jamal Green, 38, was driving with his 4-year old son in a Nissan Sentra that was having mechanical issues. The Sentra was either stalled or driving slowly in the northbound lanes of 610 without headlights when a Chevrolet Lumina driven by Jaime Rodriguez Reyes, 42, came from behind and rear-ended the Nissan. Reyes’ Lumina then hit a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV that was driving in the next lane. Jamal Green and his son were both rushed to Memorial Hermann Hospital: police say that Green’s injuries were minor, but the little boy’s injuries were fatal. Police believe both Reyes and Jamal Green were intoxicated at the time of the accident. Reyes has been charged with driving while intoxicated. Jamal Green has been charged with driving while intoxicated with a child under age 15 in the vehicle, which is a felony charge. The name of the 4-year old who died in the accident has not yet been released. Channel 11’s story is here. Channel 2’s story is here. Channel 13’s story is here.

Smith & Hassler takes drunk driving accident case to trial in Harris County

Smith & Hassler trial attorney Roger Sullivan preparing to select a jury in Harris County District Court

If you have been involved in a serious motor vehicle accident and you are looking for effective representation, one of the questions you should be asking the attorney you are considering is if they have recently taken a case to trial. Generally speaking it is preferred to reach a settlement of a personal injury case when possible: settlement is preferred because settlement saves resources (for both sides) by keeping expenses down, settlement happens relatively soon compared to pursuing a lawsuit, and perhaps most importantly, settlement eliminates risk and gives the client a guaranteed outcome. The outcome of a personal injury lawsuit is not certain.

Still, there are some times when settlement is just not possible and a particular case is destined to be decided by a jury. That is why you should check with any personal injury attorney you are considering to see when they most recently took a case to trial. The answer doesn’t have to be “yesterday” or “last week” but ideally a personal injury attorney would continue to try cases during their career to keep their trial skills sharp.

Above is a photo taken May 1, 2012 of Smith & Hassler attorney Roger Sullivan preparing for jury selection in a trial against a drunk driver who rear-ended our client. The trial was in Harris County Civil District Court.

If you have been injured and need serious representation, Smith & Hassler’s experienced personal injury attorneys would be honored to give you a no-charge consultation. Smith & Hassler has represented injured people in Houston and throughout Texas since 1989.