Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

Four people occupying a Volkswagen car were killed in a terrible automobile accident this morning on US 290 in Waller County. Channel 13 interviewed a DPS spokesman who explained that the Volkswagen was rear-ended by a speeding Chevy Impala sedan. That impact forced the Volkswagen off the roadway at which time the car caught fire. Firefighters did not discover the bodies of the victims inside the Volkswagen until they had extinguished the flames. The driver of the Impala was taken to a hospital in College Station in unknown condition. DPS is working on identifying the four folks who were killed.

Front end damage to the Impala

The four victims were in this Volkswagen car

A young boy was tragically killed and his sister seriously injured when an 18-wheeler trucker distracted by something in his cab failed to slow down and struck the back of a family’s vehicle. The crash happened early evening, Friday April 19th on Highway 290 near Mason Road. Channel 2’s story quotes Texas DPS investigators as saying the trucker was looking down at his cell phone at the time of the collision. By the time the driver looked up he had already rear-ended a silver-colored Kia Optima sedan, driven by the boy’s 40-year old mother. Also in the car were the boy, believed to be around 9-years old, and his younger sister. The impact to the Kia was so severe the back bumper of the Kia was pushed forward to the back of the car’s front seat. The Kia was pushed forward, striking a Ford F150 pickup, which then hit a fourth vehicle, a Toyota Camry. The occupants of the other vehicles were injured and transported to hospital.

What a terrible, avoidable tragedy. This family has been forever changed due to something totally preventable: distracted driving.

Driver of the 18-wheeler

A life flight helicopter transported the mother and daughter from the Kia to Memorial Hermann Hospital; the mother is expected to survive, the daughter was taken into surgery for a skull fracture. The boy in the Kia died at the scene.

Officials inspect the silver Kia Optima

KHOU’s coverage of the accident is here.

DPS Trooper Richard Standifer is interviewed

ABC Channel 13 News’ coverage of the accident is here.

Scene of last nigh's fatal crash on Highway 290

The Houston Chronicle’s coverage is here.

The F150 pickup involved in the accident

Police are saying that excessive speed and possibly alcohol were factors in a major collision on Highway 290 (a.k.a. Northwest Freeway) this morning. A woman driving a Chevy Camaro rear-ended a blue-colored SUV near the 43rd Street exit, and the impact caused the SUV to roll over. Two passengers in the SUV, a blue-colored Dodge Nitro, were taken to hospital in stable condition; the driver of the Camaro was transported in critical condition.  If the Camaro driver is found to have been legally intoxicated at the time of the crash, she will likely be charged with intoxication assault. Channel 2’s coverage is here. KHOU’s coverage is here.

This SUV rolled when it was hit by a speeding Camaro

Drunk driving accident personal injury claim information | Getting your medical bills paid when you are injured in a car accident |

An 18-wheeler tanker truck overturned yesterday evening around 9:15 p.m. spilling 5,000 gallons of chemical onto the roadway and closing westbound 290 at Mueschke Road. A nearby restaurant and gas station were evacuated as a precaution and two Harris County Deputies were treated for exposure at the scene. Apparently a passenger vehicle was also involved, though exactly how the accident happened isn’t apparent from media reports. Channel 13 News said nobody was injured in the wreck.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News Houston

Related content: Houston attorney for 18 wheeler accident

Late Thursday night an SUV rear-ended a HPD patrol unit that was stopped with its emergency lights activated on Highway 290 near Pinemont.  The truck of the police car is crushed all the way to the base of the rear window, which suggests a very significant impact given the size of the trunk on a Ford Crown Victoria. At the time of the accident the officer was sitting in the police car and was blocking an exit ramp for a stranded driver. The police officer and the driver of the SUV were transported to the emergency room; according to Channel 2’s report police are now investigating whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.

Photo credit - Channel 2 News Houston

Smith and Hassler has handled personal injury cases in Houston and throughout Texas since the firm was founded by Michael Smith and Al Hassler in 1989. The firm has four attorneys that are Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and has the support staff and resources to handle personal injury cases of all sizes. You can read reviews from former clients on Google and City Search Houston to get a sense of the job we do.

A Houston Police Department officer is lucky to be alive after his patrol car was struck by a pickup truck in a major car accident on US 290 at Hollister Road. Investigators say the office was using his patrol car to block traffic while working the scene of another accident when his vehicle was struck at around 4:00 a.m. Both the police officer and the driver of the pickup truck were taken to hospital.  Channel 2 Houston’s story does not state whether the driver of the pickup was impaired, but someone hits a police car on the freeway at 4:00 a.m. in Houston, the probability of alcohol involvement is extremely high.

Photo credit: Channel 2 News

A car accident on Highway 290 at Antoine around 3:30 a.m. involved one fatality. Two vehicles were involved, a dark-colored sedan and a mid-size SUV that appears to be a Toyota Forerunner. Channel 13’s report from the scene indicated someone was ejected from one vehicle, though which vehicle wasn’t clear. From the damage to the vehicles it appears the car rear ended the SUV causing the Toyota to spin out, however police are still investigating. All westbound lanes of Highway 290 were closed to traffic as police worked the accident scene.

Photo credit: Houston Chronicle

One killed in car accident at US290 and Antoine

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.

Photo credit: Channel 13 News Houston

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

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

Two people are dead and a man is charged with intoxication manslaughter after a crash on Highway 290 near 34 Street at 2:00 a.m. Saturday October 13th. Two drivers were involved in a fender bender accident when a Ford Explorer rear-ended a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. The driver of the Silverado and a 64-year old passenger exited the truck to exchange information with the driver of the Explorer. Investigators say that at some point the driver of the Silverado suspected the Explorer driver may have been drunk. The driver of the Silverado went back to his truck to call the police leaving the Explorer driver and his passenger when a Lincoln Navigator SUV slammed into the stopped Explorer and Silverado, killing the passenger from the Silverado and the driver of the Explorer. The driver of the Navigator was taken into custody by police. Channel 2’s story is here.