Houston Personal Injury Attorneys – Smith & Hassler

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.

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.

KHOU’s coverage of the accident is here.

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

The Houston Chronicle’s coverage is here.

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.

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