Shortly before 8:00 am this morning, my cell phone rang and a friend alerted me to what I already suspected based on the brake lights I was seeing in all five lanes of I-45 North near Spring-Stuebner Road. Yet another major automobile accident on this well-traveled interstate highway was delaying commuters from Montgomery County and adding at least an hour to the daily trip to downtown Houston. My friend said that he heard three or four of the five lanes were shut down.
As I gripped the steering wheel in frustration and immediately looked for an exit to take an alternate route, the lawyer part of my brain kicked in and a series of questions commenced: Was a truck involved in the accident? Was there a fatality? Was/were the driver(s) impaired or asleep at the wheel? Did someone cut someone else off in the mad dash to be at work on time? If the vehicle involved was an SUV, did some flaw in the design or manufacture of the SUV or its tires cause the wreck? Did an 18 wheeler jackknife? Could my law firm Reich & Binstock be of any assistance to the accident victims or their families as we have handled many significant vehicle collision cases in our 20 plus years of personal injury practice?
When I arrived at work and powered up the computer, my worst fears were confirmed. A woman died in the collision after she apparently lost control of her 1999 Ford Explorer SUV and struck a concrete retaining wall near Richey Road on Interstate 45 South. After colliding with the retaining wall, the vehicle rolled over onto its right side. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident is still under investigation.
Houston’s interstate highways are potential death traps each day in the morning and afternoon rush hour commutes. I fear for my own safety and the well being of my wife and three young children. Since our family vehicles are a Nissan XTerra and a Honda Odyssey, I will be interested to see any follow up newspaper articles that report on whether defects in the SUV or its tires and/or driver error/inattention/impairment caused or contributed to this unfortunate woman’s death. I also ponder whether or not my own driving behavior or condition of my automobile could lead to an accident in rush hour traffic. I am thankful for my skills and experience as an attorney. Whatever the reason was for the fatal accident, it is certainly important to contact a wrongful death and trucking accident attorney to protect your legal rights.
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