Father Killed, Baby Injured in SUV-Pedestrian Crash

A father and his 7-month-old son were struck by an SUV near a bus stop on West Little York Road at 9 a.m. this morning, police said. Theodore Jones was pushing his son in a stroller when an out-of-control SUV jumped the curb and hit them. The driver did not stop, but continued down the road until rear ending another vehicle a few miles away. The SUV she was driving rolled over. Police are investigating the cause of the crash. Jones' pregnant wife was only a few feet away and witnessed the tragedy. Jones died from his injuries. His infant son was rushed to Texas Children's Hospital for treatment of a broken arm. He is listed in good condition.

Unfortunately, accidents such as this one often result in death or serious injury to pedestrians.  If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed in a pedestrian accident, contact the Houston accident lawyers at 1-888-839-8879 today to explore your legal options. Palermo Law Firm handles auto accident cases in Houston and the surrounding suburbs, including Bellaire, Brookside Village, Channelview, Crosby, Deer Park, Dyersdale, Galena Park, Houmont Park, Jacinto City, Kinwood, Meadows Place, Meyerland, Missouri City, North Hudson, Park Place, Pasadena, Pearland, Satsuma, South Houston, Stafford, and Sugar Land. We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you won't pay an attorney's fee unless your receive money in your case.

Driver Arrested in Fatal Drunk Driving Accident

The driver responsible for killing one person and injuring another in a drunk driving crash on Sunday has been arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter.  Nicholas Jared Mereles, 24, was driving a Toyota Camry on North Eldridge Parkway on Sunday evening, when he began tailgating another vehicle. The vehicle pulled to the side of the road to let Mereles pass, when he crossed the center line and sideswiped a Toyota Avalon, then hit a Toyota Corolla head on while fleeing the scene of the accident. An occupant in the Corolla was killed and another passenger was injured in the crash. Passengers in Mereles' car were also injured.

Drunk driving accidents continue to be a major cause of auto accidents in the U.S. In 2009, there were 10,839 alcohol-impaired fatalities on the nation's highways. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in an accident caused by a drunk driver, contact the Houston accident lawyers at 1-888-839-8879 today to explore your legal options. Palermo Law Firm handles personal injury and auto accident cases in Houston and the surrounding suburbs, including Bellaire, Brookside Village, Channelview, Crosby, Deer Park, Dyersdale, Galena Park, Houmont Park, Jacinto City, Kinwood, Meadows Place, Meyerland, Missouri City, North Hudson, Park Place, Pasadena, Pearland, Satsuma, South Houston, Stafford, and Sugar Land. Our Houston personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you don’t pay a fee unless you recover money for your loss.

Study: Texting Bans Ineffective

A recent Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) study found that the number of texting-related crashes did not decrease in states that passed laws banning texting while driving. In fact, texting bans are associated with an increase in the number of insurance claims filed for collision damage in vehicle crashes during the months after the laws were passed, according to statistics released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Virginia. The HLDI study compared collision claim rates in the months before and after laws were passed that banned texting while driving in California, Louisiana, Minnesota and Washington with the rates in nearby states without texting laws.

The studies do not mean that texting while driving is safe. Rather, the evidence may indicate that texting laws are ineffective and that other measures to cut down on texting while driving should be explored. A previous study by HLDI uncovered similar results for bans on talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving. If you have been injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver, a Houston Auto Accident Attorney can help you get just compensation for your injuries.

If you or someone you love has been injured in any type of accident, contact the Houston accident lawyers at 1-888-839-8879 today to explore your legal options. Palermo Law Firm handles personal injury and auto accident cases in Houston and the surrounding suburbs, including Bellaire, Brookside Village, Channelview, Crosby, Deer Park, Dyersdale, Galena Park, Houmont Park, Jacinto City, Kinwood, Meadows Place, Meyerland, Missouri City, North Hudson, Park Place, Pasadena, Pearland, Satsuma, South Houston, Stafford, and Sugar Land. Our Houston personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you don’t pay a fee unless you recover money for your injuries. 

Gulf Platform Fire Raises Safety Concerns

A massive fire on a production platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday prompted an evacuation of the platform, news reports say.  Thirteen employees, who had to jump into the Gulf to escape the flames, were all rescued with no injuries. Although the platform, owned by Mariner Energy of Houston, is not an oil drilling platform, the incident has raised concerns about the safety of lifting the moratorium on drilling in the Gulf. In the wake of the Deep Horizon catastrophe, all drilling-related accidents are under public scrutiny, according to experts. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in this platform fire. However, platform accidents like this one can be tragic, potentially resulting in serious, catastrophic injuries and death to workers. In particular, burn injuries can leave a worker in need of painful skin grafts and rehabilitative therapy for years to come. In addition, burn victims typically suffer substantial scarring that will serve as a permanent reminder of their physical pain and emotional trauma.

If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed in an oil rig or production platform accident, contact the Houston accident lawyers at 1-888-839-8879 today to explore your legal options. Palermo Law Firm handles oil rig and refinery accident cases in Houston and the surrounding suburbs, including Bellaire, Brookside Village, Channelview, Crosby, Deer Park, Dyersdale, Galena Park, Houmont Park, Jacinto City, Kinwood, Meadows Place, Meyerland, Missouri City, North Hudson, Park Place, Pasadena, Pearland, Satsuma, South Houston, Stafford, and Sugar Land.

Toyota Recalls Over 1 Million Vehicles

Toyota announced this week that it is recalling over one million of its 2005-2008 model Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks due to issues with engines stalling while the vehicles are in operation. Corolla and Matrix vehicles equipped with the 1ZZ-FE engine contain a defective engine control module (ECM). Soldering on the ECM may develop cracks which can cause the engine to fail to start or to stall while the vehicle is in motion. To date, at least three accidents are believed to be related to defective ECMs in Toyota Corolla and Matrix models.

This latest recall comes in the wake of a series of Toyota recalls for unintended acceleration and braking problems with several other Toyota models, including the Camry, Prius, and Lexus hybrid. This current recall brings Toyota's total recalled vehicles to over 9 million since last September. Toyota will begin repairing the faulty ECMs on the recalled vehicles in September.

If you have been injured or lost a loved one in an accident caused by a defective Toyota vehicle, contact the Houston accident lawyers at 1-888-839-8879 today to explore your legal options. Palermo Law Firm handles personal injury and auto accident cases in Houston and the surrounding suburbs, including Bellaire, Brookside Village, Channelview, Crosby, Deer Park, Dyersdale, Galena Park, Houmont Park, Jacinto City, Kinwood, Meadows Place, Meyerland, Missouri City, North Hudson, Park Place, Pasadena, Pearland, Satsuma, South Houston, Stafford, and Sugar Land. Our Houston personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you don’t pay a fee unless you recover money for your injuries.

Third Teen Dies After Drunk Driving Crash

A third teen died early Sunday morning as a result of a suspected drunk driving crash on Friday. The suspected drunk driver ran a red light on the Highway 59 North feeder when his Toyota Camry crashed into a Ford Excursion SUV carrying a man, a woman, and five teenage girls. Three of the teens were not wearing their seatbelts and were thrown from the SUV during the crash. Two teens, Avaianca Cortez, 13, and Rashaunda Raleigh, 17, were pronounced dead at the scene. The third, Detrihanna Davis, 13, died Sunday. The driver faces intoxication manslaughter charges if found to have had a BAC over the legal limit at the time of the crash.

If you or someone you know has been injured by a drunk driver, contact the Houston accident lawyers at 1-888-839-8879 today to explore your legal options. Palermo Law Firm handles personal injury and auto accident cases in Houston and the surrounding suburbs, including Bellaire, Brookside Village, Channelview, Crosby, Deer Park, Dyersdale, Galena Park, Houmont Park, Jacinto City, Kinwood, Meadows Place, Meyerland, Missouri City, North Hudson, Park Place, Pasadena, Pearland, Satsuma, South Houston, Stafford, and Sugar Land. Our Houston personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you don’t pay a fee unless you recover money for your injuries.

Possible Wrongful Death Suit in Louisiana Oil Rig Explosion

Seventeen workers were critically injured and eleven others are still missing in an oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana on Tuesday. The explosion occurred at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico in the early morning hours. Lawsuits will likely be filed by the families of some of the missing victims. The families still hold out hope, however, that their loved ones will be found. Nearly 100 oil rig workers were rescued by a supply boat.

Oil rig accidents such as this are tragic, resulting in serious, catastrophic injuries and death to workers. If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed in an oil rig accident, contact the Houston accident lawyers at 1-888-839-8879 today to explore your legal options. Palermo Law Firm handles oil rig and refinery accident cases in Houston and the surrounding suburbs, including Bellaire, Brookside Village, Channelview, Crosby, Deer Park, Dyersdale, Galena Park, Houmont Park, Jacinto City, Kinwood, Meadows Place, Meyerland, Missouri City, North Hudson, Park Place, Pasadena, Pearland, Satsuma, South Houston, Stafford, and Sugar Land. Our Houston personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you don’t pay a fee unless you recover money for your injuries.