One dead in 18-wheeler accident on Katy Freeway at Grand Parkway

The Houston Chronicle is reporting a fatal 18-wheeler accident that occurred this morning around 2:00 a.m. on the Katy Freeway (I-10) westbound near the Grand Parkway. Harris County Sheriff's Office is investigating and a cause of the accident was not included in the Chronicle's report. Three feeder road lanes near the wreck were closed as emergency responders worked the scene.

Update 1: Channel 11's story states that the accident victim is a woman who was driving a gold-colored Buick sedan.  The Buick struck the rear of the 18-wheeler's trailer at an intersection on the Katy Freeway feeder road. Channel 2's report is here, and states the big rig was waiting at a red light at the time of the collision.

Photo credit: Channel 11 News Houston

Photo credit: Channel 11 News Houston

Photo credit: Channel 11 News Houston

18 wheeler accident on Aldine Bender at Hardy Toll kills one

There isn't much by way of detail but Channel 13 is reporting a fatal 18 wheeler accident last night on Aldine Bender at the Hardy Toll Road. A car collided with an 18-wheeler and the cab of the truck burst into flames. The driver of the 18-wheeler sustained minor injuries, but there were at least three people in the car and one of them died. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. DaraghCarterLaw.com

Photo credit: ABC Channel 13 News

Pasadena PD's Larry Candelari killed in 18 wheeler accident near Kerrville

Two off duty Pasadena Police Department officers were returning from a deer lease they share at around 10:00 p.m. last night when they stopped to help a motorist whose U-Haul trailer had jack-knifed on Interstate 10 near Kerrville, Texas. Officer Larry Candelari and Officer Mike Huffman, both 49-years old, pulled over in front of the vehicle that lost the trailer to render aid. An approaching 18-wheeler was able to avoid the trailer in the roadway, but then hit both the officers' vehicle and the vehicle they had stopped to help.

Officer Larry Candelari was killed in the collision and his friend Mike Huffman was severely injured: according to Channel 11, Huffman had to undergo amputation of his leg below the knee. A few years ago Officer Candelari received the Chief's Citation Award for his response to the fatal shooting of Officer Jesse Hamilton on August 21, 2009.

The Houston Chronicle has a more extended article: Tamara Spencer, a spokesperson for League City Police Department, said Officer Candelari was one of the best SWAT team members on Pasadena's force, and that Mike Huffman was "...the toughest cop she's met." She said both were generous with their time, so it was no surprise that at the time of the 18-wheeler accident they had stopped to help someone in need.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation. According to the Chronicle's article, the 18-wheeler driver did not appear to be impaired by alcohol, but fatigue may have been a factor. An apparent witness named Andy Lewis told the Chronicle: "The 18-wheeler comes barreling down the road and doesn't hit the brakes until he hits the vehicles."

Pasadena P.D. Officer
Larry Candelari

DaraghCarterLaw.com

Update 1: I heard from a colleague of Officers Candelari and Huffman this afternoon that three benefit accounts have been set up to help these officers' families:

(1) Go in to an Amegy Bank and say you wish to make a donation to the fund set up for Mike Huffman or Larry Candelari; or

(2) Mail a donation care of the Pasadena Police Officer's Union to: Benefit Fund, P.O. Box 766, Pasadena, Texas 77501; or

(3) The Pasadena Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association has an Assist the Officer Fund. Donations are completely tax deductible and can be made at any area Wells Fargo bank to account # 48235.  Alternatively checks paid to that fund can be mailed to: PCPAAA - Assist the Officer, 1107 Pampa Street, Pasadena, TX 77504.

Officer Candelari's body was escorted home Sunday and delivered to the Rosewood Funeral Home in Porter, Texas, escorted by dozens of police squad cars.

Update 2: click here to read Galveston Police Chief Henry Porretto's recollection of Officers Candelari and Huffman.  A Facebook memorial page for Larry Candelari has been set up here, and an online memory book established at Rosewood Funeral Home's web site here.

Update 3: Officer Larry Candelari's funeral was held today, Friday, May 3rd, 2013 attended by hundreds of mourners including the majority of the Pasadena Police Department, with the exception of Officer Mike Huffman who remains hospitalized in San Antonio.  Officer Candelari's sons Alec and Seth both spoke: Alex is a United States Marine (like his Dad before him) and Seth is a police officer. Larry Candelari served five year in Iraq with the Marine Corp. and 24 years with Pasadena P.D., 22 of those years as a SWAT team member. Alec remembers his dad as his "ultimate hero."

Larry Candelari's son, Alec, a U.S. Marine, speaking
at his Dad's funeral 05/03/2013.

Members of the Pasadena Police Department

Larry Candelari's friend, Lieutenant John Dombrowa

Larry Candelari's son, Seth, also a police officer, speaking
at his Dad's funeral 05/03/2013.

Cement truck and 18 wheeler collide on Spring Cypress

An 18-wheeler and a dump truck came to blows this morning at the intersection of Spring Cypress and Cutten in northwest Harris County.  All lanes were shut down on the two roads as crews worked to clear the badly damaged vehicles.  According to KHOU there were no reports of any injuries from the accident, which while good news is highly surprising given the 18-wheeler was knocked over onto its side and the cab of the cement truck was destroyed.

Photo credit: KHOU Air 11

Fatal 18 wheeler accident on North 610 Loop near Jensen

Local media outlets are reporting a man was killed in a rear end accident involving a white van and an 18 wheeler on the North Loop near Jensen Thursday afternoon. At around 3:30 p.m. the van struck the rear of an 18 wheeler in the eastbound lanes. The van, which appears to be a commercial vehicle, sustained massive front end damage in the crash. Lanes were closed for several hours as Houston police investigated the cause of the accident. Two media outlets, the Chronicle and Channel 13, report that a person was injured rather than this being a fatality.

Photo credit: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

18 wheeler accident with METRO bus, South 610 Loop at Scott

Six people were taken to the hospital this morning when they were injured in a collision between a METRO bus and an 18 wheeler. The accident happened on the South 610 Loop frontage road at Scott Street at about 9:30 a.m. The driver of the big rig, the driver of the METRO bus and four bus passengers were injured. According to Channel 11, Houston police later said the driver of the 18-wheeler would be given a citation for running a red light and causing the accident. The 18-wheeler was hauling a load of pipe; the bus sustained damage down most of its passenger side.

Photo credit: Channel 11 News

Photo credit: Channel 11 News

18-wheeler accident on I-10 East, woman rescued by bystanders

Investigators say a 26-year old woman was speeding down Interstate 10 East around 3:30 a.m. Saturday near Magnolia when she crashed into another car. The car that was struck ended up coming to rest against the concrete center divider and the speeding car came to a stop in the middle of the freeway. An approaching 18-wheeler couldn't stop in time and struck the woman's car causing it to burst into flames. Some witnesses rushed to the woman's rescue to attempt to remove her from the vehicle, including Calvin Rutledge. The woman was rushed to hospital in critical condition with burns on 15% of her body. The freeway was shut down for a couple of hours. Channel 2's story is here.

Richard and Cody Seidel seriously injured in 18 wheeler accident

Teenage brothers Richard Seidel (18) and Cody Seidel (16) were seriously injured yesterday evening at around 10:30 p.m. when their Chevrolet Tahoe SUV crashed into an 18 wheeler and became jammed underneath the big rig. The accident happened just south of Conroe city limits at Jefferson Chemical and FM 3083. The boys' Tahoe was heading northbound on FM 3083 when it struck the 18 wheeler which was carrying a cargo of wire coils. The driver's side of the Tahoe was completely wedged under the big rig and was pulled free by several tow trucks working together, giving emergency responders access to Richard and Cody to rescue them.

Cody was removed from the vehicle and taken to Conroe Hospital but his brother Richard was more severely injured. As sometimes happens when there is major front end damage to a vehicle, the dashboard of the Tahoe had folded downwards, trapping Richard's legs. The Tahoe's steering wheel had also struck Richard in the face causing a laceration. Once emergency crews  freed Richard he was transported by life flight helicopter to Memorial Hermann in Houston with badly broken legs and a head injury.

The driver of the 18-wheeler was Ronald Lee Manning of Monroe, Louisiana. According to a very thorough article on the Montgomery County Police Reporter web site, Manning initially told DPS officers that he had tried to back the Western Transportation 18 wheeler into the parking lot of a convenience store to turn around because he had missed the driveway of his intended delivery location, however Manning later conceded that he had turned into the parking lot to turn around and was in the process of going back southbound on FM 3083. Put another way, it sounds like the big rig made a u-turn across the roadway, causing the brothers' Tahoe to crash into it.

Please keep these young men in your prayers: the young may heal more quickly than the old but these boys have likely sustained some life-altering injuries. As a father of three I can only imagine how upset Richard and Cody's parents must be.

If you have been seriously injured in an 18 wheeler accident, you can rest assured that the insurance company covering the 18 wheeler that injured you will start investigating immediately. In my opinion, the larger the claim and the more serious the injuries, the harder they "investigate" for a way not to pay a settlement on the claim. If you would like a no charge consultation for your 18 wheeler or commercial vehicle accident, you can call me (832 859 8243), email me (daragh@daraghcarterlaw.com), or submit your case online. I am Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law and teach trial advocacy skills as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law School, but more importantly: I care about my clients.

Cody Seidel

Richard Seidel

Photo credit: Montgomery County Police Report

18-wheeler wreck at I-45 and I-10 split in Houston

Around 3:30 this morning an 18-wheeler hit one side of the freeway at the I-10 and I-45 split in Houston then jack-knifed, slid across to the other side of the freeway and crashed near the Taylor exit. A heavy duty wrecker came to the scene to remove the badly damaged big rig. It was raining at the time of the accident, and the driver told Channel 13 News that he lost control. Fortunately the driver and his passenger do not appear to have been injured and no other vehicles were involved. 

Wrong way driver in Cadillac Escalade killed in collision with big rig

A 36-year old man driving the wrong way on Houston's South 610 Loop was killed Saturday morning when his Cadillac Escalade crashed into two big rigs at 90 miles per hour. The accident happened around 3:00 a.m. near Main Street. One of the 18-wheeler drivers said the Escalade first clipped her semi, the slammed into a second 18-wheeler before catching fire. The accident remains under investigation. It is not known if the Escalade driver was drunk or otherwise impaired, but historically alcohol has been to blame for the rash of wrong way accidents in the Houston area this year. Channel 13's story is here.

Emergency crews work the scene of Saturday morning's fatal wrong
way accident on the South 610 Loop in Houston.

18-wheeler accident on Katy Freeway - injured woman life flighted

An 18-wheeler accident shut down the westbound Katy Freeway near Fry Road around 3:40 a.m. today after a big rig collided with a passenger vehicle sending the injured female driver to Memorial Hermann-Medical Center via Life Flight helicopter. Details of her injuries were not included in the Houston Chronicle's article (the Chronicle is the only media outlet to have covered the accident at the moment). All westbound lanes were temporarily closed as workers cleared the accident. The cause of the crash is under investigation. In my experience it is the more serious trauma cases that are taken via helicopter to Memorial Hermann in the medical center: hopefully that isn't the case here and the lady driver involved is largely okay. What appears to be a reference to the same accident on Channel 11's web site states three vehicles were involved. A story on Channel 13's web site, probably the same accident, says a woman in her 20's was involved in a collision with an 18-wheeler sending her car out of control and into a barrier: the collision with the barrier was so hard that even though she was wearing a seat belt, the seat belt tore and the woman was ejected. The story says the woman suffered a broken leg and chest injuries.

Accidents involving 18-wheeler trucks aren't like regular car accidents. If an 18-wheeler accident involves serious injuries, insurance companies begin their investigations immediately. As you can probably imagine, typically their investigation does not involve looking for ways to pay the injured person compensation. Contact daragh@daraghcarterlaw.com with questions

18-wheeler accident on I-10 cleared before morning commute

Emergency crews were hard at work this morning clearing an 18-wheeler accident on Interstate 10 westbound near downtown Houston this morning. A big rig crashed around 2:30 a.m. shutting down all westbound lanes. Part of the cleanup included taking care a fuel spill from the truck's ruptured fuel tank: about 80 gallons were spilled onto the roadway. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

This morning's 18-wheeler accident on I-10. Photo credit: KHOU.

Thanksgiving Day fog causes massive pile-up accident on Interstate 10

Two Pearland residents were killed and tens of others injured in a massive pile-up accident on Interstate 10 on Thanksgiving Day. The wreck happened on I-10 East near Winnie around 8:00 a.m. shutting down the highway in both directions. The westbound lanes were reopened within a few hours but the eastbound lanes remained closed most of Thanksgiving Day. Between 140 and 150 vehicles were involved, including numerous 18-wheeler trucks. There were 80-90 people injured in the pileup: those people were transported to area hospitals. The apparent cause of the wreck was fog on the roadway combined with sunlight impairing visibility and setting off rear-end accidents.

The Pearland couple killed in the accident, Vincent Leggio and his wife Debbie Leggio, were part of an extremely close family and their loss is being powerfully felt. Mr. Leggio and his son, Vincent, Jr. worked together at Vinco Electric in Pearland, an electrician business they operated together. The Leggio's white-colored Chevrolet Suburban was impacted by a tractor trailer, crushing the SUV.

Channel 11's initial report is here. Channel 2 story. Channel 13 story. FOX News' story.

Update: in a story posted on 03/28/2013 to Channel 2's web site it was announced that a Jefferson County grand jury decided to no-bill 18-wheeler driver Richard Kerr. Kerr was operating the 18-wheeler that crashed into the rear of the Leggio's stalled SUV. Texas Department of Public Safety officials had recommended Kerr be charged with negligent homicide.

Photo credit: Scott Lawrence/KFDM

Photo credit: Scott Lawrence/KFDM

Photo credit: Scott Lawrence/KFDM

Photo credit: Scott Lawrence/KFDM

Photo credit: Scott Lawrence/KFDM

Photo credit: Scott Lawrence/KFDM

Photo credit: Scott Lawrence/KFDM

Photo credit: Scott Lawrence/KFDM

Photo credit: Scott Lawrence/KFDM

Photo credit: Scott Lawrence/KFDM

Sixth grader Christina Lopez struck and killed by big rig in Texas City

A tragic accident in Texas City has claimed the life of sixth grader Christina Lopez. 11-year old Christina was struck and killed by a big rig truck as she waited for a school bus to take her to Levi Fry Intermediate School Monday morning. Christina was sitting at the bus stop at around 8:00 a.m. when the truck, driven by a neighbor, rounded a corner and struck her. A spokesman for Texas City Police Department, Captain Brian Goetschius, told Channel 11 reporters that they believed Christina was partially in the roadway when she was struck. Channel 2 quotes the Captain as saying that it was driver inattention or error in judgment for the driver to think he could turn the corner safely. Christina was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which was the 2900 block of 26th Street. Neighbor Adelina Moreno told reporters that when Christina's mother Nina Lopez was notified of the accident, Nina could be heard screaming. The truck driver volunteered to undergo a blood test after the accident. The school sent other children home with a letter to their parents explaining what had happened. John and Nina Lopez, Christina's parents, are devastated. Being a father of three young kids myself, I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child.

Channel 2's story of Christina's accident is here. Channel 13's story is here. The Houston Chronicle's coverage is here.

Update: Christina's funeral will be held today, Saturday September 29th, 2012.

Update: According to a story posted today (12-14-2012) by the Houston Chronicle, the 18-wheeler driver Hector A. Pena (45) has been indicted by a Galveston County jury on manslaughter charges for Christina's death. Pena is free on a $50,000 bond.

Sixth grader Christina Lopez was tragically killed when she
was struck by an 18-wheeler just yards from her Texas City home

South Texas Trucking 18-wheeler accident on North 610 Loop today

There was an 18-wheeler wreck late this afternoon outside my office in eastbound lanes of the 1400 block of the North 610 Loop W. I couldn't tell what happened or who hit who. The black Toyota Tacoma pickup truck appeared to be damaged in the front and rear and the 18-wheeler was damaged to the driver's side front. The big rig came to rest touching the concrete median. The Kenworth 18-wheeler appears to belong to South Texas Trucking based in Houston. Houston Fire Department responded, as did the customary hundred or so tow trucks. 

PT Cruiser driver killed in 18-wheeler accident on Airport Boulevard

The driver of a Chrysler PT Cruiser was killed yesterday evening in a collision with an 18-wheeler. According to Channel 11's online report, the 18-wheeler was making a turn when the PT Cruiser struck the side of the trailer.  The accident happened just before 6:00 p.m. on Airport Boulevard at Kopman Drive.

Photo credit: KHOU Channel 11