When You Get in a Car Accident, Your Insurance Company Isn't Looking Out for You. We Are - Let us Handle Them.

In 2007 there were over 3,300 traffic fatalities in Texas.  On top of this, thousands of reckless drivers caused accidents resulting in severe injuries and mental trauma.  Though reasons cited for car crashes vary, one thing remains constant:  Driver error is a major cause of traffic accidents. If you have been injured in a car accident, call a Houston auto accident lawyer at SMSH today.

Driver Negligence

 All car “accidents” have something in common: Every crash was caused by someone.  The driver of the car you collided with may very well be this someone.  From distracted drivers to those who drive drunk, thousands of drivers make bad choices on the road each day.  Some of the more common causes of car crashes include:

• driver impairment (driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol)
• driver distraction (driving while talking on the phone or text messaging)
• drowsy drivers
• speeding
• reckless or aggressive driving

If you believe that you have been in an accident involving one of the above types of drivers, you need to be given compensation for your pain and mental distress.  Unfortunately, the insurance companies may not make this process easy on you and your family.  Your best bet is to hire a Houston auto accident lawyer who has the experience needed to deal with the insurance companies.

Let Us Handle the Insurance Companies

Insurance companies are only looking out for their bottom line.  They do not care about your pain, your suffering.  An insurance adjuster may offer you an amount of money that seems like more than enough to cover your medical bills and repair your vehicle.  However, only an experienced attorney can help you evaluate the amount of money you will need to cover lost wages, physical therapy, surgeries and other medical treatments you will need as you recover from your accident.

If a claims adjustor or other representative of an insurance company is pressuring you to sign any paperwork- Just say no.  Without legal representation in your corner you may be signing away the rights to a fair settlement.  It is crucial that you get experienced legal advice before signing any insurance forms.

With over 40 years of experience in personal injury law, the attorneys at SMSH have the serious experience needed to handle your serious accident.  In order to better serve the diverse population of the US we offer services in Spanish (Espanol).

Please contact us today.

Though driving on any road can be dangerous, the following Texas highways and interstates are known for their frequent car crashes:  I 610 (The Loop, Loop 610), I 10, I 45, Highway 225, Highway 59, Highway 290, Highway 90, Highway 288, Sam Houston Parkway, Hardy Toll Road

The offices of Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. are located in Houston.  However, our Texas car accident attorneys may be able to help clients in the following Texas cities:  Houston, Pasadena, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Galveston, Port Arthur, Baytown, Beaumont, Kirkwood, Humble, Spring, Round Rock, Katy, League City, Freeport, Corpus Christi, Texas City, Lake Jackson, Bay City, Matagorda Bay, Victoria, and many more.

Blog for Houston Car Accident Attorneys

• California Car Accident Attorneys Speak Out About Medical Liens

  Description: Serious California car accidents continue to occur, leaving car accident victims injured. A medical lien is a promise to pay back all of your medical expenses later from your personal injury settlement. Often, healthcare expenses are greater when you sign a medical lien so speak to a lawyer before signing away your rights.

• Florida Company Introduces First Vehicle Designed Exclusively for Wheelchair Users

  Description: SMSH Houston Car Accident Lawyers are excited to see a vehicle designed for wheelchair users. We represent many disabled clients and even handle Long Term Disability Benefit Denial cases.

• Fourth Of July Is the Deadliest Driving Day of the Year | Texas Auto Accidents

  Description: Take safety precautions this Fourth of July weekend. Have a happy and safe holiday celebrating the USA.

• Texas Distracted Driving: 15 Percent of Motorists Admit to Sex While Driving

  Description: A recent survey showed 15% of respondents admitted to having had sex whiledriving and 29% of respondents also admitted to having kissed someone while driving. Distracted driving leads to injury and death daily in the US.

• Tips for Houston, Texas Drivers: Work Zone Safety and Highway Construction

  Description: Every year since 1992, motor vehicle accidents have been the leading cause of on-the-job deaths in the United States, according to the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). Every year, many hard-working construction workers are killed within work zones. They are run over by motorists, backed over by construction vehicles, and electrocuted by power lines. Their deaths are preventable and we need to insist that greater safety regulations are put in place to protect the working men and women of our country.

• 3 Children Killed, 2 Children Seriously Injured in Bastrop County, Texas Crash

  Description: This past Sunday afternoon, Tiffany Bowman, 30, and Priscilla Gonzalez, 26, were involved in a major car wreck in Bastrop County, Texas. The two mothers were driving with their children, and now shockingly three Houston-area children are dead and two seriously injured. Bowman allegedly failed to yield, and her 2000 Dodge Caravan, carrying seven people, was broadsided on the passenger side by a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 truck driven by Michael Scholze, 19, of San Antonio, Texas. Only Gonzalez herself, and Bowman's 1-year-old daughter Apolinar Saldana, were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident. Saldana was in a car seat.

• Houston, Texas Motorist Seriously Injured in Monday Morning Crash

  Description: At least one motorist was seriously injured in a wreck west of downtown Houston, Texas this morning. A Nissan sedan traveling inbound in the 1600 block of Allen Parkway struck a tree on the rain-slicked road this morning. Police say that the driver hopped a curb and hit an oak tree on the center median. Last October, noted Houston attorney John O'Quinn and his associate Johnny Lee Cutliff died in a similar wreck and O'Quinn's estate has been sued for wrongful death. If you have a Houston Car Accident Injury or Death case, please contact our legal team at info@smslegal.com or submit our online contact form.

• Texas High School Student Killed By Her School Bus

  Description: A 15-year-old J.J. Pearce High School student named Anquanete Patterson died yesterday after falling from a moving school bus. School bus accident victims may be entitled to legal damages. The attorneys of Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, LLP are ready to fight for you in your school bus accident case anywhere in Texas. The Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyers of SMSH offer free consultations. To set up your meeting today call us toll-free at 1-800-282-2122 or e-mail us at info@smslegal.com.

• Poor Sleep Linked to More Car Accidents in Teenagers

  Description: Poor sleep habits are associated with a higher risk of car accidents among teenagers, according to a study in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. In this study, researchers from the University of Bologna in Italy surveyed Italian high school students with a driver's license regarding sleep quality, driving habits, and self-reported car crashes. If you need legal assistance with a Greater Houston Area Auto Accident or a Texas Trucking Accident, contact the lawyers of SMSH at info@smslegal.com today.

• Two Killed in Multiple Vehicle Crash in Pearland, Texas

  Description: Early this morning, a double fatal accident occurred on Highway 35 in Pearland, Texas. The crash took place on Highway 35 near Dixie Farm Road just south of Pearland High School. Two fatalities have been confirmed and several others are injured. If you have been injured in a Pearland, Texas automobile accident, auto pedestrian accident or Pearland, Texas motorcycle accident, please contact the lawyers of SMSH at info@smslegal.com or toll-free at (800) 282-2122.

• Dallas Drunk Driver Gets Maximum Sentence for Manslaughter
• Family of Deceased San Antonio Bicyclist Couple File Wrongful Death Lawsuit

  Description: The fathers of a San Antonio couple killed in a bicycle accident filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the motorist Gilbert John Sullaway Jr., 40, on behalf of the couple's 7-year-old daughter, Kylie. For more information about bicycle accidents or wrongful death lawsuits, click here to contact our Texas bicycle accident and injury lawyers!

• What to Bring to Your First Meeting with a Houston Car Accident Lawyer

  Description: If you have been injured in a car crash, truck wreck, or motorcycle accident in Houston, Texas or a surrounding area, you might be considering making a personal injury claim against the person responsible for your injuries. If so, please know our firm offers free initial consultations either at your home, in our office or at the hospital. The Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyers of SMSH offer free consultations. To set up your meeting today call us toll-free at 1-800-282-2122 or e-mail us at info@smslegal.com.

• Child Killed in Texas Auto Pedestrian Accident

  Description: 5-year-old Christopher Kayden Roedel was killed in a car-pedestrian accident late last month. The child was hit by a Ford F-250 as he was running across the street. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. If you have been injured in a Houston, Texas automobile accident, auto pedestrian accident or Houston, Texas motorcycle accident, please contact the lawyers of SMSH at info@smslegal.com or toll-free at (800) 282-2122.

• Aldine Bus Driver Indicted in Fatal Accident

  Description: A former Aldine ISD bus driver accused of running over a student and killing her walked into the Harris county jail Tuesday night to turn herself in. Nellie Cormier has been charged with criminally negligent homicide. She worked for Aldine ISD for several decades before the accident. If you or someone you know have been involved in an auto pedestrian accident, a bus accident or other motor vehicle accident in the Greater Houston Area, please contact the Houston Auto Accident Attorneys of Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, LLP at info@smslegal.com or 1-800-282-2122.

• Efforts Lag to Improve Safety in Texas Work Zones

  Description: Accidents involving dangerous drop-offs kill about 160 people and injure 11,000 each year. The steeper the drop-off, the greater the potential danger. Our experienced legal team of Texas Trucking Accident Lawyers, Houston Motorcycle Accident Specialists, and Greater Houston Area Auto Accident Attorneys is available to provide a free evluation of your case. Please contact the lawyers of SMSH at info@smslegal.com or toll-free at (800) 282-2122.

• Multiple Houston Auto Accidents - 3 Deaths and Wheelchair-Bound Man Injured

  Description: Last night in Houston, Texas on Eastland, a truck traveling north swerved into the opposite lane of traffic, and struck a man who was sitting on the side of the road in a wheelchair. If you have been injured in a Houston, Texas automobile accident, auto pedestrian accident or Houston, Texas motorcycle accident, please contact the lawyers of SMSH at info@smslegal.com or toll-free at (800) 282-2122.

• Katy, Texas Cheerleader among 3 Killed in Burning Crash

  Description: Our experienced Katy, Texas car accident attorneys have handled cases involving single-car accidents, fiery crashes, burn injuries and even auto accident-related deaths. If you or someone you know is in need of a free legal consultation for their automobile accident claims, please have them contact us at (800) 282-2122.

• Red light cameras in Texas catch more than 1 million drivers every year

  Description: As Houston car accident lawyers we hopt that the more than 300 red-light cameras in Texas on intersections in at least three dozen Texas cities can help stop traffic accidents and their resulting injuries and deaths.

• Teen Dies and 3 Others Sent to Hospital Following Houston Single Car Wreck

  Description: A teenager died and three other people were taken to the hospital after their car slammed into a tree in south Houston this week.

Library for Houston Car Accident Attorneys:

• Houston Auto Accident Lawyer | Car Accident Attorneys
  Description: Houston auto accident lawyer - If you believe that you have been in a Houston auto accident involving a distracted or impaired driver, you may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering.
• Missouri City Car Accident Lawyer
  Description: Call a Missouri City car accident attorney at SMSH today. The call is free and if you’re unable to visit our offices, we’ll send someone to visit you at your home or the hospital. Don’t wait, call now 1-800-282-2122
• Sugar Land Car Accident Lawyer
  Description: You should speak to a Sugar Land car accident lawyer at SMSH. Never try to settle with the insurance company alone. You should hire an experienced Sugar Land car accident attorney that has the experience.
• Pasadena TX Car Accident Lawyer
  Description: If you have fallen victim due to negligence of the other driver, you should call a Pasadena, TX auto accident lawyer at SMSH
• Galveston Auto Accident Lawyer
  Description: Pick up the phone and call a Galveston auto accident attorney at SMSH today. The call is free and you don’t pay unless we recover a settlement for your injuries. Don’t stall, call now 1-800-282-2122
• Port Arthur Car Accident Lawyer
  Description: Call a Port Arthur car accident attorney at SMSH today. The consultation is free and we will thoroughly evaluate your situation and aggressively represent you if you have an auto accident case. Don’t wait, call now 1-800-282-2122
• Baytown Car Accident Lawyer
  Description: Call a Baytown auto accident lawyer at SMSH for a free consultation. You don’t owe anything unless we receive compensation for your damages. Call now, 1-800-282-2122

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Frequent Questions for Houston Car Accident Attorneys:

• Can I file a claim for Wrongful Death as the result of a Houston Car Accident?

• How much money can I get for my Houston Auto Accident Claims?
• What kind of injuries result from Houston Car Accidents?
• What are some of the reasons for Houston car accidents and fatalities?
• What Should I Do After a Houston, Texas Car Accident?

Web Resources for Houston Car Accident Attorneys:

• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

  Description:

  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is an independent, nonprofit, scientific, and educational organization dedicated to reducing auto accident deaths, injuries, and property damage.  The Highway Loss Data Institute engages in scientific studies of insurance data and by publishing insurance loss results by vehicle make and model.

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA Latest Releases

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Arthur L. Schechter, Matthew D. Shaffer and Jonathan S. Harris are Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

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