Posted on Oct 05, 2012

Harris County injury attorneys: In East Harris County around 10 p.m. on Thursday night, Tomas Ortiz, 21, was speeding on Clinton Drive near Crown when he slammed into the rear of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Tomas Ortiz had a female passenger in his Dodge Challenger as he sped between 75 mph and 100 mph down the Harris County road at night.

The Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that Ortiz struck from behind on Clinton Drive contained a family of five people. The mother, Laura Valencia, 57, was fatally injured in the tragic wreck and died at the scene. When the Dodge Challenger hit the family’s pickup truck, it skidded out of control and rolled over into Panther Creek.

The other four people in the Silverado pickup truck, Laura Valencia’s husband, 19-year-old son, the son’s girlfriend, and a 1-year-old baby, all received transport to Ben Taub hospital for their injuries. The four victims were reportedly in serious but stable condition. (Source: khou.com, 10/5/12)

Our condolences go out to the friends and family of Laura Valencia, the mother who tragically lost her life to the 21-year-old driver charged with intoxication manslaughter. The sincere wishes of our Harris County injury attorneys for safe and complete recoveries go out to Ms. Valencia’s injured family members.

Drunken driving is responsible for almost one third of all fatal traffic accidents in the United States each year. Stiffer legal penalties for drunken driving, extensive education campaigns, and ramped up law enforcement efforts all try to curb the tragic toll taken by drunken drivers with little success. Learn about the potential of the ignition interlock device (IID) as a means of preventing tragic drunken driving crashes. Click on the linked article on IID use by our dedicated Harris County injury attorneys.

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