At least two people died and more than 100 were injured after a 100-plus car pileup in Texas on November  22, 2012, according the Department of Public Safety.

A man and a woman died from their injuries, ABC News affiliate KBMT-TV reported. Their names were not immediately available.


The DPS said it won't know the exact number of cars involved in the pileup until officials finish untangling the wrecks.

At least five people who were taken to the hospital are in critical condition, KBMT reported.

The accident happened in Jefferson County shortly after 8 a.m. Thanksgiving morning on Interstate 10 between Taylor Bayou and Hampshire Road.

Fog blinded drivers, with investigators saying most couldn't see a foot in front of them at the time of the crash.

"The cause of the accident was a heavy fog bank rolled into this area this morning, which caused nobody to be able to see and caused one accident that triggered another accident and then a chain reaction," said Deputy Rod Carroll of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.

"Even as the deputies were pulling up we still had a continuous chain of accidents," Carroll said.

An 18-wheeler tanker truck began leaking after the chain-reaction accident, KBMT reported.

The eastbound side of the freeway was closed for hours and remained closed into the afternoon, DPS told ABC News. The westbound lanes opened shortly after noon

 
Drunk driving in Montgomery County, Texas, this holiday season? Expect to see your name in Tweets, as the local district attorney’s office has vowed to name and shame drunk drivers on Twitter.

The tactic, hoping to dissuade drunk drivers using the threat of public humiliation, will see DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) arrests documented on the@MontgomeryTXDAO Twitter account, owned by Montgomery County District Attorney, Brett Ligon.

The idea was conceived by County Vehicular Crimes Prosecutor Warren Diepraam, and it’s not entirely new. The information is a matter of public record and some newspapers print the names of people charged with such crimes as a deterrent.

Moving the practice to Twitter, however, is somewhat controversial. Shaming people who have yet to be found guilty is a concept that some law bloggers are rallying against.

Source: http://mashable.com/2009/12/25/drunk-drivers-twitter/
 
On November 6, 2012, voters in Jefferson County  reelected  Judge Mickey Shuffield as  their 136th District Court Judge. Judge Shuffield beat the Republican challenger, carrying 60% of the vote. 

Tuesday night, Judge Shuffield had a watch party at Starvin Marvin's in Beaumont where the crowd was excited much of the night as Shuffield retained a solid lead throughout the night. 

Judge Shuffield was first appointed in 1995 and has not been in a run off since 1996.

 
 
The westbound lanes of Interstate 10 had to be shut down from College Street to Washington Boulevard just after 9 p.m. Saturday following a major accident.

A woman who was involved in the accident was taken to Christus Hospital  St. Elizabeth with what officers said are serious injuries.

Investigators say it appears a driver lost control of a car that struck the median, a truck then struck another car before stopping.


A dispatcher Sunday morning told 12News the Interstate has reopened, but did not have any other details.

Source: 
http://www.12newsnow.com/story/19933889/i-10-shut-down-westbound-due-to-a-major-wreck
 
The family has been notified and the identity of a man who died in an auto pedestrian accident has been released.

A dispatcher with the Department of Public Safety tells 12News the accident happened around 9 p.m. Friday.  The driver of a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer, identified as Mack Clarence Mitchell, 37, of Baytown, was heading west on Highway 90 about 2 miles west of Beaumont.  A pedestrian, identified as Lucas David Aubrey, 33, of Beaumont, was walking on the inside lane of traffic and was struck by the Trailblazer.

Aubrey was pronounced deceased at the scene by Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Ray Chesson.

No charges have been filed.

The accident remains under investigation by the Department of Public Safety.

Source: http://www.12newsnow.com/story/19815307/family-notified-identity-in-fatal-auto-ped-released#.UH6yTYwndlA.facebook

 
A one month old was taken to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston after being a passenger of a car that went airborne, Port Arthur Police reported.

At approximately 6:15 p.m. Tuesday a witness called Port Arthur Police after seeing a small Nissan truck heading east on Procter St. from 9th Ave weaving across lanes of traffic.

The Nissan lost control and traveled through a ditch before going airborne and striking a tree in the 4600 block of Procter St, Port Arthur police reported.

The driver of the Nissan, a 22-year-old woman from Port Neches, was life flighted to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont. The one-month-old was initially taken to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, but transferred to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.

Police said they are unsure of the extent of the injuries the driver and baby sustained in the accident.

Port Arthur Police Department Advanced Accident Investigation Team are still investigating the accident.

Source: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/PAPD-Car-accident-sends-one-month-old-to-Texas-3771726.php#ixzz23MurdwQh

 
Beaumont police need your help in locating a possible witness to Monday's fatal accident.

Police say the accident happened when the driver of a pickup was driving erratically in the eastbound lanes of i-10 near MLK and crashed into a divider.

A westbound vehicle then hit the truck causing a bumper to fly off the truck and hit the vehicle Amber Roussel was riding in.  She died from her injuries.

Police now are looking for a man to interview,  described to be driving a late model black Dodge 4-door. 4x4 pick up. with dark tinted windows, black rims, a large white sticker in the middle of the back glass and something white on each side of the truck.

Police believe this driver may be able to provide key information that would help them in the investigation.

If you can help police locate this driver, call Beaumont Crime Stoppers at (409) 833-TIPS.

Source: http://www.12newsnow.com/story/19192498/police-seek-witnesses-in-mondays-fatal-accident
 
 Your rates are rising! Texas homeowners insurance premiums have risen 21 percent since the start of 2009, partly because the industry expects there to be greater property losses from natural disasters going forward. The average premium on a homeowners policy in Texas last year was $1,412, according to the report state Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman presented Tuesday to a state Senate committee.

There are several reasons behind the increase, including industry models that project greater losses in Texas from hurricanes, hail storms, wildfires and other disasters, The Dallas Morning Newsreported (http://dallasne.ws/L8KibS ).

Consequently, the average loss on an insurance claim in Texas is among the highest in the country, which contributed to the high premiums, the report found.

"Texas has both a high average loss per policy and a high exposure to catastrophes," the report stated.

The factors in Texas that caused the most insured losses in the past decade were hail ($7.6 billion), water damage ($7.3 billion), hurricane winds ($6.2 billion) and fire ($4.3 billion), according to the study.

Also contributing to the price hike were higher insurance company expenses and declines in interest rates that cut insurers' investment returns.

The report ranked six regions in Texas and found, as expected, that coastal counties had the highest premiums and highest average losses and counties in the state's southwest had the lowest.

Source: http://www.chron.com/news/article/Report-Texas-homeowners-insurance-premiums-spike-3699123.php?cmpid=twitter