Houston lawyer O'Quinn dies in SUV wreck

HOUSTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Noted Houston lawyer John O'Quinn was one of two men killed in a one-vehicle crash in Houston Thursday morning, police said.

It wasn't clear whether O'Quinn, or the as-yet unidentified other victim, was driving the sport utility vehicle that was traveling at a high rate of speed when it crossed two medians and oncoming lanes on the rain-slickened Allen Parkway and hit a tree about 8 a.m., the Houston Chronicle reported.

"The community lost one of its biggest assets," Rick Laminack, who worked with O'Quinn from 1987 to 2006, told the Chronicle. "He was a great lawyer who shared a lot of his wealth with people who needed help."

Roads were slick at the time from scattered drizzle.

O'Quinn, who was in his late 60s, made his mark as a personal injury lawyer, most notably in breast implant cases in the early 1990s. He became known as a philanthropist, with the Harris County Children's Assessment Center, the Houston Council on Alcohol and Drugs and Texas Medical Center institutions among the beneficiaries of his largesse.

He also was a strong supporter of the University of Houston and the football field at school's Robertson Stadium is named for him, the Chronicle said.

He also donated generously to Democratic Party candidates, including $2.5 million to Chris Bell's unsuccessful campaign to unseat Republican Gov. Rick Perry in 2006.