Texas Motor Vehicle Accidents
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Minivan Driver Dies In Crash With Big Rig
by Jonathan S. Harris on May 16, 2012
An accident involving a minivan and a U.S. Postal Service 18-wheeler left one woman dead Friday afternoon. The woman was driving a Mercury Villager minivan south on Misty Willow near Willowbrook Mall around 3:45 p.m. when she failed to yield at a stop sign, a Houston Police Department spokeswoman said. The 18-wheeler, which was heading northbou...
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Heavier Trucks on Texas Roads Could Increase Accident Risks
by Jonathan S. Harris on May 09, 2012
If lobbying efforts by the trucking industry and shipping groups are successful, highways in several states, including Texas, could see heavier tractor-trailers plying their roads. A piece of legislation that is being supported heavily by the trucking industry would increase the weight limits on commercial trucks, making for bulkier and heavier ...
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Study Finds Texas Teenagers Some of Worst Drivers in Country
by Jonathan S. Harris on May 03, 2012
It is not the kind of news that should comfort any Houston car accident lawyer. A new study finds that there has been an increase in the number of teenage drivers being killed in accidents. That increase was seen in 23 states, including Texas. In our state, there was a four percent increase in the number of 16 and 17-year-olds killed in accident...
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Feds Delay Rearview Camera Rules to Prevent Accidents
by Jonathan S. Harris on April 26, 2012
Victims’ families, child safety groups, and Houston car accident lawyers, who have been waiting for a rule that would require automakers to install rearview cameras to prevent collisions with child pedestrians, are very disappointed with the delay in finalizing the rule. The Department of Transportation has announced that it requires more time t...
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Texas Teens Could Benefit from Cell Phone Blocking Technologies
by Jonathan S. Harris on April 19, 2012
Texas continues to lag behind the rest of the country in implementing laws against cell phone use and texting while driving. However, if you are a parent who wants to ensure that your teenage child is not texting while driving or using cell phones at the wheel, there are a number of technologies that can help you do so. Most such technologies i...
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Psychologists Design Marriage Counseling Targeted at Victims of Brain Injury
by Jonathan S. Harris on April 18, 2012
Living with a brain injury, as any Houston car accident lawyer can tell you, can be devastating not just for the victims, but also the people in their lives. Brain injury takes the highest toll on the spouse, who is now the caregiver of the person with a brain injury. Even a marriage with a strong foundation can give way when one of the spouses ...
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Good Prognosis for Children with Brain Injury
by Jonathan S. Harris on March 27, 2012
A number of earlier studies had indicated that children who suffer from a traumatic brain injury may suffer from increasing impairment levels as the child gets older. That may not necessarily be true. According to new research, children with a brain injury who are exposed to a healthy home environment and professional rehabilitation and therapy...
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Drivers Who Smoke Pot and Drive Have Increased Risk of Accidents
by Jonathan S. Harris on March 20, 2012
Much of the debate on impaired driving tends to center on persons driving under the influence of alcohol. However, a person who smokes marijuana before driving can have his accident risks double. Moreover, persons who smoke marijuana before driving tend to be less aware of their impaired driving compared to drunk drivers. Researchers at Dalhou...
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More Drivers Ignoring Car Repairs and Maintenance During Recession
by Jonathan S. Harris on February 28, 2012
The poor economy is causing more and more American drivers to postpone essential maintenance and repairs of their automobiles. This information, which comes from a survey by Consumer Reports, is alarming to Houston car accident lawyers, because lack of automotive maintenance and repairs increases the risks of an accident. The poll by Consumer R...
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Teen Risk of DUI Increases If Parents Drive Drunk
by Jonathan S. Harris on February 21, 2012
According to a new federal study, teenagers whose parents drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs may be more likely to emulate these dangerous practices themselves. That is not exactly what Houston car accident attorneys would call a shocker, but the study does confirm that good parental influence is probably one of the foremost factors ...
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Motorcycle and Trucking Accident Fatalities on the Rise
by Jonathan S. Harris on January 30, 2012
This month, federal agencies released data on accident fatality numbers for 2010. The good news for Texas car accident lawyers was that overall traffic accident fatalities across the country, and especially in Texas, are down. The bad news, however, is that pedestrian, trucking, and motorcycle accident fatalities have increased. In Texas, 2,99...
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Avoiding Accidents in Winter Weather
by A.J. Rosenfeld on January 18, 2012
The following is a guest post from Console & Hollawell PC in Philadelphia, PA. Mother Nature seems to be particularly cruel in the winter months. With snow and ice covering the roadways there is a significant increase in the probability of an accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a consumer advisory this month re...
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Aggressive Driving Linked to Motorist’s Perception of Car
by Jonathan S. Harris on December 29, 2011
Aggressive driving contributes to at least one third of accidents and injuries, and up to two thirds of fatal accidents every year. Now, a new study finds that drivers who perceive their car as an extension of themselves have a strong tendency towards aggressive driving. There has been little research conducted into the psychology of aggressive...
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Curbside Carriers Have Poor Bus Safety Record
by Jonathan S. Harris on December 20, 2011
Intercity bus companies that provide low-cost bus services, and pick up or drop passengers curbside instead of at terminals, may have a much higher likelihood of being involved in accidents. That information comes from a report by the National Transportation Safety Board. The report finds that these curbside bus companies have a likelihood of b...
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Hybrid Vehicles More Likely to Be Involved in Pedestrian Accidents
by Jonathan S. Harris on December 12, 2011
That hybrid vehicles are more likely to be involved in pedestrian accidents is something every Houston car accident lawyer knows. Yet another study confirms this fact. The Insurance Industry for Highway Safety’s Highway Loss Data Institute has conducted an analysis of hybrid vehicles and pedestrian safety. The researchers examined the frequency...
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Approximately Half of All Booster Seats Unsafe for Children
by Jonathan S. Harris on November 22, 2011
Booster seats substantially reduce children's risk of injuries in a car accident. However, those risks may not be affected at all if the seat does not come with a proper safety belt fit. According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, close to 50% of children's car booster seats available in the market do not come with a good...
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Teen Drivers Have Highest Accident Risk in First Month after Getting License
by Jonathan S. Harris on November 07, 2011
This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is marking Teen Driver Safety Week in order to impress the importance of preventing accidents involving this group of drivers. To coincide with the commemoration of the week from October 17 to October 22, the American Auto Association has released the results of a study into the safe...
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CDC: Drunk Driving in Decline
by Jonathan S. Harris on November 01, 2011
Every Houston auto accident attorney knows that the number of alcohol-related car accidents has been declining over the past decade. A new study by the CDC confirms the fact. According to the CDC, the incidence of drunk driving has declined by almost 30% over the past five years. In fact, last year, those numbers were at their lowest levels in...
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Can Car Accidents be Prevented?
by Stacey E. Burke on July 15, 2011
If you are like millions of other Americans, you might not think of texting while driving in the same fashion as drunk driving. It may even seem ridiculous to compare the two. The simple truth is that texting while driving and drunk driving are not so different. Each year millions of car accidents can be prevented. It starts with you. When ...
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Bicycle Safety Tips from Personal Injury Lawyers
by Stacey E. Burke on April 07, 2011
Summer is almost here, and that means bicycle riders will begin taking to the streets. Although many people enjoy a scenic bike ride on a wooded trail, more and more cyclists are sharing the road with cars, as a healthly, eco-friendly way to get around. With this prevalence of new bikers comes the question, "how can drivers and cyclists shar...
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Alejandro Raya Killed in Texas Trucking Accident | Fort Worth Injury Lawyers
by Jonathan S. Harris on March 29, 2011
Early Monday morning, March 28, 2011, a fatal explosion took place on Interstate 30 near downtown Fort Worth, Texas. A tanker truck collided with a pickup truck driving the wrong way, causing a dramatic motor vehicle accident that will have a lasting structural impact on the roadway. This Texas trucking accident claimed the life of Alejand...
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New York Bus Accident Commentary by Houston Bus Injury Lawyers
by Jonathan S. Harris on March 14, 2011
Bus Accident in New York Takes 15th Life Fifteen people have now died and several others were critically injured in a New York City bus accident March 12, 2011. A 70 year-old man passed away in the hospital today as a result of the personal injuries he sustained in the catastrophic bus crash. According to various news reports, the crash...
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The Auto Industries History of Reckless Endangerment
by Stacey E. Burke on January 28, 2011
Working as Los Angeles car accident lawyers, we have witnessed a number of accidents throughout the crowded streets of LA. As American's we cherish our cars and the freedom they bring us. The average person takes four car trips a day, and many would consider their vehicle indispensable. A few years ago, we learned that, for the first time in hi...
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Tragic 18-Wheeler Accident Clams Life of Unborn Baby | Texas Trucking Lawyers
by Jonathan S. Harris on January 06, 2011
Photograph reprinted with permission from Richard Nelson of the Diboll Free PressTragic Texas 18-Wheeler Accident Clams Life of Unborn Baby Boy An 18-wheeler accident in Diboll, Texas horrifically claimed the life of a pregnant woman's unborn child. Mary Chiz, who was eight months pregnant, and her fiancé Travis Wertz were driving their Mo...
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Fatal Texas DUI Accident on Eastex Freeway This Morning | Texas DUI Injury Lawyers
by Jonathan S. Harris on December 21, 2010
A woman driving the wrong way on the Eastex Freeway in Northeast Houston this morning smashed into another car head-on, killing a passenger and injuring the driver. Tanisha Branch, 22 was driving her Saturn in the wrong direction on the freeway at nearly 90 miles per hour, when she struck a Mercedes, injuring its driver and killing her own pa...
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Sarah Givens Severely Injured in Louisiana Dump Truck Crash, Trucker Charged With Negligent Homicide
by Stacey E. Burke on December 21, 2010
A three-vehicle accident yesterday on Highway 437 led to the unfortunate and tragic death of a 2 year-old child, pronounced dead at the motor vehicle accident scene. The collision involved a sedan, a pick-up truck and a 12-yard dump truck. The child was riding in the sedan with an adult female Sarah Givens. Ms. Givens was sent by AirMed...
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Preparing For Your California Personal Injury Claim
by Stacey E. Burke on September 21, 2010
The following is a guest blog post by the personal injury lawyers of Bisnar Chase law firm in California.Preparing For Your California Personal Injury Claim Los Angeles personal injury victims are faced with a number of challenges after a car accident. Dealing with their injuries and the insurance company can be a difficult task. Insurance adjus...
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Texas Records Substantial Drop in Accident Fatalities, but Miles to Go
by Jonathan S. Harris on September 15, 2010
The Department of Transportation delivered good news last week. There has been a significant drop in highway accident fatalities in the US. In fact, these numbers are at their lowest levels since the 1950s. There has been a 9% decline in highway fatalities in 2009 over 2008. As good as that news was, there was even better news for Texans. O...
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Wes Fletcher Jr Airlifted After Brownwood Texas Semi Truck Accident
by Stacey E. Burke on September 15, 2010
Tuesday afternoon just after 4pm, an accident involving a pick-up and an 18-wheeler caused severe personal injury to 32-year-old Wes Fletcher Jr. of Brownwood, Texas. Fletcher was air lifted to Hendricks Medical Center in Abilene after his pick-up collided with the semi truck. The driver of the semi and his passenger sustained minor injuries a...
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Foreign Truck Drivers and Truck Accidents | Texas 18-Wheeler Injury Attorneys
by Jonathan S. Harris on September 10, 2010
Time magazine is asking an impertinent question-do the large numbers of Russian drivers that have joined the American trucking industry, pose a serious trucking safety threat? It's a question that's laced with plenty of innuendo, and it's not likely to please Americans of Russian origin. Basically, Time is tracing the influx of Russian truc...
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HPD Patrol Car Fatal Accident | Houston Car Accident Lawyers
by Stacey E. Burke on September 07, 2010
Questions are being raised about a fatal accident last week involving a HPD patrol car. Houston Police Department Patrol Man Kyle Dozier was driving his patrol car at approximately 60 mph when he crashed into a vehicle during a car chase. The couple in the other car sustained the brunt of the impact. A female passenger in the car was killed...
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Support Growing for Speed Limiting Devices on Trucks | Texas 18-Wheeler Accident Attorneys
by Jonathan S. Harris on August 27, 2010
It's rare to have a trucking safety proposal that's welcomed by the motoring public, the trucking industry and truck safety groups. The proposal to mandate speed limiting devices on all commercial trucks is an example. The trucking industry supports these devices because they offer a simple and convenient way to increase trucking efficiency. ...
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CDC Study: Annual Cost of Motor Vehicle Crashes $99 Billion | Texas Car Accident Lawyer
by Jonathan S. Harris on August 25, 2010
Cost amounts to nearly $500 for each U.S. licensed driver in one year In a one-year period, the cost of medical care and productivity losses associated with injuries from motor vehicle crashes exceeded $99 billion - with the cost of direct medical care accounting for $17 billion, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control a...
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California Car Accident Attorneys Speak Out About Medical Liens
by Jonathan S. Harris on August 24, 2010
Car accidents are not foreign to California residents. As serious accidents continue to occur, more and more victims of car collisions are injured. Not knowing your options after a personal injury accident could dramatically hurt your settlement value. Knowing what fatal mistakes to avoid will be important to your claim. One of the many fa...
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Proposal to Mandate Seat Belts on Buses Comes Just in Time for Sherman Anniversary
by Stacey E. Burke on August 19, 2010
Proposal to Mandate Seat Belts on Buses Comes Just in Time for Sherman Anniversary This month marks two years since the tragic bus accident in Sherman, Texas in 2008 that killed 15 passengers. Just in time to mark the anniversary, comes a proposal by the Department of Transportation to make seat belts mandatory on all motor coaches. Transport...
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Texas Woman, Grandson Die in 18-Wheeler Crash Texas Truck Accident Law
by Stacey E. Burke on August 18, 2010
A 54-year-old Texas woman and one of her grandson’s were killed in a collision between an 18-wheeler and a pickup truck.Cheryl Self, 54, of Fort Stockton, Texas and her 13-year-old grandson Christopher Mielke of Aberdeen, S.D. died in an 18-wheeler collision Friday. The two were passengers in an 18-wheeler which had an accident with a pickup tr...
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Rural Motorists Account for Most Traffic Accident Fatalities | Texas Car Accident Lawyers
by Jonathan S. Harris on August 11, 2010
In 2007, rural dwellers accounted for just 23 % of America's population, but constituted 57% of its accident fatalities. In that stark fact is a harsh reality - if you live in a rural area and happen to be involved in an accident, your chances of surviving it are lower than if the accident had occurred in an urban area. According to data from ...
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Metro Fires Wrecker Driver after Fatal Houston Bus-Pedestrian Accident
by Stacey E. Burke on August 09, 2010
This week, the Metropolitan Transit Authority fired a wrecker driver involved in a fatal Houston accident that killed a 64-year-old woman. The wrecker driver, Gregory Clark had been working for Metro for the past 32 years. Clark had been driving the wrecker, which crashed into a pickup truck that had stopped to let a pedestrian cross the stree...
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Shane Fuller in a Coma After Texas Moving Truck Drunk Driving Accident
by Stacey E. Burke on August 03, 2010
Shane Fuller, 31, fell from the back of a moving truck Saturday afternoon near Bay Street Park is in a coma, his grandfather said Monday.The accident happened in the 1300 block of Bay Street about 2:30 p.m. when Fuller stood up in the truck's bed as it was moving and was thrown out. According to news reports, his head slammed into the pavement,...
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Florida Company Introduces First Vehicle Designed Exclusively for Wheelchair Users
by Jonathan S. Harris on July 29, 2010
Patients with a spinal cord injury may find that mobility is a major challenge. While wheelchair ramps can be found in many buildings, the person's vehicle will need to be outfitted with a wheelchair ramp. That means some of the seats may have to be discarded in order to make space for the wheelchair. A new vehicle that has just been introduc...
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Drugged Driving Poses New Challenges for Law Enforcement
by Stacey E. Burke on July 28, 2010
There are more numbers of motorists causing accidents under the influence of prescription drugs, but law enforcement officers in Texas and elsewhere are confounded about how to handle this new and growing threat . There is a growing number of Americans on prescription medications, many of these with serious side effects that can affect their ...
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Michael Petty Charged With Intoxication Manslaughter in Houston Deaths
by Stacey E. Burke on July 27, 2010
Houston Police closed all southbound lanes of the Gulf Freeway near Webster, Texas Tuesday morning for an investigation into a double fatality. The Gulf Freeway was closed at El Dorado, only reopening after noon. Police were investigating a fatal Houston drunk-driving crash that occurred on Monday afternoon in the 18900 block of the southbound...
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Fatal Houston DUI Case | Houston, Texas Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
by Stacey E. Burke on July 19, 2010
For three Houston families, there is little comfort to be had in the fact that the Houston Police Department now says it had enough evidence to arrest a drunk driver believed to have caused a fatal accident in Houston last week. That driver, 25-year-old Sajan Tamalshina is now a fugitive, probably back home in his native Nepal. The accident o...
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Spring Man Charged in Drunk Driving Deaths of Three Teenage Girls
by Stacey E. Burke on July 12, 2010
Sajan Timal Shina, a 25-year-old Spring, Texas man, has been formally charged with three counts of intoxication manslaughter in the deaths of three teens over the weekend. Shina could face 60 years in prison if convicted of all three second-degree felonies. RaShaunda Raleigh, 17, and Avianca Cortez, 13, died after the Ford Excursion in which t...
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Laredo Family Killed in 18-Wheeler Accident | Texas Truck Accident Lawyers
by Jonathan S. Harris on July 11, 2010
Three members of a Texas family were killed in an accident with a tractor-trailer near Laredo have now been identified as Manuel Arizola, 21, his girlfriend Johana Sandoval, 21 and their baby of 11 months old Romen Arizola. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the crash occurred on Saturday morning on Interstate 35. The family's ...
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Suzuki QuadSport ATVs Recalled Due to Loss of Control Hazard
by Stacey E. Burke on July 08, 2010
The following product safety recall was voluntarily conducted by the firm in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Consumers should stop using the product immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product. Name of Product: Suzuki QuadSport ATVs Units...
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Summer Is Time to Focus on Trailer Safety
by Jonathan S. Harris on July 07, 2010
It's the right time to warn Texans about the hundreds of people who are killed every year in accidents involving runaway trailers. It's not just that there are more numbers of Americans who plan a move in June, July and August, but also the fact that during this time of year, people are more likely to be towing boats and other recreational gear ...
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Texas Highway Department Worker Killed | Texas Truck Accident Attorney
by Stacey E. Burke on July 06, 2010
A Texas highway department employee was killed when he was hit by a truck at a work site in Harrison County. The Texas Department of Transportation identified the victim as Tony Overhultz, a highway department inspector. Mr. Overhulz was working on Interstate 20 when a truck hauling paving materials backed over him, according to highway depart...
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Fourth Of July Is the Deadliest Driving Day of the Year | Texas Auto Accidents
by Jonathan S. Harris on July 02, 2010
Forget about driving on wet roads in winter. It's actually the days of summer that see the largest number of serious accidents involving motorists in Texas. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the single deadliest day of the year is the Fourth of July holiday. The biggest reason for that is the fact that th...
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Santo Truck Accident Possibly Linked to Driver Fatigue | Texas Truck Wreck Lawyer
by Jonathan S. Harris on June 25, 2010
A tractor-trailer accident in Santo earlier this week could possibly have been caused because one of the drivers fell asleep at the wheel. The truck accident which left two people injured occurred on Interstate 20 on Thursday, when a tractor-trailer veered left and into a median. The truck driver then overcorrected, and came to rest on the west...
