Posted on May 03, 2017 in Uncategorized

In April, a 17-year-old Texas student was killed in a rollover accident on 183-A tollway in Cedar Park. The SUV she was driving collided with a barrier and rolled over. She was thrown from the vehicle and passed away at the scene. Her passenger was seriously injured in the incident and taken to a local hospital. It has been reported that neither the driver nor her passenger were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. The incident is a tragic reminder of the importance of safety belts within vehicles and ensuring teens wear them.

Seat Belt Facts

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of teenagers and adults who died in crashes in 2014 were unrestrained at the time of the accidents. That equates to more than 10,000 fatalities that could have been avoided with the proper use of a seat belt. That same year, seat belts were credited with saving 12,802 lives.

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 Posted on April 26, 2017 in Uncategorized

A 23-year-old El Campo man passed away in early April after being injured in a construction site accident. Another man was left in critical condition. The accident was the result of a front-end loader moving heavy equipment around the worksite. The driver of the front-end loader and the individual directing him did not see either victim before setting down a set of wheels and a large tire, which crushed them. Both were flown by helicopter to a Houston hospital.

Unfortunately, accidents like this are all too common. Construction sites have a great deal of large vehicles and heavy equipment, which if not operated, maintained, and stored properly can lead to injuries and deaths. Construction vehicles and machinery are particularly risky as they often have blind spots, limited visibility, and limited maneuverability. Drivers and those helping direct them need to remain vigilant and cautious at all times.

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 Posted on April 24, 2017 in Uncategorized

Toward the end of March, a white Dodge pickup truck collided with a bus full of members of First Baptist New Braunfels church on U.S. 83 in Uvalde County. Thirteen people were killed. While the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, it has been reported that the truck driver admitted to texting while driving. There are also eight 911 calls from other motorists who reported the truck driving erratically prior to the crash. One caller described the truck as swerving into other lanes, including lanes of oncoming traffic, for approximately 20 minutes before the deadly crash occurred. If it is true that the driver was texting at the time of the crash, then this is a tragic reminder of the dangers of distracted driving.

National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

As April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, it is appropriate to look at the dangers of paying attention to other things while behind the wheel instead of only driving. The Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) reported there are more than 100,000 traffic accidents because of distracted driving every year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 1,161 people are injured and eight killed in distracted driving crashes every day. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 3,477 lives were lost in 2015 due to distracted driving.

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 Posted on April 19, 2017 in Uncategorized

Texas is known for its traffic congestion and dangerous roads. Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Lubbock, and Plano have the greatest number of dangerous intersections. Accidents across the state grow even more common when bad weather strikes. Early March of 2017 was no exception to the rule and multiple accidents throughout the state caused injuries and fatalities. If you were involved in a crash in Texas, contact a personal injury attorney for assistance. An experienced attorney can help you gain compensation for your injuries.

Deadly Traffic Accidents in Mid-March 2017

• On March 11, a six-vehicle crash on I-35 led to the death of a four-year-old girl. The child was properly buckled into a child safety seat, yet the impact was too great. An RV collided with the Kia SUV carrying the child. The incident caused three other individuals to be hospitalized, but they are all expected to be okay. The death of a toddler in a car accident may lead to a wrongful death by her parents against the driver of the RV.

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 Posted on April 17, 2017 in Uncategorized

A charter bus carrying seniors from Bastrop Senior Center was involved in a deadly collision with a train in Biloxi, Mississippi on March 7. The bus, which was on a trip to New Orleans, became stuck on a railroad crossing in downtown Biloxi for up to 10 minutes prior to being struck by a CSX Transportation train. The train then pushed the bus about 300 feet further down the tracks. There were 49 individuals on the bus; four were killed and 35 were taken to local hospitals for treatment. At least two individuals had gotten off the bus while it was stuck and became trapped underneath it during the collision. The four individuals killed in the accident were residents of Sealy, Bastrop, and Lockhart, Texas.

What Caused the Crash?

The reason why the bus was stuck on the railroad tracks is currently unknown. It may have been due to mechanical issues, the specific rail crossing’s low clearance, or another issue entirely. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Railroad Administration are investigating.

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 Posted on April 14, 2017 in Uncategorized

Texas is not known for its safe roads. In fact, it is becoming known for its car and pedestrian accidents that lead to far too many injuries and deaths. While the state has a bad reputation, certain highways, local roads, and intersections are more dangerous than others. Certain cities even have a disproportionate number of particularly dangerous roads and intersections.

Dangerous Texas Intersections

Using data from the Texas Department of Transportation, a Texas data visualization company found the 279 most dangerous intersections in Texas, each of which witnessed at least 48 crashes between 2012 and 2015. In addition to determining the number of crashes, injuries, and deaths at the intersections, the partnership developed a danger score for each intersection. The higher the danger score, the more dangerous the intersection.

The top 10 most dangerous intersections in Texas are:

1. Bissonnet St and Sam Houston Pkwy in Houston, danger score of 1,124;

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 Posted on April 06, 2017 in Uncategorized

According to a study recently published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, laundry detergent packets have led to a rise in chemical burns in children’s eyes. From 2012 to 2015, popular detergent pods increased the number of eye chemical burns in young children by more than 30 times. In the three-year period, more than 1,200 three- and five-year-olds suffered burns to their eyes because of puncturing the wrapper that contains the liquid detergent. The concentrated chemicals meant to remove stains can squirt into the child’s eyes or get on their hands, which they then wipe on their face and eyes. While there were 12 ocular burns to toddlers in 2012, there were 480 in 2015, demonstrating that this is a fast growing and serious problem.

Detergent Pods Incredibly Dangerous

While many cleaning products are harmful to children and anyone’s eyes, the researchers of this study stated that these detergent pods are particularly dangerous. The laundry detergents “are among the worst chemicals that the eye can be exposed to,” stated Dr. R. Sterling Haring from Johns Hopkins University. The detergents are alkaline chemicals and are what the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration labels corrosives since they cause visible and irreversible destruction to materials and tissue. While these types of chemicals in diluted forms can be great cleaners, in concentrated forms they can cause more severe burns, even worse than those caused by acids.

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 Posted on March 29, 2017 in Uncategorized

A deadly head-on collision took place around 7 p.m. on Friday, February 3rd in Fairfield, Texas. A teenager driving a Cadillac Deville on Highway 84 tried to pass another vehicle when he collided with a Chevrolet Cruze in the lane moving the opposite direction. The accident took place in a no-passing zone. Two passengers of the Chevrolet were pronounced dead at the scene and the driver of the Chevrolet is in stable condition. All three were wearing their seatbelts. There were five occupants in the Cadillac, none of whom were wearing seatbelts at the time. The driver and three passengers of the Cadillac are in serious condition, while the remaining passenger is in stable condition. The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the crash, and as of now, charges have not been filed.

Head-on collisions often lead to serious injuries and fatalities. Individuals who are hurt or lose a loved one in this type of crash should work with an experienced attorney as soon as possible.

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 Posted on March 27, 2017 in Uncategorized

When it comes to avoiding car wrecks on our Texas roadways, there is only so much drivers can do to protect themselves and their fellow passengers from experiencing accident and injury. Prevention efforts can go a long way, which is why statewide and nationwide authorities, along with transportation advocates, harp so strongly on the need for drivers to remain alert, aware, and prepared before venturing out to travel the highways.

Road Rage Red Flags

One aspect of our daily travels that we cannot control is another driver’s behavior. This is especially the case when it comes to aggressive driving, commonly referred to as road rage. Aggressive driving is an indicator that the person behind the wheel is in an impulsive state, possibly intoxicated, under the influence of various drugs or emotionally unstable on some level. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), road rage incidents are the product of disagreements between drivers, which sometimes result in physical assault.

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 Posted on March 22, 2017 in Uncategorized

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tells us that in the year 2015 alone, an estimated 13,941 lives were saved due to seat belt usage. The usage rate throughout the country further backs this statistic up: The latest reported national seat belt use rate sits impressively at 88.5 percent. Still, the United States Department of Transportation reports that an astounding number of drivers – around 27.5 million – neglect to buckle up when they get behind the wheel.

Making Your Seat Belt Work for You

If you are among the 88.5 percent of drivers across the nation who chooses to buckle up for safety, you can give yourself a pat on the back, as you are instantly safer than those 27.5 million drivers who do not. If you are wearing your belt incorrectly, though, you may actually be placing yourself at just as much risk for injury as those who neglect to wear their seat belt entirely. How can this be possible? Your belt is engineered and designed to protect you according to certain specifications, so when you wear it the wrong way, you are preventing the design from doing its job.

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