Recent Blog Posts
Two Men Killed in Texas Train Accidents the Same Weekend
On April 2, one man was killed as he and three other men jumped from a moving Union Pacific train in Texas. The men boarded the freight train in Austin and hopped off near Interstate 35, just north of the Texas State Technical College campus. The witnesses report that the man threw his belongings from the train prior to attempting to jump, but he slipped and fell between the train cars. The reported the incident at a nearby gas station. The day before, another man lost his life in a train incident in Austin. Before 10 p.m. on West 5th street, a man was struck by a Union Pacific train when he was on the tracks. Unfortunately, news reports of pedestrian-train accidents are not uncommon and they may lead to wrongful death claims.
Texas Pedestrian-Train Accidents
In 2016, the Federal Railroad Administration reported 445 pedestrian-train-related accidents in Texas. While some of these incidents were minor and involved few injuries, others, like the recent accidents above, led to fatalities. In 2016, there were 64 train accident fatalities. This may seem like only a few fatalities compared to the numbers associated with car accidents. However, 64 fatalities for a year in relation to train incidents is high.
Car Accidents Do Not Discriminate
Car accidents do not discriminate against victims. Anyone can be hurt while on the road at any time. You could be injured in a crash when you least expect it like one Texas state representative from The Woodlands. He sustained minor injuries in a head-on crash with a cement truck when he was headed to the Capitol building on March 28. The accident occurred at the intersection of South First and West Mary in Austin, causing considerable damage to his vehicle. The lawmaker managed to suffer only scrapes and bruises and was released from the hospital the next day. As of the day of the accident, no citations had been issued.
Crash Statistics for Austin
According to the Department of Texas’ latest crash figures for 2015, Austin experienced 14,168 crashes resulting in 105 fatalities. There were also 490 incapacitating injuries and 4,045 non-incapacitating injuries, like those suffered by the state representative. Considering the population and traffic in Austin, the high numbers of crashes, injuries, and fatalities are not surprising. However, it is not the city with the most collisions, injuries, or traffic-related deaths. Dallas witnessed 31,094 crashes resulting in 173 fatalities. San Antonio had 42,472 crashes that caused 152 fatalities. Houston had 66,319 crashes with 203 fatalities.
FDA and CDC Investigate Dangerous Listeria Outbreak Linked to Cheese
In March, Vulto Creamery expanded its recall to include all of its cheese products currently in the market, including the following cheeses: Andes, Blue Blais, Hamden, Heinennellie, Ouleout, Miranda, Willowemoc, and Walton Umber. These cheeses were sold nationwide. The reason for this recall is that the company’s cheese contains the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause illness and death.
The Dangers of Listeria
Listeriosis, which is an infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes, can lead to serious illness, particularly in children, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems. Symptoms of Listeriosis include fever, muscle aches, chills, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues. One of the major issues with Listeriosis is that it can lead to dehydration. It is also highly dangerous in pregnant women. While the expectant mothers may not become ill, this bacteria can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labor, and serious illness or death in newborns.
Recovering Compensation after a Texas Construction Accident
An individual was killed on a construction site in Carrollton, Texas, in March. The man, a worker at the site within the Castle Hills development at Old Denton Road and Windhaven Parkway, was run over by a heavy construction vehicle. Unfortunately, this type of incident is not uncommon on construction sites. Back-over accidents and other construction vehicle accidents occur at alarming rates, killing dozens of workers and pedestrians every year.
Fatal Work Accidents in Texas
In 2015, Texas witnessed 527 fatal occupational injuries. The construction industry had 124 deaths. This was a significant increase from 107 deaths in 2014. In 2015, construction of buildings had 13 fatalities, heavy and civil engineering construction had 26, and specialty trade contractors had 85. While heavy and civil engineering deaths remained the same from the prior year, the construction of buildings and specialty trade contractors’ deaths rose. Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction had 36 deaths, a significant decrease from 75 in 2014, while transportation had 100, an increase from 94 in 2014.
Texas Teen Killed in Accident, Not Wearing Seat Belt
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.
Texas Worksite Accident Leads to One Fatality, Leaves Another in Critical Condition
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.
Bus Crash in Uvalde Caused by Texting while Driving
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.
Numerous Texas Traffic Accidents Lead to Fatalities in March
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.
Bus Full of Austin Area Seniors Hit by Freight Train
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.
Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Texas
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:
- Bissonnet St and Sam Houston Pkwy in Houston, danger score of 1,124;
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