Posted on November 04, 2016 in Uncategorized

Last month, two people died in an accident involving a head-on collision between a school bus and car on Highway 19. The driver of the mustang drove into the path of the Hopkins County school bus. He and the driver of the school bus, who was also a special education teacher, both died from the collision. School bus accidents are not common, but any at all is a problem. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, of the 340,039 fatal vehicle accidents between 2004 and 2013, about 0.4 percent or 1,214 accidents were related to school transportation. During these accidents, 1,344 individuals were killed, some of which were students.

Texas School Bus Traffic Laws

When you and other drivers share the road with school buses, it is important you all understand the rules of the road related to these distinctive bright yellow vehicles. The following includes some laws to keep in mind:

• Stop when the bus is flashing its red lights. Buses are equipped with red stop signs with red flashing lights. If the stop sign is out or the red lights are flashing, you need to stop. If you are moving in the same direction as the bus, or moving the opposite direction on a road without any middle barrier, you must stop. You can continue driving if the bus is stopped on the opposite side of a road with a physical barrier between the directions.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on November 02, 2016 in Uncategorized

A family from Austin, Texas, is learning the hard way what it is like to be hurt by a drunk driver who does not have insurance. Two parents were driving with their son when they were struck from behind by a truck. The driver of the truck was arrested at the scene for driving while intoxicated. Neither she nor the owner of the truck had up-to-date insurance on the vehicle, though the lapse in their insurance payments was too new for it to be picked up by the police. The victim family is now trying to physically and financially recover from the accident that sent their son to the ICU for a time without the at-fault party’s insurance to cover the damages. Every year, families across Texas find themselves in this position. If you were in a car accident caused by a driver without insurance, call the Austin personal injury attorneys at our firm to learn your legal options.

Uninsured Motorists across the U.S.

Some basic level of auto insurance is required in every state. Texas requires drivers to have liability insurance of at least $30,000 per person injured, so $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. The entire purpose of this requirement is to ensure drivers can be financially responsible for any accidents they cause.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 28, 2016 in Uncategorized

Electronic cigarettes have gained a great deal of popularity in recent years. Some people have switched entirely from cigarettes to e-cigarettes while others use these nicotine-delivery devices as a way to cut down or break the habit. People often switch to e-cigarettes because they believe they are healthier than traditional tobacco cigarettes, which are proven to have many dangerous additives. But for a product that is supposed to be a bit safer than cigarettes, it has been startling news for users that the battery powering their devices could explode in their pockets or hands. One woman from Arlington, Texas, learned the hard way that e-cigarettes and their batteries have risks. Her spare lithium-ion battery caught fire causing burns on her hand. She had to receive a skin graft. Flores never received any warning that her battery was defective or ran the risk of explosion from the manufacturer or the store where she purchases the device. If you find yourself in a similar situation, call the experienced Texas defective products attorneys at our office for help.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 26, 2016 in Uncategorized

An unidentified 34-year-old man lost his life in early October after failing to navigate a tight curve at a high speed in Austin, Texas. The police determined that the Honda Accord was moving at an excessive speed. Unable to make the turn, the vehicle went into the center median and struck a tree. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. While most people think of car accidents as multi-vehicle collisions, many crashes involve a single car and another object. A single-vehicle crash can be just as dangerous or deadly as an accident involving two or more vehicles. If you lost a loved one in a car accident, do not hesitate to call the experienced wrongful death attorneys at our firm. We can help you review your family’s situation to determine if there were contributing factors to your loved one’s death such as unsafe roads or a defect within the car. We can also advise you on whether another party may be partly responsible.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 21, 2016 in Uncategorized

Earlier this month, a Chevrolet Trailblazer was hit from behind by an 18-wheeler on I-35 North near Kohlenberg. The reason for the crash appears to be that the SUV was traveling at approximately 20 mph while the semi-truck was moving at 70 mph and did not notice the SUVs slow pace. The individuals involved in the crash were not seriously injured, but incidents like this often lead to personal injury claims. When drivers move too slowly on highways, they obstruct the flow of traffic and increase the risk of accidents.

Texas Law Regarding Minimum Speed

You know there is such a thing as driving too fast – but did you know it is possible for motorists to drive too slowly? Section 545.363 of the Texas Transportation Code lays out minimum speed regulations for the state. It says anyone operating a vehicle may not drive so slowly as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, except when doing so is necessary for safe operation in compliance with the law. In some situations, there will be a minimum speed limit posted. This is usually for highways where incidents like the one mentioned above are a possibility. No motorist is allowed to drive slower than the minimum posted limit except to obey the law in some other way or for safety reasons.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 19, 2016 in Uncategorized

On September 15, an official recall went out for all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones sold before the recall date. This Samsung model, a competitor of the iPhone, has been plagued since its release with reports that the batteries in the phones not only overheat, but they may catch fire. The recall notice states about one million phones were sold throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. There have been 92 reports of batteries overheating. Because of the potential for injury, the Consumer Product Safety Commission states consumers of these phones should immediately stop using the device and contact their wireless carrier to receive a new phone or a refund.

Defective Batteries Cause Injuries

A phone’s battery overheating is a big deal when people expect their cells phones to work 24 hours per day. But this recall was even more important than battery life because the Galaxy Note 7’s defective batteries led to 26 reports of burns on users and 55 reports of property damage, including fires in some users’ cars or garages. The phone apparently becomes too hot during charging, but some injuries have occurred while the phone was in someone’s pocket.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 14, 2016 in Uncategorized

A rollover crash occurred on the access road near West Military Drive and Highway 90 last month. The driver of the SUV lost control of the vehicle and went into a ditch. When the SUV flipped, the driver was thrown from the car and killed. The passenger, the driver’s girlfriend, was sleeping during the drive and is recovering from her injuries.

Rollover Crashes

Rollover accidents that include one or more vehicles are a serious problem on roads across the U.S. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, rollover crashes have a higher risk of fatalities than any other type of crash. These types of crashes account for one-third of all car accident deaths. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported 6,863 people died in rollover crashes in 2014, and 28 percent of these accidents didn’t involve another impact.

Rollover crashes tend to occur with taller and narrower vehicles like trucks, vans, and SUVs. They have a higher center of gravity and the forces exerted on these vehicles during turns can drastically affect the vehicles’ balance. However, most vehicles rollover when they hit by another vehicle or come into contact with an obstacle like a curb or pothole that throws the car’s balance off and causes it to roll.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 13, 2016 in Uncategorized

The minutes that follow a collision can feel like a blur. Once the accident happens, your mind and body are wrestling with shock and the compelling need to take some sort of immediate action. What you refrain from doing after a car accident, however, can be just as important, if not more so, when it comes to protecting your best interests.

Here are five things every driver should avoid after a crash:

1. Hit and Run – Whatever you do, be sure to remain at the scene. Never flee the accident, whether you were the one to hit the other driver or not. Your presence is vital in reporting the details of the crash, as well as in protecting the wellbeing of every other driver involved in the collision. In addition, fines and penalties for hit and runs can be severe. Do not make matters worse by avoiding the aftermath of the accident.

2. Take the Blame – In general, saying too much after an accident is never ideal, especially when it comes to admitting fault of any kind. Do not take the blame and risk putting yourself on record as the driver at fault for the collision. Even if you were the one who caused the accident, you might be surprised to discover that the other driver was just as much in the wrong as you were. There is always the chance that they too contributed to the crash, and those details matter when it comes to documenting the nature of the crash and dealing with potential lawsuits.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 07, 2016 in Uncategorized

The topic of red light cameras is an ongoing debate right here, in the state of Texas, and all across the nation. The controversy reaches far and wide, with arguments that the cameras really do help reduce the number of car wrecks at intersections to convictions that they exist simply to generate revenue. Multiple publications across the country have published pieces that point out the undeniable pros and cons of camera installation, proving that one thing is for sure: Red light cameras offer a number of advantages, but studies show they have significant drawbacks, too.

Hopes for the Technology

Red light camera technology is backed by the concept that by catching those who run red lights and ticketing them for the violation, we can discourage the behavior of running red lights, thus decreasing the number of car accidents at intersections. Sounds good in theory, but the question has been, and continues to be: Is this type of camera enforcement effective when it comes to safety?

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 05, 2016 in Uncategorized

Having to endure the stress of any car accident is hard enough, but what happens when you are the victim of a hit-and-run driver? What steps do you need to take and where do you turn for help? The moment you are involved in a hit-and-run accident, you do not have the luxury of making contact with the other driver to exchange license and insurance information, let alone the opportunity to speak with them to determine the cause of the crash.

Immediately after the crash.

The moment you experience a hit-and-run, your first course of action should be the same as with any other collision: Assess yourself and any passengers for signs of injury and call 911 right away if someone is hurt. Once you have tended to any injuries and have made sure help is on the way, try your best to recall any details regarding the moments before the crash, including a description of the driver that hit you and drove away. While it may be difficult to recall such details, especially in the wake of the commotion and possible injuries, any details you can provide may prove to be valuable tools later on.

Continue Reading ››