Posted on December 18, 2012 in Uncategorized

According to KHOU Houston, two brothers and their father were hit by a car that was driven by a drunk driver. The father, David Barajas and his sons David Jr. and Caleb were pushing their truck home after it broke down.

The trio was pushing the old pickup truck down a dark road. They were looking back to make sure that no one was coming because the road was so narrow and dark. Unfortunately, they did not see the car coming toward them at a high rate of speed. They were only about 50 yards from their home at the time of the accident.

Jose Banda, 20, ran into them. Investigators believe that he was drunk at the time of the accident and they are awaiting additional toxicology testing results to be returned to determine if Banda had any other substances in his system at the time. Neighbors state that they heard two gunshots just a couple of minutes after the crash happened.

David Jr., 12, died at the scene of the accident. Caleb, 11, was taken to a nearby hospital where he also passed away. When authorities reached the scene, Banda was found murdered, shot twice in the head. They are still trying to figure out who shot him and so far, the weapon has not been found either. It is unclear whether authorities think that the father or another family member shot him after the accident. The investigation is currently ongoing.

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 Posted on December 16, 2012 in Uncategorized

Citing increasingly concerning statistics regarding DWI arrests and fatal accidents over the past two years, a San Antonio Police Department deputy chief asked Texas legislators to consider establishing permanent DWI checkpoints in areas where DWI arrests and accidents commonly appear. Roughly 24 people have been charged with intoxication manslaughter over the last two years, and over 7,000 DWI arrests have been made this year so far in San Antonio alone.

Most notably, Texas is one of only 12 states without sobriety checkpoints, and is also a state that typically has one of the highest numbers of alcohol-related fatal traffic accidents. In 2010, for instance, 1,259 people died in Texas as a result of the actions of drivers with blood-alcohol levels that exceeded legal limits. This number exceeded even the number of deaths in California in 2010, a state that traditionally has had a higher number of people, drivers, and vehicles.

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 Posted on December 14, 2012 in Uncategorized

According to a recent article in the San Antonio Express-News, a forty-four-year-old bicyclist was killed when a Ford Explorer struck him from behind and caused him to roll over the vehicle. The man was riding his bike at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Basse Road near Treeline Park on San Antonio’s north side when the accident occurred. Witnesses reported that the bicyclist was riding along the right side of the road when he suddenly swerved left into traffic. The bicycle allegedly had no lights, and the man was balancing bags of groceries on his handlebars. Some have speculated that the weight of the bags caused the man to lose his balance and veer into traffic just prior to the accident.

This case may be a good example of the legal concept of comparative negligence. While many people assume that one party in a personal injury action is at fault, and the other party is not at fault, it is often not the case. In many cases, both parties bear some fault for the accident in question.

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 Posted on December 11, 2012 in Uncategorized

According to a recent article in the San Antonio Express-News, Jose Beltran, his two young sons, and the pregnant mother of his sons were walking home after having dinner at the Flying J Travel Plaza when they were unexpectedly struck by a vehicle that hit a telephone pole, went up and over a curb, and onto the sidewalk where they were walking. The Beltrans had been celebrating Jose’s new job prospect after four long years of unemployment and financial hardship. Up until about a week prior to the accident, the family, down on their luck, had been living in an abandoned house in California. They had recently come to Texas to stay with Beltran’s mother and seek out better employment opportunities.

These hopes of a better life for their family were dashed to pieces by the fatal accident, which left Jose, 30, dead at the accident scene, and his son, Elias, age three, pronounced dead some hours later after being airlifted to a nearby hospital. Kristie Vergara, 34, and Adrian Beltran, age four, both were seriously injured and remained hospitalized in serious condition. Vergara’s unborn child also was expected to survive the accident.

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 Posted on December 09, 2012 in Uncategorized

According to the Chicago Tribune, a car accident involving a police car and a black Kia happened at the 700^th block of West 50^th. This resulted in an injury to an officer as well as a passenger in the other vehicle.

As told by witnesses, the black vehicle failed to stop at a red light and ran into a passing police vehicle. This, in turn caused the officer’s injury. It also resulted in injury to one person in the other car. Both cars had significant damage and could be considered totaled by most accounts.

Two people were arrested as a result of behavior that accrued after the accident. They were described as hostile to the officers and creating issues when arrested. These passengers were riding in the black Kia with the driver that injured the officers in the accident.

There was no evidence of alcohol or drugs involved, just a case of missing the light and causing an accident. No charges have been filed at this time with the exception of failure to yield the right of way at the stop light.

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 Posted on December 03, 2012 in Uncategorized

On a-11-15th Union Pacific train slammed into a parade float. The float was in a parade to celebrate veterans and their sacrifices for Veteran’s day. On the float were veterans who had been injured in the line of duty on their way to be feted at a banquet hall. The crash between the train and the float left 4 dead and 16 injured. Those killed in the accident included Army Sgt. Joshua Michael, 34, a native of Amarillo. Those families of the hurt or killed veterans are now searching for closure by bringing a personal injury lawsuit against Union Pacific and Smith Industries. There are nearly 3,000 accidents annually involving trains at railway crossings. According to a notice from the Federal Railroad Administration, the majority of these accidents happen because the inattention paid by a driver or pedestrian. Though, in a handful of cases, the accident is a result of a warning system error. The case against Union Pacific is that the warning system at the intersection of the railroad tracks and S. Garfield St. While the federal requirement of the warning system was met, there is some indication that more time should be necessary. The federal requirement is ten seconds less than some authorities feel is necessary at this crossing. There are cross-streets on both sides of the intersection which are closer than 100 feet, leading to an assumption that more time is necessary to properly warn traffic. Smith Industries is being sued rather than the driver they employed to operate the float, Dale Andrew Hayden, 52. Hayden, as an entity of Smith Industries, is alleged to be negligent by failing to keep a proper lookout, to traverse the crossing safely, and exercise care for his passengers. If you have been injured in a car accident, it may be due to the negligence of a third party. You may be entitled to monetary damages in order to cover hospital bills, unearned wages, or trauma that you have endured. Please contact an experienced personal injury attorney in New Braunfels to review the particulars of your case.

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 Posted on November 30, 2012 in Uncategorized

Trooper Kyle Deatherage, recent transfer to the Illinois State Police motorcycle unit, was struck and killed by a truck during a traffic stop on Interstate 55 near Litchfield. He transferred to the new unit to spend more time with his young family.

Deatherage, 32, from Highland, started out in law enforcement as a Madison County sheriff’s deputy in 2004 and began working for the state police in May 2009.

Deatherage was married to Christin Deatherage and they have two children: Kaylee, 4, and Camden, 10-months-old.

Christin said that Kyle moved to motorcycle duty because it allowed him to take day shifts instead of night shifts, permitting him to see more of his family.

The director of state police, Hiram Grau, and Madison County Sheriff Robert Hertz, agree that this was a tragic loss and Deatherage was a wonderful police officer who was very dedicated and brave.

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 Posted on November 26, 2012 in Uncategorized

Destiny Salinas, 18, started driving on the morning of Friday up-11-23>rd to get back home. She drove from Walters Street to the Interstate 34 in Northeast San Antonio. Unfortunately, she made a wrong turn into the opposite direction of traffic on I-35. It was around 8:30 in the morning as she drove north on the southbound lanes of traffic.

The first car that she met was at the intersection of Rittman Rd. and I-35. The driver of the Chevy Impala told authorities that he attempted to swerve out of the way of Salinas but was still clipped by her car. The force of the hit spun his car into the path of another vehicle. After the Impala was hit again, it ended upside-down on the side of the highway.

This car accident did not make Salinas stop and help these victims. She continued on her journey for seven miles before she was stopped by local police. The intersection of I-35 and Walzem Rd was where she ended up. Detective Brian Campbell said that she seemed to be intoxicated. She was arrested and subsequently charged with driving while intoxicated and intoxicated assault.

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 Posted on November 22, 2012 in Uncategorized

Traffic accidents are a daily occurrence in areas where there are lots of people living and driving. But when you think of a car crash, you don’t usually expect a train to be involved. In this case, however, a woman in her truck was hit by a TRE train and hospitalized because of it. WFAA.com did a story about this train-vehicle collision. The train tracks at East Gilbert Road just east of the West Irving Station were the scene for a massive collision when a TRE train struck a truck that was stopped on the tracks. DART officials said the collision took place in the morning, around 9:45 a.m., as the train was heading west. It was confirmed that the woman who was injured and hospitalized in the crash was, in fact, in the vehicle when the train hit the truck, but it was not revealed whether she had been the one driving the vehicle. After the crash, both westbound and eastbound tracks had to be closed down, because the scene of the accident was investigated and crews worked on clearing the scene. Officials have not released the identity and condition of the woman injured in the crash. Car accidents can have a devastating impact on a person’s life. If you or a loved one have been injured in car accident that was not caused by you, you may be eligible for compensation. Contacting a personal injury attorney is advisable when you are injured but not to be blamed for the injury. If you need the help of an experienced personal injury attorney, contact our offices in New Braunfels, Texas today.

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 Posted on November 20, 2012 in Uncategorized

Xitclalli Vasquez is in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down, because a drunk driver crashed into a car Vasquez was in. Over a year after the accident that changed her life, Xitclalli wrote a letter to the driver, hoping she could change his life with her words. WFAA.com reported a story about Xitclalli’s tragic tale. Nine-year-old Xitclalli said she wants to know the man did that day and if he remembers how everything happened. The day she is talking about is July 9, 2011. Xitclalli was on her way home from the North East Mall in Hurst with her aunt, sister and nephew when the crash happened. A tragic ending for a day filled with fun. Jeremy Solis, who was driving drunk, slammed into the car Xitclalli was in at a street corner in Fort Worth. According to police, Solis had a blood-alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit, so there is no question that he was drunk. Xitclalli’s mother read her daughter’s letter to Solis in a Tarrant County courtroom after Solis pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Following the sentence, the young girl’s words seemed to have an impact on Solis and the people in the courtroom. “I did see him cry several times,” said Mrs. Vasquez. If you or a loved one have fallen victim to a reckless driver, it is in your best interests to contact an experienced personal injury attorney in New Braunfels, Texas. If you are injured because of someone else’s actions, you might be eligible for financial compensation. Do not hesitate before contacting a knowledgeable personal injury attorney for help. Contact our offices today.

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