Posted on May 26, 2012 in Uncategorized

Many semi-trucks and other commercial vehicles travel on Texas’s highways each day. In Comal County, I-35 and I-10 are host to thousands of trucks each week. If you travel in or around New Braunfels, Texas, chances are you’re going to frequently be driving near a big-rig or other large vehicle. Due to their massive size, wrecks involving 18-wheelers often have devastating results. It’s important to take every step available to minimize the chances that you’ll be involved in an accident with a big-rig in Texas.

Many of the safe driving tips for traveling near trucks are also true for driving in general. For example:

• Pay attention & don’t drive when you’re overly tired
• Don’t quickly change lanes or change lanes without using your turn signal
• Adjust your speed to account for the weather and traffic patterns

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 Posted on May 24, 2012 in Uncategorized

KGNB News reported that on Friday May 11, 2012, shortly after 8pm, a Ford F250 pickup truck and a Chevy Silverado crashed into each other on FM 306. The head-on collision shut down FM 306 for nearly an hour and a half. The closure caused major road delays and back-ups.

According to the New Braunfels Police, the Silverado was driving west on 306 towards Canyon Lake, and began to pass another vehicle that was also traveling west. The Silverado went over the center line as the Ford F250, heading east on 306, drew nearer.. Although the investigation has not been completed, the police believe that both vehicles attempted to swerve to avoid the collision. Nevertheless, the vehicles crashed into one another.

The twenty year old driver of the Silverado was barricaded in his vehicle. Emergency crews had to extricate the man from his truck and due to extensive injuries, the driver was airlifted to University Hospital in San Antonio. There are no current reports of the condition of the driver of the Silverado.

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 Posted on May 23, 2012 in Uncategorized

On May 12, 2012, a vehicle with five passengers crashed into a vehicle driven by Harold Wayne Holliman. According to the Seguin Gazette, Mr. Holliman was crossing FM 78 onto FM 1620, when an SUV carrying five people crashed into the passenger side of his car. Mr. Holliman had stopped his vehicle in the median, waiting for the appropriate time to cross. The driver of a third vehicle waived him on signaling that it was clear. Relying on the third driver’s waive, Mr. Holliman proceeded to cross FM 1620 when the SUV crashed into the passenger side of his vehicle. The impact was so great that Mr. Holliman, from Seguin, died at the scene of the accident.

One person from the SUV was airlifted to University Hospital in San Antonio, and the other four individuals were taken to the closest hospital, Guadalupe Regional Medical Center, for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. There are no reports on their current status.

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 Posted on May 21, 2012 in Uncategorized

According to a story in the Seguin Gazette, four vehicles were involved in a major crash on South Highway 123 on Friday, April 27 at 6:30 in the morning. A Seguin ISD school bus, a tractor trailer, and two passenger vehicles collided near Fox Trotter Lane when an eighteen wheeler transporting gravel attempted to pass on the left side of a PT Cruiser. The report states that the PT Cruiser pulled to the side of the road to allow the big rig to pass. The big rig did not make a clean pass and side swiped the driver side of the PT Cruiser causing the PT Cruiser to spin out of control onto the highway. The PT Cruiser ended up directly in front of the school bus and the two collided; a Ford Focus that was behind the school bus also became involved in the crash at that point.

The eighteen wheeler lost control as it attempted to pass the PT Cruiser and landed on its side in a ditch off the roadway. The truck exploded into flames, which spread to the other vehicles and destroyed all four. Firefighters and emergency medical providers were immediately called to scene of the accident.

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 Posted on May 20, 2012 in Uncategorized

As reported by pro8news.com, a Laredo police officer lost his life, and his wife remains in critical condition, following a tragic crash that happened yesterday on Interstate 35. The Texas Department of Public Safety hasn’t released the couple’s names, pending family notification of the accident. Texas DPS Corporal Frank Hernandez said that department has limited information regarding the wreck, but confirmed that it involved a motorcycle that ended up in the highway median. The Laredo Police Department officer involved was off-duty at the time of the collision, for which the cause remains unknown. Officials are still investigating the circumstances of the accident, including why the driver lost control of the bike, and if any other vehicles were involved in the crash. “screenshot via pro8news” Following the wreck, numerous law enforcement officials rushed to the scene of the serious traffic crash. According to the news article, the deceased officer’s wife is hospitalized in San Antonio, where she is reported as responsive yet critical. Interstate-35 is the site of many Texas motorcycle, car and truck accidents each year, including a number of fatal motor vehicle wrecks. Anyone who is injured in any type of accident on a Texas roadway, or who loses a loved one in a wreck in Texas, should consult an experienced San Antonio personal injury lawyer for advice. Even minor car wrecks can result in injuries with long-term implications, and if a family member has died in a crash, there could be grounds for filing a wrongful death lawsuit in Texas state court. Due to the complexity of Texas’s personal injury laws, it’s best to immediately contact a San Antonio, Texas car and truck wreck lawyer if you’re considering legal action following a Texas motor vehicle crash.

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 Posted on May 16, 2012 in Uncategorized

According to kltv.com, a major motor vehicle crash occurred just after 1:00 in the afternoon on May 4, 2012 in Panola County Texas. Apparently, an 18-wheeler and a pick-up crashed on US 59, South of Carthage. The big-rig was carrying a load of 2×4 pieces of wood and, upon impact, the wood spread over the highway. It is currently unclear as to whether the drivers of the vehicle had life threatening injuries, but two medical helicopters immediately arrived at the scene.

According to a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) www.ntsb.gov , Texas has a higher rate of wrecks involving 18-wheelers, big rigs, semi-trucks, and other commercial vehicles than 49 other states. Some of the reasons for this disparity include size of Texas, the number of freeways and highways in Texas, the long stretches of highways in the state and the ever changing Texas weather conditions.

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 Posted on May 13, 2012 in Uncategorized

As anyone who travels through Comal County on a regular basis likely knows, Texas’s Interstate 35 is a busy highway and the scene of numerous car wrecks, both minor and serious, each month.

As reported by New Braunfel’s KNGB, three accidents happened here on the same day, Sunday April 29, injuring numerous people and causing significant delays in traffic in the area. The first crash took place just north of New Braunfels, when a small vehicle apparently swerved to avoid hitting another car, then bounced off the center divider, shooting across multiple lanes of traffic, and landing on the outside shoulder of I-35. The car’s driver was taken to a Bexar County hospital with unknown injuries.

A short time later, just south of the scene of the first accident, another vehicle hit the center retaining wall. Luckily, no one was injured in this wreck, although the combination of the two accidents delayed traffic on I-35.

The third car wreck happened in the late afternoon on northbound Interstate 35, when a passenger vehicle drove under a big-rig. The front of the car was sliced off by the semi-truck’s tires. Although the two females in the car were taken to a New Braunfels hospital, reportedly their injuries are minor.

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 Posted on April 29, 2012 in Uncategorized

A serious wreck involving a bus, a semi-truck, and two passenger vehicles, shut down parts of State Highway 123 south of Seguin for nearly the entire day on Friday.

According to a spokesperson from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS,) the accident occurred early on Friday morning, and began when a PT Cruiser pulled off the side of the highway to allow the big-rig to pass – but when it did, it clipped the smaller vehicle, causing it to spin in front of the bus. The bus his the PT Cruiser, and a Ford Focus that was following the bus was also involved in the crash. At some point, the mangled vehicles ignited, causing them to all end up charred.

An Seguin Today article relayed that the driver of the 18-wheeler, 58-year-old Jesus Martinez of Seguin, was airlifted to University Hospital, where he was last reported in critical condition. The drivers of both cars, a female in her 50’s and a female in her 60’s, were also hospitalized. Nine students were on the Seguin ISD bus at the time of the accident. Eight were treated and released, and one, an eight-grader from Barnes Middle School, remains hospitalized and is believed to be in stable condition, along with the school bus driver. DPS continues their investigation into the accident.

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 Posted on April 25, 2012 in Uncategorized

Occasionally, a family member or friend who is driving with a loved one or a close friend gets into a collision with another car or truck, causing injuries to their loved ones. In such situations, the injured party often is hesitant to pursue just financial compensation because they do not want to financially harm the driver. Although this hesitation is perfectly understandable, if the injured party were to pursue a claim, more often then not, the driver’s insurance would cover the compensation and the financial impact on the driver would be minimal.

For example according to MySanAntonio, last month, a vehicle carrying several San Antonio residents was involved in a single-car accident, after one of the vehicle’s tires blew out. The van’s passengers included the driver’s son, a family friend, the driver’s daughter, and the driver’s boyfriend’s daughter. The driver’s son and family friend died at the scene. The other three had non-life threatening injuries.

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 Posted on April 24, 2012 in Uncategorized

Hearing that a family member has been in a serious car accident can be a terrifying process. Christy Martinez, mother of 19-year-old Naomi Martinez, knows this all too well. According to the Seguin Gazette, early on the morning of April 1st, Martinez received a call from a friend who had witnessed the aftermath of a Seguin car accident, and had noticed that Martinez’s daughter, Naomi, was involved.

Christy rushed to the scene of the car crash, where she witnessed the Seguin Fire Department cut her daughter loose from being trapped in the vehicle. Naomi, and her friend, 18-year-old Rayann Ramirez, received major bodily injuries. Once firefighters freed the two from the vehicle, both were life-flighted to University Hospital.

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