Fort Worth Injury Attorney Blog

On September 1st, many new laws become effective. Their goal is to reduce the number of injuries and deaths needlessly caused by poor driving, especially by teenagers.

Did you know thatTexas leads the nation in drunk driving fatalities?

Or that of the 3,382 Texans killed in traffic accidents last year, 951 weren’t wearing seat belts?

Or that a 16 year old is five times more likely be be in a crash?

Here is a summary of the new traffic laws:

1. Seat belts – All passengers will be required to wear a seat belt --even those in the back seat.

2. Car seats - All children younger than 8 must be in one, unless they are taller than 4' 9".

3. Cellphones in school zones - Not permitted unless vehicle is stopped, the call is for emergency help, or a hands free device is used.

4. Drunk driving suspects with previous records, those causing serious injury or death, or those with a minor in the vehicle - Police will be required to draw their blood, improving the chances of a DWI conviction.

5. Drivers younger than 18 can not use a cellphone to talk or text while driving.

6. Drivers younger than 18 cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m. until one year (not six months) after they get their license.

7. Drivers younger than 18 cannot drive with more than one person younger than 21 years old.

8. Driving with a suspended license or without insurance can result in a sentence of up to 180 days in jail and fines up to $2,000.

9. Driving without a valid license or uninsured and causing injury or death in an accident can result in up to a year in jail and a maximum $4,000 fine.

10. Drivers licenses -- for those younger than 18, a driving skills test will become mandatory.

11. Motorcycles: Proof that a certified training course has been completed will be needed to get a license. No passengers younger than 5 can ride.

I have recently filed or is in the process of filing lawsuits in the following cases:

1. Tractor-trailer crashed into client's truck, causing the driver to have surgery to his arm and the passenger (his wife) to have surgery to her shoulder.

2. Tractor-trailer crashed into client's auto, causing the driver to have cervical fusion surgery.

3. Intoxicated driver crashed her truck into client's auto on New Year's Eve, causing serious back injuries.

4. SUV rear ended my client's smaller auto, causing her to have cervical fusion surgery.

Yesterday at 8 a.m., a drunk driver plowed his car into a Walmart store near I30 and Eastchase Parkway, jumped into someone's parked truck and tried to escape. However, the truck driver, who thought that he was being carjacked, swerved to the right and hit parked cars to stop the man. Alert bystanders grabbed the drunk and held him down until police arrived. Fortunately, only one person, a door greeter, suffered minor injuries from flying glass.

I recently settled a similar case where a driver crashed his car through the front door of a 7-11 and hit my client head on. Watch this video - the crash is about 20 seconds in to the tape.

Labels: vehicles cars trucks

Just down the street from my office on University Drive early on Sunday morning, Renee Horton, a 24 year old woman from Wichita Falls was killed when a drunk driver crashed into a car behind her. The drunk driver was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter. A police officer had seen the drunk driver speeding by my building, but had not been able to stop him before the fatal crash.

It is amazing how many people get behind the wheel and drive knowing they are intoxicated. I have sued drunk drivers and it is one of my goals to use the legal system to stop them from causing death and injury to innocent victims.

I was interested in the story in today's papers where Rick Perry, who rents a huge house in Austin while the Governors Mansion is being rebuilt after being burned, has been claiming a homestead exemption -- and getting a tax break -- from a house he owns in College Station. And that now that the ruse was uncovered, he has agreed to repay the money.

In 2007, there were...

4,368 fatal truck accidents
136,438 truck accidents with non fatal injuries

$25 billion spent in connection with these collisions

The percentage of plaintiffs that were able to recover monetary damages in different kinds of truck accident trials was as follows in late 2006:

Overall, plaintiffs won 60% of lawsuits they filed due to injuries and fatalies they sustained.

I have handled many trucking collision cases. Someone injured in a wreck caused by a truck needs qualified legal representation. Call me for more information.

Labels: vehicles cars trucks

1. A crash happens every 10 seconds!

The DFW area witnessed another fatal crash when Karla Rivers, a nurse driving home at 12:30 a.m. early Friday on Interstate 20 in Dallas County was hit by an Infiniti driving the wrong way on the Interstate. Its two occupants, Ramiro Moreno, 29, and Ian Edward Pierson, 21, were also killed. Alcohol was discovered inside of their automobile and is believed by police to have caused the collision.