Blog Posts, Motor Vehicle Accidents

Texas accident claims motorcyclist’s life

A 40-year-old man from Waco died in an accident involving a motorcycle on April 27. Law enforcement officials said the man was driving his motorcycle east on Lake Shore Drive and came to the intersection at Gholson Road at approximately 1:50 a.m. A Mercury Marquis was traveling west and turned in front of the motorcycle. The motorcyclist crashed into the side of the Marquis and the biker was thrown to the pavement.

Officials believe that there was a passenger in the Mercury when the collision occurred. However, the passenger reportedly fled the scene of the motorcycle accident prior to police arrival. The 40-year-old was taken to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, but he later died of his injuries shortly after 6 p.m. the same day. The Marquis driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and the current condition of that person is unknown.

The investigation is ongoing, and police say that they have not yet determined the cause of the accident. They also reported that the 40-year-old was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. No information was available about the passenger or whether that person has been found. Sources say that the motorcyclist’s body was sent for an autopsy in Dallas.

Family members of the deceased victim might consider seeking financial compensation for the loss of their loved one. They could do so by consulting with a personal injury attorney who may assist them with filing a wrongful death lawsuit. He or she could examine the details of the case in order to prove negligence. The family may be able to pursue compensation for funeral expenses and lost wages of the decedent.

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Blog Posts, Motor Vehicle Accidents

Woman charged in connection with fatal crash on Texas interstate

A 26-year-old woman was drunk when she abandoned her crashed vehicle on a westbound lane of Interstate 30, which led to a fatal motorcycle crash, according to the Grand Prairie Police Department. The motorcycle accident took place at about 2:00 a.m. and left a 35-year-old motorcyclist dead, police reported.

Allegedly, the 26-year-old woman was driving westbound on I-30 when she lost control of her vehicle in the vicinity of Belt Line Road and struck the highway’s center barrier. The woman and two passengers from the sedan then left the wrecked car in the left westbound lane of the highway with no lights on to warn approaching motorists of its presence, police said.

The motorcyclist struck the disabled vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. One of the two passengers was reportedly transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries suffered during the collision between the sedan and the center barrier. Police stated that the 26-year-old woman was impaired at the time of the incident, but it was not reported how officers arrived at that conclusion. Police detained the woman and charged her with intoxication manslaughter.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 429 people were killed in motorcycle accidents during the year 2010. Reckless and negligent drivers are often the cause of fatal motorcycle accidents. When that is the case, the victims’ families may be entitled to file a wrongful death suit against the drivers responsible for the incident. Through this type of civil action, victims’ families may receive financial compensation for damages suffered as a result of the fatal accident, including loss of inheritance rights, loss of gifts that the decedent had promised to bestow, loss of income and financial support contributed by the decedent and even loss of companionship.

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Blog Posts, Featured

Hit By A Drunk Driver

Drinking And Driving: A Deadly Combination
Someone is injured or killed by a drunk driver every 20 minutes in the state of Texas. If you have been struck by an intoxicated motorist, you know the resulting injuries can be devastating. Even more tragic, if you’re mourning the loss of a loved one killed by a drunk driver, you understand that the trauma is unlike any other in life.

Victims who are impacted by a drunk driver typically struggle to deal with an accident, often wondering how such a thing could have happened. After all, public awareness campaigns to stop intoxicated driving have been in place for decades. Everyone is clearly aware that drunk driving causes car accidents, yet too many people — rather than utilize a designated driver or call a cab — choose to get behind the wheel impaired.

How Alcohol Impairs Driving
Under state law, a person whose blood alcohol content (BAC) is .08 or higher is considered to be legally intoxicated. This level of alcohol consumption can impair drivers in many ways, all of which can be dangerous on the road.

Alcohol seriously impairs a driver’s ability, creating:

  • Loss of judgment. Mental functioning is impacted by alcohol, potentially leading individuals to experience a loss of reasoning abilities or a failure to recognize the need for caution.
  • Loss of concentration. Consuming alcohol impairs concentration, especially when it comes to performing multiple tasks at the same time. As a result, a driver may struggle to simultaneously keep a proper speed while maintaining appropriate road position. Car accidents involving texting or passenger distractions are also common.
  • Reduced reaction times. Alcohol affects small-muscle control, including functioning of the eyes. Such impairments can hurt depth perception and lead a driver to misjudge distances or demonstrate slower reaction times when traffic hazards occur.
  • Poor motor coordination. Drivers may have difficulty steering or staying in control of a car due to impairments in their large-muscle functioning.
  • Comprehension failure. A person under the influence of alcohol can have difficulty interpreting traffic signals or signs, potentially leading motorists to make unsafe decisions on the road.

While it is commonly understood that legally drunk drivers are often held responsible for auto accidents, many people don’t realize that a motorist can experience driving impairments with a blood alcohol level as low as .02. This means victims of accidents may be able to show that another person is responsible for the accident even if they had only a single drink.

Struck By A Drunk Driver? Get Help.
An accident with an intoxicated driver can result in catastrophic, life-long injuries. You may face the prospect of an extended rehabilitation process, which may or may not allow you to make a full recovery. Mounting medical bills, car repair costs and lost wages might all be hurting your household finances.

While it cannot undo the consequences that result from being hit by an intoxicated driver, filing a civil lawsuit represents one route that can allow you to be compensated for damages. If you decide to pursue justice for you and your family in this way, an experienced attorney can serve as an informed advocate throughout the personal injury process.

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Injured By A Driver On A Cellphone?

In a 2011 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 69 percent of people ages 18–64 admitted to using a cellphone while driving. While many feel making calls on the road is safe, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research shows that more than 3,000 people are killed each year as a result of distracted driving, including in car accidents involving cellphones.

If you or a loved one has been in such a crash, you know firsthand the serious health and financial effects that can result when someone talking on a cellphone causes a car accident. Showing that another person has been negligent in their actions behind the wheel can enable you to recover compensation for medical bills, property replacement costs, lost wages and other damages. An experienced lawyer can be an important legal advocate during this personal injury process.

How Cellphones Cause Car Accidents
Although talking on a cellphone does not chemically alter the brain as drugs and alcohol do, the degree of distraction often is the same. Talking on a cellphone can be so consuming to drivers that they swerve into other lanes or fail to observe posted speed limits. Studies also show that people talking on the phone have significantly slower braking speeds than undistracted drivers.

Just why is it so dangerous to drive and talk on the phone at the same time? The CDC reports that drivers become distracted while driving in three different ways:

  • Visually. Motorists who take their eyes off the road to make or receive a call risk getting in a collision. Particularly when traveling at high speeds, failing to watch traffic for even a moment can produce severe accidents.
  • Manually. Making or receiving a call on a cellphone can require motorists to remove at least one hand from the steering wheel. Holding a hand-held device further limits a driver’s ability to manually control a car. It can be difficult, for example, to swerve out of the path of another car or a pedestrian.
  • Cognitively. A phone conversation can take your mind off the main task of driving a vehicle. This can have a serious impact when a traffic hazard requires a driver to make a split-second decision to avoid an accident.

While Bluetooth devices and other hands-free communications equipment can lessen the negative impact of talking on the phone in a car, there remains an element of greater distraction that can still contribute to accidents.

Find Help To Prove Another’s Negligence
Determining whether another’s use of a cellphone caused an accident can be difficult, and showing that a person is legally responsible for a crash can be harder. Fortunately, a personal injury attorney has investigative resources he or she can use to help prove another person’s negligence caused a collision.

A lawyer will likely seek to interview witnesses who observed a cellphone-caused auto accident. Attorneys also commonly request the phone records of the other driver to help determine whether talking on a cell phone led to a crash, or if a vehicle collision involved texting.

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