Houston Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

I use this blog to relate accident information as a means of informing readers of the many ways in which one could find themselves involved in a vehicle collision right here on Houston roadways. Consider the following recent semi-truck accident reports.

*A couple found themselves trapped in their car when it drove underneath a semi-truck as it entered the highway from an on-ramp. The accident occurred in the wee hours in the morning and on freezing roads. The best advice is to avoid driving in poor weather - and remember that middle-of-the-night driving can be MORE dangerous than any other time.

*A semi-truck driver (literally) plowed into the back of a sedan causing serious injury to the driver of the vehicle. The semi-truck driver was ticketed for speeding which did little to improve the physical condition of the injured party who spent several weeks in the hospital and went home in a wheelchair.

The best advice is to drive defensively and check your rear-view mirrors occasionally for cars and trucks that may be getting to close to your vehicle. If it appears that someone is moving up on you from behind too fast - take measures to get out of the way.

*A pedestrian was struck by a semi-truck as he stepped into a crosswalk with the 'walk' arrow blinking. The semi-truck was making a right hand turn and failed to see the individual crossing the street. Thankfully the truck was traveling very slowly - but the pedestrian suffered broken bones and contusions. The semi-truck driver was cited but the pedestrian spent several months in recovery.

Continue reading "Recent Houston Truck Accidents" »

Although automobile and truck manufacturers are working feverishly to improve the safety of their products for consumers - adding all kinds of bells and whistles including 'cages', side airbags, 360 degree vision, talking cars and the like - it seems out legislators are set to negate any gains we could possibly make from these new safety devices. How is that you ask?

They have decided to commission studies that would allow for the increase of the speed limit to 85 miles per hour. As anyone who drives knows - this will actually mean 95 miles an hour - and I dare anyone to argue that point.

Who among us does not push the speed limit on the highway having faith that 5 miles over the speed limit is not even something a state trooper will stop you for - and more likely out speedometers hover on the 8-10 miles over the posted speed limit signs.

Any quick (not even in-depth) review of research offered by the U.S. Department of Transportation and other sources will uncover the fact that speed kills (oh, yes, and maims or permanently disfigures).

It does not take an automotive engineer to realize that the faster an object is going when it hits another object the greater the devastation of that impact. Add to this the additional semi-trucks that are expected to be on our roadways in the coming decade and all that I can see is a recipe for disaster.

As a Houston truck accident attorney I have had the all-too-often heartbreaking job of witnessing the aftermath of accidents up close. The fatality statistics for vehicle accidents remains between 30 - 40,000 Americans a year.

Don't forget - many are children. Contact your Texas legislator and let them know you do not support this increase.

Continue reading "85 mph Speed Limit in Texas?" »

In good news for safety advocates and the well-being of Texans generally, I'm happy to report that the state house of representatives recently passed a bill which would ban text messages and e-mails while driving.

The statewide ban on driving and texting would help solve the significant distracted driver problem Texas faces. Many cities and municipalities have passed their own version of distracted driving statutes and those very in their makeup. Having a statewide law coupled with education of the new statute will help make our Texas highways much safer.

The bill known as House Bill 243 passed overwhelmingly and will amend the Texas transportation code if it is enacted into law. A companion piece of legislation has been presented in the Senate.

Let us hope that the statute becomes the law of the land and we couple the new law within educational push to implement it. Some studies have indicated that distracted driving can be as dangerous as drunken-driving.

Continue reading "Texting Ban in Texas?" »

Car accidents occur at the rate of one every few minutes somewhere in the United States. All too often they result in injury and death to the driver and his or her passengers.

Perhaps the saddest thing about this problem is that in many cases it could have been avoided with a little caution and defensive driving - or by making better choices. For instance, had one of the persons not driven after drinking alcohol - or had simply been paying attention to the road instead of driving distractedly. Consider the following incidents.

In another state the highway patrol called an accident - in which a mother and three of her children were killed instantly on their way to school - 'horrific'. Her compact car was hit head-on by a box truck.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is pending.

Four teens returning from their spring-break trip were killed instantly when a truck driver crossed the line and hit their vehicle head on. It was found that the truck driver was legally intoxicated at the time of the accident.

Two young men decided that a morning drag race between traffic lights on their way to school would be a 'lark'. Both drivers were killed when they lost control of their vehicles. One wound up crashing into a light pole and the other hit the vehicle of a compact car driven by a woman on her way to work. She sadly lost her life as well.

Many accidents can be avoided by defensive driving, please teach your children how to drive friendly!

Continue reading "Drive Defensively to Avoid Accidents" »

A driver of a car that struck a parked trailer in a lane of traffic died recently and the passenger in the vehicle was injured. According to reports, a trailer was parked on a dead-end roadway but in a lane of traffic when the car struck it.

A 25-year-old man from Bacliff, Texas was killed in the accident according to reports from the Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office. Not much is known about the injury sustained by the passenger or whether or not the trailer was properly parked with required cones.

Reports indicate that part of the trailer intruded into the windshield of the car, which was the mechanism of the fatal blow to the driver, and also what injured the passenger.

Commercial truck drivers have very specific rules under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations regarding parking of tractor-trailers. Many times a serious or fatal accident can be attributed to an illegally parked semi truck.

When a commercial vehicle is illegally parked it does not provide sufficient warning to motorists coming upon it, which leads to many truck accidents.

Continue reading "Parked Trailer Leads to Wrongful Death" »

Recent semi-truck accidents reinforce the belief that there is a need to address the problem nation-wide to avoid continued carnage on our roadways.

A semi-truck driver failed to recognize slowed traffic in time to avoid plowing into a minivan. As a result three children were killed - all preschoolers and brothers and sisters. The accident occurred as the mother watched helplessly from the front seat.

A Good Samaritan who had stopped to help another driver was struck and killed by a semi as he stood on the side of the road.

A rig driver lost control of his vehicle causing it to cross the median and strike two other cars head on. All of the passengers and drivers of the cars were killed instantly. The semi-truck driver survived.

A semi-truck driver failed to stop in time to avoid literally driving over several smaller cars stopped for construction. It was the greatest loss of life in any semi-truck accident ever recorded in the United States.

It is expected that there will be an increase of 20 - 40% in the number of semi-trucks that will traverse this country over the next decade. No one has even begun to broach the subject of how this will 'play-out' in terms of an increase in injuries and deaths due to the additional rigs on our roads - but if I could proffer an educated guess - it can't be good.

Some people are calling for the development of roadways dedicated exclusively for semi-truck use. While this is certainly an expensive proposition on the surface - with the medical and insurance costs that are bound to occur because of semi-truck accidents as well as the sheer loss of life - one has to wonder if this idea shouldn't be explored further - and quickly.

Continue reading "Highways Just for Trucks?" »

Accidents are as common as a cold in Houston. Consider the following accident reports from Houston roadways that were filed over a single 12 hour period.

At seven minutes before 1 a.m. our first accident was reported southbound on Calder. Two lanes were affected. At nearly the same time on the South Loop and the 45 Gulf. All were injury free and quickly cleared.

By 2 a.m. another accident was reported on North 45 - and quickly cleared. Two twenty and another wreck happened on the South Loop. All was quiet until shortly before 4 a.m. when three accidents occurred in quick succession around the city - one on the North Loop, one on the Sam Houston and the third on 45. Again - no injuries reported.

Finally, another accident happened at 4:30 a.m. and then all was quiet til about 8 when a wreck was reported on the 290.

O.K. - so then everyone straightened up and drove right until nearly 11 a.m. when an accident occurred on 59 and then another on Sam Houston at 12:15 p.m. One more right before 1 p.m. on the 225 rounds out the accident roster to an even dozen - and thankfully not a serious injury among them.

Statistics show that there are over a million accidents every year in the U.S. With the types of numbers we put up in half a day it's easy to believe those figures.

Continue reading "12 Car Accidents in 12 Hours in Houston" »

Many car wrecks or truck accidents result in physical injuries that require medical attention and extensive recuperation periods. Let us consider how long it takes to recover from the various injuries sustained in a vehicle collision.

It takes approximately 6 weeks for a broken arm to heal.

It may take up to 3 months for a broken leg to heal.

It can take months to YEARS to recover from a traumatic brain injury. It is possible that a person may never recover.

It can take months to recover from whiplash or soft tissue damage.

It can take months to recover from herniated disk or other back injury and the problem can persist for years.

It can take weeks to months to heal from injuries sustained to internal organs.

It can take months or more to heal from the emotional trauma of a car or truck accident.
It could take days, weeks or even months for a person to come out of a coma.

It could take a number of painful surgery and recovery periods to correct physical problems endured in a vehicle collision - over months and even years. In some cases the best that can be expected after s serious car or truck accident is not that positive.
In some cases there will never be a complete recovery.

A person who must endure the partial or full amputation of a part of their body will never experience full recovery.

A person who has suffered traumatic brain injury may never fully recover.

A person who has suffered the loss of a loved one will most likely never fully recover.

The residual effects of car and truck accidents cannot be understated. Please drive carefully.

Continue reading "Recovering from an Injury in a Truck Accident" »

In what seems like an ongoing event on Houston's major highways a 18 wheeler semi truck jackknifed and completely shut down Interstate 10 E. bound during rush-hour traffic yesterday.

The 18-wheeler accident happened at 230 on the eastbound lanes of the East Freeway. Because fuel spilled and hazmat crews needed to clean up the fuel before opening the roadway, the highway was closed for Houston's rush-hour traffic.

All eastbound lanes were shut down for 2 1/2 hours but delays on Interstate 10 lasted for hours.

Most Houstonians have been caught in major traffic congestion due to an accident and sitting for hours waiting for the vehicles to be removed can be a very frustrating experience. With the continued growth of the Houston area more roadway alternatives are needed to keep up with the growth. While It looks like segment E of the Grand Parkway should be started soon, we need many more of such projects to service the growth.

What we do know is that almost on a monthly basis a big rig will jackknife and roll over spelling diesel fuel on the highway. In each event our highway will be closed for hours while crews attempt cleanup.

Diesel acts as a lubricant and can be extremely dangerous if not tended to, much like a motorist sitting a patch of ice they did not expect. The fuel keeps the tires of a passing motorist from making good contact with the roadway and can lead to major accidents and even death.

Continue reading "Interstate 10 in Houston Closed due to Truck Accident" »