Houston Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

A garbage truck backed over one of the workers who were hauling trash, and the man died at the hospital. While the police are investigating the incident, large trucks often have problems seeing what is behind them when backing up.

Recently, a man was backed over at a beer distributorship in a Houston truck accident and killed.

Many newer automobiles and pick up trucks have rear view cameras built in to show a driver exactly what is behind them. The technology exists and I believe it should be adopted and made mandatory for commercial vehicles. Many new trucks including dump trucks now use back up cameras.

Numerous workers have been killed in recent times with backing up dump trucks even when equipped with audible alarms. A recent study of methods to reduce fatalities in backing up vehicle accidents, found back up cameras effective but required work on placement on dump trucks ( finding the placing the camera on the side of the dump truck most feasible). A caution was given to keep the camera lens clean.

Various sensors and other early warning devises were also tested and showed some effectiveness in reducing truck accidents.

Each year, in residential settings cars and trucks back over and kill or seriously injury many small children who are not visible in the rear view mirror.

Many stores such as Wal-Mart sell wireless backup cameras that are easily installed and sell for under a hundred dollars.

Recent news reports indicate that Toyota received a grand jury subpoena from a federal court in New York seeking documents over the unintended acceleration in recalled vehicles and other documents.

Also it is reported that Toyota received a subpoena from the SEC last week.

The real uproar stems from reported allegations that internal documents may infer that Toyota has put profits ahead of American's safety related to a negotiation Toyota had with the government over an investigation.

A former attorney for the automaker has alleged in a lawsuit that Toyota concealed evidence, destroyed data and conspired to obstruct justice in defending itself against injury lawsuits involving vehicle rollover, it has been reported. Just more bad news for Toyota in what has boiled down in the last few months to a public relations nightmare.

While recent television adds by Toyota focus on a responsible and safe image, the negative news reports keep chipping away at it's a long and prosperous track record.

Other auto manufacturers have been the subject to claims of concealed evidence in the past from former employees, and when the allegations become known and if verified the automakers tend to face increased scrutiny from both Federal and State Courts and that can impact claims against Toyota in unintended acceleration lawsuits.

With anticipated testimony to congress over safety issues it looks like the fireworks are set to blow and, in my opinion, the fallout will and should include regulators who were charged with responsibility of protecting Americans. Its one thing to blame Toyota for its actions but the buck should not stop there- if regulators are more interested in appeasing manufacturers than protecting the public- we need to redefine their roles.

Numerous personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits have recently been filed against Toyota.

A trucker lost his load on a Houston highway today causing a massive traffic jamb. The truck accident shut the entire freeway down for 45 minutes.

The 18 wheeler was carrying steel that ended up completely blocking the highway, according to reports; the truck driver was cited for failing to secure his load, a violation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (which Texas has adopted).

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations provides that no person shall drive a commercial motor vehicle and a motor carrier shall not require or permit a person to drive a commercial motor vehicle unless the motor vehicles cargo is properly distributed and adequately secured as provided in the regulations.

Not only is a truck driver legally responsible for his load his employer (the trucking company) is also legally responsible for insuring the load is properly secured.

If a Houston auto accident is caused by a truck losing a load the truck driver and his company may be held accountable in a car accident injury claim.

In the times where the load of a truck contributes to an accident, the companies who actually loaded the rig are potential responsible parties in a truck accident injury lawsuit.
The regulations are very specific as to the duties of the driver, the truck company and those who load the rig.

Not only is the public at risk for an improperly loaded commercial vehicle, but the truck drivers themselves can be seriously injured or killed due to an improperly secured load.

A 41-year-old woman was being held on charges of hit and run and driving while intoxicated with a minor in the vehicle. Authorities indicated that the woman allegedly was talking on her cell phone when her vehicle left the roadway striking a parked car.

Witnesses to the accident blocked the woman from leaving and called officers according to reports.

According to NHTSA, Texas rates 10th out of all 50 states in drunk driver car accident fatalities per miles traveled on the roadways. Montana leads the nation, in that statistic while Vermont had the best numbers.

Mothers against Drunk Drivers reports that 3 out of every 10 Americans will be involved with a drunk driver car accident in their lifetime. Almost 12,000 people lost their lives in accidents with drunk drivers in 2008 alone. MADD has an aggressive campaign to eliminate the drinking impaired driver on our roadways. You can learn more and contribute at the MADD website.

In Houston drunk drivers are a leading cause of serious car accidents.

Continue reading "Drunk driver held on charges" »

It has been a very tragic weekend in Houston when 10 people died in car accidents in less than one day.

The death toll started with a suspected street race between two trucks, with both trucks losing control and hitting light poles on the feeder road to the Gulf Freeway. That truck wreck claimed 3 lives with a forth person was injured and taken to Ben Taub Hospital.

In another accident, on the Southwest Freeway, a driver going the wrong way was killed and the other driver was seriously injured. Police officers are currently investigating the crash.

A Houston area pedestrian was struck and killed while walking in a lane of traffic, it is reported.

An elderly man died when his vehicle a Toyota Camry left the roadway and struck a tree.

These stories should serve as a wake up call to all Houstonians to be extra cautious when driving at night, and to understand that sometimes things beyond your control may well put you in an emergency situation. Be ready and drive safety.

NHTSA has published a study on drowsy driving that asserts that the largest category of sleepy drivers are young males, ages 16 to 29, shift workers who work at night and people with sleep problems.

While the study provides many statistics, the findings boil down to good old common sense. If you are tired don't drive, if you have sleep problems seek help from a qualified medical provider, and do not drink

Continue reading "Houston area traffic accidents claim 10 lives in 24 hours" »

Sadly, a Conroe team lost his life Friday in a one car accident. The teen was a passenger in a vehicle in which the driver lost control and crashed through a fence and a board smashed through the windshield killing the young man.

Fortunately, the driver survived the crash which totaled the car.

Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the accident and preliminary reports are that excessive speed may have played a role.

Continue reading "Teen from Conroe dies in one car accident" »

Thursday a 23 year old man from Pinehurst was convicted in a Montgomery County Court of manslaughter over the deaths of 5 people in a 2009 car accident.

Officers indicated that the man reached speeds as high as 117 miles per hour on Highway 249 north of Houston. The vehicle driven by the defendant slammed into vans which lead to the 5 deaths. The man was also convicted of aggravated assault for injuries to a survivor.

The first fatality occurred when a car accident in Houston between a car and a pickup disabled the vehicles on the Eastex Freeway and a semi truck traveling over the overpass did not stop in time and hit the car, killing the woman driver and injuring a passenger who was transported to the hospital.

In another tragedy, a Conroe man's car apparently because disabled on the highway and he was attempting to flag down help when he was run over by the semi truck. Another driver had stopped to help and his vehicle was struck from the rear by an 18 wheeler which continued on to run over the Conroe man. The vehicles were traveling on I 37 outside of San Antonio.

Do to the sheer size of an 18 wheeler, stopping can take quite a bit longer than the typical passenger car and can be a factor in the investigation of a truck accident. Additionally, the condition of the brakes on the big rigs can be an important issue in wrongful death cases where truck braking is an issue in the lawsuit.

Recently, a Texas woman started up FocusDriven a non profit organization that will model Mothers Against Drunk Driving, in a effort to "prevent injuries and save lives by eliminating cellphone use while driving". The groups goal of raising awareness of cell phone use as a distraction to safe driving looks to be a worthy one.

Jenifer Smith the founder of FocusDriven lost her mother in an automobile accident when she was hit by a driver talking on his cellphone. Texting and internet use and cellular telephones have been the subject of much discussion and some regulation.

New York recently passed a law making portable electronic devise use by drivers illegal.

The Texas Department of Transportation says one in four accidents involve driver distraction. According to NHTSA nearly 600 people died in crashes with distracted drivers in 2008 alone and 1.4 million auto accidents were cause by cellphone use.

Continue reading "Distracted Driving-An Accident Waiting to Happen" »

The Southwest Freeway was closed for over an hour as a result of an accident involving a convertible and another automobile. The driver of the convertible was reported by Fox Houston to be in serious condition. Reportedly, the Chrysler convertible flipped over the retention wall with the top down causing head injury to the driver. I hope that the driver recovers quickly and fully without serious or permanent damages.

Head injury in some cases can be especially difficult for the victim and their families to deal with because of the limited treatment options and the impact of adjusting on the injured and their family. Closed head injury or traumatic brain injury many times manifests itself in symptoms such as loss of memory, aggressive or change in behavior or in mood swings. Fortunately, Houston has the world's greatest medical professionals and is in the forefront for the country for cutting edge medicine.

Some closed head injuries completely resolve and the victim can return to their normal routines and life in a few months. Other traumatic head injuries can sadly be permanent and others can improve over time with proper medical care. Often in the more serious of head injury, a life care planner is hired by a personal injury attorney to calculate the lifetime medical needs and costs for the victim. Rehabilitation and often specialized care is required in the more sever head injury cases.

Outstanding freshman line backer Sule Osagiede died yesterday as a result of an automobile accident in Beaumont, Texas according to KBRZ news.

"We are deeply saddened to learn the tragic news about Sule and we offer our condolences to his family, friends, classmates and teammates," Tulane Athletic Director Rick Dickson said in a statement. "Sule was a bright young man with an infectious smile. He will be greatly missed."

Sule lettered at Tulane his freshman year but missed last season due to injury.

Continue reading "Tulane Linebacker Dies in Auto Accident " »