Houston Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

The last few days on public roadways in and around Houston are a testimony to the fact that 'safe driving' is a great concept in theory - but not always realized in actuality. Consider the following news items.

*A man who was confined to a wheelchair took a toddler with him for a 'walk' - only to be hit by a vehicle while in a crosswalk. The man was ejected and witnesses say he may have been thrown up to twenty feet before coming to rest - all the while holding the child safely within his grip - thereby saving the baby's life. The man, however, died as a result of the accident.

*The case of a car chase and attempted carjacking in Houston continues to unfold with new details being offered by law enforcement. A man led the officers on a harrowing chase through the city - reaching speeds of up to 110 mph. He was eventually tracked to his apartment where he confessed an explained that the reason he did not stop was that he did not want his car towed! For the record - his car was towed and he is now facing felony charges. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

*A woman from a Houston suburb stopped to help a stranded motorist and became a victim herself as a result. She was on her way home from her own birthday celebration when she pulled over to help a person with a flat tire and was struck by a suspected drunk driver and lost her life as a result.

The forgoing news reports show us that you never know when a serious or deadly car accident is in the cards. Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Continue reading "Recent Houston Area Car Accidents" »

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?" »

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" »

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" »