Posted on October 26, 2021 in Truck Accidents

Numerous federal and state laws regulate safety in the trucking industry. Unfortunately, this does not prevent injury-causing and fatal truck crashes from occurring. If you or a loved one were involved in a truck collision, you may be able to seek justice through a civil claim against the liable party. Financial compensation may be available for medical bills, funeral and burial expenses, lost income, and other damages. Evidence of safety violations is often a crucial piece of evidence in truck accident injury claims.

FMCSA Requires Trucking Companies to Meet Certain Standards

Large commercial trucks can cause catastrophic damage in an accident. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires trucking companies and truck drivers to abide by certain safety regulations, including:

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on October 05, 2021 in Wrongful Death

The oil and gas industry is consistently cited as one of the most dangerous industries to work in. Between 2013 and 2017 nearly 500 workers were killed on the job. When a worker dies in a work accident, they often leave behind shocked and grief-stricken family members. If your loved one died on a drill site or an oil and gas worksite, you know first-hand the devastation a fatal work accident can bring to a family.

Nothing can make up for your tragic loss. However, there may be legal options at your disposal that can help you recover financial compensation and hold the at-fault party responsible for your loved one’s death.

Negligence Can Cause Preventable Work Accidents

The death of a family member is always heartbreaking, but when the death was preventable, the loss is even more painful. Some oil and gas industry work accidents are caused by negligence. For example, improper storage of corrosive chemicals or hazardous materials can lead to horrible chemical burns and lung damage. Negligent design or manufacture of equipment or supplies can lead to lacerations, broken bones, head injuries, electrocution, and more. Struck-by and caught-between accidents can be caused by a contractor’s oversight. These are just a few examples of how a party’s negligence can lead to a fatal work accident.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on September 22, 2021 in Truck Accidents

Few would argue that being a truck driver is a challenging occupation. Truck drivers must contend with unpredictable sleep patterns, long hours, loneliness, and boredom. However, these challenges do not excuse drug or alcohol use behind the wheel. Any driver who drives under the influence of alcohol or drugs puts himself and other motorists in harm’s way. However, semi-truck drivers create an even more dangerous situation when they drive under the influence.

Accidents involving large commercial trucks often result in severe and fatal injuries. If you or a loved one were hurt in a crash and you suspect that drug or alcohol use may have contributed to the wreck, contact a skilled truck accident injury attorney for help.  

How Common is Drug Use Among Commercial Truckers?

Most truck drivers are responsible, skilled workers. Unfortunately, some truck drivers make the roads more dangerous by consuming illicit substances or drunk driving. One study showed that about 50 percent of truck drivers admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol and 30 percent confessed to using amphetamines. A U.S. study showed that over 12 percent of truck drivers tested for alcohol tested positive.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on September 07, 2021 in Workers' Compensation

Texas is full of hard workers and sometimes those workers are injured. Whether at a construction site, oil and gas drilling site, an office, or another work environment, work accidents can have devastating consequences. Individuals who are injured at work may be left facing not only a painful recovery but also significant financial implications. Between medical expenses and lost income from missed work, getting hurt on the job can represent a major financial burden.

If you or a loved one were hurt in a work accident in Texas, you may have questions about your legal rights and options. Do you have a right to workers’ compensation? Can you sue your employer? What if another party caused the accident?

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on August 17, 2021 in Uncategorized

Car accidents involving 18-wheelers, flatbeds, semi-trucks, and other commercial trucks lead to severe and fatal injuries every year in the U.S. One out of every ten vehicles involved in a fatal traffic accident is a large truck. Unfortunately, the number of injuries and deaths resulting from truck collisions is increasing.

If you were injured or a loved one was killed in a wreck involving a tractor-trailer or other large truck, you should know that you may be able to hold the truck driver, trucking company, or another at-fault party accountable through a personal injury case. You may also be entitled to compensation for damages such as your medical bills, lost income, lost financial support from a deceased family member, and more. Building a strong case against a negligent trucker or trucking company starts with launching a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the crash and the at-fault party’s role in causing the accident.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on August 03, 2021 in Truck Accidents

Large commercial trucks ship everything from produce to industrial equipment and hazardous materials. There is no doubt that the trucking industry is integral to our modern world. However, large commercial trucks can also cause catastrophic truck accidents, including accidents caused by spilled truck cargo. If you or a loved one were in a car accident caused by fallen truck cargo, you may wonder about your legal options. Is the trucking company required to pay for my medical bills and vehicle damage? What if the spilled cargo caused my vehicle to strike another vehicle? Questions like this can be difficult to answer, but a skilled truck accident injury lawyer can help.

Improper Loading and Securement of Truck Freight

When truck cargo is not loaded and secured properly in or on the truck, it can shift or even fall off the truck during transit. Cargo that spills onto the roadway can represent a potentially deadly hazard for other motorists. Often, spilled cargo causes motorists to suddenly swerve to avoid colliding with the freight only to collide with a vehicle in a neighboring lane. Motorists may also slam on their brakes to avoid colliding with the cargo and end up being rear-ended by the car behind them.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on July 19, 2021 in Car Accidents

We rely on our vehicles to get us and our loved ones from place to place safely. A crucial factor in this safety is the quality of our vehicles’ tires. Tires play such an important role in our vehicles’ performance that one small defect can cause a dangerous accident. Shockingly, 612 tire-related fatal car accidents occurred in 2019 alone. 

Being involved in a car accident is scary enough. Knowing that the car accident could have been prevented is even more frustrating. Car crashes caused by tire defects can lead to considerable financial and non-financial consequences. Fortunately, it may be possible to recover compensation for damages like medical bills, lost wages, and vehicle repair costs.  It is possible to receive damages in a case like this, especially when another party, such as the tire manufacturer, was negligent in the production process. 

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on July 08, 2021 in Car Accidents

When an individual is injured in a car accident, truck accident, or motorcycle crash, he or she may be left with a heavy financial burden. In addition to lost income from missed work, medical bills, and other expenses, the injured person must also contend with vehicle repair costs. While monetary damages from a personal injury settlement or award may address the cost of repairing the damaged vehicle, it is also necessary to consider the diminution in value resulting from the accident.

What is Diminution in Value?

The term “diminution in value” refers to lost value caused by an event such as a car crash. A vehicle that has been involved in a serious wreck may never regain its full value – even after being repaired. Even if the vehicle damage is fixed, the fact remains that the vehicle is now one which has previously been involved in a serious wreck. Buyers are much less likely to pay top dollar for a vehicle with a crash history than one that was never involved in an accident. Consequently, the overall value of the vehicle is reduced.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 22, 2021 in Personal Injury

As a parent, you probably worry about your child’s safety on a near-constant basis. Unfortunately, unexpected accidents happen every day, and sometimes, the victims of those accidents are the most vulnerable among us. If your child was injured in a car crash, amusement park or carnival accident, slip and fall accident, or another incident caused by negligence, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit on your child’s behalf. Personal injury claims involving children are notoriously complicated, so working with an experienced lawyer is crucial.

Understanding Personal Injury Claims Involving Children

Personal injury claims are often based on the legal theory of negligence. Negligence occurs when a party has a “duty of care” and fails to uphold the duty. For example, the owner/operator of a carnival has a duty to ensure that the rides are safe, well-maintained, and do not present a risk of injury to riders. Drivers have a duty to follow traffic laws and drive responsibly. Tire manufacturers have a duty to ensure that the tires are manufactured correctly and do not contain defects that could lead to blowouts. When a party’s negligence causes someone to be hurt or killed, the injured person may be entitled to damages. In most personal injury cases, the case is resolved through a settlement before the case moves to trial. However, the settlement process is different when the injured person is a child.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on June 07, 2021 in Wrongful Death

If your spouse, parent, child, or other loved one died in a fatal car accident, you may have a valid wrongful death claim. Like a personal injury claim, a wrongful death claim is a civil legal action that is used to seek restitution in the form of monetary damages. Unlike a personal injury claim, however, a wrongful death lawsuit is brought on a deceased person’s behalf by a representative of the deceased person. A wrongful death claim can hold the at-fault party or parties accountable for the devastation that the party’s actions caused you and your family.

Understanding Texas Wrongful Death Lawsuits

According to Texas law, a wrongful death is a death that is caused by another party’s wrongful or negligent actions or inaction. The liable party in a fatal car accident may be another driver, a commercial business such as a trucking company or product manufacturer, a government entity, or a combination of several parties. Many wrongful death cases involve:

Continue Reading ››