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

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 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. 

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 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.

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 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.

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 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:

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 Posted on May 25, 2021 in Car Accidents

In order to legally operate a motor vehicle in Texas, you must be able to show proof that you can pay for any damages caused by a traffic accident that is your fault. The average driver will do so by purchasing liability insurance. Those who have active auto loans are typically required to carry insurance by their lenders. Unfortunately, some drivers do not follow the rules pertaining to car insurance. According to a study conducted by the Insurance Research Council, around 12.6 percent or one in eight drivers nationwide did not have active car insurance in 2019. Costs from a car accident can get extremely expensive very quickly. Knowing what to do after being in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver is crucial for recovering compensation.

Insurance Requirements in Texas

Under Texas law, a driver can choose to insure his or her vehicle. If the driver does not have the assets to be self-insured and he or she purchases insurance from qualified insurance company, the purchased policy must meet certain minimum requirements. To be considered legal, you must carry at least the minimum amount of liability insurance required by law. Liability insurance must be maintained to cover damages of up to at least $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage coverage in the event that you cause an accident.

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 Posted on May 12, 2021 in Truck Accidents

Summer has historically been the season with the highest number of traffic accidents, especially with the increased number of vehicles on the road. No matter the season, when compared to city driving, highways are usually safer roads to travel on. However, highways are also where you will usually find most of the nation’s large semi-trucks. We depend on semi-trucks to transport the majority of goods that we use every day across the country, yet these trucks can also be dangerous to other drivers on the road. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), there were an estimated 5,005 fatal motor vehicle crashes that took place in the U.S. in 2019. Texas had 13 percent of the total number of fatalities involving large trucks, the largest share of any state in the country. Being in a car accident with a semi-truck can be devastating, but there are ways you can claim compensation from all responsible parties, which may include more than just the driver.

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 Posted on April 29, 2021 in Truck Accidents

Most adults will admit that they do not get enough sleep at night. However, when someone is operating an 18-wheeler, sleep deprivation can be extremely dangerous. Fatigued truck drivers are slower to react to sudden changes in traffic and may make potentially deadly mistakes behind the wheel. Some truck drivers are so tired that they actually fall asleep while driving. If you or a loved one was hurt in a truck crash, it is possible that truck driver fatigue was a contributing factor.

Why Sleep Deprivation is So Dangerous for Truckers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that being awake for more than 17 consecutive hours has the same effect on cognitive and physical processes as having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05 percent. If someone is awake for more than 24 hours, his or her impairment is equivalent to having a BAC of 0.10 percent. Commercial truck drivers operate vehicles that often weigh up to 80,000 lbs or more. If a truck driver is too sleepy to drive the truck safely, catastrophic truck accidents may occur.

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 Posted on April 15, 2021 in Car Accidents

Car crashes can cause broken bones, spine injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and much more.  These injuries often leave a car crash victim with overwhelming medical bills, vehicle repair costs, and other expenses. The injured person may also be unable to work, take care of his or her children, drive, or complete other responsibilities while he or she is recovering from the injuries. Consequently, the financial burden associated with a serious car accident is often heavy.

If you or a loved one were injured in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, or pedestrian accident, it is important to explore all of your legal options. A personal injury claim may allow you to recover compensation for the financial burden created by the accident. However, many car insurance companies do not want injured claimants to hire an injury attorney. If you are like many people, you may wonder why.

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