Houston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

There are over a dozen little bergs and suburbs in the greater Houston area. Conroe is one of these - and rests about 40 miles north of the heart of Houston itself - and is actually the seat of Montgomery County itself. A recent census shows that there may be over 50,000 people who reside in the area.

Other recent statistics may not be as interesting. One resource states that in Conroe nine fatal car and truck accidents occurred and - of these - eleven people died in the same year as that census. Altogether 16 vehicles were involved and 3 of the accidents were caused by drunk drivers.

Continued research revealed that only the year before that - 11 fatal accidents had been caused by drunk drivers. So in one year there was an approximate 70% drop in drunk driving fatalities but a chart provided by this site chronicled the number of deaths in Conroe at the hands of drunk drivers next to the number of deaths in the state of Texas as a whole for the past twenty years.

It was shocking to find that the number of fatalities per 100,000 is significantly - extremely even - higher than the state figures.

I have included a link to the site for this information. It is alarming at best - and begs for authorities to reexamine their current efforts at curbing intoxicated driving.

Continue reading "Conroe DWI Accidents" »

Recent vehicle collisions on Houston roads have proved deadly for some drivers. Consider the following news stories.

As recently as last evening a woman was killed in a car crash on the Loop. It began when an individual - whom witnesses have stated was driving erratically - slammed into the back of another vehicle causing the gas tank to erupt into flames.

While the driver of this second vehicle was able to escape his passenger could not and she died in the car. The perpetrator of the accident fled the scene after attempting to secure a ride from one of the witnesses. He is still being sought.

In another case a vehicle with four persons inside led police on a chase across the city when police attempted to pull the vehicle over. The car finally came to a stop when it got a flat tire - but the suspects jumped out and attempted to flee before being caught and arrested.

Finally, two vehicles and seven persons also led police on a chase that ended in a cemetery - but fortunately there were no fatalities or even serious injuries. The occupants of the vehicles were suspected of burglary - and all were arrested.

Perhaps the most troubling part of this story is that a young child - unsecured by a seat belt or child car seat - was in the vehicle as the cars traveled at high speeds on city streets.

In all three cases either (or both) drinking and outstanding warrants were suspected to be a reason for the suspects fleeing the scene.

Continue reading "Houston Car Accidents" »

There are a wide variety of trailers that can be attached to cars or trucks for a number of purposes. The more common types are trailers for hauling items such as boats or bikes, horse trailers, trailers for the purpose of moving households from one location to another and trailers for other work such as construction or carnival employment. Many Houston car accidents are caused by trailers.

Trailers are attached to a 'hitch' and these come in various sizes and styles to meet the myriad towing needs of the American public. Some of the more common types include (but are not limited to) standard, ball and front mount. The standard hitch is usually attached to the frame of a vehicle and is used for towing. The ball type of hitch is spherical and most likely found in situations that require bumper pulling. The front mount is attached directly to a truck's framework.

Trailers that have not been attached properly cause hundreds of auto accidents and injuries each year including many wrongful death cases.. Often, these problems arise because the driver has failed to follow the proper safety precautions when attaching and securing the trailer.

For instance, problems may arise if the trailer has not been 'leveled' or the locking mechanism is not secure. Too, if a trailer's tires are in poor condition then the loss of one could cause the trailer to fishtail and disconnect or otherwise lead to an unexpected tragedy.

Finally, if a driver has not properly secured the load he is carrying or speeds and brakes mindlessly he or she is placing themselves in danger as well as the other drivers and passengers on the road.

Many people wonder what they will do when they get into a very serious car accident and the wrongdoer has a minimum limits insurance policy, which does not cover their medical expenses, or compensate them adequately for their injuries.

One Savior has been underinsured motorist coverage that is available in Texas and should be a part of your auto insurance coverage unless you have specifically declined it. Underinsured motorist coverage provides you an additional layer of protection after a car accident if your injuries are serious and the negligent driver was either uninsured or inadequately insured.

If you have been in a serious car accident and are concerned about insurance coverage issues is best to speak with a personal injury attorney as early as possible after the accident.

When dealing with uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage there are several pitfalls that an unsuspecting Houston family can fall victim to if they tried to settle the case with the wrongdoer without obtaining formal written consent from your own underinsured motorist carrier.

If you have questions or concerns after a serious car accident and are thinking of speaking to a Houston car accident lawyer you should contact one as soon as possible and if possible before giving any recorded statements about the case.

There are many factors that come to mind when looking for a Houston car accident lawyer and one of the main things is to make sure you are comfortable with the attorney you choose. Make sure he or she is answering your questions and addressing any concerns you may have such that you have confidence in their ability to handle your car accident claim.

Many people have not been required to hire a lawyer in the past but find themselves injured in a car accident and requiring a lawyer to deal with the insurance company and legal issues.

It is a good idea to conduct research on the attorneys you are considering and look to personal references as well as the lawyer's reputation in the community. There are many organizations that rank attorneys and some of them are quite good, particularly those that use peer review ratings by other lawyers.

Selecting a Houston car accident lawyer can sometimes involve interviewing several different lawyers to find the firm you are most comfortable with. A car accident victim should be concerned about the recovery process and not have to worry about an automobile insurance claim.

Finally, it is usually a good idea to look for those attorneys who specialize or whose practice is limited to one particular area such as personal injury when making your final selection.

Although we have written about advances in vehicle safety in previous electronic journal entries - it is a topic of such relevance that it requires that we occasionally revisit it.

Recently, there has been a lot of interest and activity in safety systems dubbed 'vehicle-driver assistance'. These are passive devices designed to 'think' independently for the driver - even, in some cases, anticipating potential obstacles. What follows are some examples of these types of safety devices.

*Lane-departure warning systems. If you haven't seen the latest commercials in which drivers proclaim their relief at having this safety device included in their new car purchase - then you're probably not watching television. This is one of the most touted new tools in the vehicle safety 'arsenal' with good reason.

If an individual drifts out of their lane (as we are all apt to do at some time or another - sometimes with catastrophic results) the vehicle buzzes a warning to the driver - hopefully drawing their attention back to the task at hand.

*Automatic braking systems. Although this is not an entirely new invention - ABS can be credited with saving thousands of lives. Gone are the days when people slammed on the brakes - locking them up and losing control of the vehicle. ABS pumps the brakes even if your first inclination is to slam them.

*Electronic Stability Control and Traction Control. These systems intervene to prevent a loss of control on behalf of the driver while restoring traction if wheels begin to spin uncontrollably.

Today's vehicles are safer than ever before - but this does not negate the need for the driver to remain alert and focused. As always, drive safely.

One would hardly expect that a vehicle device designed specifically to save lives could actually be a source of further injury to drivers and passengers. However, unfortunately, this is the case in some instances with the most basic of vehicle safety devices - the seat belt.

For instance, in one accident the seat belt actually ripped - failing to provide the passenger with adequate protection - as well as failing to prevent the individual from being thrown against the front dash and suffering multiple injuries.

Those who design and manufacture seat belts realize that the construction of a seat belt is actually a complicated webbing of material. The seat belt is deliberately crafted of interwoven threads to further strengthen the belt and ensure that it remains intact under stress.

Defective seat belts may be traced to the actual manufacturer but can also be the cause of consequences such as its severance in a vehicle collision due to the protrusion of sharp objects or edges. Most seat belt cases stem from defective designs of the seat belt system.

In addition, there have been multiple cases in which cars equipped with air bags have exploded in a crash and actually burned the individual - instead of offering further protection.

Vehicle collisions and safety devices designed to protect individuals in a car or truck is not quite an exact science - although millions of dollars are poured into the engineering and manufacturing of each.

Defective seat belts can result in product liability on behalf of the manufacturer - and those businesses that profit from the fabrication and sale of faulty products can sometimes be held liable when they fail.

Continue reading "Defective Seat Belt Claims" »

News reports from KHOU Houston indicate that a HPD officer was recently towards with DWI after a crash with a school bus. Apparently the officer was injured in the crash which occurred earlier in April and he has been relieved of duty with pay.

Fortunately there were no other injuries and the school bus was not carried children at the time of the accident. Initial reports seem to indicate that HPD initially felt like the accident was the bus driver's fault, however that seems to have changed.

The reports go on to indicate that the bus driver felt like the officer had been drinking and apparently there is an allegation of open containers in the vehicle. It is unfortunate that this occurred and although we rely upon officers to protect us they are only human and can make mistakes. I'm not condoning any actions simply pointing out that good people sometimes can make poor choices. Hopefully regardless of the result in the DWI investigation and lesson will have been learned.

Texas has recently considered several actions aimed at combating the rising drunk driving accidents in Texas. Some are aimed at the punishment phase and others are directed at preventing repeat offenses. I urge everyone to support organizations such as mothers against drunk driving and also the Houston 100 club which provides benefits to officers who lose their lives in the pursuit of their duty. Numerous officers have been killed in the Houston area by drunk drivers.

Continue reading "Houston Police Department Officer Charged with DWI After Accident" »

In a terrible and tragic accident in Houston Monday an unlicensed driver apparently took his parents car and struck some children getting off the bus, according to reports.

At least one of the children it is reported with a broken bone and the other reportedly has nonlife threatening injuries. Most likely, there will be no insurance coverage for the injury sustained the children because the use of the vehicle was reportedly not permissive.

This is an example of why we all need to teach our children about driving and safe driving as soon as possible. I know from first-hand experience that as a teenager my parents could not tell me much. At the same time all children are like sponges and are picking up things each and every day. Often, it is not what we say that matters most to teenagers but what we do.

None of us can anticipate everything our children may do and we can only do the best we can to help protect them and help them make their way in the world. A good way to give them a good start is to preach safe driving from the time that proceeds when they get their license.

Buckle up my example, stop at stop signs completely, and talk to them about evasive actions and appropriate responses as they come up.

It will pay dividends in the end.

Continue reading "15-Year-Old Driver Runs into Two Children" »