Houston Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Garage doors are one of the heaviest moving items in your home. It would probably surprise you to learn that there are as many as thirty thousand injuries caused by garage doors each year. These include everything from bone fractures to actual amputations and wrongful death cases with children.

In extreme cases people (mainly children), have been crushed by garage doors as well. The injuries may be due to garage door product malfunctions, improper installation or worn parts. Lack of safety features on older garage door openers can also be a problem. What follows are some points of interest and advice for homeowners related to garage door safety.

*The most dangerous component of the garage door is the overhead garage door spring. This supports the entire door - which could weigh up to four hundred pounds.

*Garage door hardware can suffer from normal wear and tear and rust. Make regular inspection of all components of your garage door a part of your home maintenance routine.

*Even expert do-it-yourselfers are advised to engage the services of a professional garage door installer when it comes time to put in a new door. I believe that a trained technician is better able to do the job safely and correctly for such reasons as garage door springs, cables, and hardware are under high tension and can cause serious injury or death if they break or come loose.

*Do not stand under the garage door as you are opening and closing it - but wait until it is fully stopped instead for your own safety.

*If you have a garage door opener make sure your sensors work to stop the door from closing if you cross the path of the closing door.

*If you have an older garage door opener have it replaced or checked by a qualified technician to insure it will reverse when necessary.

Continue reading "Garage Door Accidents" »

It is always sad to report the death of a child but a recent event is heartbreaking. A mother backing out of her driveway ran over her child that had come outside to see her off. According to one statistic from several years ago - 32% of children under the age of five who were killed in the past five years were run over in the driveway. The irony of this is that we spend millions of dollars in safety devices to protect children when they are in the car.

Several factors combine to create this phenomenon. As the size of vehicles has increased over the years it has resulted in more blind spots. Too, people are increasingly harried as they go about the daily business of living. They are distracted and inattentive and in the span of a moment - the literal blink of an eye - tragedy can happen.

More and more vehicles are being equipped with cameras that give you 360 degree vision around the vehicle. This should help to prevent future tragedies of this nature - although a child darting behind a moving vehicle may not allow the driver much time to react and hit the brakes.

It will be years before everyone is driving cars and trucks with this safety feature - and older models are retired. In the meantime remember to account for your child before backing in and out of your driveway and consider an aftermarket monitor- they are only about $100.00.

And talk to your child about the dangers of running in front of or behind cars and trucks.

Continue reading "Dangers Backing Up" »