Dallas Personal Injury Law Blog

Auto Accident Diagram

Hello all, my firm has recently commissioned some new postcards with an accident diagram on the back. This diagram, seen below, can be invaluable if you or a loved one is, or has been, in an automobile accident. If you would like one of these cards just drop us an email with address and I'll be glad to put one in the mail.

Drive safe!

Attachments:
JOHNSONLAWERBACK.pdf

While we are on the subjects of truck drivers, I'd like to touch on one of the hottest topics regarding trucking accidents right now: truck driver fatigue. Truckers are often pushed to drive beyond physical as well as legal limits. They are forced by employers or those who hired them to push forward instead of letting them stop for much needed rest. Big-rig or eighteen wheeler drivers, in order to get paid, will often ignore hours-in-service regulations. In doing so, they risk catastrophic injury to themselves and others on the roadway.

In an effort to combat dangerous sleep deprivation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) strictly regulates the amount of time truck drivers spend their workday driving, or "on-duty." Drivers are limited to 60 hours of compensated work in a seven-day period, or 70 hours in an eight-day period.

Under the current rules, truck drivers can be driving on the road for 11 hours each shift, up to 70 hours per week. Even then, that's a lot of hours to be behind the wheel of a truck.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a truck driver for any reason at all, but especially if you think he was fatigued or impaired due to alcohol or drugs, please give us a call at 1-800-738-4046 and tell us about it. We'll be glad to set up a free initial consultation.

Recently, the federal government formally banned truckers and bus drivers from sending text messages from behind the wheel. I'm sure everybody knows that texting and driving don't mix, but when you add a big rig or large bus into the combination, what was just a bad scenario becomes imminently more dangerous. According to US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, this is just one step the government is taking to eliminate the threat of distracted driving. These changes coincide with a new study, conducted by Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute, that found when truckers text they are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or a close call.

Now let's think about that for a minute: 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or a close call? If you spend any amount of time on the highway, I'm sure you've been in close proximity to an 18 wheeler. We need drivers paying close attention to their driving, not to their cell and smart phones.

While this ban is a step in the right direction, it can't go back in time and prevent accidents that have already been caused by trucker driver recklessness, which would include texting. If you or a loved one has been injured by the negligence of truck drivers, especially on the highways and roads in the Dallas and North Texas areas (I-30, I-20 and I-35), please give us a call at 1-800-738-4046. If we decide an initial consultation is necessary it will be totally free of charge and I, personally, will come to you to talk about your legal options.

Here in Texas, as well as all over America, hunting is one of the popular recreational sports. People of all ages and backgrounds enter the woods every fall armed with rifles and bows in search of deer. Many hunters, especially those in the piney woods of East Texas, use tree stands.

Typically attached to trees exceeding 10 feet in height, these platforms allow a hunter optimal camouflage when hunting their game. While these stands can give a great advantage in hunting, they can, if defective, also put the hunter at great risk. Reports of deer stands detaching from trees are not uncommon. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 10% of all deer hunters using elevated devices will fall over the course of a 10 year period. If a hunter is not wearing a safety harness they will fall quite a way down to the ground. A fall like that can cause permanent paralysis and even fatal injuries. To make things worse, because people are known to hunt alone, hours can pass before an injured person is found.

In additional to injuries (which can be bad enough) a person can also be out the medical costs of a trip to the emergency room along with wages lost if a person is laid up for any amount of time. All of that could turn what should be a pleasurable hunting expedition into a truly miserable experience.

If you or a friend or loved one has been a victim of a tree stand accident, please give us a call at 1-800-738-4046 and tell us about it. If an initial consultation is needed it will be at no charge to you. I personally will come to talk to you about your options.