Recent Blog Posts
Driver Intentionally Runs into Vehicles in Round Rock
Recently, Round Rock police arrested a man who had been intentionally running into other vehicles with his car on I-35 S. The man had been deliberately causing accidents until he wrecked his car in a ditch between the highway and frontage road. Once his car was in the ditch, he barricaded himself inside, requiring a SWAT team’s intervention. Eventually, he was arrested on criminal charges, but the people whose automobiles were damaged can also file civil suits. Damage to your vehicle caused by another person gives rise to potential liability, even if a typical accident has not happened.
Many Different Types and Causes
Texas’ large population leads to a disproportionately large amount of car crashes each year, and a number of fatalities that are roughly proportional, with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reporting roughly 3,600 fatalities in 2018. Different factors affecting collision frequency can also be tracked via statistics – for example, in 2018, approximately 55 percent of all fatal crashes occurred on rural roads – which generally boast higher speed limits and fewer lanes, which can make the odds for a crash higher.
Pedestrian Struck By 18-Wheeler on Loop 410
Recently, a man was struck by an 18-wheeler as he tried to run across Loop 410. While the pedestrian’s injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, he was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center as a precaution, The truck driver did stop at the scene of the accident, though as of this writing no charges are expected. While the pedestrian involved in this accident thankfully escaped serious injury, this kind of accident is not uncommon, and very often, pedestrians involved in accidents like this will be stuck with significant medical bills. If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, contacting an experienced attorney can help you in seeking compensation.
Statistics and Causes
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reports that approximately 5,700 crashes that involved pedestrians happened on Texas roads in 2018, which was roughly a two percent decrease from 2017. Fatalities in those accidents rose just barely – not even one percent – and suspected serious injuries were almost identical. While it cannot be assumed that all of these were pedestrians, it is reasonable to assume that a majority are – after all, drivers and passengers of automobiles have infinitely more protection between them and the road.
Brain Injuries in Texas Auto Accidents
Texas experiences quite a lot of auto accidents, which can lead to a variety of different injuries. One of the most common types is brain injuries, ranging from mild whiplash and concussions to serious long-term traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that require lifelong treatment. If you or a loved one has experienced a brain injury as a result of an auto accident, it is important to know that you do have options in terms of how best to seek compensation.
Causes and Symptoms
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for those aged 15-34 and those over 75 years of age nationwide, as well as being the second most common cause of TBI-related hospitalizations. These statistics are understandable when one considers the sheer weight of metal, glass, and plastic that is forced to move at a very rapid speed when one or more vehicles collide. Brain injuries, in particular, are common in vehicle accidents because even with a seatbelt, they are always a risk.
Seven Injured In Car-Bus Accident
Three people were hospitalized, with four more treated for injuries at the scene, after a van crashed into a VIA bus that had been turning onto northbound Highway 181 South, near Laguna Road. There were no life-threatening injuries, but the driver and some of the passengers in the van were transported to the nearest hospital as a precautionary measure. While this accident was clearly the fault of the van driver, bus accidents can go very differently, causing serious injury and even death. If you have been involved in an accident with a bus, and you have been injured, you may have a case against the driver or the bus company.
Same Causes, Different Effects
The number of fatal bus accidents nationwide have decreased steadily in recent years, with a 22-year low of 86 crashes. However, injury crashes have steadily risen by almost two-thirds between 2009 and 2017, leading to a high of 116,000. Busses are much larger than most automobiles, and between their weight and their larger driving radius, the potential for an accident is significantly higher than that of a lower vehicle, especially if the vehicle is in the hands of an untrained driver.
Single-Vehicle Accident Closes NB Highway 130
While traveling on Pecan Street in Pflugerville, a vehicle struck the protective barrier on the bridge over Highway 130, ejecting the driver out onto the lanes of 130 below. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. No other vehicle appears to have been involved in the accident, but not all single-vehicle accidents are entirely the fault of the driver. If you have lost a loved one in a single-vehicle crash, you should be aware that not all single-vehicle crashes are solely the fault of the driver, and that in some circumstances you may be able to pursue a claim for wrongful death.
Another Actor May Be Liable
In a standard accident involving multiple vehicles, the question of liability is either avoided (if neither driver brings suit), or it is apportioned between the drivers if a lawsuit happens. With a single-vehicle crash, it can be easy to simply assume that all the liability is on the driver when this is simply not always the case. There are multiple scenarios in which another person or entity might be held liable for a single-vehicle accident. Some examples include:
Driver Killed in Truck Crash After Police Chase
Recently, one man was killed when his Honda Accord collided with a large Penske truck on Medical Drive, near Babcock Road. The small car became wedged under the truck, and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver was unharmed, though his vehicle sustained significant damage. If you or one of your loved ones is involved in a crash like this with a large truck, it can feel like you have no options, especially if there is evidence to suggest that you played a role in your own injuries. However, it may still be possible to recover depending on the specific situation.
Accidents Involving Trucks Can Be Severe
Accidents involving large trucks, unfortunately, can be the cause of extensive injury due to the size of these vehicles. An accident involving two cars, or a car and a pickup truck, will often lead to injuries, but neither vehicle has the significant advantage in size or weight most of the time; a large rental truck like the Penske truck, however, has the potential ability to crush a small automobile like a Honda Accord, and obviously, the potential injuries to the driver can be life-threatening. Texas recorded approximately 600 fatal crashes involving large trucks and truck/tractors in 2018.
Ridesharing Still Causes Confusion in Austin
After the legal battles in recent years over issues like background checks and employee classifications, ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft have become regular parts of Austin life. However, there still remains quite a bit of misinformation floating around about them, especially about what can happen if you are unlucky enough to be in an accident in a rideshare car. The law surrounding these questions is not nearly as ambiguous as the average person might think, and if you are ever injured in an Uber or Lyft car, you have some fairly specific options to move forward.
Adjustments Required
Statistics regarding the impact of rideshare cars on traffic and fatality statistics are difficult to come by, given the relative novelty of the method of transportation. However, it is possible to examine traffic information and draw conclusions, especially about the number of non-fatal crashes. Texas, in particular, has seen a slight uptick in urban crashes in recent years, reaching 45.01 percent in 2018, and it is not unreasonable to see a potential link between the proliferation of Uber and Lyft and increased accidents, even if it cannot be borne out specifically.
Driving On Wet Roads Can Be Dangerous
While only the remnants of Tropical Depression Imelda struck southern Texas on September 18-19, the rainfall has still been immense, with parts of the state due to see as much as 40 inches of rain in the next few days. While the heaviest rainfall appears to be targeting areas east of Houston, it is still worth taking precautions to ensure that you are safe in the rain, especially if you wind up having to drive through heavy rainfall. Rain and wet roads can be one of the leading causes of auto accidents, causing injuries that can be very severe.
Take Water on the Road Seriously
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, as many as around 950,000 accidents each year take place on wet pavement, with a smaller percentage of those taking place in flood-like conditions. Drivers simply do not take water on the road as seriously as they should, with many not even slowing their speed, and even those that do slow down may not know certain tips and tricks that can safeguard them and their vehicle. For example, authorities recommend not using cruise control during a rainstorm, as it can actually cause your vehicle to go faster if you hydroplane.
Motorcyclist Who Fell Off 290 Flyover Identified
A middle-aged man who was killed recently when his motorcycle fell over the wall of the flyover between U.S. 290 and U.S. 183 has finally been identified. The man was riding his motorcycle heading toward U.S. 183 when he lost control, his cycle coming over the edge and landing on the lanes of U.S. 290 below. While this type of accident is not uncommon, it is unusual, and if you are involved in this sort of crash it can be deadly. If another driver is involved, it may give rise to an action for wrongful death – which is sadly too common, especially among motorcyclists, who have much less protection than drivers or passengers of automobiles in the event of a crash.
Motorcyclists 28 Times More Likely to Die
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that motorcyclists are 28 times more likely to die in an automobile accident than passengers in a vehicle, and this is for several different reasons. One of them is simply because a motorcyclist does not have a metal cage around them to absorb any impact; injuries like road rash are much more prevalent in motorcyclists because they are just more likely to make contact with the road. Vehicle occupants are much less likely to be thrown clear, and if they are wearing seatbelts, injuries may still be serious, but fatal much less often.
Driver Pinned in Vehicle After Crash with SAWS Tractor
On a recent morning, a San Antonio woman was pinned in her vehicle after a crash with a tractor belonging to the San Antonio Water System (SAWS). She escaped serious injury, as fire crews managed to free her from the wreckage not long before her vehicle caught fire. While as of this writing, there is no indication that the woman plans to bring suit against SAWS, it is possible that she could try to seek compensation for the tractor driver’s perceived negligence. In cases like this, however, there are multiple different obstacles that one must overcome in order to prevail in court.
Potential For Injury Can Be High
While accidents with farm-related equipment are relatively rare, tractors do play an outsized role in fatalities that happen among agricultural workers in particular, with approximately 40 percent of those deaths involving a tractor in some way. Tractors and heavy machinery used by utility companies have a different function than farm equipment, but can nonetheless cause just as much danger to those who are not qualified to operate or be around them – an average of 60 people per year are run over by tractors, and collisions with motor vehicles result in roughly 50 fatalities per year.
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