Neglecting to maintain a truck’s tires can lead to fatal Texas wrecks

Our Conroe, TX truck crash lawyers noticed a story on Friday about a messy 18-wheeler wreck in Orange that the investigating officer clearly attributed to the truck’s bald tires and lack of maintenance. What happened in the truck crash is that a truck slowed down for a previous accident where a GMC pickup had run into the median at the I-10 FM 1136 exit. After getting around that accident the trucker sped up, apparently excessively.

The truck hydroplaned and the truck driver overcorrected. The 18-wheeler then jack knifed, which broke the truck’s trailer into two pieces. The truck then hit the highway wall and might have damaged it. The truck’s driver received transport to the hospital for a dislocated shoulder.

Electronic equipment from the truck’s cargo fell over the overpass onto the frontage road below. The officer at the scene attributed the accident to bald tires and a failure to maintain the truck. Officers cited the truck driver for speeding during inclement weather and for defective equipment, the bald tires.

It’s pure luck that no other injuries, vehicle damage, or fatalities resulted from the messy wreck and the falling 18-wheeler cargo. Truck wrecks on busy I-10 often make the news for their extensive damage and tragic fatalities.

Massive 18-wheelers are extremely dangerous to smaller vehicles and their occupants who happen to be sharing the road with these heavy behemoths. Driving a poorly maintained 18-wheeler with bald tires down busy I-10 in inclement weather is just plain negligent. Speeding down I-10 while driving a poorly maintained 18-wheeler with bald tires is closer to gross negligence.

If nothing else, the state and local governments should claim compensation from the negligent truck driver and trucking company for the costs of repairing the I-10 wall and responding to and investigating the accident. Otherwise it’s our tax money that will go to making the repairs and paying the costs of this unnecessary accident caused by trucking negligence.

Negligence and the needless accidents and harm it causes cost us all money. Money that we just can’t afford in this stagnant economy. The slowed economy was likely also caused by negligence, probably wanton and willful negligence at that. But such is not our area of practice.

We should hold negligent drivers, trucking companies, manufacturers, and others accountable for the costly harm they cause. Our experienced Conroe, TX truck crash lawyers stand ready to help you if you’ve suffered injury or economic losses from a truck wreck. Download our free e-book on the essentials of dealing with costly 18-wheeler wrecks. The book will help you understand the process for recovering fair financial compensation for your injuries. And if you have questions about your own truck crash, you could contact us for a free initial legal consultation.

Negligence in Cameron, TX Wrongful Death by 18-Wheeler

As Pearland injury lawyers, we have found that many people seem to believe that negligence is only present where a driver either meant to harm someone or just really didn’t care where they harmed someone or not. But that’s not the case. Negligence is simply that. Neglect. A driver might have had all the best intentions in the world, but nonetheless failed to take some small precaution that would have spared someone injury or death.

As an example, our Pearland injury lawyers remind you that many relatives of small children accidentally run over them in home driveways. These relatives never intend to harm the children, and they may feel terrible for the rest of their lives after the accident. They might have left the child at an inside location that they thought was safe as they headed to the car. They might have looked carefully in all directions before they started backing out of the driveway. They might have started backing out slowly and carefully.

But the child ran out the door when they weren’t looking and behind the vehicle. Even the smallest car’s rearward blind spots can hide several small children. And the relative neglected to walk carefully around the car before starting it to check for the presence or chance approach of children.

In Cameron, TX on Thursday evening, Ross D. Boothe of Granbury was run over by an 18-wheeler and dragged to his death as the truck drove from a parking lot to a fueling area of a truck stop. Police say that it was raining at the time of the accident and that they don’t expect charges to be filed against the truck driver.

According to news reports, the Cameron truck stop incident was an accident. The news accounts imply that the truck driver did not know that the truck had struck a person or that the truck was dragging someone along as it moved to the fuel station. It might be that the rain caused the truck driver to neglect the more thorough precautions and actions that he might have taken on a dryer day. A great proportion of personal injury and wrongful death civil claims revolve around just such issues of negligence that led to serious injury or untimely death.

Negligence, especially the minor, seemingly harmless act of neglect, is an ever-present part of human activity. It’s perhaps one of the great tragedies of human existence that the smallest moments of weakness or neglect can often cause the gravest harm.

If you have been injured or you have lost a loved one to negligence, and you need help proving your valid claim for compensation, contact our Pearland injury lawyers at Denena & Points for a free consultation. You can contact us through this website or toll free at 877-307-9500 to discuss your concerns about the accident.

Our Pearland injury lawyers could answer your questions about your legal options and the steps you need to take to preserve your legal rights and chances for a full financial recovery. Contact us today.

Some Things You Might Want to Know About Truck Accidents in America

The Houston truck accident lawyers at Denena & Points note that around 35,000 people per year die in fatal traffic accidents in the United States.

· About 10% of these fatal traffic accidents involve a commercial vehicle.

· Some estimates say that up to 80% of accidents involving a commercial truck are caused by the other driver.

· These fatal traffic accidents cost Americans approximately $5,000 each second. That’s about $300,000 per minute.

Did you know that the United States has about 500,000 commercial trucking companies? The U.S. commercial trucking companies operate more than 2,000,000 commercial trucks. A majority of commercial trucks remain owner operated. If you break down a trucker’s annual pay, he makes on average about 30 cents per mile.

The math shows that commercial truck drivers have a huge financial incentive to avoid accidents. But our Houston truck accident lawyers see that truck accidents continue to happen at an alarming rate in the United States. Heavy commercial trucks have enormous momentum. If another driver tries to cut them off or beat them at a turn or a light, the truck can’t slow down or adjust course as quickly as a car. So a deadly crash might result. The cost of such accidents gets measured in lives and debilitating personal injuries as well as in money.

If you were injured in a Houston truck accident or you lost a loved one to a Houston truck accident, you might need experienced legal help to recover just financial compensation for your losses even though the wreck was someone else’s fault. Winning a claim in a truck accident case can be an uphill battle.

Aggressive insurance adjusters defending high dollar policies could give you the run around and attempt to lay the blame for the accident on you. You need a Houston truck accident lawyer with extensive knowledge and experience handling truck accident cases and aggressive insurance company tactics to help you win your claim.

Contact the aggressive Houston truck accident lawyers at Denena & Points for a free and entirely confidential consultation regarding your accident. We protect your rights and interests from start to finish. We could ensure that you get the full financial recovery that you deserve for your traumatic accident losses. Call today; we’re here to help.

The Cost of Poor Driving Decisions on Texas Roadways

The Montgomery County Police Reporter posted a fine story and some great photos of a costly tanker truck accident on State Highway 242 yesterday. Apparently the tanker truck driver tried to beat an oncoming driver as he turned his rig left into a subdivision. The tanker truck was hit by the oncoming vehicle, which smashed up the front of that car and ripped into the truck’s 200-gallon tank of diesel fuel.

Erica Hernandez of Conroe drove the Dodge Charger that broadsided the tanker truck when it failed to yield right of way. Ms. Hernandez received transport to the hospital in stable condition for her injuries from the tanker truck wreck. The driver of the truck, owned by Terra Renewal, said he “thought he could make it.”

To our Houston truck wreck lawyers, that seems a pretty lame excuse for the wreckage that followed the truck driver’s poor driving decision. That tanker truck driver was driving a tanker truck full of combustible diesel fuel for pity’s sake. With that dangerous cargo in tow, one would expect a professional truck driver to be more careful and responsible. You don’t pull a big, slow-moving rig full of combustible fuel out in front of an onrushing car on the highway, especially if that car has the right of way and probably wasn’t prepared for such a risky maneuver.

Houston truck wreck lawyers well know that mishandled and poorly driven, a truck itself is a dangerous weapon. With a tanker full of diesel fuel, it’s a dangerous incendiary weapon. There’s just no excuse for the kind of negligence that this tanker truck driver exhibited in failing to observe the legal right of way and trying to beat Ms. Hernandez’s oncoming Charger across the road.

We’re grateful that the damage and injuries from the wreck weren’t any worse. Our Houston truck wreck lawyers are also grateful for the professional and methodical work of first responders and HAZMAT personnel in containing the damage so quickly and methodically. We use SH 242 ourselves pretty frequently. The wreck could easily have been far more costly than it was. Let’s take a look at some of the more obvious costs of this wreck:

• Damage to the car (it looks like it might have been totaled).
• Damage to the truck and diesel tank.
• Loss of most of 200 gallons of expensive diesel fuel.
• Medical bills of Ms. Hernandez and possible lost wages while she recovers. We wish her a safe and uneventful recovery after the frightening accident.
• Costs of first responders and HAZMAT crews who worked the scene and cleaned up the dangerous mess.
• Costs in time as SH 242 remained shut down while the wreck’s damage was contained.
• The small fine for the “failure to yield right of way” citation that the negligent truck driver received.
• As Houston truck wreck lawyers, we shouldn’t fail to also mention the costs of a civil claim for damages, should an injured party choose to pursue such a claim. We all see wrecks every day in the news, from small fender benders, to crashes with odd twists, to the really big wrecks that tie up traffic for hours or days.

Road wrecks have become so commonplace; we probably don’t necessarily count the costs. But even the smallest accidents usually cost more than might meet the eye. All the better reason to take care, and try to avoid poor (and costly) driving decisions. Poor driving decisions can easily make you poor.

Pasadena, TX Injury Lawyer on the Danger of Walking on Railroad Tracks

As a kid growing up, I remember my parents and grandparents mentioning from time to time that I shouldn’t walk on the train tracks. But there’s just something about the sight of railroad tracks winding far into the distance that provides a romantic lure for kids and adults alike.

Accidents where trains strike pedestrians happen with alarming frequency across the U.S. each year. Numerous collisions between trains and other vehicles occur at railroad crossings all over the country.

An accident on a train trestle in Amherst County, VA on Thursday night well illustrates both the lure and the danger of railroad tracks to pedestrians. Five college students had climbed up onto the train trestle to admire the stars in the night sky. Suddenly a Norfolk-Southern train came along startling them out of their reverie. One student, 18-year-old Hannah Emmaline Williams, was killed when the train struck her. One student was hospitalized in critical condition after falling from the train trestle onto the ground below. The three other students survived without serious injuries.

Accounts conflict as to how the three students with minor injuries survived the train accident. One account says that all three laid down in the middle of the railroad tracks and the train passed over them. A later account says that one hung on with his arms beneath the train trestle as the Norfolk-Southern train passed overhead. The same account says that two other students leapt for a nearby piling.

The tragic accident of these five young people amply illustrates the serious dangers posed by moving trains to pedestrians. With their immense mass and weight, trains present an incalculable risk of injury and death to the fragile human body.

As a Pasadena, TX injury lawyer with extensive experience helping pedestrians struck by more massive vehicles, I could help you recover just financial compensation for your catastrophic accident losses. But unfortunately I can’t help you recover the full health, strength and well being you possessed before being struck by a train. Stay off the railroad tracks. Stay out of danger if you can. And if you do suffer dangerous injury, come to us for help.

The Danger of Driving in Thick Fog: Fiery 34-Vehicle Pileup in England

Our Clear Lake, TX accident lawyers have written before on the dangers of accident injury and fatality resulting from driving in poor visibility conditions. In Texas, bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorcyclists suffer the worst toll from drivers making their way through poor visibility conditions. We don’t often experience the thick fogs that British drivers seem to experience on a fairly regular basis.

In Somerset, England on Friday night, Britain suffered one of its worst-ever roadway disasters because of poor visibility from thick fog. A fiery 34-vehicle pileup on the M5 roadway claimed at least 7 lives and injured more than 50 other victims. Wet roadways and fireworks smoke from a nearby festival may have magnified the danger from the fog.

As one witness tells it, a bank of black fog suddenly descended and completely blocked from view a nearby truck (“lorry”) on the M5 highway they were driving. The witness says they took immediate action to evade the danger of crashing into the truck, but others weren’t so lucky. They heard one loud “thump” after another as multiple vehicles crashed together in the thick bank of fog. Multiple explosions followed, and a massive fireball engulfed the scene of the 34-vehicle pileup. Witnesses say jets of flame shot at least 200 meters into the air.

Ordinary citizens and first responders alike were balked in rescue efforts by the heat, flames, and poor visibility. The fiery 34-vehicle pileup tragically killed at least 7 people. Officials say that they expect the toll to rise. The massive fireball and multiple-vehicle wreck injured more than 50 other people. Officials say that some vehicles were burned completely down to the ground, and they expected it to take more than a day to clear the scene of the wreckage.

Witness accounts indicate that it took only a few moments for the massive 34-vehicle pileup to occur after the bank of fog descended. Apparently drivers could clearly see the road around them at one moment, and at the next they were blinded by fog. According to reports, local drivers were familiar with foggy conditions and this stretch of roadway, which reportedly was a straightaway without curves or turns.

Even where you know the road, and you’re familiar with poor visibility conditions in that area, you should always slow down and proceed carefully. Pull well off the roadway if conditions seem like they’re becoming too bad to driver; don’t take chances with your life or others’ lives.

This 34-vehicle pileup illustrates the danger that almost anything can happen suddenly when you’re on a fast-moving, busy roadway. Take precautions. The life you save may be your own. And if you do suffer injury from a complicated accident scene, hire an experienced accident lawyer to conduct a thorough investigation for you.

Your Clear Lake, TX accident lawyer’s skill and knowledge could help you identify the causes of the wreck and the parties at fault for your injuries. Especially in a highly complex accident situation like this one in Somerset, England, it would take some while to accurately trace the sequence of events and the actual causative factors for each victim’s injuries. Highly specialized investigators and attorneys would be needed to reconstruct the accident.

If you’re suffering because of a local accident, contact our Clear Lake, TX accident lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your accident. We could help you understand your legal options for recovering fair monetary compensation for your injuries. We’ve helped many other accident victims obtain just recoveries over the years. We would be pleased to help you too.

Why Do Texas Underride Truck Accidents Happen?

Underride accidents are one of the main causes of fatalities in Houston truck wrecks. This may come as a surprise to some, since those underride guards on the back of trucks are supposed to prevent cars from going underneath tractor-trailers…Aren’t they?

Unfortunately, studies have shown that when these guards are struck – even at relatively slow speeds – they buckle. This allows the car to continue beneath the truck, severely injuring or even killing the occupants.

The reason for underride accidents is not as simple as following too closely. Other factors that may contribute to underride accidents include:

• Dirty truck lights or reflective tape
• Failure of a trucker to signal their intent to slow, turn or stop
• Failure of a trucker to use flares or reflective triangles when parked or broken down on the side of the road
• Truckers who enter quickly moving traffic at a very slow speed
• Chain reaction rear-end accidents
• Reduced visibility due to poor weather conditions
• Inability of passenger vehicle to stop because of slick roadways

Houston underride accidents often result in fatal or extremely severe injuries, including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury or paralysis. If someone you love has been seriously or fatally injured in a Houston truck wreck, contact Denena & Points. Our Houston semi-truck crash lawyers will fight to get you the compensation you deserve from all responsible parties.

3 Easy Ways to Prevent a Houston Truck Crash

We are always hearing stories on the news about accidents on the road and all the reasons why they occurred. There a few steps that we can take to do our part in preventing another Houston truck wreck.
We live in a busy world with many things to do at once. Sometimes we are so busy reading our GPS or taking care of the children, especially while driving, that we don’t realize we are making careless mistakes. These mistakes could be putting us or other drivers in harm’s way. This is especially true when it comes to driving on the road with 18-wheelers. The rules of the road are a little different, and we need to be aware of them while driving.

The first rule to consider is about changing lanes. When changing lanes in front of a truck, it’s important to remember to leave a great deal of space between the two of you. A truck driver cannot compensate for speed or distance the way a passenger vehicle can. If you cut in front of them too closely, they may not be able to stop in time to avoid hitting your car.

The second rule is something we have all heard about as drivers – the dreaded “no zones.” Even though we are familiar with these blind spots on a truck, we still drive in them and put ourselves at risk. Paying attention to where you are in relation to the truck driving next you could save your life.

We tend to forget that trucks take a much longer time to stop. One of the easiest measures of prevention of a Texas big rig crash is to make sure you have enough time to turn in front of an oncoming truck. It’s very difficult to judge the speed and distance of a truck coming towards you. If you won’t have enough time to cross safely, the truck driver will have to do his best to hit the brakes and stop – but many times he can’t do it in time to avoid hitting you.

There are many ways that we can help prevent the injury of another driver or ourselves. These three are just a start but are very important. If your loved one has been a victim of a Houston truck crash, it’s important to talk with someone who can help you get back on your feet. Contact a Houston truck accident attorney today at Denena Points, PC to discuss your rights to financial help.

Changes Limiting Truckers’ Drive Hours Would Be Step Forward in Safety

Tomball Truck Accident Lawyer Explains How Proposed New Regulations that Further Limit the Hours Truckers Can Drive at a Stretch Would Enhance Highway Safety

Our Tomball truck accident lawyers have been following an ongoing controversy concerning the number of hours that truck drivers should be allowed to drive at a stretch. Political and powerbroker discussions are underway trying to overturn the FMCSA’s proposed new hours of service limits for truck drivers. The proposed new service limit rules would:

• Reduce the amount of time a truck driver could drive within a 24-hour period from 11 hours to 10 hours.
• Limit truck drivers to a single 34-hour restart within a 7-day period.
• Require two rest periods between midnight and 6 a.m. for all 34-hour restarts.
• Require truck drivers to take a 30-minute break after driving for 7 hours.
• Require truck drivers to take a total of 1 hour of breaks within any 14-16 hour driving window.

Even these proposed new limits on truck driving hours still let truck drivers work for long periods without much in the way of breaks. Your Tomball truck accident lawyer asks you: do you often work 14 to 16 hours at a stretch with only a single hour of breaks? Would it make you tired if you worked for such a long stretch?

Well, it makes truck drivers tired too. And sometimes they fall asleep at the wheel or lose their focus and cause massive truck wrecks. Around 1500 people die each year from wrecks caused by driver fatigue. Another 100,000 receive injuries. Some of these injuries are catastrophic, disabling ones that require expensive, lifelong medical care. These driver-fatigue related truck wrecks cause billions of dollars in damages and ongoing expenses.

• Critics of the proposed rule changes say that the regulatory burden will cost $1 billion. (That’s still small change compared to the billions the rules might save by preventing fatigue-related truck wreck injuries and fatalities.)
• Critics say that trucking companies will have to hire more drivers to meet tight delivery deadlines. (The savings they might reap from fewer high dollar fatigue-related truck wreck claims dwarf their increased payroll costs will probably still. A single truck wreck-related claim could easily top $1,000,000.)
• Critics claim the extra number of truck drivers will lead to increased road congestion and traffic delays. (I didn’t notice anything saying that the trucking companies were also adding additional trucks to their fleets. Without increased numbers of trucks, the amount of truck traffic would remain the same. And you might have noticed that what really ties up traffic are the lengthy delays caused by thorough accident scene clean-ups and investigations following major road crashes.)

Still, politicians are putting their weight behind efforts to block the proposed rule changes. This might be because politicians typically receive far more in campaign contributions and other considerations from corporate interests like trucking companies than they do from the financially distressed victims of catastrophic truck wrecks.

The Tomball truck accident lawyers at Denena & Points point out that the collected data regarding the relationship between truck driver fatigue and catastrophic truck wrecks remains clear. Anything that the FMCSA and other regulatory authorities can do to prevent driver fatigue should lead to increases in safety for other divers that share the roads with trucks. Don’t let politicians and powerbrokers put their profits over your safety.

While our Tomball truck accident lawyers are perfectly capable of helping you recover financial compensation for your injuries and losses after a catastrophic truck wreck, obviously you’re far better off if you never experience that truck wreck and the injuries and fatalities it could cause.

Friday the 14th: A Bad Day for Fiery Truck Wrecks on Texas Highways

Friday the 14th began with a horrific fiery truck crash in Houston around 2 a.m. A big rig barreling northward on North Beltway 8 towards a tollbooth struck a concrete barrier. The impact launched the truck into the air. The big rig then landed on a Ford Expedition stopped to pay the toll and exploded into flames. Two victims, Alexandria Collins-Flores and Michael WInfield, the drivers of the SUV and of the truck, tragically lost their lives to that horrific crash.

Then, on Friday afternoon, a tractor-trailer truck rear-ended a heavy machine truck in the northbound lanes of I-35 about 24 miles south of San Antonio. The tractor-trailer truck burst into flames when it crashed into the heavy machine truck. Both occupants of the tractor-trailer truck died in the blaze.

Investigators sought to determine the two crash victims’ identities, the cause of the fiery fatal truck wreck, and who owned the truck. Texas DPS Trooper Jason Reyes indicated that investigators believed the tractor-trailer truck might have been an 18-wheeler coming from Mexico.

Elsewhere in the state, news accounts detailed other truck crashes, less fiery and fortunately less fatal. Both the fiery fatal truck wrecks in Houston and in San Antonio involved 18-wheelers approaching other vehicles from behind at high speed, then crashing. The truck driver in Houston lost control of the vehicle before crashing. The truck driver in San Antonio rear-ended a heavy machine truck without stopping.

Investigators haven’t stated a cause for either fiery fatal truck wreck yet. Fatigue presents one possibility. Driver distraction presents another possibility. Even truck driver medical conditions or truck equipment failures might be to blame.

As the Houston and San Antonio fiery truck crash examples reveal, truck wrecks can have enormous and devastating consequences. Those wrecks that don’t immediately prove fatal can leave victims with life long injuries. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage from the truck, other vehicles, and cargo, might result.

Because of the high dollar amounts at stake, it’s absolutely imperative that victims of these wrecks and their families have experienced truck wreck attorneys conduct in-depth investigations of the accidents to determine the causes. Only through accurate identification of a wreck’s causes, diligent gathering of proof, and convincing presentation of the case and its evidence will victims be able to win the financial compensation that could help them pay for the tremendous economic costs of the wreck.

At Denena & Points, we’re specialized truck wreck attorneys with more than 12 years of experience conducting accident investigations. We specialize in helping victims and their families to get their lives back on sound financial footing with successful compensation claims. You can call us at your convenience for a free accident consultation.