Dallas Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A 19-year-old Colleyville man died Saturday after his motorcycle crashed into the back of a pickup truck. Robert Turner was heading east in the 8500 block of Harwood Road in North Richland Hills on Saturday when a truck pulled out of an apartment complex parking lot right in front of him. Turner’s bike slammed into the back of the truck.

The accident happened around 9:45 p.m. Turner was rushed to John Peter Smith (JPS) Hospital in Fort Worth in serious condition and died from his injuries around 10:30.
Investigators say Turner was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The driver of the truck was not injured. It is unknown whether speed was a factor or whether the truck driver was cited for failing to yield the right of way to Turner.

This is one of several motorcycle-related crashes and fatalities this month in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

If you or someone you love has suffered personal injuries or been killed as the result of a motorcycle collision, please contact Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson for a free consultation at 817-294-1900.

Jamie Lynn Spears’ boyfriend, Casey Aldridge is in the hospital today after a one-car accident injured him and two other passengers early Sunday morning. 19-year-old Aldridge (and father to Spears’ baby) was ejected from his Ford F-250 pickup truck after losing control, overcorrecting and flipping his vehicle on a stretch of highway in Louisiana. Two of his passengers were also ejected. Five men were riding in the vehicle at the time of the crash on their way home from a bachelor party. All were between the ages of 19 and 23.

The two passengers were treated with minor injuries but Aldridge was CareFlighted to the nearest hospital with mild brain trauma. He was treated for a skull fracture and remains in the hospital under observation for his serious injuries.

Although cited for making a faulty evasive move while driving, Aldridge was not suspected or tested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI).

Aldridge has a 10-month old baby girl with girlfriend Jamie Spears.

Since Aldridge caused the crash, he will not be able to make an injury claim to compensate him for his medical bills. Depending on what type of insurance he and his friends have, his passengers would be eligible to make a claim on either his policy, or their own car insurance policies.

For answers to your questions about types of car insurance and one-car auto wrecks, call the
Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 or contact us online.

Pictured: Jamie Lynn Spears and Casey Aldridge

Currently, an auto accident is blocking the access road at Interstate 20 and Highway 377 in Benbrook. Careflight is on the scene. No word yet on the seriousness of injuries or the number of people involved. Stay tuned for an update.

It appears the 4-year-old girl who has been missing since a car wreck in Houston over the weekend, has been found. Searchers found a body Tuesday which was believed to be that of Hallie Jenkins. Jenkins father, Chanton B. Jenkins was charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter after killing four children in the drunk-driving crash. Jenkins car drove into a flooded ditch Saturday after he had been talking on a cell phone. Three young boys were found trapped inside the car when it was finally rescued and two young girls had been swept away. One was found soon after but investigators think the other missing girl was swept down a bayou heading toward the Houston Ship Channel.

In Tenaha, Texas, a 7-year-old girl was killed Tuesday morning while waiting for a school bus in a tragic pedestrian accident. LaLyric Boykin was killed and two other children were critically injured after a man in a pickup truck swerved to avoid hitting two cars which had stopped for the bus. Palestine resident, Eloy David Lara was driving the truck that flipped and rolled into the three children. No word yet on whether charges have been filed.

If you or your child has been injured as the result of someone else’s negligence, please contact Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson for a free consultation at 817-294-1900.

Intoxication manslaughter charges have been filed on a Houston man who lost control of his vehicle Saturday, plunging the car into a flooded ditch and killing five children.

32-year-old Chanton Jenkins was driving in Houston with his brother, his three sons—ages 4, 7 and 11—and three young girls, ages 1, 3 and 10 when he answered his cell phone while driving. When he hung up the call, he lost control and crashed his car into a ditch filled with 9 ½ feet of fast-moving water. Jenkins, his brother and the 10-year-old girl were able to escape the car, but the three boys were trapped and died inside. It took a dive team and accident investigators hours to recover the car, which had moved 100 feet away from the point of the crash. The boys’ bodies were finally recovered around midnight before investigators realized the two girls had been swept away and were still missing.

The 1-year-old girl’s body was found yesterday, but the search continues for the 3-year-old girl. Both were cousins of the young boys.

Jenkins failed a field sobriety test after the drunk-driving accident and was charged Sunday with the five deaths. Even though the 1-year-old girl’s body has not been recovered, investigators are assuming she has died. The flooded ditch feeds into a Bayou which eventually flows into the Houston Ship Channel.

Torrential rainstorms in southeast Texas on Saturday created a dangerous situation for all drivers. If you were injured in a car accident, contact the Anderson Law Firm to discuss your rights.

Photo courtesy of WFAA.com.

Another freak motorcycle accident this week sent a woman with critical injuries to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas after she was ejected from a motorcycle and fell two stories over a barrier to the service road below.

20-year-old Leah Sanchez was the passenger on 21-year-old Lazaro Torees-Perez’s motorcycle heading westbound on the George Bush Turnpike. Torees-Perez sped up and attempted to pass a car on the one-lane ramp from the turnpike to the Dallas North Tollway. His bike hit a concrete barrier and Sanchez was flung off the back down 16 feet to the road below. She was not wearing a helmet.

Torees-Perez, from Sanger, was charged with reckless driving and released from the Colin County Jail today on bond.

This is just one of several tragic motorcycle crashes this week but more ironic, this type of motorcycle wreck is one that’s becoming all-too familiar. Back in September, two 18-year-olds were killed when they hit a barrier and were flung over the side of a ramp from the George Bush Turnpike to 161 in Irving. And just this past Monday, an Arlington man was killed when he was ejected off his bike and fell 30 feet after hitting a barrier on a ramp from Texas 161 to Texas 183 in Irving.

All I can say is that these riders need to slow down on area ramps and curves. Motorcyclists need to learn from these tragic accidents and practice caution while riding—and remember, always wear a helmet!

Contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 for a free consultation if you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a motorcycle crash.

Photographs courtesy of WFAA.com.

According to Fort Worth Police reports, an 11-year-old boy was killed last night when he rode his bicycle into the side on an 18-wheeler truck. The accident occurred at the intersection of Northeast 38th Street and Decatur Avenue around 7:30 p.m. Witnesses said they saw the young boy exiting an alley, but was looking behind him at his cousin when he ran into the semi-trailer truck in front of him.

The boy got caught up under the truck’s back tires and died at the scene.

Each year, 23 percent of all pedestrian-related injuries affect children under the age of 15. For more information on bicycle safety, I find bikesafety.com very resourceful.

Information Provided by Fort Worth Accident and Injury Attorney Mark Anderson.

Contact Information: 817-294-1900.

A tragic two-car crash this week in De Leon, Texas killed 17-year-old Meagan Holder, a senior at De Leon High School. The auto she was driving collided with a pickup truck on Texas Street in De Leon. Meagan was flown to a Fort Worth Hospital where she died Wednesday night, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners office.

All traffic accidents which result in death are tragic, but this one really tugs at the heart. Meagan had to undergo open heart surgery in 2005 and because of that experience she was inspired to become a nurse. Losing children or any loved one to a car wreck is horrible. Texas has the highest motor-vehicle fatality rate in the United States.

Information provided by Texas Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson.

Contact Number: 817-294-1900

A serious accident in Denton County occurred this morning around 8 a.m. The car wreck, which blocked the east and westbound lanes of US 380 just before FM 720 (Providence Boulevard), required at least one Careflight helicopter which has come and gone. No word yet on how the crash occurred or how many people were involved or injured. Stay tuned today for more as an accident investigation reveals what happened.

A group motorcycle ride last night in West Fort Worth quickly turned tragic on Loop 820 approaching Interstate 30. And this accident happened just one day after a motorcycle wreck killed two on Monday.

Around 9:30 p.m., a group of motorcyclists were traveling on West Loop 820 when two riders sped up ahead of the bunch. They slowed down just as two more sped up from out of the pack. One of them, 26-year-old Ronald King of Fort Worth, was unable to break in time for the decelerating bikes in front of him and ran into the back of one. King was ejected from his bike and died at the scene.

The man he hit—an unidentified 37-year-old—was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital in downtown Fort Worth in stable condition.

As the weather turns nicer, the number of bikers increases on North Texas interstates and highways. Group rides are very popular and a great way to socialize with those who share a common passion for bikes and motorcycle-riding. But even within groups, the riders obviously need to be careful of each other and keep a safe distance between themselves and other bikers in their groups.

If you have found yourself the victim of a motorcycle collision, car wreck or truck accident, please contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 for a free consultation.

An Arlington man was killed yesterday when his motorcycle crashed into a barrier and he was ejected over an interstate wall, falling 30 feet to the ground. 28-year-old Charles Allen Black was driving his 2007 Kawasaki Ninja "sport bike" at a high rate of speed on the ramp from Texas 161 to Texas 183 near DFW Airport in Irving. He was going too fast to navigate the curve and his bike hit the wall, propelling him over it and down 30 feet.

Black was taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas and pronounced dead an hour later around 1 p.m.

This isn’t the first time this ramp has caused trouble for motorcycle riders. In fact, Black’s death is eerily familiar to one that happened about seven months ago. Back in September, I wrote about the wreck on the same ramp which killed two 18-year-old men. Robert Wright and Derek Smith were riding their sport bikes on the ramp and both were going too fast for the curve. Smith hit the barrier, falling over the wall to his death. Wright crashed into Smith’s bike before also flying over the edge to the ground below. Wright later died at Baylor Medical Center in Irving.

It appears speeding has been a factor in all three of these tragic deaths however, at this point it might be something for the Texas Department of Transportation to look into.

If you have lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence or been involved in a motorcycle accident, contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 for a free consultation on your rights.

This week is National Crime Victims Rights Week (April 13 through 19) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is helping to advocate it. This is because the most frequently committed crime in the U.S. is drunk driving.

The purpose of this week is designed to raise awareness and support for victims of crimes, survivors and their families. And since the most frequently committed crime is drunk driving, that’s where MADD steps in. It is the largest (and arguably most well-known) crime-victim help group in the world and in 2007 alone, served almost 50,000 people, advocating the end of drunk driving altogether.

In the U.S. alone, drunk-driving accidents cause 13,000 deaths annually. Someone is killed approximately every thirty minutes in a drunk-driving wreck. MADD Victim Services can help victims cope, and an experienced injury and wrongful death attorney can help victims and their families obtain compensation for medical bills and the immense pain and suffering resulting from such an accident.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a drunk-driving crime, please contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 for a free consultation on your rights.

A two-year old Cleburne boy was seriously injured after he ran into the street on Saturday, right in the path of an SUV. Fabian Gentry was struck by a Nissan Quest Sport Utility Vehicle which was traveling northbound at the 700 block of N. Robinson Street around 6:45 p.m. The impact knocked the child face first into the ground, before he was caught underneath the vehicle and dragged for 20-30 feet.

Amazingly, the boy—who was CareFlited to Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth—only lost consciousness for a moment, sustaining abrasions and swelling, but no visible bleeding. There’s been no word on his current condition.

The driver of the SUV will not be cited since it was an accident.

Also in Cleburne on Saturday, 26-year-old Tiffany Smith was in a car accident involving a garbage truck. She was CareFlighted to Huguley Memorial Medical Center with unknown injuries. A 3-year-old in Smith's car was treated and released from Huguley with no life-threatening injuries. No further details have been released on this accident.

Like vehicle accidents, injuries to children happen all the time when children dart out in front of traffic. Remember to always keep a close eye on toddlers and young children when playing outside. And if you or your child has been injured as the unfortunate result of someone else’s negligence, please contact the Anderson Law Firm to learn your rights.

If your spouse or loved one has been killed in a drunk-driving accident, you might be eligible to pursue a wrongful death claim on his or her behalf. A wrongful death claim won’t return your loved one to you, but it can help you receive legal remedy for the careless and thoughtless act which resulted in his or her death.

Drunk-driving accidents as wrongful death claims.
Wrongful death claims result when a person’s negligent actions directly caused a death. In the event of a death resulting from a drunk-driving accident, you’ve got the ultimate culpability. Drunk driving is the height of negligence, and it’s typically very clear that the drunk driver’s actions caused the accident, and therefore the death of your loved one.

Enlist the aid of an injury lawyer to pursue a wrongful death claim against a drunk driver.
With nearly 13,000 deaths annually as a result of alcohol-related accidents, someone is killed approximately every 30 minutes due to a drunk-driving accident. While we all hope this never happens to anyone we know—unfortunately, sometimes it does—and your only recourse is to pursue the responsible driver for some form of recovery.

Drunk-driving deaths are always tragic but, you can get compensation for you and your family for the loss of your loved one, plus the lost wages and other financial damages, like funeral costs. It’s a small comfort in light of such an untimely death, but it can help support your family while you put your life back together. Pursuing a wrongful death claim against a drunk driver also sends the message that drunk driving will not be tolerated and good people everywhere will fight against drunk drivers to the full extent of the law.

Free consultation.
The Anderson Law Firm is based in Fort Worth, Texas. We specialize in helping those who are injured or who have lost a family member due to the negligence of another person. We offer free consultations so if you would like to discuss a possible legal action, please call us at 817-294-1900 or contact us online.

Two important recalls have been announced this week:

The first is for Yahama Rhino ATVs. All Rhino 450 and Rhino 660 models--more than 120,000 vehicles, are being recalled by the Yamaha Motor Corporation because of design flaws, which have resulted in hundreds of injuries and 46 confirmed deaths. The design flaws apparently make the ATVs roll-over at low speeds. Yamaha intends to repair the flawed vehicles. ATV accidents cause some of the most serious injuries and often result in untimely death. Please contact Dallas-Fort Worth ATV injury lawyer, Mark A. Anderson at 817-294-1900 to learn your rights if you've been involved in an ATV accident.

The second recall comes from Bridgestone Americas Tire Operation (BATO). The company has announced that certain motorcycle tires it manufactured need to be relaced, specifically ones sold packaged on MY 2008 and 2009 Triumph Rocket III Touring motorcycles. They are the Bridgestone Exedra G850 G tires, size 180/70R16 77H and on the specific models, design flaws can lead to a small leak on the back tires causing a motorcycle crash. Bridgestone is going to replace the defective tires free of charge. This includes all defective rear tires as well as each bike's front tires so that they match. If this recall effects you, contact BATO at 1-800-465-1904.

For more information on recalls and defective products, visit the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) which is a branch of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administraion (NHTSA). Or try the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) for other helpful vehicle safety information.

If you have been injured in a vehicle accident from a defective product, please contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 for a free consultation and more information.