Dallas Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Holly Klein and her daughter Deva Szymankiewicz were the only survivors of a tragic crash on Thanksgiving that killed four of their family members on Texas Highway 103 in Lufkin, Texas. The family was traveling from Austin to East Texas when their van collided with a tractor trailer. Apparently the van made a u-turn and was struck by the oncoming truck, according to the Department of Public Safety.

Ms. Klein’s son Dakota, 14, was killed the crash, as well as Ms. Szymankiewicz’s husband Todd and their children, 5-year-old Casimir and 3-year-old Aoibhin. Ms. Klein and Ms. Szymankiewicz were treated at the hospital for their injuries.

This is a tragic accident and my heart goes out to the surviving family members. It sounds like the accident is still under investigation by the DPS. Hopefully, the investigating officers will be able to re-create the accident and determine exactly how it happened. It is possible the driver of the van was not able to appreciate the distance or speed of the 18 wheeler.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

Hurst, Texas resident Ricky Morrison, 32, died at the scene of an accident early Saturday morning in Euless when Cody Worrell, also 32, crashed his car into a utility pole and then into a tree.

Mr. Worrell was driving northbound in the 1200 block of Bear Creek Parkway. According to the Euless Police Department, Mr. Morrison died at the scene and Mr. Worrell was treated at the hospital for his injuries. He was taken to the Euless Jail later Saturday on charges of intoxication manslaughter.

Driving while intoxicated is obviously extremely dangerous. Over 1,400 deaths occur each year in Texas due to drunk driving. While this number has gone down over the years (it is about half of what it was in 1982), we clearly still have a long way to go.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, or toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

Every year, I get a lot of calls from people who have been hurt in a car wreck but have waited too late to make claim. Sometimes the calls come to me right before the deadline and the caller thinks all they have to do is let the insurance company know about the claim and that by doing so all deadlines are complied with. However, that is wrong. The law in Texas is that you must either resolve the car accident claim or file a lawsuit within two years of the wreck. This is called the Statute of Limitations and it is very strict. Even if you have been talking to the insurance adjuster, thinking everything will work out, and you let the two year anniversary pass you by, you are out of luck. If you, or your attorney, actually files the lawsuit two years and a day after the accident, that is too long and you have lost your right to seek any compensation for your medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.

But even though you have two years to file the lawsuit, that does not mean you should put off making a claim or hiring an attorney. Most attorneys, including myself, are hesitant to make a claim unless we can have time to investigate whether the claim will ultimately be successful. I usually need to see the police officer’s accident report and evaluate the medical records, which is impossible to do prior to filing a suit if I am contacted right before the two year deadline. So do yourself a favor and contact an attorney as soon as you have decided to make a claim. Or if you are going at it alone, make sure to save some time to find an attorney in case your attempt to settle your claim pre-suit is unsuccessful.

Information provide by Dallas Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 and toll free in Texas at 877-294-1115.

Contact the Anderson Law Firm Online by clicking here.

Dallas Fort Worth injury lawyer Mark A. Anderson has recently authored a book on the injury claims process in Texas. The book, 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case, addresses all parts of the injury claim process. The consumer guide provides information such as whether an accident victim even has a viable injury claim, whether they should make that claim, why the injured party cannot trust insurance companies. A detailed explanation is provided as to the legal process, written in plain words.

A large part of the 15 Mistakes book is a listing of all the things that an injury victim must watch out for in order that they don’t wreck their own injury case.Additional information provided in the book is some of the basics on insurance policies and how an injured party might go about selecting the right attorney for their injury case.

Another chapter is devoted to how an injured party can go about to try to determine the value of their accident case, with an explanation of the real factors looked at by lawyers, judges, juries and insurance companies. The book, 127 pages in length, is designed for the accident victim who has not yet made a decision on whether to make a claim or which attorneys to hire.

The 15 Mistakes book is offered free to Texas residents as a public service. Out of state individuals interested in the book can order it for $16.95 at www.amazon.com. Those in Texas who are interested in the book can order a copy or a downloadable version for immediate review at www.dontwreckyourcase.com.

About the author: The 15 Mistakes book is written by Dallas Fort Worth injury lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who has been practicing injury law in the State of Texas since 1991. Mr. Anderson is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and devotes his entire practice to representing those who’ve been injured by the result of someone else’s negligence. A large part of the Anderson Law Firm’s practice is devoted to helping those injured in motor vehicle accidents of one kind or another, including car accidents, bus and truck wrecks and motorcycle accidents.

Mark A. Anderson can be contacted at 817-294-1900 in Tarrant County, 214-327-8000 in Dallas County and 1-877-294-1115 across Texas.

30-year-old Jose Cruz of Fort Worth died at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas on Monday. He was taken to the hospital early Saturday morning after he failed to negotiate a curve near Highway 121 and North West 19th Street in Grand Prairie. Police believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.

This is such a tragic situation that’s seen over and over in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Each year over 1400 people die in alcohol related accidents here in Texas. My heart goes out to Mr. Cruz's family and friends.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Can Accident Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

Recently I wrote about the investigation into the causes of at 2008 deadly bus wreck in Sherman that left 17 dead, which I blogged about here and here. Now, three employees of the inspection company that looked at the bus prior to the deadly accident are being charged with tampering with a government document.

The inspection company, 5 Minute Inspections in Houston, was allegedly issuing hundreds of stickers a month to vehicles that had not been properly inspected, according to investigators. The Texas Department of Public Safety, who filed the charges, did not provide information on whether or not the bus involved in the crash was properly inspected, as the investigation is still ongoing.

This type of conduct is horrible. It puts all of us at risk each time we get in our cars. Without proper inspections, certain companies are going to use trucks and buses that have bad tires, bad brakes….Allowing these dangerous buses on the roads is criminal and I am glad to see that charges have been pursued.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

A toddler died at the hospital Sunday after his older sister backed up the family’s SUV without realizing the child was there.

The 17-year-old older sister was leaving for the grocery store from their Oak Cliff apartment complex home on North Marsalis Avenue. She didn’t realize her 18 month brother had wandered behind the vehicle. Police say they do not expect to file charges against the sister.

This is such a terrible accident. My heart goes out to the family of this tragedy. According to safety advocates, two children are killed every week in this type of accident, mostly involving children younger than two-years-old and adults driving large SUVs. Back up cameras help in these situations, but nothing is better than another adult watching out for the kids while the car is backing up.

Information provided by Dallas Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached at 214-327-8000 or toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

In a horrific tragedy on Tuesday, two Dallas-area natives were killed when a tractor-trailer crashed into vehicles stopped in a construction zone on 1-30. The collision set off an explosion that killed four people.

43-year-old Vaughn Gentry was originally from Sherman, and 51-year-old Albert Pruitt was from Addison. Mr. Gentry and Mr. Sherman were in a car stopped in the work zone on the highway. Arkansas residents Walter Carpenter, 77, and Victory Barker, 64, were also killed in the explosion.

My heart goes out to the families of those killed in this tragedy. It seems like every month or so we read about an 18 wheeler running into cars, killing the occupants, in a construction zone. There have been two similar accidents in Gainesville recently. Truckers make mistakes like the rest of us, but their mistakes in not seeing or reacting properly have terrible consequences. These truckers have a higher duty to be careful. Again, I feel sorry for the friends and families for their losses.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115 or contacted by clicking here.

In what would have to be considered good news, according to the Texas Department of Insurance, the workplace incidence rate of nonfatal illness and injury dropped in 2008 for the sixth consecutive year.

For private industry workplaces in 2007 the incidence rate was 3.4 cases per 100 workers; in 2008 the incidence rate was 3.1. This is below the national rate of 3.8 for 2008. For public sector workplaces, the incidence rate was 5.8 cases per 100 workers, lower than the national rate of 6.3. This is the first year the public sector data has been collected and released.

Click here to go to the Texas Department of Insurance website to see the specific incident rates by industry.

It is interesting to see of all the various private sector industries, that the highest incident rate of injuries is for courier and messengers. Maybe these folks are always in a hurry and that is when accidents happen. Or maybe it’s just because they are on our roads more than other people and are more likely to be involved in car accidents.

Information provided by Texas Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

Car and truck accidents happen every day here in the Fort Worth Dallas area. When you’re injured in an accident, the goal is always recovery. You want to get back to the point you were at before the accident happened, or as close to that as possible. Unfortunately, in some cases, it’s not possible to fully recover from an injury. Some injuries leave permanent scars or long-term repercussions that will affect you for the rest of your life. How do you live with a long-term injury?

Provide for ongoing medical care
If your injury is a result of someone else’s negligence, that person should be responsible for providing for ongoing medical care. If you’re injured in a car accident, for example, you can make a claim for not only the existing injury and medical bills to date, but also future medical care expenses.

In the event of a serious, long-term injury, you’ll potentially need intermittent medical care for the rest of your life. Your injury case should include this “element of damages.”

Seek counseling for a change in the quality of life
Sometimes it can be hard to adjust to a change in your quality of life. Say you’re an avid runner prior to an accident, but a knee injury changes that forever. It’s natural to feel angry, resentful or unhappy about the change in your circumstances. Depression is a very real possibility in these circumstances.

Seek counseling if you’re having trouble to adjusting to a long-term injury. There’s nothing unusual in having these feelings, and outside help can give you the tools you need to deal with them constructively. Don’t let a physical injury stunt you emotionally. Find ways to deal with the repercussions, and that may mean getting help from a professional.

Get an advocate on your side
Finally, having a strong advocate on your side can help you pursue your personal injury case and let that aspect of your life take a backseat to learning to live with your life changes. An experienced personal injury attorney understands that these changes affect you for life, and know how to make arrangements for long-term care as a part of the case.

Mark A. Anderson is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law and has successfully represented many injury victims over the past 18 years. For a free, no obligation consultation with Mark, just call 817-294-1900 in Fort Worth, 214-327-8000 in Dallas or toll free 877-294-1115, or contact us online.