Dallas Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A Dallas woman died after a van accident in Forest Hill Wednesday evening. Forest Hill police responded to a call that a woman was trapped inside the wrecked vehicle in the 5300 block of SE Loop 820 at 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, according to a Forest Hill police news release. Marcella Anderson, 52, was driving eastbound in a gold Chrysler Town and County van when the van hit a wall, Forest Hill police spokesman Dan Dennis said.
Anderson was alone in the van and was taken by MedStar ambulance to a Fort Worth hospital where she later died. There is no indication that speed or alcohol was a factor in the crash. Anderson was a paraplegic, but that also does not appear to have been a factor in the crash either

My heart goes out to her family during this difficult time. Accidents happen every single day and sometimes it is difficult to determine the cause of accidents. Hopefully, the investigation by the local police will help figure out what happened.

Information and commentary provided by Texas Car Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in a Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. If you have questions about a car accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A Grandview man died Sunday afternoon when his vehicle rolled over on a rural farm road near Cleburne. The wreck occurred at 12:44 p.m., five miles southwest of Cleburne. Michael Rollins, 54, was traveling east on FM 1434 in a 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck when it left the right side of the roadway.

Rollins over-corrected and the vehicle rolled over, ejecting him. Rollins was transported to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth where he later died. He was not wearing a seat belt. It is unclear if speed or alcohol was a factor in the crash, and the accident is under investigation by the Texas Highway Patrol.

Statistics show that seat belts save lives and that one of the primary benefits of wearing a seat belt in rollovers, is to prevent an ejection. Rollins death could have been avoided if he was wearing a seat belt. For light truck occupants, seat-belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent. If you are going to be in a vehicle, please take the extra five seconds to buckle up.

Information and commentary provided by Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. If you have questions about a car wreck, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

On Saturday night, two men outside of Fort Worth were involved in a head on collision, killing a Carrollton man. The van driver, Eric Supe, 22, of Crowley was arrested shortly after the accident and accused of intoxication assault. Hurst police said Monday that he now would be facing an intoxication manslaughter charge. Supe was released from the Hurst Jail during the weekend after posting a $5,000 bond. The man killed was identified as Ricardo Magallon, 32, who died at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth shortly after the wreck. Magallon was listed as being from Dallas on the Tarrant County medical examiner's website, but family members said Monday that he and his family had recently moved to Carrollton.

The two-car accident occurred shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday in the 400 block of Texas 121 in the westbound lanes, near the Hurstview Drive Bridge. Supe was driving a 1999 Ford Windstar eastbound in the westbound lanes of Airport Freeway. Hurst police had not determined where Supe had entered the freeway or how long he had been driving the wrong way. At some point, Supe's van collided with a 2004 Kia Spectra driven by Magallon. Magallon was taken by air ambulance to the Fort Worth hospital where he was pronounced dead at early that morning. Magallon was driving to his construction job in Bridgeport.

I hate to hear about this tragic accident. It seems we hear about drunk driving wrecks all the time and some of them involve driving the wrong way on a highway. Here is a list of Five Statistics about Wrong-Way Drivers in Texas:

•61 percent of wrong way drivers who caused a car accident were under the influence of drugs or alcohol
•Wrong way accidents are more prevalent during non-daylight hours, particularly early morning hours before sunlight
•Approximately 50 percent of crashes caused by wrong way drivers resulted in an incapacitating injury or fatality, which is significantly higher than other states.
•Males account for slightly over two-thirds of the wrong way drivers in Texas, and almost half of wrong way drivers were under the age of 34.

Ricardo Megallon was a hard working citizen that was on his way to work to support his wife and two children. Two months ago a similar case went through the court system and the wrong way/intoxicated driver received a slap on the wrist. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Megallon family and I hope that justice is served to Eric Supe.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas Fort Worth Drunk Driving Attorney Mark Anderson. If you have any questions regarding a wrong way or drunk driver, go online or give us a call for a free consultation.

A 23-year-old Arlington man died Wednesday after he was involved in a motorcycle accident in Arlington, Texas. Hung Dang Pham was driving south in the 6100 block of New York Avenue at about 10:40 a.m. when he lost control of his motorcycle in a curve in the roadway and he smashed into a brick wall. Pham was taken by ground ambulance to Mansfield Methodist Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about 11:40 p.m., according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's website. The motorcycle was a 2010 Kawasaki Ninja and the driver was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, police said. This is the 14th traffic fatality in Arlington this year.

This is truly a sad story. Many times when one dies in a motorcycle accident the driver is usually drinking and driving, not wearing a helmet, speeding excessively, or because another driver did not see them. It sounds to me that Pham was not doing anything wrong. While driving a motorcycle it can be very easy to lose control, the top 5 most common types of motorcycle accidents are: 1) Accidents that happen on bends in country roads, 2) Crashes that happen in intersections, 3) Wrecks that occur while overtaking slower vehicles, 4) Loss of control while riding, and 5) Poor road surface conditions. Please be careful when driving a motorcycle.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas-Fort Worth Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Mark A. Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. If you have questions regarding a motorcycle accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A man was killed Sunday when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed in Grand Prairie. The motorcycle accident happened about 3 p.m. in the 6000 block of Lake Ridge Parkway. Jerry Glenn Riddle, 63, was riding a 2008 Harley-Davidson motorcycle for the first time near Lynn Creek Marina, police said. He was riding next to his brother when he fell and slid 100 yards, striking his head on a guardrail post. Riddle had no motorcycle license and was not wearing a helmet, he died at the scene, police said.

Whether you are riding down the street or around the world, it is very important that you wear the proper helmet. Motorcycle crash statistics show that helmets are about 37 percent effective in preventing crash fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates an unhelmeted rider is 40 percent more likely to suffer a fatal head injury and 15 percent more likely to incur a nonfatal head injury than a helmeted motorcyclist. The smallest motorcycle accident can still cause a fatality if you aren’t wearing a helmet, so please take one minute to put your helmet on before you get on a motorcycle.

Information and commentary is provided by Texas Motorcycle Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. If you have questions about a motorcycle accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A Dallas police officer was hurt Thursday morning when his squad car was hit by a drunk driver in far North Dallas. The officer was southbound on Montfort Drive shortly after 1 a.m. when a woman driving east on Belt Line Road ran a red light and struck him. The impact spun the officer's squad car into a pickup and another vehicle stopped at the intersection. Neither those drivers nor the woman were hurt. The officer, who was not identified, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment. His condition is still unknown. The woman, identified as 29-year-old Melinda Barbara Rodriguez, faces a charge of driving while intoxicated (DWI), which could be upgraded depending on the officer’s injuries.

I’m very glad to hear that they’re was non life-threatening injuries to the police officer and hopefully he has a swift recovery that will allow him to get back to work. About 21 percent of driving-age Americans reported they had driven after drinking in the past year, making about 950 million drinking-driver trips. In about 9 percent of these trips, or about 80 million, the driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was 0.08 or above. With this statistic your chances of getting involved in an accident are high even if you have not been drinking. An important tip is to try minimizing your driving late at night when many drunk drivers are out.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas and Fort Worth Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Mark A. Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. If you have any questions about a drunk driving accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Dr. Gary Purdue, chief of the burn section at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and co-director of the Parkland Memorial Hospital burn unit in Dallas for 22 years, has died in a motorcycle crash. Police said he was riding north in the 10400 block of Webb Chapel Road at 7:20 a.m. when the driver of an SUV ran a stop sign, hit him and knocked him through a backyard fence. Even though Purdue was wearing a helmet, he was pronounced dead at Parkland Memorial Hospital this morning. Police arrested the SUV's driver, Justin Heaton, and charged him with intoxication manslaughter.

Purdue was a past president of the American Burn Association and a burn specialist who was instrumental in leading the Parkland burn unit to national prominence. The unit is one of the nation's largest and treats almost 1,000 burn patients a year. Purdue is survived by his wife, daughter, three sons and a grandson.

This is truly a tragic, senseless loss for his family, friends, and citizens that he has touched the past 22 years. Wearing a helmet, not riding when roads are slick, and making yourself visible to other cars, is all good advice when riding a motorcycle. However, even though Purdue was abiding every rule in the book, there was nothing he could do to stop an intoxicated, reckless driver from slamming into him. Justin Heaton’s myspace page says he likes to “party, party, party,….and that I am reckless.” Justice will be served on Justin, but I am sad that North Texas lost Purdue, such an outstanding citizen.

Information and commentary is provided by Texas Motorcycle Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. If you have any questions about a motorcycle accident or a drunk driving accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Ah, yes the Red River Rivalry has come. For many Tarrant and Dallas County residents this is the biggest game of the year. However, with a big football game comes many people and many drunk drivers. In anticipation of the thousands of fans from the universities of Texas and Oklahoma, the Department of Public Safety will be stepping up patrols along the major interstates feeding the Cotton Bowl. Troopers will patrol IH-35, IH-45 and IH-20, and will be looking for drunk drivers, speeders, aggressive drivers and those not wearing safety belts. The increased patrols will run from Friday morning through Sunday night.

I’m sure fans are ecstatic about this weekend. If you are going to be drinking this weekend, please plan ahead. Take a cab or public transportation. Or make sure you have a designated driver. Whatever you do, just don’t drink and drive.

Ross Jurewitz, a San Diego Injury Lawyer and avid UT fan, has entered into an interesting bet about the game with a friend or his who is a OU fan. The loser must display the other team’s logo on their Facebook profile for a week. Click to read about the Texas-Oklahoma Facebook Bet.

Information and commentary is provided by Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.