Dallas Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Just a few short weeks after Texas legislators put ink to paper on a new bill that potentially will outlaw texting while driving, Fort Worth is singled out as a test city for new smartphone apps designed to help drivers find available parking spaces quicker and easier. While I can appreciate the convenience such services would provide Tarrant County motorists, as a personal injury attorney, I am more concerned about how they are likely to increase distracted driving on our streets.

One app, Parking In Motion (PIM) is allows drivers to access up-to-date information such as occupancy, rates and hours of operation for more than 80 parking lots and garages in Fort Worth. The other, an iPhone app called Parker, is oriented towards parking meters. Sensors have been placed at metered parking spots along Fourth Street which can detect whether someone is already parked there, or whether the space is available. That information can then be accessed by people using the app.

The CEO of the company behind Parker, Zia Yusef, defended the app claiming that it could actually help reduce inner-city congestion since 30% of downtown traffic is people looking for parking spaces. It might, but if those who are driving are more focused on tapping their touchscreens than on their surroundings it seems like a bad trade-off to me. Each year in Texas, 3,300 auto wrecks are caused by distracted driving. The average number of annual fatalities from such crashes is 408. Anything that takes a driver’s attention off the road is bad.

Mark Anderson is an experienced car wreck lawyer who has been helping accident injury victims and their families across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for 20 years. If you or a loved one have been hurt as a result of someone else’s negligence, call Mark for a free consultation on your personal situation. Call toll free on 800-354-MARK (6275).

As a Dallas-Fort Worth auto accident attorney, I like to keep my finger on the pulse of local traffic news such as recent motor vehicle wrecks, or upcoming road construction. Recently I heard that an electric car charging company, NRG Energy Inc., planned on installing 70 such vehicle recharging stations throughout the DFW area by the end of next year. I’ll admit it; I scoffed a little when I heard that news. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for reducing our reliance on oil and helping ease climate change, but it just didn’t seem feasible.

It appears I was wrong… Electric cars are catching on – and what’s more – they could make us safer. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released the results from their inaugural tests on electric cars this week and reported that both the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf got top safety ratings. Since both vehicles have heavy battery packs the cars actually have the weights similar to typical sedans rather than the small cars they actually are. That extra mass can really help in the event of a collision, and both the Volt and the Leaf earned top marks for front, side and rear-impact crashes, as well as for rollover protection. That certainly sounds promising to me – maybe electric cars have arrived after all. Now what about those hoverboards…?

Mark Anderson is a board-certified personal injury trial lawyer who helping injured drivers and passengers for over 20 years. He is also the author of the book 15 Mistakes That Could Wreck Your Texas Accident Case. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a car crash call for a free consultation at 817-294-1900 in Fort Worth, or 214-327-8000 in Dallas.

Life for Dallas drivers on LBJ is about to get a little more congested as construction begins on the LBJ Express.

For the next five years, commuters can expect traffic delays and lane closures as crews reconstruct Interstate 635 between Interstate 35E and Highway 75.

When it’s complete, the $2.7 billion project will nearly double the capacity on the freeway and include managed toll lanes.

Although there will be at least four lanes for use in both directions for traffic, the lanes open will be changing frequently. Because of the changing areas of construction, drivers should avoid talking on cell phones and texting at all costs. Distracted driving on LBJ during this construction could have terrible consequences for you and your passengers.

North Texans know that wherever there is highway construction there is bound to be traffic. Hopefully this massive project will move smoothly over the next five years with the help of cautious drivers. The more aware we are as motorists, the less likely it is car accidents will happen.

Mark Anderson is a Board Certified personal injury attorney practicing in Fort Worth and Dallas. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, call the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 or 214-327-8000. We’ll help you deal with the insurance company and no money is ever needed up-front to hire us.

This time it wasn’t a distracted or drunk driver that caused Westbound Interstate 20 to shut down – it was the sun!

Last night at about 7 p.m., a chain-reaction of rear end accidents happened between westbound Interstate 20 and Park Springs Boulevard when the rain suddenly stopped and out popped the blazing sun. Driver’s said the sun’s glare off the wet pavement impaired visibility and caused the 50 car pileup.

In car accidents like this, there are usually more injuries but luckily nobody was seriously hurt!

My law firm in Fort Worth takes all kinds of car accident cases. If you’ve been injured in a car wreck, give us a call. We can help you with the insurance company and get your car accident claim taken care of quickly.

It’s a little rainy again today in Fort Worth. Hopefully the sun can make up its mind by rush hour and not make another surprise appearance!

Although the price of gas continues to dominate headlines and many people are focusing more on fuel-efficiency or even trading in their cars and trucks for motorcycles, as an Arlington personal injury lawyer, I still think that the safety ranking of a new vehicle still trumps all other concerns. After all, no-one plans on being in a crash, but accidents do happen. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently revamped their star safety ratings for 2011 in order to make the rankings easier to understand for consumers. The idea behind the new system is to rank cars across a broader spectrum allowing for a clearer differentiation similar to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) good/acceptable/marginal/poor scale.

Even though technology constantly advances, there are still numerous wrecks on the roads around Fort Worth and Dallas every single day. So it’s a good thing that NHTSA’s ratings have become far more stringent with the new system. Therefore it’s important to recognize that although the simplistic 5-star rating chart appears simple and similar to hotel and restaurant ratings, they are actually the result of intense testing designed to provide precise data on how safe a given vehicle actually is. The ranking system then shows how different cars and trucks compare their ability to protect their driver and passengers from injuries and prevent auto collision fatalities.

Mark Anderson is a board certified PI attorney who has appeared on CBS 11, NBC 5, WFAA 8 ABC and The 33 News. He is also author of the books 15 Mistakes That Could Wreck Your Texas Accident Case and Roadmap To Winning Your Texas Motorcycle Accident Case. If you or a loved one have been hurt in a crash that was not your fault, call now for a free consultation on your case at 800-354-MARK (6275).

There have been several serious drunk driving traffic wrecks in and around Fort Worth over the past few weeks, which is particularly worrisome to me as a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer. Getting in the driver’s seat after drinking is incredibly dangerous – if you’re not sober enough to calculate your bar tip or walk to the door in a straight line, then what on Earth makes you think you’re capable of operating a 3+ ton vehicle at 60 mph?

One drunken idiot showed just how stupid drinking and driving was on Saturday night. At about 7pm, a drunken motorist crashed into two parked police cars on I-20 near the Highway 360 exit in Arlington. Police officers were investigating an earlier collision when the drunk’s car smashed into two unoccupied squad cars and flipped upside-down. The driver of the car was rushed to hospital although his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Fortunately, no police officers were injured in the wreck. Reports state that the driver was driving while intoxicated and was speeding.

Texas has more alcohol-related auto accident fatalities than any other state. I’m a proud Texan, but that’s one honor I think we can all agree to be ashamed of. Based on statistics, four people die every single day as a result of drink driving crashes. That is simply not acceptable, and that’s why I continue working for the rights of those people who suffer as a result of other’s negligence and recklessness. As a board-certified personal injury and wrongful death attorney I offer free, no obligation consultations of accident victims and their family members, so give me a call toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275) or locally at 817-294-1900.

Alcohol related car accidents are a part of my job as a personal injury lawyer in Fort Worth. I’ve practiced PI law for more than 20 years and during that time some of the most devastating cases I’ve taken have been caused by a drunk driver.

April is National Alcohol Awareness Month. I know, I know – there’s a “National Awareness Month” for everything. But take a look at the havoc alcohol has caused on our North Texas roads in the last few weeks:

• March 24, 2011 – a drunk driver pulled out in front of an 18-wheeler on an Interstate 20 ramp in Fort Worth. The truck careened over the retainer wall and dangled at 100 feet for an hour until crews could rig a harness to rescue the truck driver. Luckily everyone survived the accident, but morning traffic was piled up for hours because of the shutdown ramp.

• March 28, 2011 – a drunk driver headed the wrong way on Interstate 30 in east Fort Worth slammed into a full tanker truck, causing a huge explosion that shut down I30 for hours and killed the innocent truck driver. Due to the damage caused by the explosion, parts of I30 will be shut down for repairs until at least July and traffic continues to be a problem near the accident scene. Did I mention the repairs to the bridge will cost $700,000? Louis Nieves, the drunk driver that caused the wreck, walked away from the accident with just a few scratches.

• April 10, 2011 – Fort Worth Stockyard legend, Randy Rostetter, was killed by a suspected drunk driver. Randy had been a fixture in the Stockyards greeting guests and taking pictures with his steer, Lone Star, for more than 20 years.

People die in alcohol related car accidents every week in Fort Worth, this is just a small sampling of that. Drunk drivers affect us all – don’t be one of them.

Just one day after Texas legislators announced House Bill 243 would prohibit texting while driving (but not reading text messages) one North Texas city has decided that the regulations are not enough. On Tuesday, Arlington City Council took the first steps to implement a blanket ban on using cellphones while driving unless they either can be operated entirely hands-free, or are voice-activated. As a Tarrant County auto accident lawyer, I wholeheartedly support this decision and I’m glad to see Arlington take such a definitive step in outlawing distracted driving.

As cellphones have become prevalent throughout our culture - making it possible to email, tweet, read the latest news headlines and even play games on the move - so more people have been tempted to pick up their cellphone while behind the wheel of their car. Big mistake. In 2009 alone, TxDot attributed 408 traffic wreck fatalities to distracted driving. The problem isn’t going away, and while it’s encouraging to see the city of Arlington take the lead in imposing regulations, we must all take responsibility for our actions. That’s why I’ve visited high schools across DFW, asking students to sign a pledge to not text and drive. In exchange, they get a bracelet to wear and remind them of the promise they made to protect their life and the lives of others. To sign the pledge yourself, click here and I will mail you a bracelet.

Mark Anderson is a board certified personal injury attorney with 20 years of success in protecting the rights of car crash and motorcycle collision victims across Texas. If you or a loved one has been hurt due to someone else’s negligence, call 817-294-1900 to set up a free no obligation to discuss your personal situation and understand your legal rights.

As a personal injury lawyer and a father, it always saddens me to learn of a child that has been hurt in an auto collision, so I was particularly distraught to hear that a 7-year-old girl, Frida Flores, was killed on Friday. Frida was riding her bicycle in the parking lot outside her home at Polo Run Apartments in Arlington, when she was vehicle hit her. She was transported to Arlington Memorial Hospital where she later died of her injuries. The driver of the vehicle which struck her was reported to be cooperating with the police’s investigation, although the cause of the accident has not yet been determined. My thoughts are with Frida’s family and friends at this upsetting time.

This sad story reminds us once again that both motorists and other road users must always be careful. Parking lots can be dangerous places for pedestrians as the assumption is that drivers will see you, but this is rarely the case. Just yesterday, an adult pedestrian was fatally struck in a separate parking lot crash in Fort Worth. Although drivers (should) drive slower in parking lots, it doesn’t mean they do, and they don’t necessarily pay attention to people around them either. Actually, in my experience, many motorists feel they don’t need to yield to pedestrian’s right of way at all.

Unfortunately, no matter how much care we take to keep ourselves and our families safe, accidents do still happen. To try and minimize the risks, you should always supervise your children while they play. If there is a park nearby, that is always preferable to playing in the parking lot. With the warm spring weather upon us, it is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors, but please be safe out there.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth car wreck injury lawyer, I am amazed at this video of a graphic traffic accident - filmed from inside the damaged car - which has already had more than 800,000 views on YouTube since it was posted over the weekend. It shows a 2x4 plank of wood fly up from the roadway and smash through the windshield, barely missing the driver. It is miracle that she escaped unscathed. Be warned before you watch it: it is not for the faint of heart.

There is already significant controversy surrounding this video online, not least among distracted driving opponents since the driver filmed the incident while the car was in motion - meaning that she was clearly not giving her complete attention to the road ahead. The driver, Wendy Cobb, from Shelby, North Carolina, has defended her actions, saying that she was trying to capture a dangerous game of “cat and mouse” between two trucks, with the intention of turning the tape over to the companies the drivers worked for. Some of this is evident from the first part of the footage, and particularly poignant to truckers in the DFW area following all the 18-wheeler collisions we’ve seen recently.

If you are like me, however, you were probably most startled by the sheer speed and force with which the 2x4 smashed through the windshield. Even though Cobb herself was not injured, it’s incredible that she didn’t lose control of her vehicle. This startling footage should serve as a vivid reminder that cars, trucks and motorcycles alike should all be vigilant and paying attention when out of the roads. You never know what debris or other hazards you might encounter, and not everyone will be as lucky as Ms. Cobb.

Mark Anderson is a board-certified personal injury trial lawyer, and author of the book 15 Mistakes That Could Wreck Your Texas Accident Case. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a car crash that was not your fault, call the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation on 817-294-1900.

The drunk driver who slammed into a Dallas police officer’s car!

Luckily no one was injured last night when the drunk driver hit the officer’s car. The police officer was out of his vehicle directing traffic around another accident when his car was hit by the intoxicated driver.

Now how dumb is this guy? Probably the last thing you want to do is hit a police car, but to be intoxicated when you crash into it…wow. Another example of just how easy it is for drunk drivers to cause accidents.

Many thanks to WFAA for bringing us this story of sheer stupidity. Thankfully everyone in this situation is ok, but as I know from my career as a personal injury lawyer in Fort Worth, drunk driving accidents usually don’t end with everybody unscathed.

Drunk drivers really get my blood boiling. If you ever get hit by a drunk driver, call my law firm at 817-293-1900 or contact us here. We’ll do everything we can to get you the justice you deserve.

I hope this idiot of the day gets his reality check and doesn’t drive drunk in Dallas again.

A repeat DWI offender from Arlington, Jose Isabel Lopez Jr., 34, was sentenced to 32 years in prison last week, following four previous convictions of driving while intoxicated in Tarrant, Dallas and Ellis counties. An Ellis County jury found Lopez guilty on Friday April 1, and assessed the sentence which was handed down by Judge Bob Carroll, 40th Judicial District Court of Ellis County. As a personal injury attorney, it is good to see the public take drink driving offenses so seriously. More so than any other type of auto accident, those involving alcohol are 100% preventable. The driver makes the decision to drink and then get in their car or truck, when they know that really they should take advantage of one of the other options available to them – to get a lift from a friend, or to take a cab.

Lopez clearly has little to no respect for his fellow citizens otherwise he would have not put their lives in danger so many times by getting behind the wheel in his inebriated state on so many occasions. Given his track record of similar convictions one can only fathom how many times he attempted to drive the DFW roadways without being stopped. Texas had a total of 1,463 alcohol-related fatalities in 2008 (the most recent year with available data). That accounted for 43% of all traffic collision deaths in Texas, and put the Lone Star State higher than any other state (the second most, California, had 265 fewer alcohol-related deaths in wrecks than Texas, although it had more crash fatalities overall).

I applaud the jury that sat on Lopez’s case and I hope that the news of this sentencing will prompt people to realize just how serious an offense driving while intoxicated is. Lopez was extremely lucky that he personally had never killed anyone, but he posed a serious threat to both himself and an untold number of others. Maybe on his 66th birthday, after spending half his life behind bars, he’ll realize that.

Mark Anderson is an Arlington personal injury and wrongful death lawyer. If you or a loved one have been hurt in an accident which was not your fault, call the Anderson Law Firm toll free on 800-354-MARK (6275) to set up a free, no obligation consultation on your case.

Although there have been a spate of hit and run accidents across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex recently, I was particularly upset to hear of once such incident which occurred early Saturday morning in Grand Prairie. The victim was a three-year-old boy named Hiram Cobos Jr. The good news is that Hiram is reported to be recovering and is currently being treated in Cook Children’s Medical Center’s Intensive Care Unit.

Hiram’s father, Hiram Sr., and mother, Connie Cobos, said that they were pulled over on Highway 360 close to Post and Paddock Lane because they had been experiencing engine trouble. As the family walked towards the frontage road a white two-door pick-up truck with an extended cab struck Hiram Jr., knocking him down. His father said the truck, believed to be either a GMC or Chevy, seemed to break momentarily following the collision, but did not stop. He ran after the truck but could not catch it. Hiram Jr. was rushed to hospital with a broken leg and swelling in the brain.

My thoughts are with the Cobos family at what must be a most difficult time, and I hope that young Harim will make a full recovery. As a father myself, I cannot even imagine what emotional turmoil Harim’s parents must be going through right now. It doesn’t even bear thinking about. As for the driver that knocked down the 3 year old, I am utterly disgusted. While most accidents are preventable, they do still happen, but fleeing the scene as this driver did is unbelievably cowardly. I cannot begin to fathom what sort of person would knock down a young child and just keep on driving. Please, if you believe you have any information regarding this hit-and-run, I urge you to contact Grand Prairie Police Department on 972-237-8790.