Dallas Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Every day in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area someone will decide to drink and drive. About a year ago, Mariza Rodriguez Martinez decided to drink and drive with a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.13 percent, above the 0.08 legal limit. Martinez left Gleneagles Country Club in Plano and drove the wrong direction on the freeway, which ended tragically killing Kara Taylor, 16, of Little Elm. Martinez reached speeds of 95 mph as she weaved from one side of the road to the other. Collin County jury found Martinez guilty of intoxication, manslaughter, and intoxication assault. The punishment phase of the trial is scheduled to start this morning, which could face up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

I have no sympathy for Martinez. She made choices to drink, she made choices to get intoxicated, and she made choices to get behind the wheel of a car. If you drink and drive, there is a strong chance something bad will happen. In 2007, there were 1,292 fatalities, solely due to drinking and driving. I can’t help, but feel sorry for Kara Taylor, her friends, and her family.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/ Fort Worth Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Mark 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 drunk driving accidents, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

In the past doing something about drunken driving mostly meant imposing more prison time and higher fines. But Texas still leads the nation in alcohol-related fatalities with 1,269 in 2008, the latest year for complete data. Legislators will reconvene in January and several ideas already have been bandied about, from sobriety checkpoints to requiring more use of restrictive car devices.

Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville believes in the 2 strikes, you’re out rule. Her goal is to help repeated violators to stay out of trouble. She is proposing to automatically revoke the license of anyone convicted of a second DWI offense-permanently. Currently under Texas law, licenses are suspended for various time periods typically one year for your first conviction and two years for your second conviction.

Hypothetically, if Sen. Nelson’s proposal were taken into effect, it would lead the defendant or drunk driver to drive without a license or insurance. Many uninsured and unlicensed drivers do not think about driving from one point to another, they just simply do it. Sen. Nelson would need to tighten restrictions on drunken drivers by having sobriety checkpoints and mandatory interlock devices for first time offenders.

In 2007 nearly 13,000 people were killed in drunk driving related crashes. Drunken Driving collisions are the cause of 50% of the fatal wrecks that occur on the weekends. Remember that even if you are not drinking and driving you can still be affected by it. Dallas and Fort Worth are taking many steps in order to get drunk drivers off the road. Please think about the consequences before you drink and drive.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/ Fort Worth Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. For more information about drunk driving accidents, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Tim Hay, a drag racer from Burleson, TX died Saturday night after a car accident at a racetrack in Iowa, where he was competing in an event he had won last year. Hay, 49 years of age, lost control of his car, on the 1/8th-mile dragway during the finals of the World Fuel Altered Nationals at Eddyville Raceway Park in Eddyville, Iowa. Track co-owner Scott Gardner said Monday. The vehicle hit the safety wall and rolled. Rescue personnel pulled Hay out of the car and stabilized him at the track medical center, but the wreck resulted in his death Hay is survived by his wife of 23 years, Candy, three grown children and two grandchildren. Gardner said Hay's wife and one of their sons were at the track when the crash happened.

Hay had competed at Eddyville the past four years and was a well-known veteran of the sport. Tim Hay been racing since the late '70s or early '80s. The nitro methane altered car is one of the toughest to drive in the sport of drag racing. It's sort of a blend between a top fuel dragster and a nitro funny car. It's similar to a funny car, but it's not a full body.

This sport is pretty safe, but there are occasional accidents that unfourantely happen. This is a tragic circumstance for the Hay family and I send my condolences to their family and friends. I assume that an investigation will follow of what went wrong with the car.

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

A Louisiana man will face a jury on manslaughter charges after more than two years after a horrific car crash in Plano killed a family of five.

David Calhoun Jones was driving in a rented Pontiac when he ran a red light on Legacy Drive on June 22, 2008. His car was going nearly 100 mph when he struck a curb and fire hydrant before going airborne. He collided with a Ford Winstar minivan carrying the Hart family and their two foster children.

Geoffrey Hart, 41 and his wife, Laura Christine Hart, 41 were killed instantly, along with their 12-year-old daughter, Rebekah. Two foster children in the family's care died later at area hospitals. Raven Lucas was 5; and her sister, Kevinnesha Palmer, was 6.

A criminal trial has been delayed several times because of Jones' extensive injuries. The crash left him a paraplegic. If convicted of the second-degree felony, Jones' punishment ranges from probation to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for wrongful death.

The trial is set to begin this morning in Collin County before Senior District Judge Quay Parker.
Our sympathies go out to the friends and relatives of the Hart family for this tragic accident that could have been prevented. If Jones had obeyed the posted speed limit or made sure to stop at the red light, these lives could have been saved.

On an average each year, there were 5,589 fatalities to occupants of vehicles and 794 fatalities to nonoccupants in intersections controlled by traffic signals and stop signs. It is unclear as to whether he was driving while intoxicated, but either way his exessive speed was inexcusable. Hopefully, this trial will bring justice to the Hart family.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/ Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. For more information regarding car accidents, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A tragic accident happened yesterday here in Dallas. Terry Glover, 59, died early Thursday morning after a Dallas police cruiser crashed into the back of his Jeep. The Jeep was disabled in the middle of the street, but did have its hazard lights on. After the collision, Glover was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center where he died during surgery.

Officer Adam Stucki, the driver, and Officer Archie Benson were on their way to a call at Methodist Charlton Medical Center. The emergency lights and siren were not on as they approached the disabled vehicle around 1 a.m. The patrol car was driving about 45 mph, according to news reports. When the police vehicle struck the Jeep, it pushed the Jeep through a metal fence and into the front yard of a home.

The collision occurred in the 7600 block of South Polk Street near Camp Wisdom Road, where the speed limit is 40 mph, according to police. It is unknown whether or not Stucki braked before crashing into the Jeep. Stucki has been placed on routine restricted duty while Benson remains on regular duty while the investigation continues. Both officers suffered minor injuries in the accident.

I am very interested to hear the outcome of this investigation. Was Officer Stucki distracted? Did he even see the vehicle and have a chance to apply the brakes before the crash? The Dallas Morning News has posted the video from the patrol car’s dashboard camera. You can click here to watch the video. Mr. Glover’s hazard lights are clearly visible in the video quite a long time before the actual collision occurs.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, and toll free across Texas at 877-294-1115. He can also be contacted by clicking here.

Tammy Sue Stegall was sentenced to 30 years in prison yesterday for the death of 57-year-old Billy Stroud. Stroud died tragically on August 11, 2009 when Stegall, driving drunk, struck his motorcycle with her Nissan Maxima. Stegall ran over Stroud and pushed his motorcycle along the ground. He later died at John Peter Smith hospital from his injuries.

Stegall was convicted of murder because she had two previous charges of driving while intoxicated. The last, in August 2008, caused her to lose her driver’s license. She was driving illegally when she struck Stroud.

According to news reports, Stroud had recently purchased a motorcycle with the intention of joining the Patriot Guard motorcycle riders. The Patriot Guard participates in military funerals and protects the grieving family from protestors. Stroud’s son, Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan Stroud, 20, died in July 2009 in Afghanistan. He was buried three days before his father’s death. Stroud had been so impressed with the Patriot Guard at his son’s funeral that he wanted to join the group.

Stegall must serve 15 years of her 30 year sentence before she will be eligible for parole. According to prosecutor Richard Alpert, “our two goals were to obtain a murder conviction and a sentence that would keep her in prison for the rest of her life. Given her long history of drug abuse and the fact that she is 51, we think the 30 years and her guilty plea to the murder charge achieve both goals."

What a terrible tragedy for the Stroud family to suffer. I think this person deserves to remain behind bars for the rest of her life, but that must offer little solace to the family and friends of Mr. Stroud. Unfortunately, drunk driving is an epidemic in Texas. Drunk driving causes over 1,500 deaths each year in Texas; this makes up 45% of all traffic fatalities. I hope that Stegall does not receive parole. With her history, I don’t think she should ever be allowed on the road again.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who fights every day for the rights of those injured in drunk driving accidents. He can be contacted in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, in Dallas at 214-327-8000, and toll free across Texas at 877-294-1115. He can also be reached by clicking here.

The Lewisville, Texas Police Department is looking for the driver and a passenger of a dark gray or black Chevrolet Tahoe or Suburban that fled the scene of a fatal car/motorcycle accident which occurred early Sunday morning. According to the Lewisville Police, at about 4:00 a.m. Sunday, the SUV collided with a motorcycle at the intersection of State Highway 121 (business) and Bellaire Boulevard in Lewisville. The driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene and a passenger on the motorcycle was taken to a local hospital.

According to police, the dark Chevrolet should have significant damage to its front end. The fog light housing that was mounted below the front bumper was torn off and left at the scene of the fatal accident. The housing still contained one fog light. Plus, the Chevrolet “bowtie” logo was also broken off from the grille of the SUV and left at the scene. Anyone with any information on the identity of the driver and the passenger of this Chevrolet, please contact the Lewisville Police Department at 972 219 3600.

I hope these criminals who fled the scene are found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It is against Texas law to be involved in an accident and flee the scene. This is such a tragic accident-and one that was definitely preventable. My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of the unidentified motorcyclist. I also hope the passenger of the motorcycle has a speedy recovery.

Information and commentary provided by Mark Anderson, injury attorney. The Anderson law firm can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817 294 1900 or across Texas at 877 294 1115. They can also be contacted by clicking here.

After being thrown from his car after it rolled several times on Texas 183, a Farmers Branch man was killed early Sunday.According to police, his vehicle failed to negotiate a curve on the highway and crashed.

The Dallas County medical examiner’s office identified the victim as Bipin Thapa, 26, who was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger was in good condition Sunday. Police still have yet to identify the man, who was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

The accident was reported about 1 a.m. Sunday in the westbound lanes of Texas 183 in Irving. Thapa was driving a gold 2000 Honda Civic at a high-rate of speed when he attempted to exit the highway. He lost control of the car, and it slid off the highway. His vehicle rolled several times.

Thapa did not appear to be wearing a seat belt even though his passenger was.

It is always a tragic circumstance when these kinds of accidents happen, especially when the accident may have been prevented. There is the issue of not wearing a seat belt. In 2008 alone, the nighttime period with the highest percentage of unrestrained fatalities (72 percent) was midnight to 3 a.m. Wearing a seat belt while driving is still the single most effective thing drivers and passengers can do to save lives. There is no debatable reason why a person shouldn’t be wearing a seat belt so suck it up and buckle up.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 car accident of any kind, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Early Monday morning one person died in a Fort Worth automobile wreck, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office.

Initial reports showed that a major crash happened 2:31 a.m. and that a vehicle had hit a pole and overturned.

Additional details on the crash were unavailable at 9 a.m. Monday morning, but KDFW Fox 4 has reported that the wreck took place in the 2400 block of Joel Road.

A spokeswoman for MedStar stated that an ambulance was sent to the location, but no one was transported from the scene.

Hopefully throughout the next couple days we will receive more information on this fatal car accident. Accident investigation plays a very important role when trying to find answers to why and how the accident happened. In cases where the cause of the wreck is disputable or the injuries are going to be disputed, it is absolutely imperative that a complete and thorough investigation be conducted. Our deepest sympathies for the family and friends of the victim.

Information and Commentary is provided by Car Accident Attorney Mark Anderson. If you or a loved has been in a car accident, call the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation. We can be reached toll free at 877.294.1115 or you can contact us online.

The woman killed in the fiery crash on I-20 yesterday morning in Arlington, Texas has been identified.

Lauren Price, 21, was identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office after her car crashed into a pole off the highway. There is no information on where she resided or what she was doing on the road at 3:30 in the morning.

Our deepest sympathies go out to Lauren’s family and friends. This type of tragedy is a hard obstacle to overcome, and we hope that they eventually find peace after mourning. I assume an investigation is to follow as to what caused the accident.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. For more information about car accidents, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A motorist was killed early Thursday morning on Interstate 20 near the Collins Street exit.

Witnesses told police that the car was westbound on I-20 at about 3:30 a.m. when the vehicle drove off the highway and struck a pole of a message board on the shoulder. According to police, the vehicle then caught fire, killing the driver at the scene.

It is unclear whether drugs, alcohol or speed played a role in the wreck. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office has yet to release the name of the driver.

What saddens me the most about this is that this is the 10th traffic fatality in Arlington this year. No matter what the cause of the accident was, I’m sure it could have been prevented. I see the results of automobile accidents every single day, and I always analyze them on how they could have been prevented. Hopeful a full investigation will reveal how this wreck could have been avoided.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark Anderson. If you have questions about a particular car accident case, the Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. Fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A Plano teen, 16-year-old Nicole LeGrow, was killed in an afternoon accident Thursday on Highway 121 in The Colony.

LeGrow, a student at Jasper High School in Plano, died in the collision. She was a passenger in a sedan that lost control and crashed in the northbound lanes of hwy 121 near Plano Parkway.

The driver, 16-year-old Alexandra Hays, was airlifted to a Dallas hospital. She remains in critical condition.

The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.

Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to Nicole LeGrow and Alexandra Hays’s friends and family. We wish a speedy and healthy recovery for Hays. Accidents involving loved ones are always a tragic situation. Hopefully the accident investigation will show more insight into what happened Thursday afternoon.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 car accident, please fill our out contact from online for a free consultation.

A Fort Worth police officer, critically injured Thursday afternoon when his patrol car slammed into a tree during a pursuit, remained in a hospital intensive care unit Friday morning, but medical evaluations overnight showed some "positive results," police officials said.

The injured officer, Richard Lambing, 37, is a 15-year veteran of the department. He was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth with life-threatening injuries. The officials noted that the officer was stabilized and moved to a private room in the ICU.

The wreck occurred about 1:50 p.m. as Lambing joined in the high-speed pursuit of a motorcyclist whom Tarrant County sheriff's officers had tried to pull over as he left a suspected drug house in Mansfield.

The officer had just taken an exit ramp from East Loop 820 to eastbound Interstate 30 when he lost control of his car, which hit the tree in a grassy area beside the freeway.

Police said they will investigate the cause of the crash, road conditions and whether policies and procedures were followed.

Investigators would also look into the origin of the chase and the involvement of Fort Worth police.

Our prayers go out to Officer Lambing who was just doing his job. We hope he will be able to stabilize so he can get out of ICU. Remember, high speeds are dangerous and can cause accidents. He had a reason for doing so, but the motorcyclist did not which was irresponsible and hazardous. High speed chases may seem like a thrilling idea, but in reality, someone usually gets hurt.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. For questions regarding car accidents, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Deion Jackson-Houston, rated as one of the top basketball recruits in the Class of 2012, died over the Fourth of July holiday weekend when a train crashed into a car he was driving in Duncan, Okla. Jackson-Houston, a talented point guard from Duncanville, Texas, was the leader of Texas Bluechips-Navy, an elite Amateur Athletic Union 17-and-under basketball team. He was considered the main attraction for college scouts at this week's summer showcase tournament that will start play Friday in Duncanville.

Duncanville boys basketball coach Eric McDade says he is still in shock. “You don't think about this kind of thing happening and when it does, you just realize how precious life really is,” McDade said.

Jackson-Houston was on a trip to a local Family Dollar store while visiting relatives when a train hit the back passenger side door of the automobile he was driving at about 7 p.m. on July 3rd. According to reports, he was driving up onto the tracks and slowed down before he proceeded on. I guess he just didn’t see the train. I wonder whether the intersection had lights and gates? Was a horn blown? The news reports did not mention this, but it makes me wonder if this death could have been prevented.

The train reportedly dragged Jackson-Houston's car almost two blocks before it pushed the automobile off the tracks. Jackson-Houston did not have a pulse when he was placed in an ambulance but later regained one at Duncan Regional Hospital.

Two hours later, Jackson-Houston was flown to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City where he died after 11 p.m. His father says that while he looked fine from the outside, his internal injuries were just too severe.

Last season, Jackson-Houston was a starter for Duncanville and played next to three highly-regarded players in Perry Jones, an All-American forward/center, Julian Washburn and Luke Mergerson. According to his father, Jackson-Houston had scholarship offers from Southern Methodist, Florida International, Baylor, Old Dominion, San Jose State, North Texas, San Diego State and Bradley.

These types of accidents are always tragic, but this is especially hard to write about because he was a young kid with a bright future. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Jackson-Houston family. There are over 6 million auto wrecks each year, with almost 3 million resulting personal injuries and approximately 42,000 crash related deaths.

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

The Interstate 35 corridor runs from Laredo through North Texas to Gainesville, and it is known as one of the most important links for business in the state.

But state and local leaders agree that the highway is not ready for what the future holds: More traffic and more commerce. The city is designing a new approach to develop plans for improvements called My 35.

The idea behind it is to involve local leaders and citizens at every segment of the interstate across Texas. I-35 is more than just a highway; it's one of the state's primary routes for freight and passenger cars and trucks. Improving it is a huge issue.

Segment committees are meeting across Texas. One of those panels will gather in Arlington Wednesday morning to discuss Segment One of the highway, which runs through 11 North Texas counties.

Those counties and seven local cities — including Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, McKinney, Rockwall and Weatherford — will all be represented.

Everyone seems to agree that I-35 needs more room for traffic and improved safety. The challenge is coming up with a plan that does exactly that — from South Texas to the Oklahoma border.

Keeping roadways as safe and traffic-free as possible is important, especially in an area as busy as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. I think it’s great that the city is willing to include its’ citizens in this planning, because they are the people who utilize the highway most frequently. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were over 37,000 deaths in the United States this year from fatal car crashes. A roadway that is more open and less congested might prevent some of these accidents from happening.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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, fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A wrong-way accident on I-30 at Ferguson Road Sunday morning left one person dead and three injured. The Sheriff’s Department said that a woman driving a pickup truck with two passengers was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes and crashed head on with another vehicle.

The female passenger in the front seat, identified as Ana Tello, was pronounced dead at the scene. The pickup driver and the male passenger who was in the backseat were taken to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas in serious condition. The driver of the Tahoe was taken to a local hospital in good condition.

The names of the injured victims have not been made public, pending notification of family members.

This is a serious accident that could have been prevented, and The Anderson Law Firm sends their sympathy to Ana Tello and the other victims. As drivers, please remember to follow all roadway signs, because the driver would have likely been able to see that she was going the wrong way. The public almost becomes numb to the fact that traffic wrecks happen to other people. But the national statistics show that we are all likely going to become involved in a traffic incident at some time or another—there are over 6 million auto wrecks each year, with almost 3 million resulting personal injuries and approximately 42,000 crash related deaths. Make sure to pay attention while driving to prevent accidents like these.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 car accident, please fill our out contact from online for a free consultation.

A man died Friday afternoon after his motorcycle collided with a Nissan Cube on Blue Mound Road in north Fort Worth. The motorcyclist has been identified as William Copeland, 51, of Haslet.

Police have said the driver of the Cube was pulling away from a stop sign on the northbound access road to U.S. 287 about 2:30 p.m. Friday when the collision occurred. Copeland was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said that after the collision, the motorcycle continued on Blue Mound Road about 120 feet and then burst into flames. The driver of the Cube was not injured.

The Anderson Law Firm sends out condolences to the Copeland family. Hopefully, the police will be able to find out who was at fault in this fatal car crash. It is important for motorcyclists to remember either way that the most common cause of wrecks involving motorcycles is inattention of the other driver. Many times, drivers just don’t see the motorcycle. This accounts for about 70 percent of all wrecks. On the other hand though, motorcyclists need to be extra cautious when riding because they don't have the protection that cars, trucks and other vehicles have while on the road.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth motorcycle and car accident lawyer Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. For questions regarding a motorcycle accident or questions about a car accident, please fill out our contact from online for a free consultation.

In the south side of Fort Worth, a fatal wreck on Interstate 35 W backed up traffic for miles.

The accident happened on Wednesday night around 8:20 p.m. in the southbound lanes near Garden Acres Boulevard.

At least one person is believed to be dead. There has been no further information on how many other vehicles were involved.

Southbound traffic on I-35W was still being shuffled to service roads more than two hours after the crash.

So far there is no evidence to explain why and how this crash occurred, but hopefully after a thorough investigation those questions will be answered. Through reconstruction of the accident, police may be able to tell what happened. Our sincere condolences go out to the victim’s family.

National statistics show that we are all likely going to become involved in a traffic incident at some time or another—there are over 6 million auto wrecks each year, with almost 3 million resulting personal injuries and approximately 42,000 crash related deaths. By following road safety rules the probability of a being in a car accident is greatly reduced.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 car accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Loya Insurance is one of two large auto insurers that had a complaint record well above the state average in 2009, according to a new listing of “justified” complaints handled by the state Insurance Department.

One driver, Larry Randall, was sideswiped in May 2009, and the driver who was at fault had an insurance policy with Loya Insurance.

““They tried to ignore me from day one, and then they finally sent me a check covering a fraction of my claim. When’s the last time you heard of major damage to the side of a car being fixed for $300?” Randall said, noting he has not cashed the company’s check.

An analysis of the Insurance Department figures by The Dallas Morning News showed that 10 of the 25 largest auto insurers in the state, which are those with more than 100,000 policies, had below average customer service records.

Loya, one of the top companies at the top of the list, is now being investigated by the Insurance Department for violations of state regulations. Loya Insurance is countering back though, arguing that their company serves a unique customer base, typically lower-income drivers who have trouble obtaining insurance.

The Insurance Department Agency is limited in how it can respond to consumer complaints because the department cannot force a company to pay a disputed claim if there is no violation of the law. The agency can also not determine who was at fault in the specific accident. However, the customer complaints do help the Insurance Department Agency with identifying issue of concerns that would otherwise be neglected.

You cannot trust insurance companies—don’t be fooled. The truth is all they really want is for you to sign up with them and make your premium payments on time. When it actually comes time to paying money out on a claim, you can forget all of those friendly slogans. These self-proclaimed “good neighbors” can quickly become your worst nightmare. These insurance companies will not pay you a single dime more than they want to and they don’t pay until it benefits them. They are not looking out for the policyholder’s best interest; they are looking out for their best interest.

Because it’s an adversarial process, the at-fault person’s insurance company has no duty to treat you fairly. So what should a person do if they are injured in an accident? They should at least speak to a Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney about their case. Not all cases need lawyers, but we think all serious injury cases sure do, and the victims need a good lawyer who will fight for their needs so they get proper compensation.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 car accident or questions about an insurance claim, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Jadarion Montez Taylor, a Texas truck driver, died in Converse, Louisiana early Saturday morning. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

According to the Times of Shreveport, the native of Longview, Texas entered a slight left hand curve in the highway, ran off the road to the right and began traveling in the ditch. Montez, 26, was ejected from his diesel fuel 2010 International truck when it flipped several times.

The crash was reported about 7:40 a.m. Saturday morning. The tragedy forced closure of one of the lanes of the highway for several hours as cleanup crews tried to clean the spilled diesel fuel. Taylor was hauling 5,000 gallons of fuel.

I am very saddened to hear of this tragic crash. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Jadarion Montez Taylor. In wrecks involving 18-wheelers, 44% of people injured in a truck accident suffer incapacitating injuries. Tragically, approximately 9% die. This means that 53% of people driving other vehicles in truck-related accidents suffer an incapacitating injury or death as a result of a truck accident. This is an absolutely staggering number, and is exponentially higher than all other types of motor vehicle injury statistics. Fortunately, in this case, there were no other cars involved in this accident.

Information and commentary are provided by Dallas/ Fort Worth Truck Accident Lawyer Mark 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 truck accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A new traffic signal at Interstate 35W and the Basswood Boulevard overpass is confusing motorists, some of whom wonder why lights are pointing in both directions of a frontage road that they think is one-way. Apparently there is a not very well-marked stretch of two-way frontage road at that intersection. This could potentially cause serious car accidents.

Texas Transportation Department officials, who installed the signals late last month, said that they will take a look at the intersection to see whether there are safety concerns. They have received no complaints, and no major accidents because of the configuration have been reported, although drivers who use the area regularly see the danger.

Many northbound motorists, preparing to enter I-35W, mistakenly use the southbound side of the two-way frontage road, not realizing they're on the wrong side of the road. This is probably because the only warning of this two way frontage road is an orange highway sign on the frontage road north of Basswood about 30 feet after the two-way traffic begins.

Hopefully, the Texas Transportation Department can fix this minor problem before it becomes a major problem. Luckily, there have been no major accidents, but it is still something that needs to be fixed, especially if it’s confusing motorists. Drivers could potentially get distracted by the idea of a two-way frontage road, which could indirectly cause an accident. The most common cause of car accidents is not paying attention. And the problem here is that drivers might be paying attention, and that could get them further confused because the roadway signs are confusing.

Information and commentary is provided by the Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 car accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Two children were hurt in a wreck involving ejected people on U.S. 287 Thursday morning in northwest Fort Worth. The children went to Cook’s Children Medical Center and two adults were also taken to other area hospitals.

Police and ambulance crews responded at about 8:35 a.m. to the wreck in the 12100 block of U.S. 287. The area is a short distance northwest of the highway's intersection with Blue Mound Road. There have been no further reports about the extent of injuries.

It is important to remember that most of these motor vehicle accidents happen because a driver make reckless mistakes, like not paying attention. I also hope that everyone was wearing a seatbelt, because that could make the injuries far less severe. Among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants, more than half (55%) of those killed in 2008 were unrestrained. I hope everyone involved in this accident is okay, and I hope that they can figure out what the cause was.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark 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 concerning a car accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Late Thursday, in Pleasant Grove, TX three children were hospitalized after a hit-and-run.
The children were riding in a white Plymouth minivan. The minivan was traveling south on Masters Drive a little after 11p.m. when a silver Lincoln Navigator ran a stop sign at Muskogee Drive and hit them.

The driver on the minivan was unharmed, but four members of his family were taken to various hospitals. The victims include: his wife, an 8-year-old boy, a 3-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl. His youngest daughter, 3-years-old, suffered the most serious injuries out of the group and was taken to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. None of their injuries are thought to be life threatening.

The driver of the Lincoln Navigator fled the scene after the accident. He still remains at large. Police later found the vehicle abandoned in a backyard of a house nearby. Anyone with information can call Dallas Police at 214-670-5817

Hit-and-runs are one of the worst types of accidents to hear about. In this case, a driver of a sports utility vehicle made a mistake by running a stop sign. Mistakes happen, but running away from accident you caused, especially when there are multiple children involved, is despicable. Hopefully the police will be able to track down this reckless driver and bring him to justice.

Most motor vehicle accidents, including this one, happen because driver's make reckless mistakes, like running a stop sign. They can either be simply not paying attention, or it could be the driver was talking on a cell phone, texting, or eating. By following road safety rules the probability of a being in a car accident is greatly reduced. If you have any information about this accident please call the Dallas Police at 214-670-5817. Making a mistake is one thing, running from it is another.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 hit-and-run accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Early Thursday a Dallas teen drove the wrong way on Airport Freeway and collided with a vehicle. The teen is suspected of drunken driving. After the crash the teen fled on foot before he was caught by the Irving police.

Irving patrol officers responded to the accident around 2:30 a.m. in the 2200 block of Texas 183. Witnesses informed police that the 2002 Land Rover was heading east in westbound lanes when the collision happened.

The 16-year-old was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas due to minor injuries. The driver of the other automobile was also taken to Parkland with foot and arm injuries. The current condition of the victim are unavailable.

It’s hard to hear about a 16-year-old boy being suspected of drunk driving. Not only has he just gotten his license, but he is also 5 years shy of legally being able to drink alcohol. Luckily no one was seriously hurt in this unfortunate crash. Hopefully this crash will be a teaching tool for all young drivers on Texas roads.

Drunk Driving is a factor in over 45% of the car accidents that occur on Texas roads. To help ensure your safety on the road, The Anderson Law Firm has traffic safety and preventative tips to make sure you are not a victim of a drunk driving accident.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Mark 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 drunk driving accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Under a measure approved by a Senate Committee Wednesday, States would be rewarded for cracking down on distracted drivers.

The bill will now head to full Senate. If passed the bill would create a $94 million program to give out grants to states that prohibit texting and talking on the phone while driving.

This measure is different from competing bill because it would not punish states for failing to enact distracted driving laws.

Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson agrees that distracted driving poses a serious threat to all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians on the road. Hutchinson favors this new piece of legislation over the competing bill because it respects state rights.

This bill would set a high standard for receiving federal dollars. States would have pass a laws against texting and using phones while driving. The federal dollars would come from surplus cash flow in another highway bill.

Under the bill, law enforcement can pull over drivers for not following the measures. A corresponding house bill has not made it out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee subpanel

After reading in the paper yesterday that Arlington stopped a bill that would prohibit texting while behind the wheel, I find this national news very uplifting. The nation is seeing distracted driving as a problem and is finely taking a stand against it. The giving of federal dollars is a great way to get states to create these laws.

One question I’ve heard is: Is the spending of federal dollars on this program really worth it? Twenty-eight states plus the District of Columbia have laws against texting while driving. Seven States and D.C. also prohibit using phones on the road. Clearly States have already seen the importance of prohibiting distracted driving, is the money worth it? Whatever happens, money or no money, it’s great to see the nation take a stand and something as dangerous as distracted driving. The teens of Fort Worth took take a stand in my Teens Against Distracted Driving program, it will be interesting to see what the Capital does.

Information and Commentary are provided by Dallas/ Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 car accidents or distracted driving please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Yesterday the Arlington City Council shut down the proposal that would have banned texting while driving.

Robert Rivera, The Southeast Arlington representative, recommended the ban. Rivera states that reports show that texting while driving is more dangerous that drunken driving. Unfortunately most of the Council refused to discuss it.

Other Texas Cities, such as Austin and Galveston, have banned texting while driving. Even though the motion came to a halt, Rivera insists that just having the conversation was beneficial. It has heightened awareness even if Arlington doesn’t move forward with the ordinance.

If you support this ban, Rivera encourages all residents to contact their council representatives.
Arlington recently prohibited drivers from talking on cell phones in active school areas. That was a step in the right direction. I hope Arlington can go back and look over the ban to try and get it to pass. It is great to see councilmen like Rivera try and take a stand against distracted driving. Through my program, Teens Against Distracted Driving, I was able to see just how many teens were willing to take a stand against texting and driving and I hope Arlington City Council can represent their wants. Great job Rivera, at least there is more awareness now, and hopefully in the near future the idea will be revisited.

Information and commentary are provided by Dallas/ Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 car accidents or distracted driving please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Police say that wearing seat belts may have prevented serious injury in a van wreck involving children. The Children’s Academy Daycare van was on Highway 360 Monday morning when the brakes locked.

The van tumbled down an embankment on Highway 360 and hit a sign. The six kids and the driver suffered cuts and bruises and were taken to the hospital to be checked out, but wearing a seat belt likely protected them from any severe injury.

These are the blogs I love writing about because it shows the good that can happen when you follow the rules of the road. Wearing a seat belt is important, especially since, among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants, more than half of those killed in 2008 were unrestrained. Putting on a safety belt is a simple action that could save your life, so suck it up and buckle up. You won’t regret it.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 car accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

With the enactment of the new booster seat law, many low-income parents are worried about how they can afford booster seats in their cars for kids up to 8 years old. These booster seats will help prevent injury in the case of a car accident. For parents who can't afford a booster seat, the Texas Department of Health Services gives away free car seats to low-income families through its Safe Riders program.

In the past four months, Safe Riders has given away 540 booster seats and 2,613 car seats to parents across the state. The program has distributed an additional 5,000 car seats to be given out at events around the state.

This is such a great way to ensure that all kids ride safe while in a motor vehicle. It would be hard for all families to obey the law, because some families are unable to purchase a car or booster seat with the income they make. It is estimated that approximately 47 percent of the fatally injured children in the 0 through 9 years old are generally unrestrained. I think it is a great program that is watching out for the safety of children from all types of families, which is always important. Not only will these families follow the law, they will help protect their kids from serious injury.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark 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 car accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A Pepsi products 18-wheeler overturned going southbound on the Dallas Tollway at Beltline yesterday morning.

The tractor trailer truck was traveling southbound when another vehicle cut him off. When he over-corrected, he crossed the median and ended up in the northbound lane of the Tollway. Six vehicles were involved in the accident, and at least two have been towed.

While it was not reported that anyone was hurt, it is important to remember to be cautious when driving next to a large vehicle, like an 18-wheeler. You're looking at a vehicle weighing more than 10,000 pounds; the injuries sustained in a semi-truck wreck are far more severe than a regular car accident. One out of every nine traffic fatalities in 2007 was caused by a tractor-trailer or other large truck. Following the rules of the road could have prevented this accident, so make sure to be attentive and courteous while driving.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Truck Accident Lawyer Mark 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 involving a truck accident or a car accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Authorities were forced to shut down LBJ freeways southbound lanes for hours after a tractor-trailer crushed another vehicle earlier this morning.

One victim died at the scene and the other two members in the wreck were sent to the hospital. Their names and conditions have not been released.

Authorities reopened the freeway about 6 a.m. Authorities are still trying to identify what caused the accident. More details will be released later.

In wrecks involving tractor-trailers, 44% of people injured in a truck wreck suffer devastating injuries. Tragically, around 9% die. This means that 53% of people driving other vehicles in truck-related accidents suffer an incapacitating injury or death as a result of a tractor-trailer crash.

At The Anderson Law Firm we want to help those who have been injured in a truck accident. With investigating and reconstructing the accident, we work to immediately uncover and collect all the facts pertinent to your case. We do this to help those injured get the best possible compensation for their injuries.

So far there is no evidence to explain why and how this crash occurred, but hopefully there will be a thorough investigation. Through reconstruction of the accident, police may be able to tell what happened. Our condolences go out to the family of the deceased victim. We wish for a speedy recovery to the two injured still in the hospital.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 truck accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

An on-duty Dallas police officer, driving a marked squad car, was the victim of a hit-and-run accident Sunday morning while traveling westbound on C.F. Hawn Freeway. Matje collided with a vehicle after the driver of another vehicle sideswiped the police car and then took off.

Police said they have no description of the driver, but said that the hit-and-run vehicle should have heavy front-end damage. Matje was taken to Baylor Medical Center Dallas by ambulance and is in fair condition. Police are asking people to call Dallas Police Traffic Unit at 214-670-5816 with any information regarding the incident.

We hope the police are able to find the driver of the other vehicle, because hit-and-runs are a serious issue, especially when it involves a police officer. We also trust that the police department will do all that they can to solve this investigation, to give justice to the innocent officer. Hit-and runs is a traffic accident that can cause injury, so it is important to try and get the license number or make and model of the car if it’s possible.

It is also likely that an injured person might want to make a claim even if he or she gets hit by a driver that flees the scene.

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

Late Wednesday afternoon four people were injured in a head-on collision on C.F. Hawn Freeway in South Dallas. The Eastbound lanes of the freeway were close for three hours after the wreck. Kim Leach, a Dallas County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, said one of the two automobiles was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes at around 5:15 p.m.

The four injured partiers were taken to Baylor University Medical Center for treatment. No further details have been released.

Several wrecks occur in the Dallas/Fort Worth area each year from wrong way driving crashes, only a small, but preventable, percentage of the total amount of automobile accidents. There were 6 million reported car accidents in the United States last year. It is vital to always follow road safety rules to avoid injury while driving. My hope is that by informing people about easy tips to stay safe while driving, there will be less preventable traffic accidents in our area.

This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark 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 questions about a car crash, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Fred Krusemark of Dallas, an 87-year old World War II Navy veteran, was given a drive around the Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday when the car crashed. He was being honored by Carter BloodCare for years of making blood donations.

After the accident occurred, Krusemark died of blunt force trauma to the head and neck, the Denton County Medical Examiner's Office said Tuesday. Texas Driving Experience was renting the track, and the company offers what it describes as safe, educational, and fun programs and extreme racecar rides and drives for individuals and corporate groups.

Krusemark was the passenger in a Corvette that hit the wall during a turn on one of the laps and ended up on the infield. Krusemark was taken to a hospital by helicopter and was taken off life support Monday morning. The driver of the car, Andre Vandenberg, 53, is said to be in critical condition.

Krusemark's parents both lived to be 100, and he had been heard saying that he planned to have the same luck. He was not only a doting husband, but also a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

This is a tragic accident that is hard to write about because what was supposed to be a joy ride turned into a devastating loss for a family. Our hearts go out to both the victim and the victim’s family, especially since he was known to be such a giving person. It is important to remember that any car is dangerous when it drives at high speeds, even the professional race cars that ride around the Texas Motor Speedway Track.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark 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 car accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

On Tuesday afternoon, five people were injured in a two-car crash in west Arlington. The accident took place at the intersection of Pioneer Parkway and South Davis Street. The intersection was close shortly after the crash around 12:00 p.m. and was not reopened until 3:15 p.m.

Four of the injured victims were taken to local hospitals, while the fifth victim was taken by helicopter ambulance to a further hospital. An Arlington Police spokeswoman, Tiara Ellis Richard, said none of the injuries seemed to be life threatening.

There is no current information on how the automobile accident happened. Luckily no one was killed; hopefully all injured parties will have a speedy recovery.

There are more than six million car accidents each year in the United States. Most of these motor vehicle accidents happen because driver's make reckless mistakes. They can either be simply not paying attention, or it could be the driver was talking on a cell phone, texting, or eating. By following road safety rules the probability of a being in a car accident is greatly reduced.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal injury Lawyer Mark 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 car accident, please fill out a contact form online for a free consultation.

The Arlington School District is taking a harsh reality approach in showing students the dangers of texting and driving. District officials are requiring that all nine schools watch a video of an explicit, staged car accident caused by texting and driving.

After seeing the three-minute video, which is a localized version of the popular YouTube video, students are asked to sign a pledge that promises to refrain from texting while driving. The campaign is called, "txtN n drivN. it cn w8." This is texting shorthand for “texting and driving, it can wait.”

The video depicts a teenage girl who causes a three-car wreck that involves more than one fatality. Arlington officials downloaded the video and added statements from state and local elected officials, a Dallas Cowboys player and others who have taken similar anti-texting pledges.

Government agencies and advocacy groups are turning up the heat on drivers who text, citing studies that show that cell phone distractions are as detrimental as driving under the influence of alcohol.

I have been working on a similar campaign called TADD, which stands for Teens Against Distracted Driving. I go to local schools and ask them to sign a pledge card that’s says that will not text and drive. If they sign these cards, then they get an orange bracelet to remind them of the oath they took.

It is important to educate children, teens, and adults alike about the dangers of texting and driving. And while the video may be graphic, it gets the message across. Any distraction from driving can cause accidents, and often times those accidents can prove fatal. I want to encourage the Dallas/Fort Worth area to start being more attentive, and wait until after they get out of a car to write a text. In 2008, 11% of fatal crashes involved a distracted driver.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark 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 car accident or about the TADD campaign, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

On Sunday Evening a Seminole man was rushed to the hospital after his motorcycle accident in Midland, TX. The 41-year-old man was admitted to Midland Memorial Hospital with serious injuries at around 6:30 p.m.

According to police he was traveling east on Hwy 191 at high speeds when he hit a curb, causing him to lose control of his bike. This caused him to roll several times before finally coming to a crash.

The biker was not wearing a helmet, causing him to sustain more serious injuries that he would have, had he been wearing the proper equipment. The injuries and fatalities of motorcycle riders are unfortunately, on the rise. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, in 2008, there were over 5,290 deaths and over 96,000injuries involving motorcycle riders. These injuries and deaths are even more likely when one does not wear a helmet.

Our firm is a friend and advocate of motorcycle enthusiasts, having successfully represented many injured riders in the past. We encourage all riders to wear helmets, so please choose the right gear to protect you in an accident. A helmet can never hurt.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark Anderson. If you or someone you love has suffered personal injuries or been killed as the result of a motorcycle accident, please contact Texas Board Certified Personal Injury 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 motorcycle crashes, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A Fort Worth man died on Sunday after being involved in a traffic accident in Fort Worth. The victim, Sri Vempati, died at Texas Health Fort Worth hospital at around 4 in the afternoon, shortly after the car crash.

The wreck happened at Forest Park Boulevard, around the intersection where Forest Park meets West Rosedale Street. Fort Worth police did not release details on the accident, but confirmed that Vempati was the driver.

My condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Vempati. Hopefully, the accident investigation by the Fort Worth Police Department will reveal the cause of this tragic wreck.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark 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 car accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

On May 4, 2010, an Irving, Texas woman was seriously injured when she was hit by a speeding car that was turning from Rochelle onto Manion in Irving. The injured lady was mowing her lawn when she was hit by the speeding silver Toyota Camry, possibly a 2002 to 2006 model. The Irving woman who was injured was initially taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas when she has been since released from the hospital and is at home recovering from her injuries.

The Irving Police Department is still looking for the driver of the Toyota Camry who struck and injured this woman. The car most likely sustained noticeable front-end damage in the accident. If anyone has any information regarding the identity of the hit and run driver who caused this motor vehicle assault, they are encouraged to call the Irving Police Department accident investigators at (972) 721 2761 or call the 24-hour non-emergency dispatch number at (972) 273 1010.

Information provided by Texas Car Accident Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached in the Dallas area at (214) 327 8000 or in Tarrant County area at (817) 294 1900, or can be contacted online for a free personal injury consultation.

On the morning of May 9th a tragic car accident occurred in Fort Worth. The driver, Livita Simms, was driving north on the I-35 service road when her car went over the curb, hit a medium and burst into flames. Four members in the six person car were killed. The wrecked killed Simms, her five year old daughter, and two thirteen year old boys identified Elijah Drisdle and Deguone Matlock Jr.

There is confusion as to whether a seventh person was in the car when the automobile crashed at 1:30 a.m. Simms was said to have dropped off Jamie Muriel at her house minutes before the wreck took place. One of the two boys who survived said there was a seventh person who grabbed the steering wheel during an argument and fled the scene after the accident. Muriel however denies being in the car at the time of the incident.

Our hearts go out to those involved in the accident. It’s unfortunate to hear of an accident of this severity. Our condolences to those families involved. We hope the police will be able to sort through the facts to find the missing pieces in this case.

This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark 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 questions about car accidents, please fill out our contact form for a free consultation.

With the recent flooding problems in Nashville, Tennessee, and tornadoes already affecting many areas of the country, I thought it would be good to review some basic driving safety tips in the case that you are in the car during a flash flood or tornado.

The following are safety tips from The Weather Channel’s Weather Ready Checklist to help prevent you from being in a car accident:

Flash Floods:
•Turnaround –If you don’t know the depth of water before crossing.
•Abandon stalled vehicles immediately and seek higher ground.

Tornadoes:
•Never try and out drive a Tornado.
•Leave your vehicle, and go to a concrete shelter.
•If there is no shelter nearby, lie flat in the nearest ditch with your hands shielding your head.
•Be alert for rapidly rising waters in the ditch.
•Do NOT seek refuge in an overpass where winds can be magnified.

The Weather Channel also recommends keeping the following items in your car at all times in case there is an emergency:

•First aid kit
•Fire extinguisher
•Matches
•Compass
•Jumper Cables
•Properly inflated spare tire, wheel wrench and tripod-type jack
•Bottled water
•Critical Prescription Medicine
•Blanket/sleeping bag
•Non-perishable, high-energy foods
•Flashlight with extra batteries
•Cell phone charger
•Reflective triangles and brightly-colored cloth

I hope this helps you prevent having a car accident in the situation that you are driving during severe or hazardous weather. This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000.

A man in a wheelchair was hit and killed by an SUV on Sunday at the intersection of Pemberton Hill Road and Loop 12. The fatal pedestrian accident occurred around 10:30 p.m. The man was in a motorized wheelchair and thought to be homeless.

The man was pronounced dead at Baylor Medical Center. His name has not been released. The Dallas Police Department said that no charges are expected to be filed.

The SUV was driven by a 21-year-old, whose name has not been released. He did stop after the accident occurred.

It is unfortunate to hear about a disabled man being killed in this kind of accident. Almost 70,000 pedestrian accidents occur in the United States every year. Of these accidents, 73% of them happen in urban downtown areas, like this fatal accident did. The Anderson Law Firm has several resources about pedestrian safety and pedestrian accident prevention.

This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark 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 questions about your personal injury case, please fill out our contact form for a free consultation.

A car wreck involving four vehicles and a horse happened around 5:30 a.m. this morning on I-20 near St. Augustine Road in Dallas. A horse had walked onto the highway and caused the accident between the four cars.

The horse was killed in the accident. No one knows who the horse belongs to or where it came from.

One of the four cars had to be towed, and a passenger from one of the cars had to be taken to the hospital. The man is said to be injured, but in stable condition. Several lanes of the highway were closed after the accident.

I can’t imagine seeing a horse on the highway at 5:30 in the morning. That must have been quite a shocker for the driver’s of the four cars involved in the wreck. Though I do not know if a wreck could have been avoided in this case, following road safety rules and regulations is the key to avoid being involved in a car accident. I am sorry to hear that an animal has been killed this morning, but glad that no one was more seriously injured in the wreck.

This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark 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 questions about a car accident, please fill out our contact form for a free consultation.

Eastbound I-30 was completely shut down after a tractor-trailer collided with a Dodge Durango around 6 a.m. The Durango was initially caught underneath the semi-truck and the passengers were rescued around 7:15 a.m.

The trailer of the 18-wheeler was completely blocking all eastbound lanes of traffic because it was lying across the entire highway. The truck driver and two passengers of the Dodge Durango were taken to the hospital.

Details on what caused the accident and the current condition of the passengers and truck driver has not been released.

It will be interesting to see if further details of this 18-wheeler wreck will be released. The Dallas Morning News reported that the details of the cause of the accident are “sketchy.” Any car accident involving an 18-wheeler is usually a pretty serious one. Almost 500 tractor-trailer accidents happen in Texas each year. Of all fatal car accidents, 18-wheelers are involved in 8% of the wrecks. I am glad to hear no one was killed in this particular accident. My thoughts are with the two passengers and truck driver while they are in the hospital.

This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car 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 questions about your car accident case, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A Ford F-150 ran into a home on Thursday morning in Hurst. The car accident occurred on Brown Trail near Shady Lake Drive.

The Hurst Police Department said that no one was injured inside of the house. However, there were three passengers in the pickup truck; two were injured, and one was killed.

There is currently an accident investigation taking place surrounding the cause of the car wreck.

The man who died was identified as Steve Manisela.

I am curious to see what the finding is on the cause of the car crash. The police will look into all aspects, as it is unusual for a truck to run off of the road. I did see that another wreck occurred in Fort Worth yesterday involving an off duty FWPD officer running off a road and into a house. In that case, it appears that drinking was involved.

This information and commentary is provided by Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark 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 car accident investigation and would like a free consultation please fill out our contact form.

Senator Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, wants to change Texas legislation so that DWI offenders with 2 or more convictions will lose their driver’s license forever.

The current law states that a license may be suspended for a maximum of two years.

Nelson was motivated by the John Patrick Barton case, which took place Easter Sunday. To read about Barton’s DWI conviction please read our blog from last week.

The law she wishes to create would implement a “two strikes and you’re out” policy that would also make a DWI conviction a first degree felony. First degree felonies carry a 5-99 year sentence and a fine up to $10,000.

Nelson believes that the penalties for driving while intoxicated are not great enough to influence DWI offenders to change their behavior.

I applaud Nelson for wanting to make a major change in the penalties for drunk driving. With all of the recent wrecks involving drunk driving in the Fort Worth community, something has to be done to get DWI offenders off the road. I don’t know if the loss of a driver’s license will motivate all DWI offenders to stop driving under the influence completely, but it is at least a step in the right direction.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or in Fort Worth at 817-327-1900. If you are the victim of a drunk driver and have questions about your case please fill out of contact form online for a free consultation.

It has only been two weeks since John Patrick Barton ran into the Hull family and killed Candace and Autumn Hull. A grand jury indicted Barton with 2 counts of murder on Thursday. The jury also charged him with 3 counts of intoxication assault.

This particular DWI car wreck as caused a lot of media attention as Barton had 3 previous DWI convictions. To read about the details of the drunk driving wreck read our blog from a few weeks ago.

The Denton Country First District Attorney Jamie Beck stated that “This is as serious as a DWI conviction can get.” Barton remains jail in lieu of $1 million bail and is being held without bond because of a parole violation.

I think that the jury made the right decision to indict Barton with both the murder and intoxication assault charges. I sincerely hope that this case makes other DWI offenders aware of the extreme consequences of getting behind the wheel after drinking any alcohol. The Hull family had no choice in the actions Barton made.

The Anderson Law Firm has resources to help keep you and your family safe from drunk drivers. With all of the drunk driving crashes that have occurred in the past few weeks, you can never be too safe before heading out on the road.

This information and commentary is provided by DWI Accident Victim Lawyer Mark 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 been a victim of a drunk driver and have questions about your wreck please fill out our contact form for a free consultation.

An 11-year-old student from North Richland Hills was injured on Wednesday when he was riding his bike to school. The boy was struck by a motorist who stopped after hitting the boy, got out of her vehicle and looked around, then got back into her car and drove away. According to the North Richland Hills Police Department, the woman may have been driving a black Toyota Corolla. The person is yet to be identified and anyone with information regarding this hit and run driver should contact the North Richland Hills Police Department at (817) 427 7000.

The accident occurred with the 11-year-old, who is a student at North Richland Middle School, was crossing the street when his bicycle was hit. The boy was taken to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth where he was treated for his injuries.

This is an absolutely amazing story. I can't believe that the woman hit the child, got out of her car, and then left. Apparently she was thinking that nobody would see her and that she could get away with leaving the scene of an accident. I sure hope that she is caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It is one thing to be negligent, as she probably was, and run into a child on a bicycle. It is entirely another thing to actually leave the scene without attending to the minor. I just can't believe that someone would do something as low as leaving the scene of an accident after hitting a child.

Information and commentary provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted at (817)294-1900. For information regarding pedestrian/bicycle accidents, click here to visit the web site of Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson.

Everyone has heard the phrase: “accidents happen.” Unfortunately, what many people fail to realize is that car crashes do not “just happen.” Every Dallas/Fort Worth car wreck has a cause, and that cause can typically be traced back to someone failing to follow highway laws or operate their vehicle properly.

Car Accidents Have Causes
Car accidents don’t “just happen.” In the vast majority of motor vehicle collisions, either you or the other driver is at fault. Not paying attention is one of the leading causes for car wrecks; people texting, or eating, or talking on the phone, or fiddling with the radio often are not looking at a key moment and run into someone.

In other cases, people look the wrong way when accidents happen – a driver paying attention to the left, for example, when someone comes from the right. Either way, someone is at fault for those accidents, and the at-fault party is responsible for the accident.

I hope that you see the point that someone is always at fault in any kind of accident. It is important if you are involved in some sort of accident that you investigate the scene of the accident so that the cause of the wreck can be determined.

This information and commentary is provided by Texas Board Certified Attorney Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-1900 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. If you have questions about your car wreck case, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

As the weather gets warmer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, it is important to take note of several simple safety tips surrounding your car tires. Though it is important to check your tires regularly, the warmer weather puts extra pressure on your tires throughout the spring and summer months.

Here are some tips from weather.com to ensure that your tires are not the cause of a car accident:

•Check your tires regularly to be sure there are no visible signs of wear or damage.
•Be sure your tires are properly inflated. Check your tire pressure often with a gauge, especially on long trips. Measure when the tires are cold, before you drive on them. You can find the recommended inflation pressure in your owner's manual, on a label frequently found in the glove box, near the door latch on the driver's side, or other locations on your vehicle. The recommended inflation pressure is not to be confused with the maximum inflation pressure shown on the side of the tire. At the recommended inflation pressure, tires will last longer and be less likely to fail, and the car will use less fuel. Serious injury can result from tire failure because of under inflation or overloading.
•Never overload your vehicle. Your car and tires are designed to operate safely only up to their load limits. These limits are shown in your owner's manual and on the certification plate on the edge of the driver's door.
•Make sure there is enough tread on the tire to operate safely, and make sure the tires are wearing normally. All grooves should be visible and deep enough to at least touch the top of Lincoln's head on a penny inserted head first in the tread. Low tread or bald tires are unsafe and need to be replaced.
•If some spots on the tire seem to be wearing faster than others, see your service station or mechanic. You could have misaligned wheels, worn shock absorbers, or other potential problems. Make sure your tires are aligned and balanced properly.
•Don't drive at a high rate of speed for a long time, particularly in hot weather. Obey posted speed limits. Lower speeds also mean better gas mileage.

I hope this helps inform you on a few important things surrounding the safety of your vehicle’s tires. I know I hadn’t thought of a few of these things until reading them. The Anderson Law Firm also has safety tips to help you avoid car accidents and keep your family safe on the road.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas Area Personal Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. For a free consultation with the Anderson Law Firm regarding your personal injury or car accident case, please fill out our contact form online.

Brianna Munez, age 4, and her sister, Deanna Mata, age 2 are the latest victims of drunk driving in our community. The accident happened early Saturday morning in Southeast Fort Worth at Mitchell Blvd.

The Fort Worth Police Department reported that a red Dodge pickup crashed with a Ford Taurus in an intersection. It is unclear whether the pickup ran a stop sign, as the Taurus had the right of way.

The driver of the Taurus was 18-year-old David Whitworth, who was charged with DWI with a child. The driver of the pickup, David Clark, was also driving under the influence and was charged with 2 accounts of intoxication manslaughter and 3 charges of intoxication assault.

It is absolutely horrible to hear about 2 young children being the victims of drunk driving. How irresponsible to endanger the lives of two innocent children who had no say in whether or not they were going to be passengers in the car. It is very unusual to hear about both drivers involved in the car accident being under the influence.

To help ensure your safety on the road, The Anderson Law Firm has traffic safety and preventative tips to make sure you are not a victim of a drunk driving accident. Drunk Driving is a factor in over 45% of the car accidents that occur on Texas roads.

Information and commentary provided by DFW Car Accident Lawyer Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. For a free consultation with the Anderson Law Firm please fill out our contact form online.

If you have hurt in an automobile accident in or around Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas and are trying to handle your case on your own with the responsible party's car insurance company, you might find yourself in a very common predicament. Many car insurance companies, such as USAA, Geico, Allstate, State Farm and Farmers, like to offer very low and insulting "nuisance" value offers upfront. Sometimes these offers are as low as $500 but they are more common around the $1,000 level. The offer comes from a message from the insurance company adjuster that your case has low or little value due to (insert your own crazy excuse here) and that you're lucky to be receiving this offer. Car insurance companies just don't treat injury victims right! At that point, an injured person has two options: They can either accept this low offer and be stuck paying the medical bills on their own or they can fight for what is right.

The only way to fight for fair compensation is to file a lawsuit. A lawsuit is the great equalizer. No longer does the big 800 pound gorilla (i.e. the insurance company) have the upper hand. They have to play fair as in the end of a lawsuit there is a jury trial facing them where someone else determines the value of the case, but not them.

Just last week I resolved a motor vehicle collision case where my client had received a very low-and insulting- offer prior to me filing a lawsuit on his behalf. After the attorney hired by the insurance company deposed (a formal interview) my client, he was able to realize that my client would make a very credible witness and would present well in front of a jury. By that, I think the jury would believe him when he relates the medical treatment he received directly to the accident. Ultimately, the automobile insurance company paid what was fair. But what was fair was much, much more than the initial crappy offer they sent to him. Last week's case was just another reminder about how bad and unfair insurance companies can be. After all, they care about their profits, not about the wellbeing of the people who are injured as a result of their own insured's reckless driving.

If you have been injured in a car, truck or motorcycle wreck, sometimes you just got to fight for what you believe is fair. The Anderson Law Firm specializes in helping those individuals who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents. We also work on other types of personal injury claims. Mark Anderson is Board-Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law and has been helping the injured his entire career. To discuss your situation confidentially, please contact the Anderson Law Firm at 1-877-294-1115. You can submit your question online by clicking here to reach Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson.

The month of April is Alcohol Awareness month, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving wants to make the public aware of the alcohol dependence and abuse problems in the United States. MADD is all about awareness and understanding of the horrific statistics surrounding alcohol abuse and drunk driving related fatalities.
Here are a few key points MADD would like to educate America on this month:

•A drunk driving traffic fatality occurs every 30 minutes in the United States.
•Every month, more than 1,000 families have a loved one killed by drunk driving, and even more have someone injured.
•One out of three Americans will be impacted by a drunk driving crash in their lifetime.
•At any given moment, American families share the roads with an estimated 3 million drivers who have been convicted of drunk driving at least three times – and with 600,000 drivers with five or more convictions.
•As many as 75% of drunk drivers continue to drink and drive even when their licenses have been revoked.

The Anderson Law Firm also has many resources related to staying safe on the road and avoiding drunk driving related car accidents. Education is often the key to prevent tragedies involving drunk driving in our communities. The Anderson Law Firm also sponsors a Ride Safe, Ride Sober towing service that will tow impaired motorcycle riders free of charge.

This information is provided by Drunk Driving Accident Attorney Mark 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 related to a drunk driving accident you can fill out a contact form on our website for a free consultation.

A motor vehicle crash that included an 18 wheeler, a work truck, and a pick-up completely shut down Highway 121 in Lewisville Thursday afternoon. The wreck occurred when an 18-wheeler slid about 50 feet running into a NTTA dump truck and causing 3 vehicles to catch fire.

All three vehicles were completely decimated, and miraculously all of the passengers escaped their vehicles and were not injured.

The actual accident happened when the three vehicles collided and slammed into a guardrail on an overpass. Four northbound and two southbound lanes were shutdown for most of Thursday afternoon.

Engineers will have to inspect the overpass for structural integrity before the toll road can reopen.

It is so fortunate that no one was injured or killed in a wreck such as this one. Usually, when you hear or read about such a massive wreck involving fire, someone is always injured to some degree. Texas leads the nation in tractor-trailer accidents that result in fatalities. Luckily, in this case, no one has become a part of that horrific statistic. The pictures really speak for themselves on this particular tractor-trailer wreck. It is important as a driver to be aware of semi-truck wreck statistics and know what you can do to avoid being in a wreck with an 18-wheeler.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car 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 questions about a trailer-truck or car accident the Anderson Law Firm has free consultations by filling out a contact form on our website.

Courtney Moss, 17, of Joshua, Texas, died on Tuesday when her Mazda Miata crashed into a Dr. Pepper truck on Farm Road 917 west of Joshua. After discovering a suicide note left at her house, authorities believe Mrs. Moss intended to kill herself.

At 12:56pm one of Mrs. Moss’s friends notified the police that she had received messages indicating Mrs. Moss wanted to take her own life. Five minutes after receiving the call, police were notified about the collision on FM 917. When police arrived at Mrs. Moss’s home they found her suicide note. Mrs. Moss was married with a 3 month old baby.

Ron Lane II, 26, of Watauga was driving the big rig that the Miata crashed into. He was travelling eastbound on FM 917 and had just topped a rise when the crash occurred, according to police. According to local news reports, he did not sustain serious injuries but was taken to the hospital to be evaluated.

This sure is a sad situation. I feel bad for Mrs. Moss’s family and friends. I wonder if she intentionally ran into the 18 wheeler or if she was just despondent and suicidal and was driving recklessly. If she did intend to drive into the 18 wheeler (thereby putting Mr. Lane in danger), it clearly is an intentional act and legally, Mr. Lane might have issues recovering from any car liability insurance as these insurance policies typically exclude intentional acts. I have represented people before in these types of situations and know from experience how difficult—and terribly sad—these cases are.

This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark Anderson. You can reach the Anderson Law Firm in Dallas at 214-327-8000 and in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. If you have questions concerning any type of personal injury case you may also fill out our contact form on our website.

The United States Transportation Department is pursuing a $16.4 million dollar fine against the Toyota Corporation for not properly notifying the government about problems with accelerator pedals. This is the maximum fine allowed.

Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, stated that “We now have proof that Toyota did not live up to its legal obligations.” The Transportation Department released that Toyota knew about the potential problems with accelerator pedals as early as September 29.

The only recall that was issued in the fall pertained to floor mats, not accelerator pedals. A recall was not issued for accelerator pedals until the end of January.

Toyota has two weeks to contest, and if they do, it will be the largest fine the government has ever issued to a car manufacturer.

The Toyota Motor Corporation has issued many apologies about the recalls and safety problems.

The $16.4 million is the largest fine the US government can pursue per recall under the Tread Act. The Tread Act was created as a result of problems with Firestone Tires.

I am personally very happy to hear that something as serious as this fine has resulted from the safety problems with Toyota vehicles. Every time I read or blog about a wreck involving a Toyota, I have to wonder whether there was some kind of malfunction with the car that caused the accident. Hopefully this fine will warn all automakers that safety and quality should be there number one priority, and realize that there are large repercussions for not following the law.

This information and commentary is provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson. Contact the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. For a free consultation with the Anderson Law Firm about a personal injury case please fill out our contact form online.

John Patrick Barton, who was on probation for three DWI convictions, now faces two counts of murder after slamming into the back of a sedan in Lewisville early Sunday morning.

There were five passengers in the red Nissan Sentra that Barton ran into around 2:17 a.m. on I-35. Kandace Hull, and her 13 year old daughter, Autumn, were both killed in the accident.

The Lewisville Police Department stated that Barton was traveling at a high rate of speed and struck the rear of the Nissan when changing lanes, which caused both vehicles to spin.

Hull’s two other children and husband were still hospitalized on Sunday from injuries sustained in the fatal car crash.

Barton has a long history of criminal charges dating back to his teenage years. He turned 30 years old today. Barton was taken to a hospital for a mandatory blood test and was then taken to jail. He was arrested for intoxication manslaughter.

It makes me so angry to hear about a repeat offender like Barton continuing to violate his parole and cause a tragedy such as this one. My sincere condolences go out to the Hull family. Unfortunately, statistics show that it is often the passengers in vehicles hit by drunk drivers that are injured or killed more often than the drunk driver themselves. There are many driving safety tips that you can follow in order to avoid being the victim of a drunk driver.

This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark Anderson. You may contact the Anderson Law Firm in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. For a free consultation about your personal injury or car wreck please fill out our contact form.

The car wreck happens and then you report the claim to the insurance company for the driver who caused the auto accident. Often times, the adjuster for the bad driver’s insurance company will request a recorded statement. The reason given is usually that they need to “investigate” the accident. However, my experience says that most of the time there is really no need to investigate the accident, as the insurance company adjuster knows what caused the accident. Instead, the adjuster uses the information as a “fishing expedition” to find out more about the injured party.

Questions asked sometimes relate to prior medical history, which obviously has nothing to do with what caused the motor vehicle accident. This is just one example of the ways the insurance company adjusters use the recorded statement to gain information which can possibly help them – and hurt the injury victim’s case.

It is my experience that recorded statements are rarely used for what the insurance company says they are to be used for. Accordingly, I do not believe it is in the best interest of the injured party to give a recorded statement. Why there are exceptions to that general rule, most of the time I do not feel that a recorded statement is necessary. And why give a recorded statement when it can't help your case, it can only hurt it.

If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident and are concerned about giving a recorded statement, it is probably a good idea to contact an experienced injury attorney to help you with the decision of whether to give a recorded statement. If the decision is made to indeed give or provide a recorded statement, then the scope and detail of the recorded statement should be limited to what is in dispute, the liability (or cause) of the car crash.

This information is provided by Fort Worth Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted online at MAAfirm.com or by phone at (817) 294-1900. All initial consultations are free, and it costs nothing to give The Anderson Law Firm a call to discuss your personal injury legal matter.

A tragic car accident last night killed two people when the Dodge Neon they were traveling in struck the back of a 20-foot trailer. The accident occurred around 10:45 p.m. Friday night on LBJ Freeway at Webb Chapel Road in Dallas, Texas.

Pronounced dead at the scene were Tracie Yepez, 26 and Jaime Santibanez, 24. Dallas police department officials who investigated the accident at the scene said the truck pulling the 20-foot trailer may have stalled in the HOV lane, where the accident occurred. If the preliminary results of the accident show that the truck/trailer was indeed stalled, then additional questions will arrive as to why the truck was stalled out and whether the hazard lights or any other identifying cones or flashers were used to alert traffic of the stalled vehicle.

My sincere condolences go out to the families of the two victims. Clearly, they appear to be innocent victims in this motor vehicle accident. When you are travelling in the HOV lane, you do no expect to have stalled vehicles occupying the lane. Hopefully the Dallas Police Department will be able to figure out exactly what happened and what could have been done, if anything, to prevent this accident.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted online by clicking here or calling the Anderson Law Firm at 214-327-8000.

A Dallas Area Rapid Transit, or DART bus, was involved in a collision that ultimately caused it to crash into the side of a building in Dallas Monday afternoon.

According to local news reports, the bus wreck was caused when the bus was struck by a car that apparently ran a red light. The bus hit a light pole then crashed into the side of a building near the intersection of Olive Street and Woodall Rogers Freeway frontage road.

Two passengers on the bus were taken to Baylor Hospital with non life-threatening injuries. A third person was treated at the scene for minor injuries, and the driver of the bus and the car were reportedly unhurt.

Running a red light is the most obvious form of motor vehicle negligence. Hopefully, the at fault driver carries enough liability insurance to compensate for all of the property damage and personal injury damages caused by the accident.

Information provided by Dallas Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached at 214-327-8000, or contacted by clicking here.

A man who had been reported missing since yesterday evening was found dead this morning by a wrecked vehicle under a bridge in South Dallas. 43-year-old David Johnson lived with his family only a few miles from the scene of the crash near 1-45 and 1-20.

The car, a 1996 Ford Mustang GT, was found by City of Dallas workers under a bridge at J.J. Lemon Road in Dallas near Cedardale Drive. The car was upside down and Mr. Johnson’s lifeless body was found beside it. Police say speed was definitely a factor in the single-vehicle crash, and the medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to see if anything else contributed to the wreck.

What a terrible tragedy. I am sorry for those who lost a family member and friend. As the police continue to investigate the causes of the crash hopefully they will be able to shed light on what happened in this horrible accident.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, or toll free across Texas at 877-294-1115. He can also be contacted by clicking here.

A Blue Ford Mustang collided with a tractor-trailer around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The fatal car accident occurred on an exit ramp off of I-30 at Westmoreland Road in Dallas, TX.

The exact cause of the crash remains unknown. The driver of the blue Mustang was declared dead at the scene. The Dallas Police Department stated that the female passenger in the Mustang was rushed to Methodist Charlton Medical Center. Her condition is currently unknown.

The semi-truck collision occurred in the middle of Dallas rush hour traffic, causing the entire surrounding area to be at a standstill for several hours.

The information does not conclude whether both vehicles were on the exit ramp or not. Could the accident have occurred because either the Mustang or the semi did not yield to whoever was exiting the freeway? Approximately 9% of all wrecks with semi-trucks end with fatalities. It is very unfortunate that this statistic holds true with this accident. I am interested to see if further information is released about the cause of this accident.

This information and commentary is provided by Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson. Mark can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or online by clicking here.

The Mesquite Police Department reported that a two-car collision occurred early this morning when a driver crashed into a pickup when driving the wrong way. The car accident was located off of I-30 in between Big Town and Marley roads.

According to the Mesquite Police Department, a Black Ford Pickup that was on the wrong side of the road ran into another pickup truck. The driver of the Black Ford Pickup was taken to the hospital and is listed in critical condition.

The driver and passenger of the other pickup truck suffered broken bones, and have non- life threatening injuries.

Whenever you read about anyone driving the wrong way, you always have to question whether drunk driving could be involved. It is possible that the driver of the Black Ford Pickup was just unaware of the roadway. However, I am interested to see what new information is released with this accident, to see if further explanation as to what happened is disclosed.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or online by clicking here.

Car wrecks happen every single day here in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. And days like today cause even more where the wet roads create dangerous conditions. After the motor vehicle accident, many people will end up needing an injury lawyer to represent them when they seek fair compensation for their accident related injuries to their bodies.

There are a million ways that people find their injury lawyer to represent them after they have been injured in a car accident. Some injury victims ask their friends and families for a referral to a personal injury lawyer, but this oftentimes ends up a dead end as either they have never had a reason to hire an injury attorney before or they didn't like the one they did indeed hire.

Another common way that people who have been hurt in accidents find a lawyer is through some sort of advertising. It is just easy to call the lawyer they see on TV or in the yellow pages. But I think you have to beware of attorneys who advertise on television as they usually run what is called personal injury mills and the clients are totally devoid of any personal attention from real lawyer.

A good way to find a lawyer, in my opinion, is to gather a list of potential lawyers from an internet search and then do your research to check out the prospective lawyers’ credentials. One way to look into the background and experience of an injury attorney is to look at the lawyers own website and read all about him or her. Another thing to do is to look up the rating received by the lawyer. Two popular rating services are Martindale Hubble and AVVO. You should also check out the State Bar of Texas Website, as it has important information on lawyers such as license status and Board Certifications.

Click here for some more information about Finding The Right Lawyer For You.

If you have been injured in a car accident in the Fort Worth Dallas Arlington area, you deserve the best representation you can find. The Anderson Law Firm will be happy to discuss the facts of your specific case and will give you a quick and confidential evaluation of your rights to recover. We have convenient offices in Dallas and Fort Worth. To speak with the Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson, call us in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in FW at 817-294-1900 or in Texas toll free at 1-877-294-1115.

At the end of February, MADD released a statement of their support for new legislation introduced by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) called the ROADS SAFE Act. It stands for Research of Alcohol Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-related Fatalities Everywhere.

The legislation supports research for technology that would prevent motor vehicles from being able to operate if a driver tries to operate the car while under the influence of alcohol. The bill would provide funding of $12M a year for 5 years to make technology that would accomplish this goal.

The technology would have to be reliable, non-intrusive, and be able to unobtrusively detect if the driver had a BAC of .08 or greater. The technology would hopefully be so non-intrusive that a sober driver would be completely unaware of the device’s existence.

This sounds like really awesome research and a step in the right direction to end drunk driving altogether. It is amazing to me the kind of technology that is possible to help make our roads safer. If this bill is passed, MADD and the US government would be making gigantic strides to show the American public the importance and attention this issue should receive.

To see the press release please click here.

Information and Commentary provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer Mark Anderson. Mark can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, Toll Free at 1-877-294-1115, or online by clicking here.

The Texas Department of Transportation recently released new data supporting evidence that cell phone usage while driving is increasing the number of car accidents on our roads and highways.

In the last five years in Texas, over 1,700 wrecks have been caused by drivers who are on their cell phones. Before the release of this data, it was almost impossible to tell the impact of distracted driving on our roads.

AAA is pushing for legislation that bans texting nationwide for the next 3 years. In addition, the study also shows that any kind of cell phone usage, not just texting diverts the attention of the driver from the road.

If you think about how much is already going on in the car while you’re driving, the addition of looking down at a key board for extended periods of time does not make logical sense. It seems that we continue to text and drive even though we know it is not safe. We need to stand up for what we know is right to promote safety in our communities.

I have recently partnered with 10 other attorneys from around the country to help educated and make middle and high school aged students aware of the dangers of texting and driving. The campaign is called TADD (Teens Against Distracted Driving), and encourages students to sign a pledge to not text and drive. In gratitude for signing the pledge, we are giving each student who signs a free wrist bracelet.

It is my hope that new statistics such as these and awareness programs like TADD will help end the problem of car wrecks associated with being distracted with your cell phone while driving. There are so many new technologies to help aide this problem so that your cell phone is “hands-free” every time you are in your car.

This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-800, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or online by clicking here.

On Sunday afternoon, Wesley Paul Hahs, was test driving a 2007 Honda Shadow when he crashed head on with a Chevy Tahoe. The motorcycle crash occurred when Hahs passed over a blind hill in a no passing zone and then ran into the Tahoe in front of Pollok Baptist Church. The Lufkin, Texas Police Department said that Hahs died upon impact with the SUV.

The owner of the motorcycle, Marion Webb, was also present during the motorcycle wreck. The Tahoe was driven by Jane Chambers of Nacogdoches. Chambers and her husband, who was also in the Tahoe, were not physically injured.

Webb contacted Hahs’ parents after the wreck. Hahs’ father said that he leaves behind a 7-year-old son, and was going to turn 28 in late April.

This is truly a tragedy. I do not think anyone ever goes to test drive a motorcycle thinking that they will be in a wreck before they ever purchase their new ride. My sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Paul Hahs.

I think this accident shows the true importance of making sure every single motorcycle driver has proper motorcycle safety training and understanding of the rules of the road. There are several programs in Texas that provide motorcyclists of all levels with fun and easy courses to keep them up to date with the latest safety precautions.

This information is provided by Texas Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson. Mr. Anderson can be reached Toll Free at 1-877-294-1115 across Texas or online by clicking here.

I’m sure you have noticed the increase in cameras at stoplights in and around the Fort Worth area. I think many of us are unaware exactly what the automated enforcement laws are in Texas, and how they can impact you.

As the law stands in Texas currently, violations are only issued for red light violations. However, the use of automated enforcement for speeding and other citations are increasing. It may be only a matter of time before this becomes permitted in certain communities around North Texas.
I know the first thing every person thinks when they get a ticket is, “How much is this going to cost me?” For a red light violation in Texas the ticket can cost up to $200 if traditional enforcement is used, and is a standard $75 if auto enforcement is used.

Red light camera systems are triggered when a vehicle enters an intersection after the light has been red for a predetermined period of time. The citation is issued to the registered owner of the car after 2 or more pictures are taken of the vehicle and license plate. The purpose of these cameras is to prevent car accidents in intersections, though some people question whether it is solely a revenue generator.

It was surprising for me to learn that the majority of the US public supports the use of red light cameras, even with the speculation of the true purpose of the cameras. The National Highway Safety Administration found that 75% of drivers support camera enforcement. The highest support comes from residents of large cities, with a much lower percentage of support from suburban areas. I hope this helps clear up any questions about what the cameras are at many intersections, as well as the consequences of running a red light.

Information and commentary provided by Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark Anderson. Mark can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or online by clicking here.

With all of the rainy weather we have had in North Texas, I thought it might be appropriate to list a few tips to help you avoid a car accident in the bad weather. Though rain is something we deal with frequently, there are several ways to help avoid skidding or hydroplaning while driving.

The Weather Channel has a list of driving safety tips on their website ranging for what to do in a bad thunderstorm, to what to do in a tornado. Here are a few of their tips to help you avoid getting into a wreck on the wet roads:

-To prevent skidding, never brake hard. It is important to keep a light foot on your brake pedal. The same goes with steering, do everything lightly and do not make any swerving movements if at all possible.

- If you do find yourself hydroplaning, it is important not to brake. Instead, you should “steer into the skid” to get the front of your car aligned with the back of your car.

-Hydroplaning often occurs from something being wrong with your tires. Make sure your tires are inflated correctly and have good tire tread

-Drive Defensively. Adjust your speed to the road conditions and the other drivers around you.

Hopefully, the rain will eventually let up. I feel like we may live in Seattle instead of Dallas. I know I felt a shimmer of hope when we finally had a sunny day this past Saturday, but it seems that the rain has come back for today. I hope that if these safety tips weren’t new to you, that they at least reminded you of what to do if you have a problem with hydroplaning or skidding while driving in the rain.

Information and Commentary provided by Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark Anderson, who can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, in Dallas at 214-327-8000, Toll Free at 877-294-1115 or online by clicking here.

A new Texas law is in effect today requiring new drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 to take a driver education course before receiving their license. Though most young drivers register for their license before they are 18, there is an increasing number of people who are waiting to get their license in order to avoid the costs of the courses and training required for new drivers under 18.

That option will no longer be the case. The course is now required for anyone between 18 and 24 applying for a license for the first time. Based on a check of several driving school websites, the course will cost anywhere from $35 to $100.

The topics are similar to the ones covered in the course for drivers under 18. They include things like drunk driving, rules of the road, insurance issues and defensive driving. There is also a written test that must be passed to complete the course and receive your license.

Target areas for the new course include areas with large immigrant populations. Over 150 driving schools have already signed up to have the program as part of the curriculum.

In 2008, 20% of car accidents involved 18 to 24 year olds. Perhaps targeting this age group will decrease the number of motor vehicle accidents on our roadways. We are so focused on making sure first time drivers under 18 are educated, but we often forget that there are other new, young drivers as well. I think this is a great step to help educate another age group on safety precautions to take while driving. However, you have to wonder why the course is not required for all new drivers regardless of their age.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson. Mr. Anderson can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or online by clicking here.

An 18-wheeler was involved in a fatal car accident with a pickup truck early this morning in Denton County. A 25-year-old Bridgeport man, whose name has not been released, was killed when his pickup crashed into the 18 wheeler head on.

The driver of the 18 wheeler was not injured. The Bridgeport man was westbound on 380 around 3:30 a.m. when his truck crossed the center line and made contact with the 18 wheeler.
The entire highway has been shutdown since the accident, and is expected to have heavy traffic being diverted to other access and side roads until late Friday morning.

My condolences go out to the Bridgeport man’s friends and family. The results of many semi accidents are absolutely devastating. Unfortunately, the great state of Texas leads the nation in semi-truck accidents. 10% of the nation’s fatal wrecks occur in Texas, which is double or triple the rate of most states. When a motor vehicle is involved in a wreck with a semi weighing in excess of 10,000 pounds, the injuries sustained are much more severe.

This information and commentary is provided by Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson. Mr. Anderson has successfully helped with many semi accident victims and their families in the past. Mark can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or online by clicking here.

Last December I blogged about a Fort Worth police officer who was twice over the legal limit when he crashed a city truck and killed a Fort Worth mother. Later it was determined that he was drinking with other police officers before the crash. Now an investigation reveals that Jesus Cisneros had started drinking while still on duty.

An internal investigation found four violations against Cisneros: 1) he consumed alcohol on duty without necessary supervisor approval; 2) he drove a city vehicle off duty without authorization; 3) he was intoxicated while off duty; and 4) he drove a city vehicle while impaired in such a manner that resulted in a fatal crash. The investigation shows that Cisneros had up to three beers while on duty as part of an unauthorized undercover bar detail. Then off duty, Cisneros attended a birthday party at The Pour House where he consumed about four more beers and four shots of alcohol. He left the bar around 2 a.m. the next morning when he crashed a city vehicle into Sonia Baker’s PT Cruiser, killing her. He was driving at twice the posted speed limit.

Cisneros resigned on December 21 but the FWPD suspended him indefinitely on February 18 to ensure the suspension would appear in his civil service record. Cisneros, who is currently free on bail, was charged with intoxication manslaughter on February 10.

This is not Cisneros’s first alcohol related offense as a Fort Worth police officer. In March 2006, Cisneros fired a single shot from the sunroof of his own car. He was alone and intoxicated. In April 2006 Cisneros allegedly drove a city vehicle to an Arlington pub then drove an unauthorized female passenger to a home in Mansfield. These two incidents culminated in a 20-day suspension in August 2006, where Cisneros promised to undergo counseling and clean himself up.

This tragic story keeps getting worse. It is absolutely unbelievable that he was drinking while on duty. I am glad the Fort Worth police department is continuing to investigate. But the question remains whether this man should have still been an officer? Weren’t the incidents in 2006 enough?

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, and toll free at 877-294-1115. He can also be contacted by clicking here.

A fatal collision occurred yesterday on Westbound I-20 in Arlington, TX, when a passenger vehicle rear-ended a tractor trailer as it moved slowly from the outside shoulder into a lane of traffic. One of the car’s passengers, Natalie Aguilar, of Garland, was pronounced dead at John Peter Smith Hospital yesterday afternoon. Oscar Zapata was also a passenger in the car and died about an hour after the crash. The driver of the car, whose name has not been released, is in critical condition. Arlington Police Department investigators found open beer cans in the vehicle.

The results of this accident investigation may take a few days. Clearly, alcohol may be a potential issue. It is illegal in Texas to have open containers of beer in a moving vehicle. But this alone does not answer the question of whether the driver was intoxicated. The accident occurred around noon, which is a bit early for DWI accident cases. And the investigators will be looking into the speed of the big rig as it entered the highway. It is always dangerous when a large truck has to enter a busy freeway from the shoulder. It just takes them a long time to get up to the minimum speed. So the truck driver has to make sure that the traffic is clear for him to enter. The trucks hazard lights should have been on as it was getting up to speed. All of this will be looked into by the investigating officers as they try to determine the cause of the tractor trailer accident.

Information and commentary provided by DFW Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 and across the State of Texas at 1-877-294-1115. For a quick nswer to your legal question, click here.

On Wednesday afternoon, 15 year old Anquanette Patterson was tragically killed by being hit by the school bus she rides home from school each day. Patterson was a student at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas.

The bus accident occurred when school bus driver, Eddie Farrell, stopped the bus because two boys had gotten into a fight. Farrell soon realized that a passenger was riding on the bus that had lost bus privileges due to discipline problems so he stopped the bus and ordered the boys to leave.

After the two boys left the bus, Farrell resumed the bus ride home when Anquanette ran to the front of the bus and demanded that the driver stop. In the process she pushed on the doors of the school bus and fell to the pavement where she was run over by the bus. She was brought to Medical City Dallas, though it is suspected that she died on impact.

A Facebook memorial page had almost 500 members late Thursday night. My deepest sympathy goes out to family and friends of Patterson. It is absolutely tragic to hear about the loss of such a young life.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, 16 fatal bus accidents happened in Texas in 2008, and from those 16 accidents 36 deaths occurred. We can never be too careful about keeping students safe when riding home from school. My heart goes out to the Patterson family during this time of grieving.

Information provided by DFW Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or online by clicking here.

Around 1 a.m. this morning, construction workers were fixing a pothole on Southbound 1-35 E at Royal Lane in Dallas, Texas, when an off-duty police officer offered to block the lane off for them with his truck.

Shortly after, a suspected drunk driver crashed his gold pick-up into the police officer’s truck that was blocking the lane for the construction crew. The officer, who works for the Hubbard Police department suffered only minor injuries. The offending driver was not injured, but was cited for DWI according to Dallas officials. Another passenger in the gold pick up was brought to Parkland hospital for an injured arm.

Drunk Driving accidents are a huge problem here in Texas. Each year, we lose more than 1,400 Texans as a result of DWI crashes. Thankfully, the off-duty officer was not seriously injured. Imagine the catastrophe that could have occurred if the police officer had not blocked the lane for the construction crew. We are so fortunate to have people in our community like this police officer. He went above his call of duty, even when it is not required of him.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or online by clicking here.

In my book, 15 Mistakes that will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case, I highlight 15 different mistakes that are of the utmost importance to be aware of in the case that you are in a car crash. If someone's carelessness causes you to be seriously injured, you must make sure you don't make mistakes that could wreck your own claim.

Mistake No. 1 is: Failing to call the police and failing to document everything you observe at the scene

If you have been in an automobile accident, there are several things which absolutely need to be taken care of with regard to your potential claim.

1) Immediately following the accident, your first priority is getting yourself out of harm’s way and then calling 9-1-1 to ask a police officer to be sent to the scene of the accident so the officer can assess fault and write a report.

2) If your injuries are such that you need to go to the hospital, make sure to ask for an ambulance when you call 9-1-1. If you are physically able, try and collect the name, phone numbers, and insurance information of all the drivers involved in the crash.

3) It is also extremely important to collect the names and numbers of all witnesses. Witnesses do not usually stay at the scene for very long, so it is vital that you get their information quickly.

4) Document the scene by writing down all relevant information. This could include the street names, weather, the time of day, lighting, and the types of cars involved.

5) Finally, if possible, take pictures of the damaged vehicles and the accident scene with your cell phone or camera.

I hope this gives you a better idea of the procedure you should go through if you are involved in a car wreck. It is my hope that by informing people of the proper steps to take, their claims can be resolved as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Please click here to get your free copy of the 15 Mistakes that will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case.

This information is provided by Dallas Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached at 214-327-8000 or contacted by clicking here.

To celebrate the record breaking snowfall in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, I thought it would be appropriate to go over some basic winter driving tips for the current road conditions. I know sometimes we all need a refresher on how to avoid a car crash in winter weather, since we are not used to having snow in North Texas.

Here are some Winter Weather driving tips from the Texas Department of Public Safety:

•Remember that ice forms first on bridges, overpasses and shady areas. If you hit a patch of ice, stay off your brakes and decelerate slowly, holding the car steady as you go over the ice.

•Speed is the main problem with driving on ice. Adjust your speed to fit the weather conditions. Keep a safe distance from the car in front of you.

•If your car goes into a skid, take your foot off the gas pedal but don’t hit the brake. Steer gently in the direction you want the front of the car to go. As the car straightens out, you will be able to regain traction and control.

•Check your car battery before cold weather sets in. Battery power dips in cold weather.

•Keep the gasoline level as high as possible to prevent water condensation in the tank.

It is also important to stay updated with your local news station about changing road conditions. I hope everyone is having fun and taking advantage of the winter wonderland around the DFW metroplex. Be sure to stay warm and follow these tips to avoid a car accident while driving on the snowy roads.

This information is provided by Fort Worth, TX Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, or by clicking here.

On Tuesday, Toyota added yet another recall to what seems to be an advancing list of complaints of safety issues for the car manufacturer. Now, in addition to the Corolla, Toyota has recalled 400,000 Priuses. This puts the number of recalled vehicles to over 7 million globally.

This new recall is happening at the same time the U.S. Transportation Department is investigating hard-to-handle steering complaints on the 2010 Toyota Corolla. The Prius recall is due to braking problems which cause both brief and prolonged delays when braking.

Most hybrids, like the Prius, use regenerative braking that uses wasted energy from braking to help recharge the car batteries. In heavy braking situations the vehicle switches from regenerative to standard hydraulic braking, which is when the delay in braking occurs.

Toyota is making significant efforts to make sure that the braking problems are fixed and that no more recalls occur in the future. However, the question remains whether or not this really is the last recall for Toyota, and if the company is committed to renewing their reputation of safety and quality in the future.

I wonder how many motor vehicle accidents have been caused by the floormat and braking problems? I own a Toyota and had at one time felt I owned a safe car, but not anymore.

This information is provided by Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, and toll free at 877-294-1115. To contact Mark Anderson online, please click here.

On Saturday, two vehicles collided head-on, killing one man and sending a woman to the hospital. Angel Reyna of Fort Worth, TX was pronounced dead at the scene.

The car crash occurred in the 800 block of Longhorn Road near Lottie Lane in Saginaw, TX. The two vehicles were traveling in opposite directions on Longhorn Road when the wreck occurred, according to police. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. The woman in the accident was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

I grew up in Saginaw and am very familiar with this road. It is not curvy at all, in fact it is straight as an arrow. The police reports gave no indication as to the cause of this auto wreck, but my thoughts are that driver distraction or possibly intoxication might have contributed to this accident. Hopefully the Saginaw Police can piece together what happened.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-237-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, and toll free across Texas at 877-294-1115. He can also be contacted by clicking here.

Friday 39-year-old Billy Ray Massie, of Grand Prairie, and 28-year-old Keith Anthony Brown, of Arlington, died in a tragic car accident.

The crash occurred in the 800 block of Great Southwest Parkway. According to police, Massie was driving the car, a 1995 Chevrolet Camaro. He was traveling northbound on Great Southwest Parkway at high speeds when he lost control of the car and crashed into a tree. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.

These are the second and third traffic fatalities in Grand Prairie this year, according to local news sources. I feel bad for the families of these two men. Anytime I see a fatal accident caused by speed I just hate it. It is one of the most common causes of accidents, yet it is so easy to prevent. Just don’t speed!

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

In October and November 2008 I blogged here and here about a Euless, TX mom who drove drunk and crashed her SUV injuring eight teenagers, including two of her own children. Brenda Rogers was sentenced Friday and taken into custody for the drunk driving car accident that send eight teenagers aged 14 and 15, including her twin daughters.

Rogers pled guilty to charges of driving while intoxicated with a child, endangering a child, and injury to a child. She is now serving a two-year sentence and will have to serve five years probation after she is released from jail. Rogers had been free on $20,000 bail since shortly after her arrest on November 6, 2008. Her blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was 0.13. The legal limit in Texas is 0.08.

I am glad to hear that this mom is getting punished. She put the lives of eight young people at risk. She deserves punishment. Drunk driving is never OK, but when you do it with kids in the car it is especially aggravating.

Information provided by Tarrant County DWI Accident Victim Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached at 817-294-1900 or by clicking here.

Recently I blogged about an accident in Plano, TX involving an off-duty police officer’s vehicle colliding with an on-duty police officer’s squad car. Now it has been determined that the off-duty officer, Ray Wilde, 37, was drunk, speeding, and failed to stop at a red light when he crashed into Officer Kenneth Foale, 29.

The crash, which happened at 2:45 a.m. at Legacy Drive and the service road to U.S. 75 in Plano, heavily damaged both Wilde’s Ford F-150 and the squad car, a marked Ford Crown Victoria. Foale was attempting to turn left at a green light onto Legacy Drive from the service road when Wilde ran the light.

A charge of intoxication assault will be filed later against Wilde, who is still in the hospital, according to police. Officer Foale was released Wednesday.

This story is absolutely amazing. How can an officer whose main job is to enforce the law pull off such a crime as drunk driving ? He certainly knows the law. He certainly knows the dangers of drunk driving—yet he does it anyway. This is similar to the case in Fort Worth recently where an off duty cop in an unmarked police car was driving drunk and ran into a lady and killed her (see my blogs here, here and here).

Come on, cops, obey the law you are hired to enforce.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, and toll free across Texas at 877-294-1115. He can also be contacted by clicking here.

2 Plano police officers, one on-duty and one off-duty, were involved in a wreck at about 2:30 a.m. this morning at Legacy Drive and the North Central Expressway in Plano, TX. Both officers, whose names have not yet been released, were injured but are currently in good condition.

The off-duty officer was driving a Ford pickup east on Legacy and ran the red light at Legacy and the expressway. He struck the on-duty officer who was driving a standard patrol car. Investigators checked the footage on the patrol car’s dashboard camera and determined that the off-duty officer ran the light. The on-duty officer was not pursuing anyone at the time and his lights and sirens were not on.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, and toll free anywhere in Texas at 877-294-1115. He can also be contacted by clicking here.

Albil C. Bernal, a 33 year old man from Dallas, died early Saturday morning in car accident at an intersection in Plano, Texas. The automobile wreck occurred when the Chevy Pickup in which Mr. Bernal was driving apparently ran a red light at West Park and Custer and struck a Hyundai sport utility vehicle. The driver of the Hyundai went to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The Plano Police Department is currently investigating the accident. Since this wreck occurred at 4 a.m., one would have to assume that the investigation will include a review of whether alcohol played any role in the accident.

In 2007, there were almost 900 people killed in the United States and an estimated 153,000 people injured in car accidents involving red light running. For the other vehicles involved in these types of crashes, there is oftentimes no way to avoid the collision with the red light running vehicle.

Information and commentary provided by Texas Car Accident Lawyer Mark A. Anderson of the Anderson Law Firm. The firm specializes in representing those seriously injured as a result of the negligence of others. Mark Anderson can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or across Texas at 1-877-294-1115. Click here to contact Mark Anderson online.

If you have been injured in a car accident, truck wreck or motorcycle accident in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas area, you might be considering making a personal injury claim against the person responsible for your injuries. If so, you have probably noticed that all injury lawyers offer free initial consultations. If you decide to take advantage of those free meetings, you should be prepared when you attend the meeting. I think it is a great idea to bring with you ALL (and I mean ALL) documents you have regarding your accident, your injury and your medical treatment. This includes the following:

*Any notes from the accident scene
*Any medical bills (ambulance, hospital, doctors…)
*Any medical records or discharge papers
*Any receipts from pharmacies
*Any notes regarding insurance (your policy as well as info on the other person’s insurance)
*The police accident report

And most importantly, any pictures you have regarding the claim (this means the accident scene, the injuries, the vehicles…). Even if you do not have the pictures printed out yet, bring your cell phone or camera so the pictures can be downloaded onto the attorney’s computer. If you have not taken photos of the damage to the vehicles, then take those photos before the first meeting.

Stated simply, if you have something that is related to your car, truck or motorcycle accident or injury in any way, make sure you bring it to the first attorney meeting.

Sometimes the injury victim deals with the insurance company on their own and then gets frustrated with the way they are being treated and calls an injury attorney. (Click here on information on why you can't trust insurance companies). If that is the case with you, then you need to bring all documents related to your communications with the insurance company. This includes all letters, e-mails and notes regarding telephone conversations.

The more documents you bring to the initial meeting, the more productive the meeting will be. The attorney will be better able to evaluate your claim and offer you advice on how it is best to proceed.

Dallas Fort Worth Board Certified Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson offers free consultations. To set up a meeting regarding your injury claim, please call us in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or toll free in Texas at 1-877-294-1115. Or please click here to schedule an appointment online.

12-year-old Liberty Christian school student Ian Kay was killed in a car crash on Tuesday in Flower Mound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash, which happened near Liberty Christian school, occurred when a car rear-ended a truck, which then crashed into two other vehicles. The driver of the car, Hunter Johnson, is still in the ICU. His brother, Evan Key, was treated at Texas Health Harris Methodist hospital in Fort Worth and then released.

Police continue to investigate the cause of the wreck. I feel very sorry for the family of young Ian. To lose a child is so tragic. I hope the investigation will bring answers to the family.

Information provided by Texas Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted online by clicking here, in Dallas at 214-327-800 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900.

Williams Rothlisberger, 17, died in a Fort Worth hospital Tuesday afternoon after a car accident near Krum, outside of Denton. Mr. Rothlisberger was from Denton County.

The car crash happened early Tuesday morning on FM 2450 south of Hopkins Road. Authorities have not released many details from the wreck, but said two vehicles were involved in the crash and Mr. Rothlisberger was thrown from his vehicle.

My deepest condolences go out to the friends and family of this young man. Hopefully, there will be a complete investigation which will provide some answers to the family.

Information provided by Texas Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, offices in Dallas (214-327-8000) and Fort Worth (817-294-1900). Click here to contact online.

A tragic New Year’s Day automobile accident left three teenagers dead and three other teenagers, including the driver, injured and in the hospital. Killed immediately upon impact were Adrian Alvarez, 18, and Fernando Cuevas, 19. Another teen died after being airlifted to Methodist Medical Center of Dallas. Of the injured, a 16 year old girl was ejected from the vehicle and a 17 year old girl suffered a broken leg and is being treated at Denton Regional Medical Center.

According to Denton Police, speed was a major factor in this accident. A policeman had just clocked the car going 78 mph and skid marks indicate the sedan was going close to 100 mph when the driver lost control and hit a barrier on North Loop 288.

To make matters worse, it looks like alcohol may have played a factor, as there were alcoholic beverages in the car and officers noted the smell of alcohol. I don't know if the driver was legally intoxicated but we do know that laws were broken since Texas law requires one to be at least 21 years old to drink alcohol and the driver and all passengers were teenagers. Each year, there are around 1,400 people killed in Texas due to drunk driving.

This is an absolutely horrible wreck. Three teenagers with there entire lives ahead of them--all now victims of another preventable car accident. This wreck had the lethal combination of youth, speed and alcohol. This is a parent’s worst nightmare. My deepest condolences go out to the victims families. I wish them strength during this very trying time.

Information provided by Texas Car Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson, 1-877-294-1115. With offices in Fort Worth and Dallas, The Anderson Law Firm represents accident victims all over the North Texas area.

On Christmas Eve, 44 year old Timothy Head of Fort Worth died in a chain-reaction car wreck on Western Center Boulevard, just west of I-35W. According to the Fort Worth Police Department, Mr. Head’s 2003 Hyundai was hit in the rear end by a 199 Chevy pickup. The force of the collision caused Mr. Head’s vehicle to run into the back end of a Dodge pickup. Mr. Head was transported to Harris Methodist Downtown where he died.

All fatal car accidents are tragic, and this one is certainly no exception. Mr. Head, a 1984 graduate from Alvarado High School, was married with a daughter. He did nothing wrong and in an instant he lost his life. The driver of the Chevrolet was found to have failed to control his speed. Certainly there was nothing important enough that the pick up driver had to endanger other people’s lives by his reckless driving. This is a wrongful death under the law. My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Head.

Information provided by Fort Worth Car Wreck Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted online by clicking here.

At the Anderson Law Firm, we have become very familiar with Texas DWI laws. While we have never represented anyone charged with a DWI, we have been hired many times in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area by victims of DWI car crashes. These are often times very serious accidents, sometimes resulting in the wrongful death of the innocent victim. It’s strange, but the DWI driver always seems to walk (or stumble) away from the car wreck unharmed.

So here are some things to know about Texas DWI law:

• A driver is presumed to be intoxicated if his or her Blood Alcohol Content is .08 or above. For a 130 pound person, that means about 2 drinks over a 1 hour period. And for a 200 pound person, that means approximately 3 drinks over a 1 hour time period. Of course, everyone’s metabolism is different and how much you can drink and still be under the legal limit depends on many factors including weight, sex, and how much a person has had to eat.

• Having an open container in the passenger compartment of a car is illegal.

• A driver can refuse a breathalyzer test, but it will result in a license suspension. If a court order is obtained, a driver cannot refuse a blood test.

• In the last year of statistics available, 2007, there were over 88,000 DWI arrests in Texas. Worse that that, there were almost 1,300 fatalities as a result of drunk driving in our state. But the good news is that the fatality number has been decreasing recently, so hopefully all of the public awareness campaigns have had a positive effect by keeping this important issue front and center.

The Anderson Law Firm vigorously pursues civil claims against the victims of drunk driving accidents. If you would like a free consultation on your legal rights, please give us a call in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or elsewhere in Texas toll free at 1-877-294-1115, or contact us online.

In a tragic accident Tuesday afternoon, 16-year-old Robert Tucker of Richardson died when his friend lost control of the truck he was driving. The truck rolled over and hit a tree, killing Tucker and injuring three other teens.

The driver of the truck was speeding in the 600 block of South Plano Road in Richardson when he lost control. Tucker was pronounced dead at the scene.

More than 5,000 teens die in car accidents every year. Experts say excessive speed, as in this case, and driver distraction and inexperience are often major contributing factors to these deaths. It is so tempting to speed when you are a teenager, but bad things happen when teens speed.

I feel very sorry for the family and friends of Robert Tucker. To lose a child or a friend anytime is just horrible, but especially at this time of year.

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

An article in the New York Times today explores the dangers of highway construction zones due to unregulated safety standards. Focusing on pavement edge drop-offs, the un-smoothed edge that occurs when only one side of the road is paved at a time, the article mentions dozens of deaths in Texas due to negligently managed work zones.

Seven people were killed when a car slipped off the edge of one of the pavement drop-offs on 1-20 near Dallas and over-corrected into an oncoming car. In 1998, six people died in nine separate drop-off accidents in Tarrant County due to the repaving of a five mile stretch of 1-35. Justifiably, there were lawsuits filed for these wrongful deaths and court records show that contractors and safety officials knew these pavement drop-offs were dangerous but arguments over the cost of fixing them inhibited any real action being taken. These lawsuits eventually settled for $25 million. In 2005, a motorcycle slipped off the edge of a drop-off along Highway 51 in North Texas and the rider fell off of the bike and was killed by an oncoming car.

These construction zones are dangerous because while the federal government provides safety guidelines, there are few laws and regulations, and these guidelines are enforced differently in different states. Now, with the government’s new stimulus package giving $27 billion in federal funding for statewide highway projects, construction zone accidents may greatly increase.

If you have been injured or lost a loved one as a result of an injury in an accident which occurred in a construction zone and you think that the area was unsafe in any way, you need to contact an experienced injury lawyer as soon as possible. It is important to make sure that the area is properly investigated, photographed, measured and documented. These zones change very quickly after an accident, as the general contractor sometimes sees the faulty design only after a wreck has occurred.

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

According to a figures released by the Texas Department of Insurance, nearly 270,000 driver in Texas don’t have insurance on their vehicles. This 21% figure for Fort Worth is slightly lower than the statewide average of 22%-but that’s still a lot of uninsured drivers.

The percentage of vehicles believed to be uninsured has dropped, however, from 25% in June 2008. This is when Texas launched the TexasSure database, a way for police officers to verify insurance coverage. With this database, officers can check after an auto accident to see if the driver who claims to have lost or forgotten his or her insurance card is really covered.

The Dallas/Fort Worth area is certainly more insured than some places in Texas. In Kennedy County, south of Corpus Christi, nearly 50% of its residents are believed to be uninsured. Cameron County, near Brownsville, comes in at nearly 38% uninsured.

I have blogged before (and written in my book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck your Texas Accident Case) about the need to purchase UM insurance. This type of insurance is the best kind to buy. When you are in a car wreck and the other driver had no insurance (or not enough), then UM/UIM is the insurance which will compensate you for your medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. So don’t delay—pull out your policy now and check to see if you have it. If you don’t, call your insurance agent now.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900, and toll free anywhere in Texas at 877-294-1115. He can also be 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.

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.

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.

In a move that I very much agree with, the Texas Transportation Commission voted yesterday in a meeting in Fort Worth to remove phone numbers from the standard form used by police officers after an accident. This change goes into effect January 1, 2010.

I recently blogged about this topic (read it here) and said that removing the numbers is a great move. The way things happen now, if you are in an accident there is a good chance you will get called from a “marketer” offering the services of an attorney or a chiropractor. Sometimes these “marketers” are not so honest and represent themselves as being from an insurance company. This leads to all kinds of confusion and irritation to the car accident victims. By removing the phone numbers, it will make the marketer’s job extremely difficult. The harassing won’t stop, but it will definitely slow down.

I also recently was interviewed by Channel 11 News about this topic. Here is a link to the article from their website.

To contact Mark A. Anderson, call toll free 877-294-1115 or click here.

A man faces charges this morning of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving after traveling north in the southbound lane near the Northwest Highway exit of the Dallas North Tollway. While driving the wrong way, 39-year-old Dick Eastin struck a light pole and his truck stopped near the center median. Mr. Eastin was injured and taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital.

This driver was lucky no one else was involved in the accident. This is certainly not the first wrong-way incident on the Tollway; click here and here to read about some of the other wrong-way crashes I’ve blogged about. Four people have died this year in accidents caused by wrong-way drivers on the Tollway. The North Texas Tollway Authority is trying to come up with ways to prevent these types of crashes, including more “Wrong Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs as well as making these signs more visible to drivers. I applaud these efforts to prevent wrong way accidents, and I hope no more people have to die before these changes go into effect.

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

A pickup truck driven by an elderly couple crashed into El Mexicano Taqueria yesterday just before the lunch rush. Four people were taken to the hospital for injuries, including the driver.

Witnesses saw the truck drive off of the road, through a fence, strike another vehicle, then crash into the restaurant, which is located in the 1500 block of South Washington. The police are still investigating the cause of the crash. Along with the driver, three restaurant employees were taken to the hospital, one of whom is believed to have a broken leg, another an injury to the head.

According to reports, the few diners in the restaurant at the time were seated at the opposite end of the building. Considering the extensive damage to the building itself, it is amazing there weren’t even more injuries. There is still no word on why the driver lost control of the vehicle. I wonder if he suffered an injury or illness while driving that caused him to wreck. These questions will undoubtedly be explored in the course of the investigation.

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

Photo from nbcdfw.com

A hit and run accident happened this past Sunday evening in Dallas in the 5100 block of South Marsalis Avenue, just south of Loop 12. According to the Dallas Police Department, a speeding vehicle struck another vehicle shortly before 6:00 p.m. The accident caused the second vehicle to hit a tree, killing 35-year-old Kedrick Rattler and injuring Mr. Rattler’s passenger, who was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center. The driver of the speeding vehicle fled the scene and, according to the DPD, has not been located.

This is a terrible accident and I feel very sorry for Mr. Rattler’s family and friends. I wonder if the person who caused this accident even knows the results of their actions. I’m sure they know they caused a wreck, but I wonder if they know that their reckless action ended another man’s life. I hope the Dallas Police Department can use all available evidence in their accident investigation and find the speeding driver. Should they be able to find the driver, serious charges, and hopefully prison time, will result.

On the civil side, I hope Mr. Rattler, or the owner of the car, carried uninsured motorist protection to compensate the family for this premature death. In a case like this, uninsured motorist coverage is usually the only available insurance to compensate the family.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson who can be contacted at 214-327-8000 or at www.maafirm.com.

In what I consider to be a justified corporate reprimand, Fort Worth based Burlington Northern Sante Fe was penalized by a judge in Minneapolis, Minnesota for hiding and lying about evidence. The penalty, called a sanction, was issued by the presiding judge who heard evidence in a case involving the death of four young people whose car collided with a BNSF train at a crossing. The judge found compelling evidence that Burlington Northern lost or fabricated evidence, interfered with the family’s investigation of the accident and lied or misrepresented facts to conceal the truth. Basically, all of the allegations of lying involve whether the crossing gate was working. Apparently at the trial, Burlington Northern tried to use fabricated evidence that the crossing gate was indeed working, when all other evidence pointed to the fact that the crossing gate was not working.

The amount of the sanction issued by the presiding judge was $4 million. That sanction will definitely be appealed by BNSF. However, I hope that the appellate courts will uphold the sanction because this kind of conduct is despicable. I hope that this new story is making the national news, even though it might only appear in our local papers as BNSF it is located here in Fort Worth. When corporate defendants do this type of shenanigans, they need to be punished. Our wonderful trial system only works if our jury can make decisions based upon the real truth. When companies start fabricating evidence, they should be punished. And they should be punished severely.

Information and commentary provided by Fort Worth Dallas Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted at 877 294 1115 or at www.maafirm.com.

When people hear of ambulance chasers, they usually think of those unscrupulous injury lawyers who track down injury victims after a car accident and offer their services. Such conduct is against the law and I applaud any effort to prevent this practice from happening. And it’s not just the lawyers who do the ambulance chasing—but also body shops and medical facilities like chiropractors.

The most common way the “chasers” get their information is through police generated “crash reports” which are filled out after most automobile accidents. The “chasers” buy the crash reports from the police department (sometimes out the back door) for $6 and call the injury victim directly. So last year the Texas Department of Transportation removed the phone numbers of the parties from the reports. This made it much harder for the chasers, as many people either have unlisted phone numbers or they only have cell phones, and those numbers are not publicly available. But the Texas Department of Transportation wanted the phone numbers put back on the reports to help with their investigations, so they were put back on this March—so the calling and chasing resumed.

This summer, our Texas Legislature passed a law making it illegal to directly contact a person involved in a wreck in the first thirty days after a wreck. That law supposedly had already applied to lawyers, but now it applies to everyone. Unfortunately, a lawyer and a chiropractor have filed a lawsuit challenging that constitutionality of that new law. Who knows what the outcome will be—but I hope the law will be upheld. And more importantly, I hope the law will be enforced.

But I think the best way to stop the chasing is to stop the access to the information. I understand that both the Dallas and Fort Worth Police Departments have now restricted the availability of reports to those that either (1) know the actual report number (which is given to the parties involved in the accident at the scene) or (2) know the date of the accident and one of the names of the drivers involved in the crash. This restriction is a good idea and I hope it keeps the reports out of the hands of the chasers—whether they are lawyers, chiropractors or auto body repair shops. And for those who ge the info somehow and still chase, let’s hope the law enforcement officials are willing to prosecute those who violate the law.

Commentary provided by Dallas Fort Worth Accident and Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted online or at 877-294-1115, in Dallas at 214-327-8000 and in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900.

A truck driver is in critical condition at John Peter Smith hospital in Fort Worth after a car incorrectly entering 1-20 caused a crash involving two 18-wheelers.

Yesterday, 18-year-old Lauren Vitale was traveling westbound on the 1-20 service road when she suddenly entered the highway by driving across the grass between the highway and the service road instead of using the entrance ramp. 31-year-old Joshua Pottker swerved to miss her but her car struck the right front tire of his big rig. The tractor trailer was then forced into the highway’s eastbound lanes, which put it in the path of the 18-wheeler driven by 57-year-old Pascual Rincones Cisneros Jr. Cisneros’s 18-wheeler hit the trailer behind Pottker’s truck, cutting it in two pieces and severely damaging the front of Cisneros’s big rig. Pottker’s vehicle landed on its side.

Pottker was treated at Weatherford Regional Medical Center and released. Cisneros is still in the hospital on life support. Vitale, who caused the crash, was unharmed.

What a horrible accident. My prayers go out to the family of Mr. Cisneros. A collision of two big rigs like that is devastating. I can’t believe this whole thing was caused by a driver entering the highway by going across the grass. Why would she do this? While I have seen cars exit the highway through the grassy area, I have never seen or heard of anyone entering the highway this way.

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

Here is a news story about a really bad traffic accident which could have been prevented in so many ways. A day care van ran a red light Monday morning causing an accident that sent 13 children to the hospital. The driver of the Kids Clubhouse day care van did not have a license, and there were 20 children in a vehicle meant to hold 14, according to police.

The crash occurred at the intersection of Mayfield Road and Great Southwest Parkway in Grand Prairie. 20-year-old Karissa Acosta was driving the van west on Mayfield when she swerved around another car waiting at a red light, ran the light, then was struck by an SUV. The collision caused the van to roll over onto its side. The driver of the SUV, who also did not have a license, and two small children passengers were hospitalized as well.

The children in the van were not wearing seat belts, and police said Acosta will face charges for not requiring them to buckle up, as well as multiple traffic violations. Although none of the children's injuries were life threatening, some were quite serious; one child had to undergo surgery for a broken leg.

I feel bad for all the injured kiddos and their families. They trusted the day care center to take care of their kids and it simply did not. There is no way in the world that a day care center should allow an unlicensed driver to operate a van. There should be checks to ensure a valid driver’s license and a good driving record. And no seat belts? That is ridiculous. The day care center should have had another employee riding along as a monitor to make sure the kids were buckled up. And then we have the over the limit issue. There is a reason that vans have passenger limits. There are only so many seat belts in a van. Here, there were 20 kids in a 14 passenger van. Again, that is ridiculous. And then we have the reckless driving of the van driver. When one is transporting 20 children, one must take extra precaution to drive safely. Running a red light while transporting children is extremely reckless.

Clearly, the day care center has a big liability problem here. I sure hope they have enough insurance to cover all of the expenses incurred by all of these families. While all accidents involving innocent children are tragic, this one is especially aggravating as it was easily preventable.

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

In what is a father’s worst nightmare, a Dallas man accidently ran over his three year old son on Friday in his own driveway. The boy had exited the Ford F-250 to go to another vehicle and the father backed up and did not see his son behind the truck. The child was transported to Children’s Medical Center of Dallas where he was listed in critical condition.

My prayers go out for this family. I sure hope the child recovers. These types of accidents are just horrible and I am sure the father undoubtedly feels terrible. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, each year we have around 200 such driveway back over accidents resulting in fatalities. Plus there are around 7000 injuries reported each year n our country. Predictably, children are by far the most common victims. New technology is helping, with backup cameras and sensors.

A school bus and an SUV were involved in an accident yesterday morning in Mansfield, Texas. Both drivers were taken to the hospital, but thankfully no children were hurt.

The wreck happened early Saturday morning at Debbie Lane and Highway 157 in Mansfield. The driver of the Ford Explorer was taken by air ambulance to the hospital. The bus driver went to the hospital in an ambulance. There were two children on the bus at the time.

I hate to see school bus crashes. Because the buses are so large, the injuries sustained in these wrecks can after time be very serious. Plus, there is the fact that children are usually in the buses (such as in this case). These two child passengers do not appear to be injured, which is great news.

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.

There has been a rash of wrong-way driving accidents this year on the North Dallas Tollway. I blogged about these terrible accidents several times. Now, the North Texas Tollway Authority is taking steps to reduce wrong-way accidents in Texas.

Several new features will be tested out on the Dallas North Tollway, such as better wrong way signs and sensors that will detect if a car is driving the wrong way and alert a command center. Some confusing intersections may even have to be renovated.

According to the tollway authority, all wrong-way crashes in 2008 and 2009 involved drunk drivers. This doesn’t surprise me a bit. Drunk driving is a big problem in Texas, with 64 drunk driving fatalities in Dallas in 2008, and over 1,500 drunk driving crashes in Dallas that year.

I’m relieved to find out that something is being done to help this problem. I applaud the tollway authority for trying these additional steps. We shouldn’t have to do this but as long as people drive drunk, we will have to keep spending our money to make the streets as safe as possible for the rest of us. It’s obvious that drivers going to wrong way on the highway can have devastating consequences.

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

A passenger in a single car crash which occurred early Saturday morning in Watauga died Tuesday at a hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. The passenger, Kent Powell, was only 27 years old. The accident occurred in the 6200 block of Chapman road when a man driving a Corvette lost control of the car and hit a telephone pole. Mr. Powell was ejected from the car. The driver was taken to the hospital as well and he was already released.

I have no idea how this unfortunate accident happened. I don’t know if speed, alcohol or other vehicles were involved. Investigating a single car accident is very difficult. Hopefully the driver is not seriously hurt, and hopefully he can provide the investigators at the Watauga Police department the information they need to complete their investigation. I feel sorry for Mr. Powell’s family. They lost a man way too young.

Information provided by Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-3113, or contacted by clicking here.

Early Thursday morning a drunk driver struck another vehicle while driving north in the southbound lanes for a half-mile on the Dallas North Tollway near Loop 12.

47-year-old Isidoro Camacho, who was charged with drunk driving, hit 23-year-old Holly Harding head on. Both were injured and taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Drunk driving is a huge problem in North Texas. I've blogged several times about tragic wrong way accidents. A former FBI employee was even arrested for a wrong way accident on the Tollway. Going the wrong way on a highway can have devastating consequences, and both of these drivers are lucky to be alive.

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

A woman died Tuesday after a collision with a dump truck on North Main Street in Fort Worth.

41-year-old Fuguria “Renee” Reed was tragically pronounced dead at the scene after the van she was riding in struck the side of a dump truck. The dump truck turned left onto Main Street from Auto Court in front of the van. As a result of the crash, Ms. Reed was thrown from her wheelchair inside the van. The driver of the van, Ms. Reed’s mother, was injured and taken to Texas Health Harris Methodist in Fort Worth. The dump truck driver was not hurt.

There are many questions surrounding this terrible accident. Was the dump truck at fault for turning in front of the van? Was Ms. Reed’s wheelchair properly secured? Hopefully these questions and more will be answered during the course of the investigation.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Accident Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached at 817-294-1900, or contacted by clicking here.

With all the rain we’ve been getting lately, it’s no surprise that Dallas/Fort Worth area firefighters have had to make some daring rescues in deep, fast moving water.

Sunday morning, firefighters rescued Marie and Joann Reynolds from their car on Oak Grove Road. The women were going to church when they drove through some unexpected water than swept them into the trees. Firefighters had to use a boat to rescue the women as freezing floodwater washed through their car.

Burleson has had several floodwater rescues as well. Firefighters rescued a person stranded in a car at Lakewood Drive and Wilshire Boulevard early Sunday morning, and two people were rescued from vehicles in high water at Wicker Hill and Wilshire Boulevard. Some residents on Bowden Circle even had to be evacuated. The city put up barricades at some crossings to prevent further accidents.

Thank goodness nobody has been hurt. Several days of heavy rain like this can be dangerous because people mistakenly think water isn’t very deep, or in some cases they don’t see the water at all, and drive into it and get stranded or washed away. If it looks like you’re about to drive through deep water, turn around and take another route. Even if it takes you a few extra minutes, it will be worth it in the long run to avoid getting washed away and stranded by floodwater.

Information provided by Fort Worth Accident Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached at 817-294-1900, or who can be contacted by clicking here.

Photo from The Fort Worth Star Telegram

A Dallas court convicted former FBI spokesperson Lori Bailey of driving while intoxicated and sentenced her to a fine and two years probation.

Bailey, 51, pleaded guilty last Friday. She was arrested on February 3, 2008 after she caused an auto accident by driving the wrong way in the southbound lanes of the Dallas North Tollway near the Wycliff exit. The court fined her $900 as well as $344 in court costs.

This just shows that anyone can get into trouble for drunk driving. Driving the wrong way down a highway can cause a serious accident. She is lucky no one lost their life due to her bad judgment.

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

Various cities in North Texas are introducing a flashing yellow arrow signal for unprotected left turns.

Currently, if a driver sees a green light at a left turn, it means he or she should yield to oncoming traffic. A green arrow means the driver making the left turn has the right of way. The flashing yellow arrow would replace the green light and city officials think more people would understand that they need to yield to oncoming traffic instead of just driving through.

Richardson has put up several flashing yellow lights, mostly along Coit Road, and one at Renner Road and Routh Creek Parkway (as shown above). Irving has been using the signals for the past three years. The changes were implemented in 2006 after a study indicated that drivers understood the flashing yellow arrow better than the solid green light. For now, instructional signs accompany the flashing yellow arrows.

I’m very curious to see how this turns out. Turning on an unprotected green light directly into oncoming traffic can cause a serious accident. I wonder if people will recognize that they need to stop and yield, or if some will mistake the flashing yellow arrow for the steady yellow arrow, which simply means the light is about to change to red. It will be interesting to monitor the number of left turn car accidents as these lights become more prominent.

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

Photo from The Dallas Morning News

18-year-old Lauren Saludares died at the scene of a head-on collision Wednesday night in the 5200 block of North U.S. 377 in Flower Mound. The other driver was taken to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth by air ambulance.

Saludares was driving south on the highway when she tried to pass another car in a no-passing zone and crashed into an oncoming car. The condition of the other driver is still unknown.

What a terrible tragedy. A head-on crash at highway speeds is going to have devastating consequences. Although it may look clear, it is always dangerous to pass in a no-pass zone, because you never know what might be right up the road. In this case, a young woman lost her life.

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

A Dallas woman is fighting for tougher legislation regarding cell phone use while driving and will meet with industry executives, legislators, and White House officials in Washington, DC later this month. Jennifer Smith lost her mother in a car crash a year ago after a driver talking on his cell phone struck Ms. Smith’s mother’s vehicle in Oklahoma City.

I recently blogged about one of the new laws passed in the most recent Texas Legislative Session regarding cell phone use in school zones. As of September 1, it is illegal to use a hand-held device for any reason in a school zone. It is also illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use a cell phone while driving anywhere.

The ban came after increasing numbers of car wrecks and deaths caused by cell phone use while driving, such as the accident with Ms. Smith’s mother. Some experts claim that texting while driving is even more dangerous than drunk driving. This information may have contributed to lawmaker’s ban of cell phones for teens since they are the age group that engages in the most texting.

Although banned for teens and anyone in a school zone, cell phone use while driving remains legal in Texas despite efforts for a statewide ban. Hopefully these new restrictions on cell phone use will prevent tragedies like the one Jennifer Smith had to go through.

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

22-year-old Michael Dunnam died early Saturday morning after crashing his truck on FM 365, half a mile south of Highway 124. His truck went off the road and rolled after striking a ditch.

Unfortunately, Dunnam was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth in Beaumont.

I recently blogged about a new Texas law requiring seat belts for every person in a motor vehicle. The law was enacted because seat belts so often make the difference between life and death in car and truck accidents.

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

The use of seat belts may have saved four lives, including that of a 2-year-old girl, in a car accident Thursday morning in Dallas, Texas. I recently blogged about new seat belt laws and the importance of child safety seats, and because this little girl was secured in one, she walked away from a serious crash.

Rodney McGaughy, his young daughter, and two other women were rescued from a creek bed after their car sped down an embankment near Kiest Boulevard and South Westmoreland Road. The Ford Crown Victoria was traveling on Boulder Drive when it left the road and tumbled down an embankment into a creek with several inches of water. McGaughy said the driver, who he identified as his grandmother, slammed the brakes but the car did not stop. Dallas Fire-Rescue had to use pulleys and ropes to rescue the four passengers.

McGaughey said he and his daughter were fine, and the other two women were taken to the hospital by ambulance. This is a case where the absence of seat belts would have almost certainly caused death or serious injury to those involved. Thank goodness they made the right choice to keep themselves safe.

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

Photo from The Dallas Morning News

Five people died in a car crash Wednesday near Pampa, Texas. 14-year-old Aime Banuelos was driving the van that crossed the center line on Texas 70 and collided with a truck hauling oversize machinery.

The only survivor of the crash was 5-year-old Celeste Espitia, who was taken to a nearby Amarillo hospital. Aime Banuelos, 15-year-old Juan Banuelos, 16-year-old Jeff Pace, 46-year-old Teresa Martinez, and 74-year-old Estafana Cortez-Rosales were all killed in the car accident. The truck driver was not injured.

Why was a fourteen year old driving this van? The current law in Texas requires a person to be 16 in order to obtain a license. While a learner’s permit or a hardship license can be obtained at age 15, there are no licenses available for a fourteen year old.

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

Dozens of new laws go into effect today across Texas. Please take note of some of the changes and make sure you are still driving safely and in compliance with these new rules.

Starting today, all occupants in a vehicle must wear seat belts, no matter how old they are or where they’re sitting in the car. It is important to take note of this change because adults sitting in the backseat could previously choose not to wear a seat belt. Now, everyone must do so.

Several changes in child safety laws went into effect today as well. A motorcycle rider cannot have a passenger on his or her bike under the age of 5 unless the child is seated in a sidecar attached to the motorcycle. You don’t see many motorcycle sidecars these days; I wonder if this law will change that?

The law has also changed for small children in the car. Now, all children younger than 8 years must sit in an approved child safety seat. Children under age 8 but who are at least 4’9” are exempt from this rule. Although the law goes into effect today, police officers cannot issue citations for violations until June 1, 2010, so you have plenty of time to find the right seat for your child. The law also creates a new court cost for conviction of this offense which will go toward buying safety seats for low income families. Although some parents might see this law as a pain, remember that securing a child in a safety seat can be the difference between life and death in an auto accident.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted toll free at 1-877-294-1115 or by clicking here.

A man driving the wrong way on Highway 121 in Haltom City, Texas died when he crashed into an 18-wheel truck around 2 am this morning.

Police were investigating a call about a driver going the wrong way on the highway when they caught up to the purple Chevrolet Cavalier going southbound near the Loop 820 split. When they approached the vehicle, however, the driver sped off again and headed straight for an oncoming tractor trailer. The driver of the big rig turned to miss the Cavalier, and the driver of the Cavalier crashed into the rear axle of the truck and died on impact. The truck driver was not injured.

This was such a senseless death. Of course one cannot assume the man driving the wrong way was drunk or on drugs, but these are common causes of this type of accident. If only he had stopped and talked to police instead of trying to flee, he might still be alive today.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 1-877-294-1115, or by clicking here.

As children across the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex go back to school this week, there are some important safety factors to remember when driving in school zones.

Use of hand-held cell phones is now banned in school zones across Texas. This means no calls and no texting. Texas implemented this ban in the hopes of reducing car accidents and injuries to children. While the ban will not go into effect until September 1, signs displaying the new rule are already appearing in many local school zones. Violators will face a citation with a $50.00 fine.

There are some exceptions to the new ban, however. Hands-free phones are still allowed, and a stopped vehicle may use a hand-held cell phone. Emergency calls are, of course, exempt from the ban.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted at 817-294-1900 or by clicking here.

An off-duty Dallas police officer was arrested early Wednesday morning and charged with driving while intoxicated and failing to stop and render aid. Senior Cpl. David Aguilar hit another car in his Toyota Tacoma pickup truck at Custer Road and Plano Parkway in Plano, Texas, then fled the scene. Police picked Aguilar up about five miles away. The other driver was hurt although his injuries were minor, according to police. As of Wednesday afternoon Aguilar remained in Plano County Jail. Aguilar is now on administrative leave.

It’s chilling to think that a 12 year veteran police officer would drink and drive, let alone leave an injured person at the scene of a car accident. Although drivers who leave the scene are usually trying to dodge responsibility for their part in the accident, consequences always end up being much worse than if they had just stuck around. Thankfully the other driver only suffered minor injuries, but the negligence of the officer in this case is appalling.

Information provided by Dallas Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted at 877-294-1115 or online by clicking here.

David Kelton, a 19-year-old resident of Arlington, Texas, was killed early Tuesday morning August 4, 2009, after he crashed into the back of an 18-wheeler in the 1200 block of West North Carrier Parkway in Grand Prairie. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr. Kelton was driving his 1997 Ford pickup truck on West North Carrier. According to Grand Prairie police, the 18-wheeler had just exited a warehouse driveway and pulled out in front of Mr. Kelton’s truck onto West North Carrier, blocking the lanes. The crash left the roof of David Kelton’s pickup truck sheared off. The truck driver was not injured. The crash is still under investigation.

David Kelton recently graduated from Arlington Martin High School in June.

This is Grand Prairie's ninth traffic fatality this year.

Commentary: At this point, we still don't know what caused this tragic wreck. But having handled many trucking accident cases in the past, I would guess that the truck entered the roadway directly in front of the pick up truck and the young driver could do nothing to avoid the accident. Another accident which could have been avoided.

Mark A. Anderson is can be reached at 817-294-1900 or online by clicking here.

In another deadly accident involving alcohol, Fabian Nicholas Perez, 24 years old, was killed in an accident in the 9700 block of Harry Hines Boulevard near Webb Chapel extension. Mr. Perez was a passenger in an Isuzu Rodeo sport utility vehicle driven by 22 year old Aguilar Perez. According to police reports, the Rodeo was driving at a high rate of speed and ran into the back of a flatbed wrecker truck. The driver of the Isuzu Rodeo survived the crash and fled the scene on foot. He was captured a short time later. Police suspect that the driver was intoxicated and he will be charged with intoxication manslaughter.

This is yet another preventable accident. As we all know, drinking and driving is a serious and sometimes deadly offense. In Texas, there are over 1,500 fatalities each year as a result of drunk driving. For additional information on the dangers of driving while intoxicated, please click here.

Information and commentary provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted at (817) 294 1900 or online.

In another tragic car accident involving a driver going the wrong way on a local highway, three died early this morning when a black Infiniti headed eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-20 and ran head on into a dark colored SUV. The accident occurred about 12:30 am near Polk Street, in the red Bird area of South Dallas. All three occupants of the two vehicles died at the scene.

The Infiniti was being driven by Ramiro Moreno of Dallas, a 29 year old auto technician and the father of two young children. His passenger was 21 year old Ian Edward Pierson. The innocent victim driving her SUV was 45 year old Karla Rivers of Cedar Hill, who was a dispatcher at Baylor university medical center at Dallas.

Was alcohol a factor in this accident? Most likely. The officers found alcohol in the men’s car. As everyone knows, it is illegal to drive a car while intoxicated, but people do it every day. There is no way anyone in their right mind would go the wrong way on the interstate. I am pretty sure we will be hearing later that toxicology tests will come back showing a high Blood Alcohol Content of the driver of the wrong way vehicle.

Alcohol contributes to over 1500 deaths on Texas roads each year. And there have been four deaths alone this year on the Dallas Tollway from two separate wrong way driver accidents. For more information on drunk driving wrecks and the rights of injury victims or their families, please click here.

Information and commentary provided by Mark A. Anderson, Dallas Fort Worth Accident Lawyer, who can be contacted at 877-294-1115 or ONLINE.

A new study was released yesterday by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute which confirmed what we already knew—that texting while driving is extremely dangerous. But the results were even scarier than all the experts had previously thought. Before this new study, all the predictions on how more likely you were to have an accident while driving were based on laboratory experiments—where drivers were in a simulator. Those tests showed a risk of having an accident about eight times more if you were texting. But the new study is much better: they used cameras mounted in trucks over an 18 month period. The new study, based on real life data, showed that you have a risk of a truck wreck of 23 times more if you are texting. That is a huge increase in risk!

Another interesting thing is that the study showed that the truckers took their eyes of the road an average of five seconds when they were texting. At average highway speeds, an 18 wheeler will travel the length of a football filed in that five seconds. That is a very scary scenario.

Currently, only 14 states ban texting while driving (Texas is not one of them). While banning it will not solve this problem, it would serve as some sort of deterrent. Certainly we can all wait (or pull over) before we text while driving. Texting while driving is about as dangerous as drinking and driving.

From a litigation standpoint, if the cause of an accident is in dispute, obtaining the cell phone records to determine if a trucker was texting at the time of the collision is crucial.

Information provided by Texas Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson, 817-294-1900.

I often get asked by injury victims how I am paid. They are very concerned that they cannot afford the high hourly rate they hear that attorneys charge. But they soon learn from me that hiring an injury attorney takes no out of pocket money. That is because I work on (and also all injury attorneys I know also work on) contingent fee contracts. What that means is that no money is paid to me up front or as the case progresses. Instead, the contracts signed by my clients spell out that I am paid a percentage of the recovery once the case is finally resolved, either by settlement or by trial. At that time, I receive a portion of the proceeds. The standard attorney’s fee contract also calls for the injury attorney to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the attorney in the case.

So basically, the attorney does not get paid until the end of the case, and the client never has to write a check to the attorney, as it is just deducted from the overall settlement proceeds. At my firm, we provide a detailed settlement breakdown so the client can see and understand all fee and the expenses.

So what happens if the case is lost for some reason and no money is ever recovered? In such instance, the attorney is simply not paid anything for his services and the expenses are just written off. Said another way, the client will owe the attorney nothing.

Because it is never guaranteed that the client will be able to win the case, each case must be evaluated closely and the attorney must decide on his own if the case is worth pursuing. I limit my practice to serious injuries where there is a likelihood of success.

Contingent fee contracts are a wonderful way for everyone to access the civil justice system. Without these types of contracts, it would be difficult to retain an attorney to fight for your rights.

If you would like to discuss hiring the Anderson Law Firm on a contingent basis for a serious injury claim, please call the firm at 214-327-8000 in Dallas, at 817-294-1900 in Fort Worth or toll free at 1-877-294-1115.

I often get asked by injury victims how I am paid. They are very concerned that they cannot afford the high hourly rate they hear that attorneys charge. But they soon learn from me that hiring an injury attorney takes no out of pocket money. That is because I work on (and also all injury attorneys I know also work on) contingent fee contracts. What that means is that no money is paid to me up front or as the case progresses. Instead, the contracts signed by my clients spell out that I am paid a percentage of the recovery once the case is finally resolved, either by settlement or by trial. At that time, I receive a portion of the proceeds. The standard attorney’s fee contract also calls for the injury attorney to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the attorney in the case.

So basically, the attorney does not get paid until the end of the case, and the client never has to write a check to the attorney, as it is just deducted from the overall settlement proceeds. At my firm, we provide a detailed settlement breakdown so the client can see and understand all fee and the expenses.

So what happens if the case is lost for some reason and no money is ever recovered? In such instance, the attorney is simply not paid anything for his services and the expenses are just written off. Said another way, the client will owe the attorney nothing.

Because it is never guaranteed that the client will be able to win the case, each case must be evaluated closely and the attorney must decide on his own if the case is worth pursuing. I limit my practice to serious injuries where there is a likelihood of success.

Contingent fee contracts are a wonderful way for everyone to access the civil justice system. Without these types of contracts, it would be difficult to retain an attorney to fight for your rights.

If you would like to discuss hiring the Anderson Law Firm on a contingent basis for a serious injury claim, please call the firm at 817-294-1900.

A man has been arrested following the pedestrian car accident which involved two Bell Helicopter Plant workers early Wednesday.

76-year-old Cullen McNair of Hurst was arrested on two counts of aggravated assault for hitting two Bell employees who were on strike in the parking lot. The strike has been going on for a month and 2,500 manufacturing workers are striking and picketing—many in the parking lot at Bell.

Witnesses say McNair was driving behind another car and the two men were walking in between the slow-moving vehicles when McNair sped up and hit the men. McNair has been released on $20,000 bond for the two counts against him.

50-year-old Fort Worth resident, John Bird and 53-year-old Jimmy Shook of Alvarado were injured and taken to local hospitals. Shook was released from Texas Health Harris H-E-B but it is unknown what happened to Bird. Investigators say neither man was seriously injured, although one’s foot was run over by McNair’s vehicle.

At this time, a motive has not been determined but an accident investigation, including taking statements from witnesses and those involved, will hopefully reveal the cause of McNair’s actions.

Information provided by DFW Accident and Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson: 817-294-1900.

Three people were killed and three were injured when a pickup truck hit motorcycle riders head-on during a charity ride in Corsicana Saturday.

The ride was held on a rural highway outside Corsicana, which is 65 miles south of Dallas. Apparently the driver of the pickup truck swerved into the oncoming lane of parading cyclists, striking two motorcycles before it flipped and hit two more.

Among those who died were 34-year-old Leslie McCluney, a teacher at Corsicana High School who was riding on the back of a motorcycle with her father, 61-year-old Terry Nelson, who was also killed. David Coley, 54, was the third motorcyclist who died at the scene. The three were among the first two motorcycles hit by the truck and all were residents of Corsicana.

Two other drivers were taken to Dallas hospitals and were last known to be in fair condition. The driver of the pickup who caused the crash was William Lindsey Jr, 54, who was taken to the hospital, treated and released.

The cause of the motorcycle accident is unkown at this time as an investigation is being conducted.

The ride was a charity event to benefit the Corsicana High School's drill team.

Information provided by Dallas Fort Worth Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson 817-294-1900.

An accident in South Fort Worth this morning had traffic backed up during the majority of the morning rush-hour.

A garbage truck popped a tire on Interstate 20 and hit the guardrail before flipping over. No word on whether or not anyone was hurt. Traffic was backed up at Grandbury Road and the Grandbury Road exit was closed during the morning commute to clean up the scene.

Dangerous truck accidents like this happen all the time in North Texas due to the high volume of heavy trucks and 18-wheelers passing through the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. If you have been injured in a wreck involving a tractor-trailer, dump truck, garbage truck, or any other type of large commercial vehicle, usually the injuries are life-altering. Please contact the Anderson Law Firm to learn your rights if you've been affected by an accident like this by calling 817-294-1900 or Contact Us Online.

A 13-year-old boy and his grandfather died Sunday from injuries they received in a multi-vehicle car accident just south of Gainsville, Texas.

Gervious Hinkle and his grandson Casey Hinkle, both of Fort Worth, were traveling northbound on Insterstate 35 around 2:30 p.m. when they were forced to slow for traffic and road construction in front of them. All of a sudden, an 18-wheeler came barreling up at a high rate of speed and crashed into the slowed cars, causing a 9-vehicle chain reaction auto accident.

Hinkle and his grandson were driving a Ford Explorer when they were hit. Hinkle died at the scene. Casey was taken to JPS Hospital in downtown Fort Worth where he was pronounced dead an hour later from his serious injuries.

Casey's mother and sister were also in the SUV and were hospitalized for injuries, but their conditions are unknown at this time.

The driver of the big-rig, Randy Crume, was from Harrah, Oklahoma. He was issued a citation by highway patrol for failing to control his speed.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a vehicle crash, please contact the Anderson Law Firm to learn your rights by calling 817-294-1900.

An Oklahoma Turnpike accident has claimed 10 lives--some of which were residents of North Texas. The crash happened Friday and is still under investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Cars were stopped on the turnpike due to another accident up ahead when an 18-wheeler crashed into the vehicles in front of it, causing a chain-reaction wreck involving several cars.

Among those killed were the Hayes family of Frisco, Texas--Randall Hayes, 38, Ethan Hayes, 7 and the most-recent person to die from her serious head injuries, 35-year-old Shelby Hayes.

Others who died were residents of Oklahoma including: Oklahoma City residents Oral Hooks, 69, Earlene Hooks, 63, Antonio Hooks, 42, and Dione Hooks, 41 and Crossroads Oklahama resident Cynthia Olson, 55.

The driver of the big-rig was 76-year-old Donald Creed of Willard Missouri, who is reportedly in good condition after being treated for head injuries in a Missouri hospital.

Reports say some of the victims were trapped in the accident wreckage for almost 9 hours before they were able to get out.

This tragic case of several wrongful deaths is so devastating because with a little better driver attention, this crash might have been easily preventable. My heart goes out to the families effected by this huge accident.

If one of your loved ones has died due to the negligence of another person or company, please contact Board Certified Texas Wrongful Death Attorney Mark A. Anderson for a free consultation by calling 817-294-1900.

Around 1 p.m. yesterday, police attempted to pull over a man during a routine traffic stop on I-635 and I-35 in Mesquite, Texas. The driver of the pickup truck did not stop, instead, forcing police on an hour and a half chase of the driver from Mesquite, south to downtown Dallas and back up north on the busy Interstate 635.

The chase ended when the pickup T-boned a compact car at a very high rate of speed as police looked on. Watch the crash in the video as recorded by nbcdfw.com. The two-vehicle wreck happened in Garland at the busy intersection of Plano Road and Buckingham Road.

Why did the pickup truck driver flee from police? Apparently he was wanted for drug violations, but thanks to the devastating accident the driver caused, he or she will now face much worse.
The injuries of the T-boned car driver are unknown—that person was taken to a local hospital in unknown condition. The pickup truck driver appeared to be uninjured when he or she emerged from the truck.

If you have been seriously injured as the result of someone’s negligence—and in this case, gross negligence, please contact the Anderson Law Firm to learn your rights by calling 817-294-1900.

Dalton Thomas Hardaway, 17, of Arlington was killed early Saturday when he lost control of his 1985 Ford Tempo as he was driving north on Texas 360 near Arkansas Lane. He struck the concrete barrier and died at the scene. Hardaway had a 19-year-old passenger who luckily only received minor injuries.

No other information is available publicly at this time. Was speed or alcohol a factor in this tragic car accident? More information will be available soon.

In an unrelated motorcycle accident, motorcycle rider Oscar Carmichael of Dalworthington Gardens (DWG) died late Saturday when a driver going in the opposite direction turned in front of Carmichael, who had to lay his bike down in an attempt to avoid the collision. The accident occurred at Pioneer Parkway and Great Southwest Parkway. At this point, it is unknown if speed played a part in this tragic accident.

A scene investigation will be important to determine who was at fault in this accident. Cars pulling in front of motorcycles are a very common cause of vehicle collisions. Whether the motorcyclist was speeding will have an impact on the determination of liability. Also, any witnesses will help the investigators determine who was at fault.

Information provided by Texas Wrongful Death Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, 817-294-1900

Southbound traffic on Interstate 35 in Carrollton, Texas was shut down for the afternoon, continuing through the evening rush hour after a multi-vehicle wreck around 1 p.m. involving a tractor trailer and two cars.

The two cars were parked on the shoulder of the southbound lanes near the George Bush Turnpike when an 18-wheeler crashed into the cars, jackknifed, rolled over and then burst into flames.

A woman in one of the parked cars died from her injuries. She was 52, but her name has not been released.

The cab of the semi-truck immediately caught fire while its 64-year-old male driver was trapped inside. Another motorist stopped and pulled the truck driver out of the burning cab. Both of those men were rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and the big rig driver was reportedly in critical condition.

Apparently three police officers were treated for heat exhaustion.

If you have suffered serious injuries in a vehicle wreck, please contact Texas 18-Wheeler Accident Attorney Mark Anderson for a free consultation.

Photograph from wfaa.com.

A construction worker died yesterday when he was run over and dragged by the truck he was repairing.

The vehicle accident happened at 9:30 in the morning at a city pump station on 4100 Main Street in The Colony, Texas. The victim, who remains unidentified, was underneath a truck working on it when another worker got in the truck and drove off.

It appears the worker who drove the truck did not know anyone was underneath it and the incident is being investigated as an accident. No charges have been filed and The Colony Police Department does not anticipate filing any.

The worker who was killed was not employed by the city who owned the pumping station, but instead, contracted out by a construction company to add more lines to the pump station.

Many times, when people call my office, they are confused when I tell them I cannot take their “worker’s comp case” because I don’t go after the employer or co-employees who are liable for accidents. In this instance however, the construction worker’s wrongful death was caused by the negligence of another person (employed by the city).

It can seem very complicated, but the point is, this man’s death was caused by the negligence of a third party and therefore his family has the right to bring a claim for damages on his behalf based on the negligence of the driver. As the driver was employed by the city, the doctrine of Sovereign Immunity will come into play, which limits the amount of compensation one can recover against a governmental entity.

If you have questions about wrongful death claims or making a claim for injuries sustained in a car wreck, please contact the Anderson Law Firm by calling 817-294-1900.

Two 23-year-old women were seriously injured when a man who was driving the wrong way on the Dallas North Tollway crashed into their car early Sunday morning.

Ryan Matthew, 27, of Dallas was driving south in the northbound lanes of the Tollway for nearly 10 miles before colliding with the car carrying the two women. He started driving the wrong way at Cotton Gin Road up in Frisco.

Before crashing into the women, Matthew narrowly missed striking a police cruiser head-on. Shortly after, around 1:45 a.m. he slammed into Hannah Jung and Hannah Hong of Plano and Richardson. The car wreck happened near the exit for the George Bush Turnpike.

Matthew, Hong and Jung were all rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and treated for serious injuries. Hong was released, but Jung remained in the intensive-care unit and Matthew was in fair condition as of yesterday.

What caused Matthew to drive the wrong was is under investigation; it is unknown whether alcohol or drugs were a factor.

Strangely, three people called 9-1-1 between 11:16 and 11:22 p.m. Saturday night to report a separate driver going the wrong way on the Tollway. This motorist was driving the opposite direction as Matthews between Lovers Lane and Wycliff Avenue, but fortunately no accidents were reported and no one was caught.

Alarmingly, four people have been killed since April in wrong-way crashes on the 33-mile Dallas Tollway; I wrote about a man who worked for the Dallas Morning News who died driving the wrong way. Due to the astounding number of wrong-way incidences, there’s been a cry to do more to alert drivers of going the wrong way, instead of just posting signs on entrance and exit ramps. There’s even been talk of adding road spikes by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

Whether these are drunk-driving related accidents, or due to confusion late at night, something needs to be done to prevent more from dying in these tragic crashes.

If you’ve been seriously injured in a vehicle-related wreck, please call the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation at 817-294-1900.

The cause of an Arlington vehicle accident is being investigated after a pickup truck collided with an ambulance carrying a patient.

The crash happened at approximately 1:45 this morning at the intersection of South Collins Street and East Arkansas Lane. The ambulance had gone to pick up a female with a pregnancy-related emergency before it wrecked with the pickup truck. The driver of the truck was not injured.

All of the occupants of the ambulance, including the two paramedics and the woman patient were taken to the hospital to be treated. There is no word on any of their conditions or the severity of their injuries.

An accident investigation is being conducted to determine how the car crash happened.

If you’ve been injured in a car, truck or motorcycle collision, contact the Anderson Law Firm to learn your rights at 817-294-1900.

Yesterday during the afternoon rush hour, a man driving a pickup truck crashed over the Berry Street overpass guardrail and landed in the southbound lanes of Interstate-35 in Fort Worth. According to witnesses, he was making a left turn from the southbound access road and was going too fast. His truck landed on its side, then rolled over on its roof. He was transported to JPS Hospital where local news reported that he is in critical condition.

It's absolutely amazing that his truck did not land on another vehicle. At 5:40 p.m. on a week-day, the southbound lanes of I-35 are extremely crowded. While the man's injuries are very serious, the wreck easily could have been much worse. This one-car accident could have caused a multiple-car chain collision.

Information provided by Fort Worth Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted at 817-294-1900.

Photo from www.star-telegram.com.

It’s only 9 a.m. and already there have been two significant Dallas-Fort Worth vehicle wrecks during this morning’s commute, among the usual daily incidences.

In Haltom City, Texas on eastbound Loop 820, traffic is backed up all the way to Interstate-35W because of an overturned car near the center median.

The blue Dodge Neon flipped around 7:30 this morning and it’s unclear what caused this accident or whether anyone was hurt.

And a little earlier, around 7 a.m. an 18-wheeler accident blocked three westbound lanes of Interstate 30 between Westmoreland Road and Cockrell Hill Road/Chalk Hill Road near Grand Prairie, Texas.

Two lanes continue to be blocked and traffic is backed up all the way to downtown Dallas. There’s also no word on whether anyone was injured in this crash, but if it caused three lanes to close during the busiest hour of the day, my gut tells me it was a serious accident. An accident investigation will ultimately determine what happened.

Besides being a nuisance to other drivers, car and truck wrecks are extremely inconvenient for those involved—especially when accident victims suffer serious injuries and incur large medical bills as a result. Board Certified Texas Car Wreck Lawyer Mark A. Anderson knows how frustrating it can be for people after an accident and wants to help take the stress away. For information or a free consultation, please contact the Anderson Law Firm online or by calling 817-294-1900.

Photo courtesy of star-telegram.com.

A 14-year-old boy is in more than a little trouble this morning after taking his mother's car for a joyride late last night and crashing it into a canal in Irving. The car wreck happened at 2:20 a.m. on MacArthur Boulevard North.

After crashing the car, he left the scene and was found a little while later, sopping wet, walking down a street in nearby Coppell, Texas.

When investigators questioned the teen, he initially told them he had been kidnapped, but later told the truth. As of this morning, no charges have been filed.

Since no one was at fault for this crash other than the boy for acting negligent, if he was hurt, he would not be able to make a bodily injury claim for damages. And unfortunately, the teen's mother will not be able to make a claim to get her car fixed since the wreck wasn't caused by anyone other than her own son.

If you have questions about valid injury claims, contact Board Certified Texas Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson at 817-294-1900.

A motorcycle accident in Wise County Saturday left three people in the hospital with serious injuries. Douglas Curry and Linnette Hinder, both 43, were riding their motorcycle southbound on FM 51 when they crashed into the back of a truck which was stopped to make a left turn.

The crash happened in Slidell, Texas where FM 51 intersects Farm Road 455. The Grandbury bikers were both CareFlighted to John Peter Smith (JPS) hospital in Fort Worth around 13:30 p.m. with severe injuries. It is unknown whether or not either was wearing a helmet.

Matthew Weathers, a resident of Slidell was the driver of the truck which was rear-ended. He was taken in an ambulance to Wise Regional Health System in Decatur for his minor injuries.

If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, car crash or motorcycle wreck, please contact the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation on your rights by calling 817-294-1900.

Two Fort Worth residents were killed and seven more Fort Worth residents injured early this morning in a southwest Missouri auto accident. The car crash which happened on Interstate 44 in Stotts City (near Springfield) happened around 5:30 a.m. when a driver of an SUV lost control. The vehicle went over the median and overcorrected before flipping several times. Two passengers were ejected.

The two who were killed were 31-year-old Anna Leal and a Jamie Rodriguez, Sr., both of Fort Worth. The seven other victims were all taken to the hospital with moderate injuries. They were: Jamie Rodriguez, Jr., Brian Ramirez, Sandra Lupercio, 26, Luis E. Nunez, 31, Luis R. Nunez, 10, Jacqueline Nunez, 5 and David Nunez, 10.

Since the accident occurred in Missouri, the laws for making claims for personal injuries will be different than those in Texas. For instance, if any of those involved in the wreck decide to make an injury claim, the Statute of Limitations in Missouri is 5 years, unlike Texas, in which they would only have 2 years to assert a claim.

If you have been injured in any kind of vehicle accident which was caused by another person’s negligence, contact Texas Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson for a free consultation by calling 817-294-1900.

Four children and an adult were seriously injured in a 3-vehicle crash in Ponder, Texas late last night.

A blue compact car carrying the victims was traveling on Highway 289 when it stopped to make a left turn near Preston Road. It was rearended by a white minivan and the impact pushed the blue car into oncoming traffic where it was slammed into head on by a pickup truck. The five in the blue car were rushed to area hospitals where there conditions are unknown.

The car is hardly recognizable by the picture and if all five people in the blue car live, it will be a miracle. No word on whether or not the drivers of the other vehicles involved were hurt.

An accident investigation is pending. If you have been seriously injured in an auto accident, please call the Anderson Law Firm to discuss your rights at 817-294-1900.

Photo by wfaa.com.

A multi-vehicle wreck on Northeast Loop 820 near Beach Street closed the eastbound lanes of the highway down during rush hour this morning.

The crash happened around 8:50 a.m. in the 3800 block of Loop 820 in Fort Worth. Traffic was re-routed to the access road until the accident scene was cleared at 10:20 a.m.

The accident involved an 18-wheeler and six other vehicles, but fortunately, only one person was transported by Medstar to a local hospital with injuries. There's been no reports of that person's identity or condition.

It will be interesting to see what caused this crash--the police report will ulimately show what happened.

For information on what to do after an accident, contact Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson for a free consultation or to request his free book at 817-294-1900.

Photo by star-telegram.com.

A new book has just been released which informs all types of victims in their personal injury claims. The book, 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case, is written by Mark A. Anderson, a Board Certified Personal Injury Specialist from Fort Worth, Texas.

The book, which focuses largely on car accidents, discusses all the different ways that injury victims can harm their own claims and offers practical pointers on how injured parties can avoid these common pitfalls. But that's not all the book covers. It also discusses what constitutes valid injury claims, what goes into valuing an injury claim, how the injury claims process works (from the accident all the way through trial) and what to look for, as well as what to be wary of when hiring an accident attorney. 15 Mistakes also points out and describes various types of available insurance which come into play during the claims process and common myths about insurance companies and settlements.

15 Mistakes is a must-read for accident victims in Texas. It's written in plain English--not filled with typical legal jargon. The book is most-helpful if it's read after an accident and before a decision is made to hire an attorney, but everyone can benefit from its useful tips.

Mark Anderson's book is available for FREE to Texas residents, who can order the book by visiting www.DontWreckYourCase.com, or by calling the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900. Non-Texas residents can purchase the book online for $16.95 at www.amazon.com.

An Azle man died Tuesday night after his car slid out of control in the rain and into oncoming traffic. 20-year-old Jeffrey Albright had been driving his Honda Sedan in the westbound lanes of Jacksborough Highway in Fort Worth when he lost control and spun out into the eastbound lanes, crashing into Buick in the 7600 block of the highway.

The auto wreck happened around 7:40 p.m. and Albright was pronounced dead at the scene by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office. The driver of the Buick, an unidentified woman, was CareFlighted to a nearby hospital with critical injuries.

Heavy rains and large hail swept through North Texas Tuesday night causing many accidents and lots of damage to trees and properties.

To learn more about your rights when making a personal injury claim, contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 for a free consultation.

A Fort Worth woman was killed this morning when her vehicle was t-boned by a Hummer. Robin Hagen, 50, was driving eastbound in the 7000 block of Lake Country Drive in Northwest Fort Worth when a man in a southbound Hummer ran a red light and struck Hagen's Nissan.

The car accident happened around 8 a.m. and Hagen was pronounced dead at the scene. The man in the Hummer did not suffer any injuries. An accident investigation will determine whether or not charges will be filed.

If you have been injured in a car crash which was caused by another person's negligence, please contact Texas Board Certified Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson at 817-294-1900.

The House and Senate are working on presenting a bill to Gov. Rick Perry which, if passed, would require children to ride in car-seats until they are at least 4-foot-9 or 8 years old.

Currently, the law requires children to be 5 years old and/or more than 3 feet tall. The number of deaths and injuries to children from car wrecks are a huge problem in Texas. In fact, lawmakers say motor-vehicle accidents are one of the main causes of child fatalities.

At first glance, the bill seems like a no-brainer, but it does present problems for those with many children. People with multiple children under 8-years-old may have to go out and buy more booster seats because their 6 or 7-year-olds have grown out of their chairs and passed them on to younger siblings. This is another expense in a tough economy.

Another problem the potential law presents is in carpooling instances. The new law would require every child in a vehicle under age 8 or under the height requirement to be strapped into a booster chair and circumstances don’t always allow for that—especially in emergency situations or when mothers give other children rides home from school.

Luckily, if the bill passes, there will be a 1-year warning period where tickets will not be administered. Then after June 1, 2010, the fine for violating the law will be 25 dollars.
Seatbelts are made for adults and requiring young children to stay in a car-seat longer is a much safer option. Lap belts ride up and shoulder belts can cut into a child’s neck and face in a car crash. Booster seats elevate small kids so that their stronger bones (like the collarbone and pelvis) are the ones the seatbelt targets in an accident.

If your child has suffered injuries in an auto-accident or other type of injury incident, please contact the Anderson Law Firm to learn how you can act as an advocate for a child.

The Texas House of Representatives has just approved a bill which would ban the use of handheld cell phones in school zones. It would allow the use of hands-free devices such as Bluetooth. The bill now moves to the Texas Senate.

I think this proposed law is great. I have blogged before when local municipalities passed similar laws how I thought it was a terrific idea. Some of the local cities to pass this law are Southlake, Dallas, Denton, Hurst, Flower Mound, University Park, Watauga, Irving, Duncanville and Rowlett. As we drive through school zones, we should not be distracted with a phone held up to our ear. Plus, these Bluetooth devices are very inexpensive and really make driving while you are talking safer. Keeping our kids safe should be our top priority. Let’s hope our Texas Senate and Governor go along with this bill.

For questions about injury law, feel free to contact Fort Worth Board Certified Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson at 817-294-1900. Or Contact Us Online.

To order a free copy of 15 Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Texas Accident Case, click here.

Michel Cowan, 30, of Fort Worth died yesterday in Arlington after the motorcycle he was driving crashed into a car on Mayfield Road.

A 21-year-old woman pulled out of an apartment complex at Mayfield Avenue, just west of New York Avenue, onto the 1900 block of Mayfield Road, right in the path of Cowan. Cowan’s motorcycle crashed right into the driver side of the woman’s Honda Civic. He had been going eastbound on Mayfield.

Cowan had been wearing a helmet but died at the scene of the accident. The woman was CareFlighted to Dallas Methodist Hospital where she remains being treated for her injuries.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that this is Arlington’s 16th traffic-related fatality already in 2009.

The police report will determine who was liable for this accident—whether Cowan was speeding or the woman failed to yield the right of way by pulling out in front of him. Either way, it was a tragic accident which resulted in a wrongful death.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a vehicle-related accident, please contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 to learn your rights.

A 16-year-old Little Elm High Schooler was killed early Sunday morning when a woman drove the wrong way on the Dallas North Tollway and crashed into her vehicle. 24-year-old Mariza Martinez of Dallas was driving her pickup truck south in the northbound lanes of the tollway just after midnight when she crashed into Kara Taylor’s SUV by the Main Street exit. Taylor was taken to Frisco’s Centennial Medical Center where she was pronounced dead immediately following the car crash.

A 15-year-old girl who was riding passenger in Taylor’s car was also taken to the hospital, but released with minor injuries. Martinez was taken to the Medical Center of Plano with unknown injuries. She was not killed in the crash, though.

A pending accident investigation will reveal whether or not charges will be filed. Results from toxicology testing and scene investigation will determine whether or not Martinez will be cited.
The lanes on the tollway were closed until 4 a.m. Sunday due to the wreck.

If someone you love suffered a wrongful death in a car wreck, or sustained serious injuries, please contact the Anderson Law Firm 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.

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.

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.

A 71-year-old Oak Cliff crossing guard was killed this morning after a speeding drunk driver crashed into him around 8:30 a.m. 52-year-old Peter Nelson of Dallas had been out of police custody just four days when his Saturn ran into Franklin Delano Lester Tuesday morning.

“Frank” as he was known to the children of Roger Mills Elementary School was helping a woman pushing her granddaughter in a stroller to her car. They had just crossed the street when Nelson lost control and slammed into Lester, narrowly missing the woman with the stroller. After hitting the man, Nelson had been going so fast, he then crashed into Lester’s parked vehicle. Lester was taken to Dallas Medical Center in critical condition and died shortly thereafter.

Nelson, who was recently released from an 18-year prison sentence for drug charges, was immediately charged with intoxication manslaughter. At the scene, investigating officers were seen emptying alcoholic beverage containers which were found in his car.
This tragic accident happened on South Denley Drive where the posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour.

If one of your loved ones has suffered an untimely death from the negligence of another person, please contact the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation on your rights to making a claim.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Morning News.

A 20 year-old woman was killed Thursday evening in a car accident after her car collided with a Coca-Cola distributing truck. The woman, driving a white Buick sedan, was heading eastbound in the 1500 block of NE Loop 820 when traffic congestion caused her to brake sharply. She lost control of her car, careening onto the shoulder and then back into traffic.

The 18-wheeler Coca-Cola truck broadsided the woman’s Buick as it crossed the roadway. The impact of the collision propelled the Buick into the inside center cement barrier and caused the 18-wheeler delivery truck to break through the barrier, landing on its side in the westbound lanes of traffic.

The woman driver of the Buick died at the scene. The driver of the 18 wheeler Coca-Cola truck was transported to John Peter Smith Hospital where authorities later reported that he was in stable condition.

Following the wreck, Loop 820 was closed in both directions between Interstate 35 and Blue Mound Road.

For questions regarding car accidents or personal injury claims, please contact The Anderson Law Firm at (817)294-1900 or contact us online.

Photo courtesy of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.