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.

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.

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 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.

The ever-present ankle monitors will make people and violators think twice about drinking and driving. The SCRAM committee- Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor- has been used in Texas since 2003, and it measures alcohol consumption by reading vapors given off in perspiration. And since you can never take it off, it’s a constant reminder that you are not supposed to be consuming alcohol.

The bracelets cost almost $400 a month, not including the counseling fees, court costs fees, and fines that have to be paid after a DWI conviction. Many people simply cannot afford the bracelet. However, judges agree that it is the most efficient method, but sometimes judges will also make the convicted put an interlock device on their car to prevent drinking and driving and sometimes even order the use of a drug that will make the person sick if he or she drinks alcohol.

I agree that more needs to be done to both educate and prevent drinking and driving in Texas. While the ankle monitor is a step in the right direction, it is not the final solution. People need to learn to be more responsible when consuming alcoholic beverages, especially if they are not of the drinking age and considering driving. There are approximately 12,000 fatalities annually due to drunk driving in the United States. Those 12,000 deaths could have easily been prevented. Drinking and driving will get you a DWI, but even worse you could injure or kill someone else or yourself.

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.

Two Dallas police officers are on administrative leave today after they were arrested of driving while intoxicated last week. The two will be on leave pending administrative and criminal investigations.

The officers and are involved in two different units of the Dallas Police Force, and were at two different locations when they were found drinking and driving. The officers were identified as Patrol Officer Manuel Romani and Sr. Cpl. James Rucker of the department's helicopter unit. Romani, a four-year-veteran, was arrested in Forney on Saturday, and Rucker, who has been on the force for 26 years, was arrested in Rockwall on Sunday.

Drinking and driving is inexcusable under any circumstance, and the fact that two people who are supposed to enforce this law were caught doing so makes the offense even more disappointing. By learning how to avoid drunk driving risks in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we can make the community roads much safer to drive on. And with about three in every ten Americans assumed to be involved in alcohol-related crashes in their lifetime, police officers need to be more responsible in practicing what they preach and following the laws they themselves insist upon.

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 concerning a drunk driving incident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

It’s time again for the Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, Walk Like Madd fundraising event. MADD provides a great public service to the community, educating people about the dangers of drinking and driving as well as offering support to families of drunk driving victims. As a car accident attorney I see firsthand the devastating effects of drunk driving every day, so I wholly support MADD and the Walk Like Madd event. The event will be held at 1800 N. Pearl Street in Dallas, and will start at 8:30 a.m.

This year’s Fort Worth walk on April 5 was a huge success, raising over $48,000! The walk in Dallas will take place this Saturday, April 24, and I hope it will be as successful as the walk in Fort Worth. I’ve recently supported Dallas Assistant District Attorney Jamie Bagnall who is half-way to his goal of $5,000.00. Please consider supporting a walker, or Walk Like Madd yourself this weekend!

Information provided by Dallas Fort Worth Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. He can also be reached by clicking here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

A Dallas County court sentenced Kenneth Brandon Bain to two years in prison and 10 years of probation for hitting and killing two bicyclists with his car after staying up all night drinking and smoking marijuana. He pleaded guilty to one charge of manslaughter.

Bain struck and killed Michael Alfaro and Meredith Hatch with his Lincoln Navigator on June 8, 2008, at 8:20am. They were riding their bicycles near Joe Pool Lake near Grand Prairie, training for a triathlon. Although his blood alcohol level was 0.05 and the legal limit is 0.08, Bain was tested two hours after the crash and it’s estimated that his blood alcohol level was between 0.07 and 0.11 when the crash occurred. He spent all night drinking and had not slept, and admitted to smoking marijuana in his car when the accident occurred.

In seeing this story, and the video, last night on the news, I could definitely see the pain still felt by the families of these two riders. I feel very sorry for them. I realize that only two years in jail probably seems like a slap on the wrist to those who have lost a loved one due to someone lese’s blatant disregard for the law.

An interesting aspect of the sentencing is that as a condition of his probation, Bain must spend 10 days in jail at Christmas and eight days in jail on each victim’s birthday for eight years after he’s released from prison. I have never heard of this type of sentence, but it sounds like a great idea to me.

Information provided by Dallas, Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, phone 214-327-8000, online contact just click 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Dallas police arrested a 39-year-old woman Sunday on charges of driving while intoxicated with a child passenger and endangering a child. A DWI with child passenger is always a felony offense.

Maria Elizabeth Rendon was arrested on Webb Chapel Extension near Love Field in Dallas, Texas after repeatedly ramming her car into another vehicle. Although the police did not report why, they did note there was an unused child safety seat in the back of Rendon’s car, and her 11-month-old grandchild was sitting beside her in the front seat. In Texas, it is illegal for a child under age five and less than 36 inches tall to ride in a vehicle without a safety seat. Not only could Rendon have caused a drunk driving accident, but she put a child in danger of injury as well.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.