Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

The mother of a 2-year-old Mansfield girl who arrived at an Arlington hospital unconscious earlier this month has been arrested. Ryka Hopper is in the Mansfield Jail where she faces a charge of injury to a child by omission. Her bond had been set at $100,000.

Hopper's live-in boyfriend, Adam Carroll Palmer, 27, was arrested earlier this month. He faces two counts of causing serious bodily injury to a child and an aggravated-assault charge and his bond was set at $450,000. Hopper and her two daughters, ages 5 and 2, arrived at an Arlington hospital on July 12 with bruises and other injuries to their bodies.

The 2-year-old was unconscious and had injuries to the brain, including blood and contusions. She was later taken by air ambulance to Medical City Hospital in Dallas, where she remains in a coma.

Hopper said she had arrived home and found the 2-year-old unconscious on the floor, according to the affidavit. She said Palmer told her that the toddler had a seizure. She then stated that the child remained on the floor for more than 16 hours before she finally regained consciousness and started crying. Because the crying awakened Palmer, he picked the 2-year-old up "like a rag doll and threw her to the floor and told her to shut up," Hopper told police.

The toddler whimpered on the floor until she went to sleep, according to the affidavit. After the incident, the girl could not walk or use her right hand and had trouble speaking, the affidavit says. According to court records, Palmer was given deferred adjudication on an injury-to-a-child case that occurred in 2003, but that probation was revoked in 2008 and he was sentenced to prison.

The fact that a mother can sit there while her child is unconscious for over 16 hours without getting worried just shows an extreme amount of recklessness and irresponsibility as a parent. This kind of child abuse should not be tolerated. Parent negligence is usually the cause of child injury, and this woman was aiding in this criminal act by not saying anything or reporting the abuse to the police.

I hope this investigation gives justice to a toddler that was critically injured for no apparent reason. As a parent myself, I find this kind of act despicable. It just shows cowardice and ignorance on the guardians’ part.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Child 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. For more information on child injuries, fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A motorcycle rider, Geoffrey Daily, was fatally injured Wednesday in an early-morning accident on the west side of Fort Worth. Daily, 32, of Fort Worth was identified by the Tarrant County medical examiner.

According to Sgt. Pedro Criado, police spokesman, the wreck happened 7:19 a.m. on the exit ramp leading to eastbound Interstate 30 from southbound West Loop 820. The biker was riding in the right-hand lane, when a red Ford Escape ahead of him changed lanes from left to right, Criado said. The motorcyclist took an evasive action, Criado said, but the bike struck the protective metal railing and crashed. Daily died 12:25 p.m. at the intensive care unit of Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, the medical examiner reported. No other information has been released.

Our greatest sympathies go out to the friends and family of the Fort Worth resident Geoffrey Daily. Injuries and fatalities of motorcyclists are, unfortunately, on the rise. There were 4,810 deaths and over 88,000 injuries involving motorcycle riders in 2006 alone. This is more than a 5 percent increase from the previous year.

The most common cause of wrecks involving motorcycles is inattention of the other driver. This accounts for about 70 percent of all crashes. This is the most likely reason for Daily’s death. The driver of the red Ford Escape was probably not paying attention or he “just didn’t see him.” Everyone on the road needs to make sure that they are alert and paying attention to the other drivers. Whether they are in a four-wheeler, 18-wheeler, or a bike they all have rights.

Information and Commentary is provided by Motorcycle Accident Attorney Mark Anderson. If you or a loved has been in a motorcycle 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 worker who was fatally crushed Tuesday afternoon by drilling equipment at a gas well site in Arlington has been identified as 34-year-old Nabor Alvarado of Alvarado.

Alvarado is believed to be an employee of Trinidad Drilling, a Canadian company working for Chesapeake Energy, which owns the pad site in the 5700 block of U.S. 287 near the Kennedale border.

Alan Kassen, Arlington assistant fire chief, said it appeared that a large piece of drilling equipment fell on the worker about 4:15 p.m., killing him instantly, during assembly of the rig.

This is a terrible thing to happen to someone while on the job, and our hearts go out to Alvarado and his family.

Hopefully, an investigation will uncover the reason for this tragic accident. While accidents are common on drill sites, that does not mean they should happen. Something went wrong here—either equipment malfunction or human error. Either way, the accident should not have occurred.

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. For more information regarding construction or oil rig site injuries, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

A former Dallas Cowboys player claims he suffered a career-ending injury in the team's indoor practice facility when it collapsed last year. He is seeking damages from the builder and companies operated by team owner Jerry Jones.

The victim, Jamar Hunt, says in a court filing that he suffered serious, disabling and permanent injuries in May 2009 after the structure fell.

Hunt was a rookie free agent from the University of Texas at El Paso trying to make the team as a tight end and deep snapper at the time.

Michael Guajardo, Hunt's attorney, said the player suffered a herniated disk in his neck when a steel support fell on him.

Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple said the team isn't commenting on Hunt's claim.

Hunt is making the same allegations against the companies that special teams coach, Joe DeCamillas, and team scout Rich Behm, made earlier this year.

DeCamillas suffered broken vertebrae and Behm was left paralyzed from the waist down. Both filed identical lawsuits in separate Dallas courts that alleged negligence by the company that built the facility, Summit Structures LLC, and cite three entities controlled by Jones for improperly supervising repairs.

Last month, Behm and DeCamillas reached settlements with Summit and its Canadian parent, Cover-All Building Systems Inc. after a Canadian court lifted a stay blocking legal proceedings against the failed company and allowed the two Cowboys employees to collect proceeds from its insurance.

If the tent-like structure was poorly designed and made (as it appears), then Hunt has every right to sue for damages caused by poor construction. I wish Mr. Hunt and Mr. Guajardo luck on this serious injury case.

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.

A motorcycle accident claimed the life of Odessa pastor, Michael Robert Graham, this past Monday.

Graham was driving south on State Highway 17 near Fort Davis when he lost control on sharp curve and was ejected from his bike, a 2008 Suzuki Boulevard.

The accident occurred just after 1 p.m. Graham was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety Graham was not wearing a helmet.

Graham is the second victim this week that I have blogged about who was biking without wearing a helmet. Helmets can save lives. Statistics show that riders wearing a helmet significantly reduce their odds of dying in a crash. Make you sure you are wearing a proper helmet. Here are some guidelines that will help you figure out if your helmet is in accordance with proper safety standards.

Our sincere condolences go out the family, friends, and congregation of Pastor Michael Robert Graham. Hopefully others will take this tragedy as a learning experience and begin to wear helmets.

Information and commentary is provided by Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson. Contact our office if you have questions about motorcycle accidents. We can be reached in Dallas at 214.327.8000 in Fort Worth at 817.294.1900 or toll free at 877.294.1115. You can also contact us online. Call now for a free consultation.

An East Texas father and mother tried to rescue their 7-year-old girl from drowning Monday afternoon in the Trinity River. A passing bicyclist pulled out the girl and her mother, who also was trying to save the girl. Unfortunately, the father was unable to survive.

Richard Walker, 47, of Winnsboro, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's office. The names of other family members have not yet been released.

The drowning occurred at a low-water dam between the Interstate 30 and West Lancaster Avenue bridges.

Fort Worth Fire spokesman Tim Hardeman said that the family had been walking across the rocky crossing when the little girl fell in the water. The parents jumped in after her.

The bicyclist, Jeff Harrison, said he was on the 37th mile of a ride that had begun more than two hours earlier at his home in north Fort Worth. Harrison was cycling back home through Trinity Park about 3:30 p.m. when he saw the girl floating with the current and an older woman and man swimming after her.

A teenage boy, Walker's son, was standing on the rocks and appeared frantic, Harrison said. The boy told him that he couldn't swim. There were adult onlookers nearby that didn’t even bother to help.

Harrison saw that the man was caught in a strong current and the mother and daughter had floated farther away. Harrison said he ran along the bank toward them, and he could see the mother's body beneath the water's surface.

He jumped in and pulled them both out of the river. The girl appeared fine, he said, but the mother's body had turned blue.

Harrison did CPR, even though he had not been trained to do so. Luckily it saved the mother’s life. Emergency workers then arrived and revived the woman.

Harrison said the satisfaction of saving the mother and daughter was tempered by sadness and frustration over the father's death. He was still stunned that no one else tried to help.

This heroic effort was shadowed by the fact that a father died trying to save his daughter. The fact that only one man who saw them that day tried to help is somewhat disturbing. We need to celebrate this bicyclist’s bravery in saving a mother and child when everyone else watching seemed to think it was impossible.

Remember that drowning is the second leading cause of death of children ages 1-14. Steering clear of dangerous water, or dangerous pathways over bodies of water, could save your child’s life. And in this case, the poor father was just trying to save his little girl when he was overcome with the strong current and suffered the injury that he thought he was preventing. Our hearts go out to this family and we also want to acknowledge the courage of the bicyclist for risking his own life to save a stranger’s life.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm specializes in personal injury matter. We can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. If you have any questions, feel free to fill out the contact form online for a free consultation.

Early Monday morning a motorcyclist was killed in a crash on a Denton Highway.

The medical examiner’s office reported the victim, William Malmsten of Denton, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash happened around 2 a.m. Monday in the northbound lanes of the 700 Block of Interstate 35E in Denton.

Denton Officer Ryan Grelle, a department spokesman, reported that Malmsten, 47, was driving his 1997 Harley-Davidson onto the highway when he lost control of his bike, was thrown off into light pole. Malmsten was not wearing a helmet.

Our condolences go out to the friends and family members of William Malmsten. It is so distressing to hear of motorcycle fatalities in which the victim was not wearing a helmet. It’s impossible to say if a helmet would have saved this man’s life, but helmets certainly save countless lives in accidents every day.

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. If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident and have questions please fill out our contact form for a free consultation.

Former NFL quarterback-turned-minister Randall Cunningham is mourning the loss of his son after a hot tub accident at his home. The two-year-old, Christian Cunningham, died late Tuesday night at the family's home in Las Vegas in a backyard hot tub.

Authorities were called to the family's home by an unidentified adult. This adult was reportedly watching several children when the toddler was discovered at the bottom of the hot tub. Efforts to resuscitate Christian failed. The Clark County, NV coroner says the autopsy will probably show the cause of death was accidental drowning.

Randall Cunningham played football professionally for 16 years for the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, and Dallas Cowboys. He was out of town at the time of his son's death. Christian Cunningham is the youngest of Randall and Felicity Cunningham's four children.

It is hard for any family to get over the loss of a child, but especially hard when you have to do so in the public eye. Our deepest sympathies go out to the Cunningham family, and we hope that they will be able to find some closure despite all that has happened.

Parents can take steps to minimize the chance that an accident like this could happen to their family. Remember to never let your children be unsupervised in a pool. Twenty-five percent of fatal drowning victims were children age 14 and under, so parents need to be sure that they are always within reaching distance of their child if something were to happen.

In 2010, the majority of child drowning deaths have occurred in backyard and residential pools and bathtubs. Also remember that just because you taught your child to swim doesn’t mean he or she is safe from drowning. Swimming pools are fun and popular, but they can become dangerous to children if let unsupervised.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Child 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. For questions concerning child injuries, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.