Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

As a Dallas-Fort Worth motorcycle accident lawyer, I’ve noticed many biker-oriented websites declare that now is the perfect time to buy a second-hand motorcycle as the prices have never been lower – not even Harley Davidsons. However, while it might be tempting to splash some cash on a great used bike, it is important that you do your due diligence to make sure the bike you’re purchasing is top quality and free from any manufacturing defects.

Before you go shopping, do your research. Most motorcyclists are familiar with different types of bikes already, but it’s always worth researching other enthusiasts’ recommendations online before settling on any particular make or model. It also allows you to try and find the best possible price. When you do go to look at a used vehicle, take a mechanic friend if you yourself are not an expert. Look for any clues that there might be something wrong with the bike: does it appear clean and in generally good condition; are the wheels properly aligned; is there any evidence that it may have been involved in a wreck in the past? There are a number of resources online which will allow you to check a motorcycle’s history by searching its VIN number (DWV.org, CycleVIN.com, Cyclechex.com). Good luck!

Since you’re saving money on a new (to you) bike, now is the perfect time to invest in a new DOT-certified helmet. Never buy a used helmet, for the most part they are worthless. Remember that the NHTSA recommends you replace your helmet every 2 to 4 years, so if yours is getting old, now might be the perfect time to upgrade. Trust me, as a DFW personal injury and wrongful death lawyer, I know for a fact that motorcycle helmets save lives. If you don’t have one, you need one.

Like many other North Texas residents, one of my ambitions for the new year was to lose weight and improve my overall level of fitness. I’m a keen runner, but I know many other people in DFW enjoy cycling. Plano is the latest city in the area to encourage more people to turn to healthier and more environmentally-friendly forms of commuting to and from work, with the completion of their massive network of park-and-highway trails designed for cyclists and runner, linking residential areas to each of Plano’s 50 largest employers. City officials that it will not only prompt more residents to exercise on their way to and from work, but that it will also reduce the overall amount of traffic in the city, making it a more pleasant commute for those who must drive.

I think that this is a great initiative, and I’m looking forward to seeing the proposed bike lanes in Fort Worth and Arlington become similarly advanced. However, regardless of whether you ride a bicycle, run or walk, you need to be careful whenever you share the road with motorized vehicles. As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I know that in the event of an auto collision, the chance of fatal injuries is extremely high. In 2010 alone, 354 pedestrians and 42 pedalcyclists were killed in Texas car wrecks, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

It is important that you understand the risks associated with running or cycling whenever you are on a public roadway. Always stop at stop signs and red lights, and follow all traffic laws that you would normally obey if you were driving a car, truck or motorcycle.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a bike or pedestrian accident, it is important that you speak to a board certified personal injury and wrongful death attorney as soon as possible to discuss your legal rights. You may be entitled to compensation. Call the Anderson Law Firm’s Dallas office at 214-327-8000 or in Ft. Worth at 817-294-1900.

Being injured in a Fort Worth traffic accident is never a pleasant matter, but if you were walking, running or riding a bicycle at the time you were hit by a car or other motor vehicle, it’s highly likely that you will have suffered some extremely serious injuries. As a DFW personal injury lawyer, I know that the injuries suffered by many pedestrians and cyclists in such situations are frequently life-threatening.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a bicyclist or pedestrian collision, it is important that you are fully aware of your legal rights. You may be entitled to considerable financial compensation.

To help you better understand your legal rights and options I have put together some key information which any innocent wreck victim needs to be aware of: Pedestrian and Cyclist Accidents 101. I hope that you find it very informative and will help you understand why it is so important that you take your claim to a board certified Fort Worth personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

If you have any questions or wish to schedule a completely free, no obligation consultation with a lawyer, please call me toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally at 817-294-1900.

Students riding on a Decatur ISD school bus had a narrow escape on Thursday afternoon when their bus drove over a rural bridge which collapsed beneath the vehicle. Wise County officials reported that they had received several phonecalls regarding the condition of the bridge throughout the day, but the crew responsible for shutting it down did not arrive until after the bridge collapsed. Fortunately, none of the children on the bus at the time of the accident were injured. Thanks to the quick thinking of the driver, Debbie Brady, the bus was quickly and safely evacuated, despite the bus slipping further into the growing hole in the road every minute.

As a Decatur personal injury lawyer, I would like to applaud the actions of Ms. Brady for keeping a cool head under crisis and for rescuing the bus load of kids from would otherwise surely have been a far worse disaster. Photos taken by emergency responders show that the bridge eventually collapsed completely beneath the weight of the four-ton bus, into the stream below. According to children on the bus, the rear of the vehicle was as much as eight feet in the air following the collapse, which meant it was necessary for them all to evacuate from the front doors of the bus.

Less than two weeks ago, it emerged that there are a total of 1,551 bridges throughout Texas which are considered structurally unsound by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Dangerous road conditions need to be addressed by the local authority in charge of their maintenance. Regardless of whether they are heavily-traveled ramps over major interstates or small single-lane bridges over rural creeks, if they are expected to carry cars, trucks and buses they must be regularly inspected and maintained to ensure that they are in fact safe to do so. Had circumstances been just slightly different, Thursday’s incident could have been a dramatically worse tragedy.

Any time that you are involved in a traffic accident involving a large truck, it’s usually a necessity that you seek good, trusted legal advice. Of course, if you’ve been badly injured, you’re probably unable to get to a lawyer’s office because you’re stuck in the hospital. That doesn’t mean that you can’t learn about your legal rights, so that you are aware of your options before you start looking for legal representation.

I’ve been a Fort Worth personal injury and wrongful death lawyer for 21 years. In that time I’ve handled a lot of cases where my client suffered terrible injuries due to a negligent 18 wheeler driver. The fact of the matter is, commercial trucks cause a lot of damage due to their size and weight. The medical bills alone are often in the tens of thousands at minimum. It is vital that you are fully informed before you start attempting to deal with the insurance company.

To try to make life easier for accident victims who have not yet hired an attorney, I have put together an online resource which I hope you will find helpful. It’s called “Truck Accidents 101” and gives you a brief oversight of the key bits of information you need to know to protect yourself and your legal rights, before you hire qualified legal representation.

If you have any further questions or would like to discuss your personal claim in detail, please call me at any time for a completely free, no obligation consultation. You can call me toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900.

A former Massachusetts dentist due to be charged next week after pleading guilty to fraud. Michael Clair, 53, of Fall River, MA, defrauded Medicare of $130,000 by using metal paper clips in root canal operations rather than medical stainless steel posts. This is not just disgusting, but it’s highly dangerous as the unsanitary material could cause pain and infection to patients. Clair also faces charges of assault and battery, illegally prescribing prescription drugs and witness intimidation, some of which stem from the fact he was suspended in Medicare in 2002, but continued to treat patients at his practice by filing paperwork under the names of other dentists.

This is perhaps one of the most bizarre cases of medical malpractice I have come across in my 21 years as a Fort Worth personal injury and wrongful death lawyer. This man not only breached the trust of his patients, he did so in order to financially exploit a publicly-funded program. Most medical malpractice cases are typically the result of a mistake on behalf of a doctor, nurse or other medical professional, but this disturbing individual intentionally provided sub-standard care for his own greedy financial gain. He deserves to face the harshest punishment possible for his crimes.

The defective medical devices attorneys at the Anderson Law Firm in Dallas-Fort Worth are looking for clients who have been adversely affected by the DePuy hip implants manufactured by DePuy Orthopedics, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson. Normal hip replacement prosthetics should last up to 25 years without any problems, but many DePuy patients have reported numerous problems including chronic pain, swelling and dislocation as a result of problems caused by the defective device. As a result, the manufacturers recalled the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular Hip System and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System in August 2011.

Due to the serious nature of the defects associated with this faulty implants, roughly one in eight patients will be required to have revision surgery. Many more are at risk of developing metallosis pseudo tumors caused by the metal-on-metal design of this hip replacement system’s ball and cup.

If you or someone you love has needlessly suffered due to receiving this defective hip system, you do have legal options and you may be entitled to significant financial compensation above and beyond any payment DePuy or Johnson and Johnson might offer you for your “inconvenience.”

The personal injury lawyers at the Anderson Law Firm have a combined experience of more than 40 years fighting for the rights of clients in a range of defective devices, medical malpractice and dangerous pharmaceutical claims. To speak to an attorney regarding your personal situation, please call us toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally in Ft. Worth at 817-294-1900.

As a DFW personal injury lawyer, I was saddened to hear of a local cyclist who was severely injured following a collision with a motorist in Dallas. Dallas Torres, 32, of Oak Cliff, was riding his bicycle along the Jefferson Boulevard viaduct last Saturday when the crash occurred. An off duty police officer was a witness to the wreck and immediately called in other emergency responders. Mr. Torres was rushed to Baylor University Medical Center to be treated for his injuries. According to Mr. Torres’ family, he broke his neck in three places after smashing through the vehicle’s windshield. He remains in hospital and doctors say it will likely take six month before he makes a full recovery with the aid of a lot of physical therapy.

My thoughts are with Mr. Torres and his loved ones. I know that the journey following such serious injuries in a long and difficult one, and I wish him as full and speedy recovery as possible.

This particular accident has gained the attention of avid bicyclists throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, not least because the section of road had been scheduled to have new bike lanes installed which would have drastically improved the safety of all bike riders and would likely have prevented this awful crash. Unfortunately, Dallas city planners put the safety feature on hold after they were unable to find the money necessary to paint the lanes.

Being an experienced auto accident attorney, I know just how valuable designated bicycle lanes are. Other cities which have implemented bike lanes have collected evidence that they do improve bicycle safety and reduce multi-vehicle collisions. After bike lanes were introduced in New York City, for example, the Mayor’s office did a study and found out that in areas where bike lanes were in use, crashes which resulted in injuries fell by 40 percent for all road users. In some areas, the study found that such wrecks were reduced by as much as 50 percent.

Designated bicycle lanes are key to ensuring the safety of North Texas cyclists. Bike riders have just as much to be on our roads as any other road user.

According to numerous citizen complaints, your dishwasher might be a hazard in your own home. Residents throughout Dallas-Fort Worth and across the US have complained that their dishwashers started smoking and caught fire. Fortunately, those affected were at home at the time of the incidents and were able to prevent a house fire, but their complaints to the dishwashing machine manufacturers have been largely ignored. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is now investigating the charges, which have been leveled against KitchenAid, Kenmore and Whirlpool. It is alleged that the three manufactures all use a defective design in the control panel of their appliances.

As a DFW personal injury lawyer with experience in dangerous and defective devices cases, I am shocked at the serious nature of this problem. I know that many people choose to switch their dishwasher on either just before heading out or going to bed, so it is a wonder that no one has been killed yet. Fortunately, Whirlpool (which owns KichenAid and Kenmore) has initiated an internal investigation into the complaints although they are dragging their feet on issuing a caution to registered customers regarding a possible recall.

If you have a Whirlpool, KitchenAid or Kenmore dishwasher which has exhibited any signs of malfunction which might be liked to this fire risk, you are encouraged to call Whirlpool’s consumer hotline at 800-422-1230.

If you or someone you love has been seriously hurt by a hazardous dishwasher or any other defective device or household appliance, you should speak to an attorney in order to determine your legal rights and responsibilities. You may be entitled to compensation. To speak with a board certified personal injury and wrongful death lawyer, call the Anderson Law Firm, toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally in Ft. Worth at 817-294-1900.

By now we have all heard about the tragic cruise ship accident which occurred off the coast of Italy on Friday the 13th. The luxury liner Costa Concordia hit a rock off the Tuscan island of Gigilo. 4,200 passengers and crew members were aboard when the ship began to sink. So far six people are confirmed dead, while many others remain unaccounted for. Survivors have described the dramatic incident as similar to the movie depiction of the infamous Titanic wreck.

The captain of the ship, Francesco Schettino, was arrested shortly after the accident on charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship. His employers and owners of the Costa Concordia, Costa Cruises of Genoa (itself owned by Carnival), have since accused him to making an "unapproved, unauthorized maneuver" which is being blamed for the ship running aground. None the less, it is the company which will remain financially responsible for the disaster.

As a board certified personal injury and wrongful death lawyer it is hard not to draw parallels between this disaster and other accidents even in the landlocked Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Whenever we get on a bus, train or airplane, we likewise put our lives in the hands of the crew. As a passenger, we have no control over the bus, so we trust that the driver will get us to our destination safety. If they then are responsible for a crash which causes injuries, we can make a claim against their insurance under Texas law, because it was their negligence which ultimately caused us to be injured. Even if you are injured as a passenger in a car wreck, you are still eligible to recover compensation to pay for your medical expenses from the insurance company – even if the at-fault driver was your spouse or other family member.

Regardless of the circumstances which caused you to suffer your injuries, if you yourself were not at fault, it is always worth consulting with an attorney in order to properly determine your legal rights and whether you might be entitled to compensation.

As far as the Costa Concordia shipwreck goes, I am relieved that most people onboard have either escaped or been retrieved alive. My thoughts are with those who have lost someone they love or whose loved ones still remain missing.

As a personal injury attorney who has represented victims who have been seriously injured in car accidents through the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex since 1991, I have learned a thing or two about dealing property damage claims against the negligent motorist’s insurance company is I decided to write a new book, Texas Property Damage Guide, to help accident victims. The book is offered completely free of charge through my website.

After a car wreck, one of the first things you must do is get your car repaired (if it’s repairable) or replaced (if it is “totaled”). However, what most people don’t realize is that even if you weren’t at fault, you can still make a claim against your own insurance policy. This is important, because if you were injured in the wreck, you are also dealing with your injuries. But without a working car, or a replacement rental car, it is tough to even make it to the doctor. However, I must warn you now that in dealing with insurance companies, you will need both knowledge and patience.

Most property damage claims can be successfully resolved without the aid of a lawyer, although sometimes the claims process becomes a little more complicated when issues such as inherent diminished value are involved. Generally, you should experience too much trouble.

If you or someone else was injured in the accident, that’s when thing get a lot more difficult. Property damage claims cost far less than bodily injury or wrongful death claims, but when the settlement figure goes up, insurance adjustors get notoriously more difficult to deal with, which is why it is so critical that you have an experienced board certified attorney fighting on your behalf. To speak to a lawyer regarding your personal injury or wrongful death claim please call toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally in Ft. Worth at 817-294-1900.

As we all struggle to work in the dark early mornings, it’s important that we’re all wide awake before we get behind the wheel. It seems like not a day goes by without some fender bender or major auto accident on DFW freeways, but we should also take care when driving on neighborhood streets both in residential areas and near schools.

This morning, two children were hit by a vehicle near Handley Middle School in east Fort Worth. Authorities reported that one of the victims, an as-yet unnamed 15-year-old boy, was taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries. The other victim was reportedly treated at the crash scene. The pedestrian collision occurred at approximately 7:00 am this morning in the 2700 block of Hitson Lane. No further details regarding the accident are available at this time.

Driving in and around schools during both the morning and evening rush hours requires all motorists to use additional caution. While many ISDs use flashing amber lights to notify drivers of a significantly reduced speed limit at times when children are likely to be walking along the road, some schools just have posted times when the slower speed limits are in effect. It is illegal in Texas for drivers to use a handheld cellphone while driving in school zones. Violators face a fine if caught. It is also important that drivers are cautious when driving near school buses and are up-to-date with the law in this regard also.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I would like to say that I hope the two students hurt in this morning’s accident make a full and speedy recovery. If you or your child are ever injured in a collision with a car, truck or motorcycle while out walking, jogging or cycling, it is important that you are fully informed of your legal rights as you may be entitled to compensation for any wreck-related medical costs you may have incurred. For a free no obligation consultation with an attorney please call 817-294-1900.

2012 is already off to a good start with the news that as of today, interstates and city streets alike will be far safer than they’ve ever been in the past. The reason is because a new law comes into effect today courtesy of the US Department of Transportation (DOT) which prohibits commercial truck and bus drivers from using a hand-held cellphone while operating their vehicle.

As a Fort Worth auto accident injury lawyer, I welcome this ban which was championed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Distracted driving is the cause of far too many car wrecks in DFW and throughout Texas – and given the unique threat posed by commercial delivery vehicles I think this ban has come not a moment too soon.

Truckers and coach drivers are professional drivers. It’s their job to transport their cargo or their passengers to their destination safely. If they’re texting or talking on their cellphone then they do not have their full attention on the road ahead. Since the average 18-wheeler weight in at around the 80,000 pound range it takes long enough to come to a complete stop in the event of an emergency. Every second counts. If the driver is focused on their phone call instead of the road ahead, the result could be – and often is – disastrous.

From today onwards, any CDL driver caught using a handheld phone from behind the wheel will be faced with an automatic fine of $2,700 which is strongly hoped will be enough to deter all drivers from the habit. Drivers are not permitted to hold, operate or reach for a phone while driving; however cellphones which are completely hands-free are still permitted.

Although this ban only affects CDL drivers, there could be similar restrictions facing all motorists in time. Just two weeks ago, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSA) announced that they would begin urging both federal and individual state legislatures to introduce blanket bans on cellphone use for all motorists. As a personal injury and wrongful death attorney who has seen far too many pointless tragedies caused by distracted driving, I truly hope that the rules governing cellphone use while driving become increasingly strict for all drivers.

The Anderson Law Firm is currently accepting clients who have been affected by the recall of DePuy hip replacement implants manufactured by DePuy Orthopedics (Johnson & Johnson). With one in eight patients experiencing extreme pain and other problems associated with the DePuy hip implants, 25,000 patients in the US alone have already been required to have corrective surgery as a result of these defective medical devices and the personal injury lawyers at the Anderson Law Firm are ready to make sure you get the full and fair compensation you deserve from the product’s manufacturer.

The affected prosthetics are the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular Hip System and DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System. If you’re not sure if these are the devices you received, you should consult with your doctor’s office who will be able to confirm the exact product you received.

For more information on the dangerous side effects associated with the DePuy hip implants or to learn about your legal rights as an innocent victim, please call an attorney today toll free at 800-354-6275. Alternatively, you may call us locally in Fort Worth, Texas at 817-294-1900.

The antiepileptic medicine Dilantin (Phenytonin) has been connected to the life-threatening skin reactions Steven Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (also known as Leyll’s Syndrome). Steven Johnson Syndrome (SJS) causes rashes, blisters and bleeding to appear across the patient’s body, face and genital areas but becomes increasingly serious as it evolves into skin lesions and inflammation of the mouth, throat, nasal passages, genital tract and intestinal tract. Dilantin patients who develop Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) have a fatality rate of approximately 25 percent.

The dangerous drug lawyers at the Anderson Law Firm are outraged at the suffering of patients who have been prescribed Dilantin and its generic forms and are currently accepting cases against the pharmaceutical companies who manufacture this potentially deadly drug.

If you have been affected by Dilantin (Phenytonin) you deserve justice for the pain and bodily injuries you have suffered. If someone you love has died as a result of taking Dilantin, you are entitled to bring a wrongful death case against the medication’s manufacturer.

For more information on your legal right to compensation, please call the Anderson Law Firm today to speak to a medical attorney. Call us toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally in Ft. Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000.

As a DFW personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen distracted driving become a growing problem in Fort Worth and Arlington. Whenever you text while driving, you are taking your attention off the road and risking the safety of yourself, your passengers and all other road users. Make no mistake: using a cellphone while behind the wheel can and does result in fatal auto accidents.

Despite Republican candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry vetoing a distracted driving ban earlier this year, there are other people who fortunately do recognize the very real hazard posed by using a cellphone or other electronic device while in the driving seat. The FMCSA and PHMSA recently announced that they are updating both the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the Hazardous Materials Regulations to prohibit truckers from using hand-held cellphones.

The greatest news for those of us who recognize the dangers of distracted driving came this week when the National Transportation Safety Board urged Federal and State lawmakers to introduce blanket bans of cellphone use among drivers. It’s a move that would make many motorists unhappy, but would undoubtedly improve public safety. As NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said “We’re not here to win a popularity contest. No email, no text, no update, no call is worth a human life.”

Many people oppose such restrictive laws claiming that they are inconvenient and that whatever someone does in their own vehicle should be their own business. I’m not sure I agree with that; after all driving while intoxicated is illegal for similarly good reason. I think as the public becomes increasingly aware of the many wrecks caused by cellphone use – and the many lives lost as a result – we will start to see these restrictions come into place. From my perspective as a wrongful death attorney; the sooner, the better!

As a Dallas-Fort Worth pharmaceutical lawyer, I know that birth control pills pose a documented risk to the health of women across North Texas. The hazards associated with medication designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies has been known for some time. One of the major concerns is the risk of suffering a blood clot caused by the estrogen in the pills. While blood clots are common among patients taking such medicines, it is when the blood clot travels to the heart, lungs or brain that it poses a very real threat to the safety of the individual.

According to Dr. Darren Tate of Texas Health Fort Worth, the risk of a woman suffering a blood clot is approximately 6 in 10,000 when on birth. While Dr. Tate claims that all birth control medicines pose similar risks, he said that pills containing the smaller amounts of estrogen pose a lesser risk. As a DFW personal injury lawyer, I know that one of the most dangerous birth control pills currently on the market is Yasmin (also sold as Yaz, and in generic form as Ocella).

The reasons that Yasmin is so particularly dangerous is that it contains a fourth-generation progestin called drospiernone which is thought to elevate the level of potassium in the patient’s blood stream. The health risks associated with Yasmin include deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, stroke, heart attack and gallbladder disease.

If you or someone you love has suffered any life-threatening injuries which you believe to be a result of taking Yasmin or any other birth control medication, it is wise to discuss your case with a board certified dangerous drug attorney to make sure you are fully aware of your legal rights. You may be entitled to compensation.

Please call us toll free at 800-354-6275 or call locally in Ft. Worth at 817-294-1900 for a free, no obligation case review.

Traffic wreck fatalities might have declined in 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) but auto accident injuries actually increased by 40,000 throughout the USA. According to the NHTSA’s annual Motor Vehicle Crashes report, the greatest increase in car, motorcycle and truck collision fatalities are among passenger vehicle occupants and pedestrians. Furthermore, while the number of road deaths actually fell overall, the number of pedestrians killed in 2010 actually rose by 4.2 percent with the number injured rising by 19 percent – the greatest increase of all categories.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer and wrongful death attorney, the news that both injuries and deaths among non-motorists is on the increase is gravely concerning. This means that more pedestrians are being hit by drivers. Pedestrians do not have any form of protection to reduce the severity of being struck by a heavy, speeding vehicle.

According to the NHTSA, a total of 121,000 pedestrians and pedalcyclists were injured in traffic accidents nationwide in 2010. This is a huge problem, particularly when you consider that almost all of these crashes are not the fault of the pedestrian or bike rider, but rather the fault of a negligent motorist.

If you or a loved one have been injured while walking, jogging or cycling, then it is important that you understand your legal rights and responsibilities. You may very well be entitled to compensation. To discuss your case with a DFW lawyer today, please call the Anderson Law Firm toll free at 800-354-6275 or call locally in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-800.

Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released their comprehensive report analyzing the causes of auto accident injuries and fatalities throughout the USA in 2010. At first glance the news is good; 2010 saw the lowest number of traffic deaths since 1949. However, as a DFW personal injury lawyer, there are a number of details within the overall report which has me extremely concerned.

One of the areas which has me particularly worried is the increase in alcohol-related crashes involving large trucks (such as commercial 18-wheelers, semis, flatbeds and tanker trucks). Overall, drunk driving fatalities declined by 2.9 percent in 2010, yet the number of people killed in wrecks caused by intoxicated truckers actually increased by 13 percent compared in 2009. In addition, the total number of fatalities in large truck wrecks increased by 6 percent in 2010 and the total number of injuries in commercial truck accidents increased by 12 percent overall.

This is hugely concerning, particularly as commercial motor vehicle drivers are supposed to fulfill much more stringent safety measures than average motorists in Texas. Put a drunk driver behind the wheel and of course they are going to pose a public safety hazard – but when the vehicle in question weighs several tons, the potential for severe bodily injuries and property damage is enormous.

Unfortunately for personal injury victims and the relatives of those who have lost their life due to the actions of a negligent truck driver, the odds are stacked against you. National trucking companies have crash scene investigators throughout the USA whose job it is to respond immediately whenever one of their drivers in involved in a collision. Their goal is to ensure that you – the victim – are paid as little compensation money as possible. That’s not fair, because Texas law entitles you to recover all past and future medical expenses related to the crash, any loss of income due to injury or death and other damages.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a commercial truck wreck it is important that you consult with a board certified Fort Worth personal injury attorney as soon as possible. To schedule a free, no obligation consultation today please call me toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275) or call locally at 817-294-1900.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about some college football players who had brought a lawsuit against the NCAA accusing them of not doing enough to prevent concussions among athletes. As a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer and a huge sports fan, I know just how dangerous concussions can be, so I was happy to hear yesterday that the NBA has introduced a new policy to ensure that players who have suffered a head injury must now consult with a neurologist before they are allowed to return to work.

The NBA has been considering introducing a concussion program since March of this year, following several players suffering concussion-like symptoms and finally came into full effect at the beginning of this winter’s training camp. Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher - an associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan – has been hired as director of the NBA’s initiative and developed the new protocol with the assistance of several team physicians and athletic trainers.

Players that have suffered head injuries will now be required to undergo a series of tests consisting of varying levels of exertion before he is cleared to start playing again. The NBA says that the full process will usually take several days at minimum – and possibly weeks in some instances. That might not be great news for fans who might bemoan the loss of their team’s star player for several games, but the new policy is critical to ensure the safety of players in what is an extremely physical competitive sport.

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Mark A. Anderson is a board certified personal injury attorney who has been helping car wreck and other accident victims throughout the DFW since 1991. As a child injury lawyer, Mark understands the risks faced by athletes who suffer a concussion both in high school sports and all other levels.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I view consider the cause of most traffic collisions throughout DFW to be the result of a reckless motorist. Any negligent activity behind the wheel, whether it’s texting on your cellphone, speeding or tailgating is reckless. Driving while intoxicated is perhaps the most reckless thing any driver could do.

Unfortunately, however, there are some car, motorcycle and truck drivers on North Texas who seem especially reckless. We’ve all seen them. More than likely you’ve had the same thought I have: how has your stupidity not resulted in a fatal crash already?

I’m talking about dangerous drivers who realize they’re about to miss their freeway exit and so cut across several lanes of traffic at the last second, brazenly risking a multi-vehicle wreck and putting countless lives at risk. I’m talking about those idiots who fail to turn on their lights even though the Sun has firmly set for the evening. I’m talking about those anti-social motorists who arrogantly seem to believe that stop sights and red lights aren’t meant for them.

Reckless driving costs lives. Hazardous driving habits such as those I’ve referenced about will inevitably lead to critical injuries and possibly even death. It’s not just your own life you’re putting in jeopardy – it’s the lives of any passengers (family members and friends) who happen to be riding with you at the time – and anyone else who is unfortunate enough to be sharing the road with you at the time.

If you or someone you love has been hurt due to the negligent actions of an irresponsible driver, it’s important that you consult with a board certified personal injury and wrongful death attorney. To schedule your free, no obligation appointment with a lawyer today, please call me toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275) or call locally in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900.

It’s easy to put things off until tomorrow, or next year-it’s something we all have been guilty of at one time or another. But if you’ve been injured in a car accident and want to pursue a claim, or get compensated for your injuries, you absolutely cannot put off getting and completing the medical treatment you need.

As a personal injury lawyer in Fort Worth, I know the damage it does to your case if you have periods of time between your treatments. In the PI world, we call these “gaps” in medical care. Gaps in treatment destroy your case because it makes it look like you are not as injured as you say you are. You will lose credibility to the insurance company and ultimately to the jury, plus you are not able to fully recover from your accident.

I know nobody wants to take off work, find a babysitter and wait in a doctor’s office, but if you are pursuing an injury case, you must be a good claimant and get your treatments in order to win your case. If you still want to know how gaps in medical treatment ruin your case, read this article and if you’re worried about medical bills, talk to an injury lawyer. On a daily basis, my practice is able to provide Letters of Protection to accident victims so that they can get seen by a doctor and not have to worry about the cost. Call my Fort Worth injury law firm at 817-294-1900 to talk to a car accident lawyer about your claim.

A Tarrant County motorist has been arrested following his collision with a Weatherford ISD school bus yesterday morning. Charles Morgan, 31, of River Oaks, crashed his pickup truck into the back of a bus full of kids near the intersection of Bethel Road and South Main Street at approximately 9:30 am on Tuesday morning. The bus (which had been headed to Weatherford High School Ninth Grade Center) subsequently was rammed forwards into a sedan, at which point Morgan fled the scene. He was arrested several blocks away and charged with driving with an invalid license and failing to stop and render aid at an accident involving injury.

Fortunately, only one student passenger who had been riding on the bus at the time of the wreck suffered injuries and no-one in the sedan was hurt. As a Parker County personal injury lawyer, I know that while this is certainly a serious incident, it could have been far worse. Each year, more than 12,000 children are injured in accidents caused by another vehicle crashing into a school bus, so this incident could have been far worse than it actually was.

In cases such as these, Texas law grants the injured party the right to make a claim against the negligent party responsible for the case. Similarly, the owners of the sedan can claim for property damage against the at-fault driver’s insurance company.

For more information about your legal rights if you or someone you love has ever been injured in an auto accident which wasn’t your fault, I’d like to offer you a complimentary copy of my book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case. You’re also free to check out my website, which has a comprehensive collection of information to help personal injury and wrongful death victims understand their rights and responsibilities. Of course, as an attorney, I also offer completely free, no obligation consultations to those who are considering making a claim. To discuss your case today, please call me toll free at 800-354-6275.

A Dallas fire department fire truck was involved in a collision with a suspected drunk driver at approximately 1.15 am this morning. A gold-colored Chevy pickup truck was speeding down I-35 when it crashed into the back of the fire truck near Royal Lane. Police believe alcohol to be a factor as the motorist was driving without the car’s headlights on. Fortunately, no firefighters were injured in the wreck, but the allegedly intoxicated driver was transported to a DFW hospital with a broken leg. The at-fault motorist has not been identified at this time.

Drinking and driving is a major problem throughout Dallas-Fort Worth. As a North Texas personal injury and wrongful death lawyer, I’ve helped many individuals and families who have hurt by the negligent and irresponsible actions of a drunk driver. It is fortunate that no innocent lives were lost in this morning’s accident, and I hope that suffering a fractured bone will be enough to dissuade this particular driver from getting behind the wheel after drinking in the future.

This accident also highlights another leading cause of fatal traffic accidents throughout DFW: Speeding. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) acknowledges that speeding is one of the leading causes of multi-vehicle wrecks throughout the state. Unfortunately, speeding is even more common that drunk driving in the metroplex, with 75 percent of all US drivers admitting to driving in exceed of the posted legal speed limit on a regular basis (according to a survey conducted by Smart Motorist).

Having served innocent victims hurt as a result of all kinds of accidents throughout North Texas since 1991 as a DFW bodily injury attorney, I know that there are numerous possibilities for crashes to occur. If you or someone you love has been injured in a collision which was not your fault, it is important you are fully informed of your legal rights and responsibilities. For a free consultation on your situation or to request a complimentary copy of my book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case, please call my office in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or in Ft. Worth at 817-294-1900.

One of the first things I tell my clients when they come into my personal injury law firm in Fort Worth is not to exaggerate their injury claims. So many people think that if they just fib a little, they can get more money from the insurance company, not realizing that this can absolutely kill their case. Claimants must be honest if they hope to be successful in any type of insurance claim. Think the insurance company won’t know you’re lying about you claim? Think again. A Lufkin, TX man is finding out exactly why lying to the insurance company is a bad idea.

Back in 2009, Andy House said that he drove his $1 million dollar Bugatti Veyron (one of only 300 ever built) into a lagoon near Galveston when he swerved the car to avoid hitting a pelican. But his insurance company, Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company says House is making a fraudulent claim and they have video evidence to prove it. According to the insurance company, House wasn’t trying to avoid hitting a bird; he was trying to collect on a huge insurance policy, two times the car’s value. Now, House’s insurance company is suing him for insurance fraud.

When you are pursuing any type of insurance claim in Texas after a car wreck, house fire or anything else; you must always tell the complete truth. The insurance company, its experts and your doctors will know if you are exaggerating your claim and it can ruin your case entirely. Let your accident lawyer worry about how to get you more compensation for your injuries – that’s our job.

Want to watch the original footage of the million-dollar Bugatti getting water logged? Click here, but be warned – there is adult language.

Christian Hernandez, 17, of Fort Worth, was killed on Saturday morning when the car he was riding in crashed into a house on Loving Avenue in north Fort Worth. Hernandez was a passenger in a Chevrolet Cobalt driven by an unidentified 19-year-old male. Neither he, nor two other passengers (a 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy) were injured in the wreck.

Inside the house, a female in the room hit by the car suffered minor injuries and a baby sleeping on a bed was thrown to the floor but was not hurt.

Hernandez was pronounced deceased at John Peter Smith Hospital after sustaining critical injuries when the roof of the house collapsed on to him.

As a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I would first like to offer my sympathies to the family and friends of Mr. Hernandez. As a passenger in an auto accident, he had absolutely no control over the vehicle and the events which led to his death.

Police have yet to determine whether alcohol was a factor in this collision which occurred at approximately 1:00 am on Saturday morning, however investigators have determined that the driver of the Cobalt clipped a minivan parked outside the residence, jumped the curb and subsequently drive through the front yard and crashing through the corner of the house’s garage which had been converted into a bedroom.

Two contributing factors in the crash are believed to be a combination of excessive speed and hydroplaning caused by rain on the road.

What is it about Thanksgiving dinner that makes you fall asleep in front of the TV, no matter how exciting the football game is? Most people blame the turkey...

For most of us, Thanksgiving usually involves a huge turkey and dressing dinner, football on TV and lovely nap somewhere in between. Some of us look forward to the traditional Thanksgiving nap just as much as we do to the pumpkin pie, but what about the feast makes us so sleepy? Are we just trying to escape from doing dishes or is there something in the food that actually makes us fatigued?

It’s been said for many years that it’s the amino acid tryptophan in turkey that makes us so tired. Although tryptophan can induce sleepiness in its pure form, we eat lots of other foods with tryptophan in them and don’t feel nearly as fatigued. In fact, turkey isn't even unusually high in tryptophan – beef and soy beans have a much higher concentration.

So what is it about Thanksgiving dinner that makes us want to catch some z’s? Most scientists believe what makes us so sleepy is a combination of the stressful hustle and bustle of the holidays, alcohol consumption and the massive caloric intake of Thanksgiving. Two of the best ways to combat your Thanksgiving drowsiness is to drink plenty of water and to take a walk after your meal. (Just make sure you’re back in time for pie!)

From all of us at the Anderson Law Firm, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I know that traffic accidents involving commercial good vehicles such as 18 wheelers and other large trucks often result in some of the most devastating collisions. Wrecks caused by drunk drivers are awful because those motorists have absolutely no business being behind the wheel, but at least in those cases they are not pulling several hundred tons of cargo behind them. Semi-trucks are; which is why when they crash the result is often devastating bodily injury and property damage often costing the victim thousands of dollars in medical expenses.

The true extent of the danger posed by dangerous tractor trailers, flatbeds and other motor carriers is quite alarming. In 2011, Texas inspectors from the Department of Public Safety cracked down on unsafe trucks and buses resulting in one in five vehicles being taken off the road for safety violations. That’s 20 percent of trucks and buses: an insanely huge figure. The most common problems involved brakes, tires and lights malfunctions, which are critical to the safe operating of a big rig. In total, 66,189 vehicles were ordered off the road from a total of 331,505 that were inspected.

In addition to the vehicles themselves, DPS officials removed 12,301 drivers from the road for safety violations. This is hardly surprising as it has been widely experienced by auto accident attorneys throughout Texas that commercial truckers regularly keep two sets of log books in order to hide the fact that they are in breach of hours of service rules designed to protect public safety on our roads. This is a growing trend and one which is likely related to the increase in truck wreck fatalities. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDOT) fatal crashes involving trucks and buses has roughly doubled in just four years: from 8.92 percent in 2006 up to 15.96 percent in 2010 (based on preliminary data).

The report of this year’s inspections are important because millions of trucks pass through DFW every year. According to the Federal Highway Administration, commercial vehicles travel 20.86 billion miles throughout Texas every year. Being involved in any kind of freeway collision is serious, but when the negligent driver is a professional truck or bus operator, then it is critical that you consult with a board certified personal injury and wrongful death lawyer to make sure your legal rights are preserved and that you recover the full and fair compensation you deserve.

To arrange a free, no obligation consultation with an attorney, please call us toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally at either 817-294-1900 in Fort Worth or 214-327-8000 in Dallas.

A man who was hit by a suspected drunk driver in Euless while riding his bicycle over the weekend is currently being treated for critical injuries at JPS Hospital in Fort Worth. As a DFW personal injury lawyer, I know that whenever a cyclist is involved in an auto collision the injuries are frequently life-threatening. However, the circumstances for this tragically wounded individual are even worse: no-one knows who he is.

Euless Police Department are currently trying to identify the bicyclist, who has been described as a black male, aged 30-35 years old, approximately 5’10” tall, weighing 140-145 pounds.

The unidentified man was riding a red and black Schwinn mountain bike along West Euless Boulevard when a car hit him at approximately 6:30pm on Sunday evening. Police arrested the motorist and a charge of intoxication assault is currently pending against him. The cyclist was transported to hospital. Euless PD have released the photo below in an appeal for anyone who might be able to identify him to please get in touch.

If you believe you know this man, please contact the Euless Police Department at 817-685-1532.

A Denton County Transportation Authority A-Train crashed into an automobile in Lake Dallas yesterday evening. An older model pickup truck apparently did not completely clear the Hundley Drive crossing, meaning the commuter train was unable to avoid a collision. Fortunately, no injuries are believed to have occurred in the wreck. Police have yet to disclose the cause of the accident. There are two sets of red warning lights either side of the crossing where the accident took place so it is unclear whether the driver was tailgating another vehicle over the crossing or if there was a technical malfunction with the crossing signs.

This is the fifth serious accident involving the Denton County rail line since the passenger train began to run in June this year. Just last Friday, a pedestrian was killed in a fatal collision with a train in Carrollton. Dustin Odell, 23, of Garland, was apparently walking along a secluded section of railway when he was hit and killed.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, my thoughts are with Mr. Odell’s loved ones and those of other recent train victims in the North Texas area.

I don’t know the details of each of the individual accidents involving the A-train, nor do I know the extent of the injuries in each case. It may well be that victims and their families are entitled to compensation. However, the fact that there have been five accidents in fewer than six months suggests to me that DFW motorists need a reminder to be cautious when driving near railroads. Trains cannot avoid cars or motorcycles; they are on a fixed path and take a considerable time to stop. It’s up to you to stay out of their way. In a train-versus-car wreck, the train will win every time.

The global recession and rising fuel costs have had a number of implications for people all over the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. One of the most striking trends I’ve witnessed as a personal injury lawyer is the number of people who have traded in their car or pickup truck for a more fuel-efficient and cheaper vehicle such as a motorcycle, scooter or moped.

However, while these motorists might be saving money, they are also increasing their risk of being involved in a serious accident. Not because scooters are dangerous themselves, or that those who choose to ride them are bad drivers – but because other motorists are dangerously prone to ignore any vehicle which is smaller than their own.

As a DFW attorney, I’ve heard negligent drivers say time and time again that they “just didn’t see” the scooter rider until they crashed into them. There’s a reason for that: they weren’t looking out for them in the first place.

Scooter and moped riders have just as much right to be on Texas roads as any other motorist. Unfortunately, they are rarely given the respect they deserve by other road users. Often this means a horrible collision resulting in devastating injuries which are frequently life-threatening.

It’s important that you understand that you have rights under Texas law. If you were not responsible for causing the wreck, then you are entitled to make a claim for compensation against the negligent driver who was at fault.

For more information, or to discuss your case with an experienced scooter accident attorney, please contact the Anderson Law Firm toll free at 800-354-6275 or call locally at 817-294-1900.

What would you do if you were driving and hit a pedestrian? Would you stop?

Unfortunately, there are a number of motorists in Fort Worth who didn’t even slow down after hitting a man on South Freeway last night. An approximately 50-year-old male who has not yet been identified by police, was attempting to cross I-35W when he was struck by a red or maroon car and knocked to the ground. He was subsequently hit by several other vehicles as he lay in the roadway, only one of whom stopped in an attempt to render aid to the stricken individual who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have asked for any witnesses to the accident or anyone who believes they might be able to identify any of the drivers who failed to stop to please come forward. Anyone with any information is asked to call the Ft. Worth Traffic Investigation Unit at 817-392-4850.

Another pedestrian was also fatally wounded in Fort Worth on Monday evening in an accident at Garden Acres Drive and Dear Creek Drive. Floyd Jones, 60, was hit by a motorist who did not notice him until it was too late, reporting to police that she heard something hit her wing mirror and saw a flash of color as the man fell into a roadside ditch. Mr. Jones died at the wreck site.

As a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer I know just how dangerous an auto-versus-pedestrian collision can be. To have two such tragedies with 24 hours of each other speaks volumes for the need to take extra care both when driving and when walking near roads.

My thoughts are with both the family of Mr. Jones and those of the as-yet-unidentified victim of last night’s hit-and-run.

There was a time when most people in the DFW area would laugh if they saw someone out and about riding a Segway. It’s still a relatively unusual site today, although the two-wheeled personal transportation vehicles are increasingly growing in popularity – especially with mall security companies, guided tour groups and some wealthier local citizens.

Although Segways are generally still quite rare in Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington, there still exists the potential for serious injuries to occur in a range of potential accidents involving Segways.

Pedestrians are at risk of suffering serious injuries if they are hit by a Segway rider, just the same as if they were hit by a car or a motorcycle. Of course, the potential for a transporter-pedestrian collision is drastically higher since Segways typically ride along the sidewalk rather than in the roadway which even bicycles rider must do.

Of course, Segway riders themselves are just as much at risk from suffering life-threatening injuries if they were involved in a wreck with another vehicle such as a car or truck. They don’t have any protection which means they are extremely vulnerable in the event of a serious collision.

Given the nature of upright two-wheeler transporters, there is a steep learning curve to learn how to safely operate them. Added to this, there have been numerous reports of defective problems with certain Segway products which have prompted almost 30,000 Segways to be recalled since the devices were first released to the public in 2003.

If you have been injured in an accident involving a Segway – regardless of whether or not you were the operator/passenger – it is important that you seek legal advice on your personal situation. If you were not at fault for the accident occurring, you may be entitled to compensation. Call the Anderson Law Firm toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally at 817-294-1900.

Wednesday afternoon near Indian Springs Middle School, an eighth-grader was hit by a car in a crosswalk. According to a Keller ISD spokesperson, the boy darted in front of a car at the crosswalk just after the crossing guard had gone home for the day. Thankfully, the boy’s injuries are not life-threatening and the driver who hit him stopped and provided information to police.

If an eighth grade child will dart in front of a car, so would your 5th grader or kindergartener. Kids get excited when schools out, or they see the ice cream man or when they are playing games and easily forget the most basic rules of crossing the street. It is always a good idea to remind your kids that just because they are in a crosswalk, does not mean that they have an invisible shield around them that will protect against getting hit by a car. Pedestrian accidents happen all the time on crosswalks, so you still have to look both ways.

I’m glad this boy is doing ok and I’m sure he and the driver who hit him will be on extra alert from now on.

If you’re a fan of my Facebook page, you’ll already know that I dressed up as Superman for Halloween this year, but a Corsicana policeman is being hailed as a real-life superhero after saving a three-year-old girl from a house fire. Officer Dan Putman was the first emergency responder on the scene of the home owned by Marilyn Massey. All the adults had already gotten out of the house safely, but a young child, Jayden Jones, was still trapped inside.

In order to rescue the toddler, Officer Putman displayed what the family is calling “a burst of superhuman strength” as he pushed a four-poster bed and dresser away from a window in order to save the girl’s life. Officer Putman has been awarded the Medal of Valor and a Life-Saving Award for his incredible actions.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth child injury lawyer, I would like to add my voice to the chorus of praise for Officer Putman’s bravery and selfless actions.

I know how easily a residential fire can begin and the extent of the devastation it can cause. Given the epic wildfires we’ve had in Texas this summer, it should be something we are all mindful of. Since fires can start so easily, it’s important to make sure that you are properly insured in the event a house fire does occur. If you haven’t reviewed your home insurance policy recently, now might be a good time to make sure you have all the protection you need.

We see them every time we walk into a shop; they are so commonplace that we don’t think of them as unusual. But we should. Retail hooks used to display merchandise in all kinds of stores across Dallas-Fort Worth are dangerous.

As a personal injury lawyer, I know that accidents can happen anywhere, which is why I constantly advocate for safety precautions to try and prevent as many accidental injuries from occurring in the first place. Display hooks are one hazard which is completely unnecessary.

A close examination of any such hook will demonstrate to you just how dangerous these devices could potentially be. Most are thin metal wires with an unprotected, blunt-cut end. If someone was to fall against them they would likely suffer a cut, scratch or piercing of the skin. Even those hooks which do have some kind of protection (usually a small plastic cap or the hook has been rounded rather than having a sharp end) still pose a danger.

Children are the group most at risk from suffering display hook injuries since many of these hooks are place within their eye level range. If they were to hit a hook with their eye they would suffer serious eye damage which could possibly result in permanent vision loss. Even those hooks which have “protection” can cause serious eye damage because the surface area is still insufficient to distribute the pressure which can result in a penetration injury.

Retail stores need to be held accountable in the case of such injuries occurring. They have a responsibility to ensure the safety of all of their customers – which includes children in addition to adults.

If you or a loved one have been injured in any kind of accident which was not your fault, call me today at 8517-294-1900 to get a free copy of my book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case.

Given the severity of more news-worthy accidents in Dallas-Fort Worth, such as 18 wheeler wrecks or multi-vehicle collisions, one might suspect that injuries suffered in a dog attack might be relatively minor. As a personal injury lawyer, I know that couldn’t be further from the truth.

In my 20 years as a dog attack lawyer, I have handled a variety of different dog attack cases throughout the North Texas region. Yet while it’s true that every case is different, in all cases the victim is left with both physical and emotional scars. These can range from punctures, lacerations and abrasions to tissue loss, avulsions and fractured bones. As if that wasn’t bad enough, in animal attacks (even with domesticated pets) there is a chance of contracting a serious disease, with rabies being the most notorious.

Unfortunately, not all victims survive their attack. The Center for Disease Control estimates that more than 5 percent of all dog attacks result in fatalities. In 2010 alone, there were a reported 34 canine fatalities. The vicious dog breeds which are most likely to attack a human resulting in their death are pit bull terriers and rottweilers, but they are by no means the only breeds to cause a fatality.

Make no mistake, dog attacks are extremely serious. If you or someone you care for has been attacked by a violent dog, then you need to consult with an experienced personal injury and wrongful death attorney to discuss your personal situation and understand your legal rights and responsibilities. Call me for a completely free no obligation consultation today. Call toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275) or call locally at 817-294-1900.

As a Tarrant County personal injury and wrongful death lawyer I represent victims that have been hurt in all kinds of traffic accidents; this doesn’t just mean car wrecks or collisions involving motorcycles or 18 wheeler trucks, but pedestrians and bicyclists too. My book, 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Claim – which I offer for free to crash victims – is designed to help injured people no matter what kind of accident they were involved in.

Cyclists are particularly prone to suffer terrible injuries if they are ever involved in an auto collision because they have virtually no protection whatsoever. Hopefully, they are wearing a bike helmet, but other than that they have nothing. Even motorcyclists often wear boots and leathers which could at least prevent road rash. Cyclists don’t. If a car or truck was to crash into a bicycle, the cyclist is probably going to be facing life-threatening injuries or permanent disability.

A Fort Worth cyclist was killed on Sunday evening. Police report that Steven Wayne Johnson, 52, was attempting to cross Interstate 30 between Forest Park Boulevard and Summit Avenue at approximately 6:30pm. He was struck by a vehicle in the inside lane and died of blunt force trauma. There are no reports of anyone else being injured.

My thoughts go out to Mr. Johnson’s family. I am deeply sorry for your loss.

Students and faculty at Hebron High School in Carrollton got a scare yesterday when a small plane crashed next to the school building, narrowly missing some power lines. Fire crews from Carrollton, Addison and Lewisville worked together to rescue one passenger from the aircraft, while the other occupant was pronounced dead at the wreckage scene. The deceased was later identified as Richard Goodrum, 47, of Flower Mound. The injured passenger has not yet been named publicly. It is also believed that there was a third person on board the airplane, although their condition is currently unknown.

Police say that the pilot had reported engine problems to air traffic control at Addison Airport and that he intended to return to make an emergency landing. The pilot apparently made one failed attempt to land just prior to the accident. The plane crashed at approximately 11:30 yesterday morning.

My thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Mr. Goodrum and the other victims of this devastating accident. I hope those still in hospital make a full recovery as soon as possible

While plane crashes are statistically far rarer than car wrecks, as a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I know that aviation accidents often result in far more serious and life-threatening injuries. No doubt there will be a thorough investigation into the cause of yesterday’s wreck to determine what cause the plane to malfunction and for the accident to ultimately occur.

From Dallas to Fort Worth and in between, cities all over North Texas were covered in a blanket of fog this morning. I didn’t have too much trouble this morning during my morning commute and thankfully the drivers around me were definitely being more cautious. That’s because fog can reduce your visibility to just ¼ of a mile or less – which can be extremely hazardous, especially when you’re driving on the highway.

Weather changes affect our driving immensely and it’s just our luck that Texas weather can change drastically in just minutes. One minute it’s beautiful and sunny and the next there’s lightning and thunder. Follow these tips for foggy days and you will have much better chances of avoiding a fender bender or a more serious car accident:

• If there is enough visibility, drive with you lights on low beam because high beam lights will only reflect off the fog and hurt your visibility even more.
• Fog can create the visual illusion of slow motion so watch your speedometer because you may actually be speeding when it feels like you’re going as slow as molasses.
• If you can’t see traffic, listen for it by rolling down your window.

No matter how cautious you are driving in fog or other extreme weather, we are still at the mercy of the other drivers around us. If you have been hurt because someone else didn’t pay attention or was being negligent behind the wheel, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. At my personal injury law firm in Fort Worth, we represent clients who have been hurt in car wrecks in DFW. If you need help with your medical bills and lost wages, call us today and schedule a free case consultation to talk over your case with one of our top-rated personal injury attorneys. 817-294-1900

In almost all multi-vehicle wrecks, the driver who hits another car from behind would be considered the negligent motorist, although in certain circumstances both drivers would share responsibility for the accident. As a Denton personal injury lawyer, I know that rear-end collisions are becoming increasingly common as more drivers engage in the deadly practice of distracted driving (texting while driving). So far, however, police have not yet determined whether or not cellphone use was a factor in an astonishing Lewisville traffic accident which happened on Friday Afternoon.

A 47-year-old woman who has not yet been identified by police was driving her Chevy Cavalier through downtown on Business 121 near Main Street when she slowed down upon approaching the railroad because the warning lights were flashing and the railroad crossing arms were beginning to descend. Unfortunately, the unidentified driver of a Mercury Cougar following behind the Chevy failed to brake and struck the back of the first car, knocking it forward on to the tracks. An oncoming train hit the passenger side of the Chevy Cavalier, severely injuring the motorist. The lady was taken by ambulance to Plano Medical Center. Her current condition is unknown. No-one else is believed to have been injured in the incident.

Currently, Lewisville police department have not disclosed and further details of their investigation into the cause of the accident, nor whether the driver of the Cougar will be cited. Regardless of whether any criminal charges are brought against this dangerous driver, however, it seems incredibly clear to me as a Dallas-Fort Worth car crash attorney that they were responsible for causing the accident, regardless of whether they were texting, tailgating or engaging in some other dangerous practice.

My thoughts are with the injured woman and her loved ones. I hope that she makes a quick and complete recovery.

Just when you thought that Dallas-Fort Worth bike riders had it bad with all the reckless motorists in the metroplex, just spare a thought for this poor cyclist in South Africa who got charged by an antelope while taking part in a bicycle race. Ouch!

Check out the damage caused to the cyclist’s helmet. If an antelope can do that, just imagine the damaged caused by a collision with a car, truck or the road. As a personal injury lawyer, I know that traumatic brain injuries are extremely common in auto accidents involving bicyclists, so please be sure to protect yourself with quality helmet which has been certified by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Fortunately, we don’t have many antelopes on the loose in North Texas, but that doesn’t mean that cyclists are completely free of risk that they might get attacked by a deer or even a mountain lion while getting some exercise. Even if you’re in the relative safety of a suburban neighborhood, there is still a chance that you could be attacked by a vicious dog if their owner has negligently allowed them to run loose. We all know how dogs love to chase cars and the same goes for bicycles. There is a possibility that an unleashed dog could cause you to crash, or they might even bite or maul you.

If you have been injured while out cycling, I would like to offer you a complimentary copy of my book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Claim. You can order directly through my website, or call 817-294-1900.

Travel and Leisure Magazine has ranked Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport as the tenth most dangerous airport in the US. Naturally, as a North Texas personal injury lawyer, I find this gravely concerning. While it’s a well-known fact that statistically, you are far more likely to be injured in a car wreck than in an airplane accident, when the latter does occur there is obviously a far higher potential for serious injuries and fatalities.

A large part of the reason DFW ranks so poorly is due to errors made with air traffic control. The study looked at both serious incidents where an airplane crash was narrowly avoided as well as slightly less serious incidents where there was a significant potential for a mid-air collision.

Dallas/Fort Worth also has a history of very serious runway accidents too, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s latest Runway Safety Report. Within the past five years alone, DFW Airport has had 61 separate runway incidents, ten of which occurred within a single 30 day period in 2008.

Although aviation accidents are not every day occurrences, they unfortunately not the rarity you might expect. If you or a loved one is ever injured in a plane crash it is important that you consult with an airline accident attorney who can investigate the cause of the accident and ensure that the negligent party at fault is held responsible.

I previously wrote about a three-year-old boy who accidentally fell from a third story apartment window in Arlington on September 22. That same day, another child, an 18-month-old toddler suffered injuries in an almost identical accident in Fort Worth. Just five days later, another Fort Worth child, a one-year-old was injured in the exact same way. When three separate incidents occur in such a short amount of time, I start to worry as a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer that there is a bigger problem here that needs to be addressed.

The parents of the 18-month-old, Robert and Trina Argo, have spoken to the Star-Telegram today to discuss what happened to their son, Charlie, and to warn other parents of the hazard. As with any good parents, the Argos have gone to great length to baby-proof their apartment. However, it was a simple oversight which contributed to Charlie’s fall on that fateful day. In case you don’t remember, September 22 brought some much-needed cooler temperatures to the metroplex following months of 100 degree temperatures. Trina says she had opened a bedroom window to let some of the cool air inside and neglected to realize that the screen on the outside of the window was not fixed in place. Charlie pushed against the screen and fell through the window.

The fact that three such similar accidents could occur so soon after each other demonstrates that greater caution is needed on behalf of both parents and apartment complexes. While the sight of a screen mesh might lead you to expect that it’s fastened securely in place the fact remains that it’s only purpose is to prevent bugs from getting inside. Even a small infant is strong enough to push it off the fame and subsequently fall through the window after it.

I’d like to thank Robert and Trina for sharing their story and hope that it will save other families from suffering similar accidents. Charlie was lucky that he only suffered minor injuries in the fall. The other two children hurt in the other accidents that same work have also both recovered from their injuries.

The pharmaceutical attorneys at the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth are currently reviewing potential Actos lawsuits. A recent warning issued by the FDA says that "the use of pioglitazone (Actos) for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.”

The Texas Actos lawyers at the Anderson Law Firm believe that those who have been adversely affected by Actos have the legal right to pursue a claim for their injuries. If you think the Type 2 diabetes drug Actos is responsible for your bladder cancer, contact our pharmaceutical attorneys today. It’s important to know that there is a time limit on Actos bladder cancer claims. To avoid missing the statute of limitations for your claim, take advantage of a free meet-and-greet with one of our personal injury lawyers. During this free case consultation, we can discuss you Actos related injuries and how we can help with your case.

If the drug Actos caused your bladder cancer, contact the Anderson Law Firm today at 817-294-1900.

Dog bite attacks can happen anywhere and the circumstances are often as unpredictable as the animals themselves. As a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer with over 20 years’ experience helping dog attack injury victims, however, I have noticed a number of similarities at least in those cases I’ve worked on. For example: the vast majority of attacks occur either near the home or in a familiar place; likewise, in most cases the attacking dog is owned by someone known to the victim, such as a friend, neighbor or even a family member.

This means that if you live in an apartment, the probability is high that if you are ever attacked by someone else’s dog, that is where it will happen. We’ve all seen those people who let their dogs just roam around the complex unattended. Not only are those people inconsiderate neighbors, they are negligent owners. If their dog was to attack a resident or a child, then they would be responsible.

The landlord has a responsibility too. Part of their duty as a landlord is to guarantee the safety of their tenants as much as possible. If they know that one resident’s dog poses a threat to others, then they have a responsibility to ensure that dog cannot hurt anyone while in a common area of the complex. Therefore, the landlord could also be considered negligent if such an attack occurs.

If you’ve been attacked by a dog outside your apartment – or anywhere else for that matter – it’s critical that you consult with an experienced dog bite and attack attorney. For a free no obligation consultation on your case, call me toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275) or call locally at 817-294-1900.

As a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I am acutely aware of the high number of traffic accident fatalities throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The large numbers of 18 wheelers which pass through the region and frequent drunk driving wrecks are perhaps the most significant contributors to DFW’s high death rate in auto collisions. However, a new study by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that for the first time ever, car crash death are outnumbered by drug-related fatalities based on nationwide figures.

This is not entirely surprising. Over just the past few months, there are several drugs whose hazardous side-effects have become public knowledge. For example: the popular diabetes medication Actos has recently been linked to increased likelihood of bladder cancer; Propecia, designed to reduce hairloss has the rather undesired side-effects of impotence, infertility and erectile dysfunction; and the birth control pill Yaz has been found to cause blood clots, strokes and heart attacks.

Aside from these very dangerous drugs, while other preventable illnesses have decreased, so prescription drug addiction has been on the rise. Some of the more potent and dangerous medications often abused by patients which the CDC singled out include Fentanyl, OxyContin, Vicodin, Soma and Xanax.

If you suspect either yourself or someone you care about is struggling with prescription drug addiction, you should contact your family doctor immediately to discuss your options. If you or a loved one has suffered illness or injury due to a known dangerous drug, please contact the board certified medical malpractice and wrongful death attorneys at the Anderson Law Firm for a free no obligation consultation on your personal situation. We can be reached toll free at 800-354-6275.

A Texas soldier was killed by a truck driver in a fatal South Carolina auto accident on Friday night. Sergeant First Class Maurice Collier, 48, of Killeen, was attending a motorcycle rally in Aiken, near Eureka when the accident occurred. Witnesses reported that Collier, who was stationed at Fort Hood, was helping to direct traffic leaving after the motorcycle event, when he was hit and killed by a Ford 350. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

The truck driver, identified as Glenn Otts, of Trenton, was then allegedly attacked by other bikers and reportedly stabbed and beat in retaliation for the deadly accident. He was subsequently treated for non-life threatening injuries.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I know that pedestrian accidents are highly likely to result in a death such as this, as the human body offers no protection against the blunt force of a heavy vehicle.

I would like to offer my sympathies to Sergeant Collier’s family and loved ones. I am deeply sorry for your loss.

I would also like to wish Mr. Otts a full and speedy recovery. Even though it does appear that his negligence as a motorist was responsible for causing Sergeant Collier’s death, there is no excuse for the violence perpetrated against him. Justice for wrongful deaths should be sought through the legal system, not through a mindless vigilante assault.

An as yet unidentified man was killed by a pickup driver in Fort Worth early on Sunday morning. A witness told police that the male victim was attempting to cross the road at the 3600 block of North Main Street at approximately 2:30 am yesterday. A pickup truck believed to be driven by another male hit the pedestrian in the roadway, knocking him to the ground. The witness reported that the pickup driver stopped his vehicle and backed up to get a closer look at his victim before speeding off into the night. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the crash scene, although the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office has not yet been able to identify the hit-and-run victim.

Police believe the driver was driving a tan Chevrolet pickup truck. If you believe that you may have any information which could assist the Fort Worth Police Department in their investigation of this deadly hit-and-run accident, please contact the Crime Stopper Hotline at 817-469-8477.

It looks like more crossing guards are needed around Truett Elementary in East Dallas after two children have been hit by cars this month while they were trying to cross the street. On Sept. 16 a young student was hit on Peavy Road and just five days later another student was hit while crossing Gross Road. Thankfully, both students survived but the events have made pedestrian student safety a number one concern for many parents in the area – and for good reason.

In my August issue of Law Talk, my personal injury law firm’s newsletter, we wrote an article on how to drive around school buses and children during school dismissal times. Due to a variety of reasons, like budget cuts, schools all around Dallas and Fort Worth have seriously cut back on crossing guard jobs. This is bad news for many parents that allow their kids to walk home from school, especially with the distracted driving epidemic happening in this country. Kids are very vulnerable to pedestrian accidents because they lack the ability to appreciate danger. They aren’t always looking for the car speeding around the corner. Remind your kids how to cross the street safely and make sure that if you have to drive around local schools, you are on your A game.

If you, or your child have been hurt in a pedestrian accident, call the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth. We represent pedestrians who have been hit by cars in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I know that children are often a high risk for suffering serious injuries in an accident. Whether it’s a car wreck, a dog attack or an accident around the home, their small, young bodies are liable to suffer considerably worse injuries than adults. As a father myself, such child injury cases always strike an emotional chord with me which is why I was particularly sad to learn of an Arlington toddler who was seriously hurt after falling three floors at a local apartment complex yesterday.

The child, who has not been named, is understood to be a three-year-old infant who lived at the apartment in question. According to the police, the boy’s mother was also at home at the time of the accident. They are still trying to understand how the boy fell out of the third-story apartment’s window.

The boy was transported by helicopter ambulance to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth to be treated for his injuries. His current condition has not been made public. I wish him a full recovery and offer my sympathies to his family. I cannot imagine the emotional stress they must be feeling right now.

As a DFW personal injury lawyer – and despite being a dog owner myself - I know that dogs can be dangerous. People often forget this since they are commonly thought of as friendly pets, but the fact remains that dogs are animals with natural instincts and their often unpredictable minds of their own. In 2010, for example, there were 34 people killed nationwide in fatal dog attacks.

Just last week, a Dallas boy was attacked by two pit bull terriers on his way home from school, and most likely would have been killed if his life hadn’t been saved by three city workers who just happened to be passing. Shannon Craig, 9, admitted that prior to the attack he had been taunting the dangerous dogs but as they were a known vicious breed and behind a fence he thought he would be safe. Unfortunately, the dogs were not properly contained and the two animals attacked him.

Fortunately, three Dallas sanitation workers were driving by and the end of their shift and took decisive action to save the boy, who they described as weak and limp. Larry Jones, Steve Thurman and Douglas Rochelle fought off the pit bulls using their pitchforks and managed to get the young child to safety.

Craig is now recovering at home, although he will forever be left with the physical and emotional scars of his attack. His body is covered with lacerations and punctures from the dog’s bites. His family is still awaiting the results of a rabies test.

The owner of the dogs has been identified although so far no charges have been brought despite his clear negligence which contributed to these two known vicious dogs being able to escape. Authorities report that the two dogs have since been caught and are currently in quarantine.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I always encourage my clients to resist the temptation to settle their claim for compensation until either they have completed their medical treatment or their ongoing medical expenses are clear and apparent. Only then can the true cost of your injuries be fairly assessed. Settling the claim with the negligent driver’s insurance company before then is premature as it could seriously hurt you financially if you do.

Scarring is a classic example of this. In many non-critical injury cases, victims do get better, but in some situations they are left with serious scarring which will never fade entirely. In the case of facial disfigurements, for example, the effect can be a lifelong reminder of an event you would most likely much prefer to forget. It’s like piling on many additional years of emotional suffering on top of the traumatic physical pain you have already endured. Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine how significant of a scar you will be left with until at least several months after the accident.

If you have been in an accident and have been left with facial scarring or are worried that you might be, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer. They will be able to accurately assess your situation and help you determine what compensation you might be entitled to. Often, they will be able to recommend you to a doctor who has experience in helping others who have suffered similar injuries in the past, and who could suggest appropriate procedures to help reduce the significance of the scarring.

For a no fee, no obligation consultation with a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, call the Anderson Law Firm toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally at 817-294-1900.

It’s always nice to know that as a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I’m not alone in understanding the very real danger of distracted driving. That’s why I was pleased to find myself behind a four-wheel drive this morning heading into work, where the owner had installed a custom spare-tire cover loudly proclaiming their belief that texting while driving should be made illegal throughout the United States. I wholeheartedly agree.

According to the US Department of Transportation, 20 percent of all traffic accidents are directly caused by one or more drivers being distracted. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 15 people are killed nationwide every day because of distracted drivers.

The big local news this week is that Arlington City Council officially approved a proposal to outlaw texting behind the wheel. This is a fantastic decision that will save countless lives, and prevent many more injuries.

So why are so many people against it?

That’s a psychology I cannot comprehend. Distracted driving is just as deadly as drunk driving, so it makes sense that neither should be allowed. Unfortunately, many people have become accustomed to using their cellphone while simultaneously operating their cars, trucks and motorcycles so it’s natural they should bristle when told they can’t do it anymore. But trust me; your life is far more important that any text, tweet or email you might feel compelled to read. It can wait until you’ve arrived at your destination.

Others complain that the ban is going to be difficult to enforce. That’s an unfortunate truth. Not every person who decides to drive while intoxicated gets pulled over by police. Not every cellphone user will either. But many will. It may not be a perfect solution, but for many people simple knowing that they are breaking the law by checking their phone while in control of a vehicle should hopefully be enough to prevent a significant number of injuries and deaths.

As a wrongful death attorney, I hope that other North Texas cities follow Arlington’s example.

They say that if you don’t like the weather in Texas, you should wait five minutes. It’ll change. Unfortunately, we’ve been waiting for cooler temperatures for months. Yesterday, in fact, NOAA declared yesterday that Texas had the hottest summer ever of ANY STATE since instrument recordings first began in 1895. I previously thought it would be neat to finally break some long-held record, but now I just want it to be over.

Well, it just might be: dark ominous clouds have descended over DFW, and the forecast for the rest of the week includes rain (really!) and even thunderstorms. Finally!

But don’t celebrate just yet… As a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer I think it’s important that we’re all aware of the road hazards we might encounter with such sudden precipitation after such a prolonged dry spell. Right now, the roads throughout the metroplex are coated in dust, proof of polished and smooth they have become after several months of drought. Even minimal rain can mean a slippery surface. Be particularly careful at stop signs and other intersections as it’s very likely that they’ve collected oil pools which mixed with rain could be potentially fatal. Also, if you find yourself driving alongside a commercial truck, remember the additional dangers brought by bad weather. Both rain and dust can seriously impair visibility, plus the winds could push an 18 wheeler out of its lane if a particularly strong gust comes along. Please be careful.

If you have been injured in a car wreck or any other kind of accident, call the Anderson Law Firm for a free no obligation consultation on your personal injury case. Call toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally at 817-294-1900.

As a Grand Prairie motorcycle wreck and personal injury lawyer, I know that in an auto accident between a motorcycle and a car, van or truck, the motorcyclist is going to come away with the most serious injuries every single time. Even if the motorcycle rider is wearing a helmet, their unprotected bodies are no match for the blunt force of a large vehicle, which is why there are so many fatal motorcycle crashes throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex every year.

A multi-vehicle wreck which took place in Grand Prairie last Tuesday caused the death of a local motorcyclist. Michael Maruska, 52, of Midlothian, was riding his three-wheel bike along Lake Ridge Parkway when a van pulled entered the road in front of him. Mr. Maruska’s motorcycle crashed into the van, which subsequently also collided with a pickup truck. Mr. Maruska was immediately flown to Methodist Dallas Medical Center by helicopter ambulance. The driver of the van, Khoa Nguyen, 20, of Grand Prairie was treated for minor injuries. The driver of the pickup was not identified and their condition is unknown.

According to Grand Prairie police, their investigation into the cause of this deadly accident remains unresolved. Unfortunately, as an attorney, I have seen far too many similar fatalities caused by motorists who simply failed to watch out for motorcyclists or who decided to just pull out in front of them anyway. Since the collision took place at approximately 4.40 pm, there should have been sufficient daylight that visibility was not a problem. It will be interesting to learn of the investigating officers’ conclusion in this wrongful death case as if it is determined that Mr. Maruska was killed due to the fault of a negligent driver, his family are entitled to make a legal claim for compensation to cover his medical bills, funeral costs and other expenses related to the accident and the time he spent suffering.

I’d like to offer my thoughts and condolences to Mr. Maruska’s family and friends at this most difficult time. I am sorry for your loss.

How many times have you been driving around your neighborhood and had to slow down because of a pedestrian taking their sweet time to cross the road? Often, I think it’s simply a matter of the person being both oblivious to other road users and so wrapped up in themselves that they don’t care about causing an inconvenience to others. Surely they realize, though, that by not exiting the street as quickly as possible they are putting themselves in danger. As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer I certainly hope so!

A recent study published by Transportation for America puts the Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington region of Texas as the 10th most dangerous metropolitan area in the US for pedestrians. This doesn’t really surprise me, seeing as here in DFW we are dependent on our cars to get from A to B.

So how can pedestrians reduce their risk of being injured in an auto accident?

The simple answer would be to pay attention. Just as motorists are guilty of creating a hazard by texting while driving, so pedestrians are putting themselves in grave peril by texting while walking. If you’re crossing the road you need to a) be aware of any oncoming vehicles and b) reach the sidewalk on the other side as quickly as possible. By law, motorists must yield to pedestrians even when they are jaywalking, but given the distracted driving epidemic we currently face in DFW, you can never guarantee that the car or truck heading towards you has actually noticed you.

If you are a pedestrian, don’t act like you own the road. You don’t stand a chance against an SUV. Don’t dawdle. Get across. Think self-preservation.

PI attorney Mark Anderson has been helping injured pedestrians and their families since 1991. For a free consultation on your personal injury or wrongful death case call Fort Worth 817-294-1900.

Less than a week after a Plano student died after falling from an apartment balcony in Austin, three men were injured in a balcony collapse accident which happened in Denton on Saturday night. Tony Garcia, Grant Draper and Garrett Draper went out on a balcony at The Grove Apartments to smoke their cigarettes only for the balcony to collapse beneath them, resulting in the men falling three floors to the ground. The three men were flown to Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth by air ambulance to be treated for their injuries. Garrett Draper is currently listed in serious condition, while Tony Garcia and Grant Draper are believed to be in fair condition.

As a Denton County personal injury lawyer, I have been intrigued by this case due to the way the management of The Grove Apartments seem to be avoiding giving any solid answers to the media following this tragedy. The general manager of the student-targeted complex, Christine Vogiatzis, told reporters that “the balcony involved in this incident was a non-weight bearing structure,” yet she declined to confirm whether residents were notified of that. One reason that her comments are being questioned is the fact the apartment these men fell from had double doors leading out to the balcony.

The Grove Apartments only opened to residents this August, and they have already come under fire from multiple residents for the generally poor construction of the units. Since the balcony collapse accident on the weekend, more residents have voiced their concern about the perceived disregard for safety shown by The Grove’s management team. Many residents have taken to Facebook to air their concerns and complaints about the complex. The Grove has responded by removing their Facebook page.

I would urge the injury victims and their families to consult with a Texas personal injury and wrongful death attorney as soon as possible to discuss your legal rights to compensation to cover medical expenses and other costs as a result of this accident.

This summer has been hot even by Texas standards. It seems like almost every day for the past couple of months, there’s been some new record set by the temperature. The extreme heat brings numerous hazards for us here in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, but they are not all as obvious as you might think.

As a personal injury and wrongful death attorney, I know that one of the biggest dangers actually is actually to kids. While no-one every thinks it could happen to them, the truth is that many children suffer sickness or even die as a result of being left in hot cars every year. Just within the past couple of weeks an Irving toddler died after he was locking in his mother’s SUV in their own driveway.

I know it sounds like such a simple thing, you would never think you’d let it happen to your child, but the truth is that it happens to good parents all the time. I know that when I became a father, it was something that I became paranoid about.

Baylor Medical Center has actually founded a program called Backseat Buddies for new parents, to help them avoid the danger of potentially leaving their infants trapped in their vehicle. Each of the parents is given a small teddy bear which they keep on their keychain. Whenever they take their baby out of their car seat, they put the bear in their place. Then whenever they strap their newborn in, they clip the bear back onto their keychain as a visual reminder that their child is in the backseat. I think it’s a fantastic idea; not only is it incredibly simple but it reduces the worry that one day you might make that fatal mistake.

The FDA’s investigation into the complications caused by transvaginal mesh have concluded that women who have received the treatment may suffer far greater complications that those who receive alternative treatments for their pelvic organ prolapse. Common symptoms associated with vaginal mesh implants include chronic discomfort, pain during sex, infection, bleeding and vaginal scarring among others. The non-profit organization Public Citizen has strongly urged the FDA to recall all transvaginal mesh devices.

Have you been effected by this defective medical device?

Pelvic organ prolapse typically occurs in women soon after childbirth or a hysterectomy. It can also occur following the onset of menopause. Experts estimated that thousands of women throughout Dallas-Fort Worth and across America have received the transvaginal mesh implant. Due to lack of sufficient testing, the very real danger that the device poses to women’s health was not known until recently.

If you believe your doctor treated your pelvic organ prolapse with vaginal mesh surgery, it’s important that you do have legal rights. Contact the personal injury attorneys at the Anderson Law Firm for a no fee, no obligation consultation. Our lawyers are experienced in medical malpractice cases and defective products cases.

Call us toll free from anywhere in Texas at 800-354-6275, or call locally at 817-294-1900.

Accidents aren’t accidents at all according to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. At the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth, that’s something our personal injury attorneys have known for years – but it’s nice to have a fancy study back us up. According to their research, 78 percent of all car accidents aren’t accidents at all because they could have been prevented.

The full article of the 8 Most Dangerous Things You Do in Your Car is on Yahoo!, but I wanted to point out what ranks in the #6 and #8 position. Texting and talking on your cellphone while driving. I know distracted driving is something I write about a lot, but I feel it’s necessary to point out the factual evidence of just how dangerous it is whenever possible.
Talking on your cell phone while driving comes in as the 8th most dangerous thing to do in your car while driving. This study found that it causes 1,000 deaths per year and that drivers are generally slower to react to brake lights and take longer to regain speed after braking if they’re on their phone (duh!).

A growing number of U.S. cities and towns—not to mention more than 50 countries around the world—now ban cellphone use while driving. Why? Of the 10.2 million car accidents in the United States last year, roughly 2.5 million of them involved drivers on cellphones. Talking on your cell isn’t just dangerous for youngsters and it doesn’t just cause small wrecks. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, when a driver between the ages of 30 and 39 dies in a car crash, there’s a 24 percent chance he or she was on the phone at the time of the accident.

Ranking #6 on the list was texting while driving, which kills 3,945 people per year. Look around you on your commute to work – so many people are texting! It makes me want to shake some sense in them. Did you know that as soon as your fingers start typing an “lol” you are 23 times more likely to get into an accident?

Most everything included on this list is a no-brainer. Don’t hurt yourself by being dumb – put your phone down and pay attention to the road. Call my law firm if you were hurt in a car accident that wasn’t really an accident. We’re located in Fort Worth and our personal injury lawyers can help you get on the road to recovery.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury and wrongful death lawyer, some of the more upsetting cases I handle involve the unintentional discharge of a firearm. Most of these gunshot wound accidents involve someone inadvertently firing at either a friend or a relative. Sometimes alcohol is involved; sometimes it’s just bad luck. Whatever the case, there is usually an insurance policy involved that the victim’s attorney can claim against to recover any medical expenses or other costs related to the shooting.

Danny White of Plano has been charged with manslaughter after fatally wounding an employee, Dean Grimes (45, of Frisco), in what White claims was an accident. White reportedly told police that he and White were playing with the gun at the Northwest Dallas warehouse of White’s printing company when it unexpectedly discharged. Grimes died at the scene as White held his head. There were no witnesses to the tragedy.

This incident further underscores the need for greater common sense when handling a firearm. While Texans have a right to bear arms, playing with a gun is an act of grave carelessness. Grimes’ family is understandably keen for criminal justice to be sought in this case, but I hope they are equally aware of their right to pursue a civil claim to help compensate them for their loss of a loved one, and all the financial consequences that brings.

People need to be careful about what they put online. This is something I advise my personal injury clients all the time. If you’ve been seriously injured in a semi accident, for example, you need to think twice before you publish something on Twitter or update your Facebook status. Even if you think you have all your setting set to private, the trucking company’s investigators might still be able to keep tabs on you. It’s important that you don’t say anything which could be misconstrued or used against you to make your injuries appear any less serious than they really are.

It seems that it’s not just individuals who have been hurt in a traffic wreck that need to be careful about their use of social media either. Jonathan Hudson, 22, was a juror sitting on a Fort Worth car crash trial last month when he attempted to friend the defendant, Courtney Downing, on Facebook. Downing informed her lawyer who promptly notified the Tarrant County judge in charge of the civil case, Wade Birdwell. Hudson was thrown off a car crash trial and has been sentenced to two days of community service for his actions.

As a Fort Worth accident and injury attorney, I have a love/hate relationship with social media sites. On the one hand, I think they provide a great opportunity for sharing ideas and communicating with all sorts of people from all around the world. On the other hand, lots of people forget that what they put online can affect them in real life too. That’s what happened with Hudson, and it’s exactly what can happen if you’re an accident victim with a pending case.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer I know that life just isn’t fair sometime. If it was, then no-one would be injured in a car wreck or other traffic accident. No one wants to be in a crash. No one wants to suffer broken bones, head injuries or amputation. Unfortunately, highway collisions are a fact of life in North Texas. No matter how much care we take, there is always that one idiot driver you just can’t avoid.

My job as an accident and injury attorney is to go to that negligent driver’s insurance company, and make them pay you the full and fair compensation you deserve – to cover your hospital bills, loss of income and any other costs you may have incurred.

But what if you in a wreck caused by an uninsured driver, or were injured in a hit-and-run accident? In those cases there is no insurance policy to make a claim against, which is why I strongly encourage everyone to make the small investment of adding uninsured motorist coverage to your insurance policy. Most likely it will only increase your monthly premiums slightly, but in the event that you are hit by a negligent driver who doesn’t have insurance, it can really help you out.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car crash, motorcycle collision or truck wreck anywhere in Texas, call an experienced personal injury lawyer today for a free, no obligation consultation on your personal injury case. Call toll free at 800-354-6275.

Yesterday afternoon an 18 wheeler wreck caused hours of traffic delays throughout Roanoke. The tanker truck was carrying 5,600 gallons of jet fuel when it crashed into a Jeep Wrangler on State Highway 114. The collision happened at the intersection of Litsey Road, although the exact cause of the investigation is still under investigation.

As a North Texas personal truck lawyer, I know that it’s always essential to conduct a thorough analysis of a crash scene whenever a commercial truck is involved. This is because trucking companies have their own investigators on retainer, so it’s important that the police can gather as much evidence as possible to determine the truth about what happened. It is also why motorists injured due to a negligent truck driver should hire an attorney as soon as possible following the accident to ensure their best interests and legal rights are correctly protected.

Although the tanker truck fortunately did not explode after the impact, the fire burnt for five hours and the dark column of smoke was visible over much of Dallas-Fort Worth. Highway 114 was shut down between I-35 and Highway 377 in both directions during the evening commute, but all lanes have since been reopened.

Injuries sustained in big rig collisions are usually extremely serious. Fortunately, despite the dramatic nature of this crash, neither the driver of the truck or the Jeep was hurt. A passenger in the Jeep was taken to a local hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured in a commercial truck accident, the experienced personal injury and wrongful death lawyers at the Anderson Law Firm offer free no obligation consultations to explain your rights and help you determine the full and fair compensation you deserve. Call us toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally at 817-294-1900.

Proof that accidents can happen anywhere and at any time occurred last week when a pedestrian was injured by an out-of-control car driven by her own husband at a church in downtown Dallas. On Wednesday, Maria Cerellio and her husband went to Crossroads Community Service near the intersection of St. Paul Street & Young Street to pick up free groceries offered to low income families.

Mr. Cerellio got into the driver’s seat and apparently lost control of his vehicle, accelerating towards a crowd of people, most of whom were able to dive out of the way. Mrs. Cerellio was not so lucky, and soon found herself pinned between the couple’s car and a brick wall. Eyewitnesses said that Mr. Cerellio was clearly panicked and managed to get the car into reverse, only to speed backwards across the street. He was stopped only by an iron fence across the road, his wheels still spinning in the dirt.

Mrs. Cerellio was taken to Baylor Hospital to be treated for serious head injuries. Investigating police officers found no malfunction with the car and no charges are being brought against Mr. Cerellio. The incident is being treated as a freak accident.

My thoughts are with the Cerellio family, and I wish Maria and speedy and full recovery. As a North Texas personal injury lawyer, I hope that the couple has good auto insurance as they will be able to make a claim against their policy to help pay the co-pays and deductibles that their health provider won’t cover. It is very normal for a wife to make a claim against her spouse if she was injured in a wreck where he was the negligent driver, and the same precedent would apply here. Assuming that the couple does have car insurance but no health coverage, I would suggest they consult with an experienced car crash attorney to explore other options to make sure Mrs. Cerellio receives the best medical treatment possible.

Just a few blocks away from our personal injury law firm in Fort Worth, a Tyler man was seriously injured after a car hit him while he was walking on the second story parking garage at The Lofts on West 7th. Grant Morby, 24, was on his way to a friend’s apartment when a man in a white pickup ran over him and sped away.

The man in the truck was backing out of his parking spot when he hit Morby. He left the scene of the accident before authorities arrived. Morby was left helpless on the ground until a woman found him and was able to call 911. Now, he is in critical condition with a severely lacerated liver.

So many people ruin their lives by fleeing the scene of an accident and when they get caught, they are always in more trouble than they would have been if they had just stayed. In this hit-and-run accident, why didn’t the driver of the truck just stick around? Accidents happen—maybe he didn’t see Morby behind his truck, or maybe he was drunk and should have never been driving. But even if he was drunk why would you go and be a coward and run away from an accident? It only proves your guilt later and makes everything worse for you and the innocent victim you hurt.

West 7th is a hopping place to hang out, but with a string of recent parking lot crashes in the area, we all need to be more careful walking and driving there. On behalf of myself and everyone else at the Anderson Law Firm, we wish Grant a speedy recovery and hope they catch the coward that ran away from this accident.

Most people in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex know how popular 15 passenger vans are with local churches and other community organizations in the area. But did you know that the vehicles are so dangerous that Texas schools are actually prohibited from using them to transport children? The reason for this is that in the event of a crash, these vans have an extremely high likelihood of rolling over, which can cause devastating injuries and fatalities. In fact, 80% of the deaths which have occurred in van accidents involved a rollover.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a church van rollover accident, it’s important to know that you do have rights. If you were a passenger in the van, it doesn’t matter whether another motorist was at fault for causing the collision, or if it was the driver of the van you were riding in who was negligent. You still have rights. You are still entitled to make a claim for compensation to cover your medical expenses and any other costs related to being injured in an accident.

For a no obligation consolation on your van accident claim, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer at the Anderson Law Firm to understand your legal rights and responsibilities and the opportunities available to you. Call toll free at 800-354-6275 or contact us online and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

What is it with all the wrong-way car accidents in DFW lately? Just yesterday morning there was one which shut down I-20 in Arlington, and then last night there was another one on North Central Expressway in Dallas. As a Texas personal injury lawyer, I know that usually these collisions involve drunk drivers – how else do you explain someone seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are driving against the flow of traffic? Police do not yet know whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in this particular wreck, but I suspect that it is more than likely.

The crash happened near the Royal Lane exit of I-75 at around 3.00am this morning. The wrong way driver was a male, driving a dark-colored sedan northbound in the southbound lanes. His victim was a female motorist. Authorities have not yet released the identification of either driver. Police do not yet know where the negligent driver entered the wrong way lanes, but witnesses reported seeing him as far south as Northwest Highway.

The female victim was conscious at the scene, but was rushed to hospital once emergency responders were able to cut her out of her vehicle. It apparently took considerably longer for the emergency crew to remove the at-fault driver from his car. Both individuals are now receiving medical treatment for their injuries, although their conditions have not been made public at this time.

If you or someone you care for has been injured in a Dallas-Fort Worth traffic accident, call an experienced attorney for a free, no obligation consultation on your personal situation. Call toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally in Dallas at 214-327-1900.

Now days, it seems like all prescription medications have a huge list of side effects, just listen to the drug commercials on TV. But when do the possible side effects or consequences of taking a drug outweigh the medicine’s benefits? This summer, the FDA made a warning about the nation’s most popular diabetes pill, Actos and its ability to increase the risk of bladder cancer in long-time users.

This warning was based on research found in a five year study conducted by the drug’s manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Actos has already been banned in France and Germany and in America; lawsuits are piling up against the manufacturer of the drug for failure to warn its takers of the risk of cancer.

In my 20+ year’s experience practicing personal injury law in Fort Worth, I’ve learned that it can take years before people realize that their physical ailments, like cancer or heart disease, have been caused by dangerous drugs. I urge you, if you are taking Actos talk to your doctor, especially if you have been taking it for a number of years or have a history of cancer. If you have bladder cancer and think it could be related to the drug Actos, call myself and the other pharmaceutical attorneys at the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth. We are currently reviewing Actos bladder cancer cases and may be able to help you recover compensation for your injuries.

A little over a month ago, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) sent their inspectors across the US to do spot checks on 18 wheelers and other trucks for Roadcheck 2011. Officials in the US, Canada and Mexico inspected a total of 70,712 vehicles at 2,550 locations over the 72 hour weekend which ran June 7-9, 2011.

Here in Texas, semi safety is extremely important, particularly as the I-35 corridor runs straight through Dallas-Fort Worth on the way to Oklahoma. We have thousands of truckers traveling through North Texas every day, which is why there are so many commercial truck wrecks all the time. Safety is vital.

Predictably, the most concerning result from Roadcheck 2011 was that over half the drivers inspected had violated the hour-of-service rule intended to keep tired drivers off the road. Trucker fatigue is one of the leading causes of big rig accidents, and yet 52.5 percent of the drivers stopped could prove they were abiding by the rule. For a personal injury attorney such as myself, this is troubling. Furthermore, only 14 percent of the commercial trucks had electronic on-board readers (EOBRs) which were recently mandated by the FMCSA in order to ensure accurate recording of the time individual drivers spent behind the wheel.

On a more positive note, however, 98.5 percent of the trucks stopped passed the inspection of their license, medical certificates and record-of-duty status. Of all the trucks, buses and tractor trailers inspected, 80.7 percent passed the safety inspection of their brakes, tires, lights, load security and other essential safety components. Obviously this could still be much better.

Whenever a large commercial truck in involved in a traffic crash, it invariably causes massive property damage and severe personal injuries. If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident involving an 18-wheeler or other large truck, it is important that you consult with an experienced injury lawyer who will be able to explain your legal rights and help you make sure you receive the full and fair compensation you deserve. For a free no obligation consultation on your personal case, call toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally at 817-294-1900.

As a Fort Worth truck accident lawyer, I know that it’s important for drivers and passengers who have been hurt in a collision involving a commercial truck to contact an experienced accident and injury attorney as soon as possible following the crash. Many individuals decide not to, however, and that decision usually ends up costing them in the long run. It’s true that there are certainly some personal injury claims that can be handled just fine without the aid of an attorney, but wrecks involving 18-wheelers, big rigs or other large trucks are rarely situations where I would recommend this.

The main reason why you should never attempt to recover compensation from the trucking company or their insurance adjusters alone is simply because there is so much at stake. A regular car does not stand a chance versus a large flatbed trailer. Substantial property damage and severe injuries are extremely likely to occur. The law in Texas does of course give you the right to seek full and fair compensation for any damages you’ve suffered in such a wreck there the trucker was at fault. However, the insurance company for the truck driver is going to do their best to minimize their losses. They will try to get you to accept the smallest settlement possible.

This happens all the time, and I’ve had many individuals come to me in tears because they took an early settlement offer that just wasn’t enough to cover all the medical bills they’ve since accumulated in the years following the accident. Unfortunately, I have to tell these people that there is absolutely nothing I can do to help them. They tried to go it alone and they accepted what the insurance company offered them. They’ve forfeited their right to the compensation they deserve.

Please don’t make the same mistake. I’ve been practicing personal injury law throughout Tarrant County and across Dallas-Fort Worth for over 20 years. Give me a call and I’ll give you a free no obligation consultation on your personal situation. It might well be that in your case you truly don’t need an attorney, but in my experience, it is always far better to be safe than sorry. Call toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally at 817-294-1900.

A deadly commercial truck wreck in Fort Worth caused police to shut down I-30 eastbound this morning, causing significant traffic delays for commuters. TxDOT officials expect the interstate to remain closed to vehicles until Friday night while a thorough investigation is conducted prior to the crash scene clean up.

As a Texas personal injury lawyer, I have helped many big rig collision victims over the past 20 years. I know that accidents involving commercial trucks are frequently responsible for life-threatening injuries and fatalities. This particular wreck is unusual, however, as the deceased was actually riding in the 18-wheeler at the time of the crash. Police have confirmed that the fatality was a 14-year-old boy, the son of the truck driver. Apparently the boy was asleep in the sleeping area of the truck cabin while his father drove. Neither the trucker of the child has been named by authorities at this time. The truck driver has been transported to hospital to be treated for his injuries. His condition is unknown. No other injuries related to the collision have yet been reported.

In any traffic accident caused by a delivery vehicle, a thorough police investigation is essential. This wreck deserves an especially detailed analysis not just because a death occurred, but also because the truck also broke a bridge support, possibly causing damage to the infrastructure of the roadway. The reason behind the collision remains unclear at present. It does not appear that any other automobile was involved in the collision. As a commercial truck wreck attorney is certainly seems that there are a great many questions which require answers. Hopefully these are all questions which authorities can resolve within the coming hours and days.

Do you ever watch Cops? Well, in every show some right as the cops are handcuffing the criminal and sticking them in the squad car, the police officer will read the prisoners Miranda rights. You know, the whole “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you,” spiel. While these rights apply to ever arrest made in the United States, they also apply to other aspects of the law as well, like in civil claims.

For example, if you are hurt in a truck accident in Texas, think back on your Miranda rights the first time you are approached by the negligent trucking company’s insurance adjuster. As a truck accident attorney in Fort Worth, I want you to especially remember the “anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law,” part. You see, any extra information you give to the insurance adjuster will be used against you if it can be – their job is to limit the compensation you receive for you injuries.

If you’ve been hurt in a Texas truck accident, the smart thing to do is to stay quiet until you read this article about how what you say to insurance adjusters can ruin your Texas truck wreck claim, or seek the advice of a knowledgeable truck wreck attorney.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I know that no-one is invincible. Accidents can happen to anyone at any time. Even if you’re the safest driver in Texas, there is still no way you can protect yourself from the idiot who decided to drink and drive, or any other negligent motorist. Given the sheer size and weight of 18-wheeler trucks, it’s obvious that they can cause massive devastation and injury to any car or motorcycle unlucky enough to get in a collision with them. But what about the trucker himself?

Truck drivers are just at risk from suffering critical injuries in a traffic wreck as any other motorist or passenger. When two big rigs crash into each other, the property damage and personal injuries can be horrendous. Fortunately, truckers have the same legal rights as any other road user in Texas.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident while driving a commercial truck, it’s important that you consult with an experienced Texas truck wreck attorney who can explain your legal rights and options as they apply to your personal situation. Even if you’re benefitting from worker’s comp or a personal insurance policy, you might still be entitled to seek additional damages to help cover your past and future medical expenses and any loss of income stemming from the crash.

Call the Anderson Law Firm today toll free at 800-354-6275.

Anybody else think meteorologists in Texas have the easiest job in the summer? The forecast is always hot, hot, and HOTTER. This week we could reach highs all the way up into 108 degrees! Wow. So far this summer, we’ve had 30 consecutive days of temperatures in the 100s and we are well on our way to having the hottest summer on record. At the Anderson Law Firm, we’ve written before about how the heat can affect your car and the people in it. This week, lookout for buckling roads caused by the heat and whatever you do, don’t leave your kids or pets in the car without air conditioning! Everyone should know by now that it doesn’t take long for kids left in hot cars to die due to the heat, but just this week some idiot parents in Dallas left their four young children in a hot car for two hours! Thank goodness for the good Samaritans that rescued those kids and called the police – otherwise who knows what could have happened. As a child injury attorney, I’ve taken legal action against negligent daycares, but for a parent to willingly be so careless with their child’s well-being is unfathomable to me. We shouldn’t have to remind people to take their children and pets with them when they go into places, yet Texas has the highest number of child deaths due to hot vehicles in the nation. Sad.

Some other common sense advice would be to pack a gallon or two of water in your car. It may seem like a lot, but if your car breaks down or overheats, you can use the water to cool your vehicle down or yourself. We don’t get to choose when our cars stop running and you never know how far you could have to walk to get help, or how long you’ll be waiting before someone can come get you. With temperatures like these, you’re better safe than sorry.
Stay cool out there folks.

- The Anderson Law Firm is located in Fort Worth, Texas and takes a variety of accident and injury cases like dog bites, wrongful death and motor vehicle accident claims. If you need an experienced PI lawyer, call 817-294-1900.

Distracted driving is a big problem in Dallas-Fort Worth. As a personal injury attorney, I’ve seen far too many traffic collisions caused by people texting, eating and even reading behind the wheel. What most people don’t seem to realize, however, is that driving with a pet in the car can also be a serious distraction too.

This week, AAA and Kurgo announced the results of a joint study of various dog owners’ driving habits. Almost 60% said they’ve driven with their dog in the vehicle at least once in the past year, with 52% admitting to petting their dog while driving. 23% said they regularly drive with their pet on their lap. All of these things are incredibly dangerous. If you’re sitting in the driving seat, you need to be focused on the road ahead and the other drivers around you. As a dog lover myself, I know it’s tempting to always want to have your best friend with you and to shower them with affection, but doing so while you’re driving only puts you both in danger.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a crash caused by a negligent driver you may be entitled to compensation to cover all past and future medical expenses, any loss of income as well as any pain and suffering you have endured. To speak to a board certified accident and injury lawyer, call 817-294-1900.

A friendly reminder from a local car accident attorney: move over for stalled vehicles! Even though state law only requires that drivers move over or reduce speed to the next lane for official emergency vehicles, I think all drivers should be more polite and move over to the next lane – no matter who is stalled!

Every morning on my commute to Fort Worth I see people texting and driving, putting on makeup and talking on their cell phones. These people are usually also speeding and just being a distracted driver in general. But this morning, I saw a stalled car attempting to change a flat tire with cars just whizzing by – paying no attention to the stalled car.

It is incredibly dangerous to be pulled over on the shoulder of highways in Texas these days. I read all the time in the newspaper about people getting hit and killed as their trying to change a tire, or jump a car. Although it’s best to exit the highway completely if your car is having problems, we don’t always get to choose when and where our cars break down. We all look out for cops when driving, but how about looking out for our fellow driver? I think we all need to remember the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Slow down for stalled cars – no matter who they are.

If you’ve been in a car accident and need legal advice, call my personal injury law firm in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. We handle all kinds of motor vehicle accident claims and are ready to help you get your life back together.

As a Cleburne truck wreck lawyer, I know that a big rig crash usually means fatalities. Commercial trucks are heavy vehicles, which means they can’t break as quickly as other vehicles. It also means that in the event of a collision there will be significant property damage and personal injuries suffered by all drivers and passengers for any cars and motorcycles involved in the accident. Likewise, even smaller pickup trucks pose a greater threat than other passenger vehicles on the roads around Dallas-Fort Worth.

Pedestrians are particularly at risk since they have absolutely no protection whatsoever to protect themselves against the blunt force of a truck. I was saddened to learn this weekend of the death of Kelly Lassley (36, of Cleburne) who was struck by a truck towing a flatbed trailer. Kelly Lassley was apparently standing in the roadway when the collision occurred, according to police. The truck was being driven by an as yet unnamed Alvarado woman (52).

Cleburne police are still investigating the accident. A thorough crash scene investigation is vital, especially whenever a commercial truck is involved in a fatal wreck because there is so much at stake. The police will interview witnesses and do other types of scene investigation to make sure that they understand the positioning of the pedestrian and the speed of the truck.

Friends of Fallen Riders gathered for the funeral of a Texas motorcycle rider, Robert Walker, Sr., who was killed last week when he was accidentally shot while trying to protect his family from a violent animal attack. The tragedy unfolded when a neighbor’s pit bull jumped over the fence and into Mr. Walker’s son’s back yard where his young granddaughter and her cousins were playing. The dog tried to attack Mr. Walker when he defended the children, so his wife, Betty Walker, attempted to shoot the dog and accidentally mortally wounded her husband in the process.

This is an absolute tragedy. My heart goes out to Mrs. Walker and entire family. As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I know that dog bites can happen unexpectedly. All Mr. and Mrs. Walker were trying to was protect their grandchildren from the dangerous animal. Sadly, this story also goes to show that in moments of panic, terrible gun accidents can also occur. It is a terrible thing that has occurred. My thoughts are with the extended Walker family and their friends.

Mr. and Mrs. Walker are residents of Houston, Texas, but the accident occurred in Jackson, Mississippi. Mark Anderson is a Texas personal injury and wrongful death attorney based in Dallas-Fort Worth.

What a difference a few states north make. Although Texas governor, Rick Perry vetoed a law that banned texting and driving, in Philadelphia it is now illegal to text and walk. Anyone caught focusing on their text and not on their sidewalk will face a $120 fine and deputy mayor Rita Cutler says that citations will definitely be handed out. This law may see over-reaching to some, but there is no doubt in my mind that it will prevent pedestrian accidents.

See, what many people fail to recognize is just how much concentration goes into sending and reading texts. No matter if you are driving OR walking-your eyes are still not where they should be. A few months ago, we watched the infamous “Fountain Lady’ video at my personal injury law firm in Fort Worth and we were all so surprised that someone could be that oblivious to a huge fountain in front of them! Is it a coincidence that the fountain lady just so happened to be from Pennsylvania? It could be, but who knows.

What we do know from that video is that any time you are traveling – either on a bike, in a car or on foot – your eyes need to be on the road. If you’re looking at your iPhone how can you see that car in front of you or that the crosswalk isn’t clear? Even though this ban will probably make some people very angry, it will also keep them safe. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more laws like this in big cities like New York or Chicago where there is heavy pedestrian traffic. Maybe Texas will never pass an anti-texting and walking law, but I sure do hope that someday we can pass a ban on texting while driving. But, I guess will have to wait for good old Rick Perry to leave Austin first.

Want to keep your teen safe from distracted driving? Tell them to sign up for my Teens Against Distracted Driving program. And if you’ve been hurt by a distracted driver, call the personal injury attorneys Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900.

A new study has found that children may actually be safer when they are being driven by their grandparents than by their parents. As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I find this an interesting contradiction to the common misperception that elderly drivers are unsafe to drive. Interestingly, previous research which showed seniors as being poorer driver focused more on crashes (including minor fender benders) without taking in to consideration whether anyone was actually injured in the accident.

Although older drivers do suffer impairment that younger drivers do not, the majority recognizes their reduced ability to react quickly to potential collisions and make the conscious decision to driver slower and avoid situations where hazards are likely. Senior citizens are also the age group most likely to wear a safety belt (other than infants and preschool children) and are least likely to drink and drive.

Grandparents are also likely to drive even more safely when their grandkids are in the car. This could be because they take extra with their “precious cargo” but also because grandparents do not have the same distractions that parents do and they aren’t rushing to drop the kids off at school and then get to work.

Mark Anderson is a Tarrant County traffic accident injury attorney who has been serving residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for 20 years. If you have been injured in a car, motorcycle or truck wreck which wasn’t your fault, call the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation on your personal situation at 817-294-1900.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I have handled a number of defective product cases, where a product or device was released for sale to the public before it was properly ready. However, it is usual that an accident occurs on live television, as is the case in this funny video I found of a man in a jetpack – yes, a jetpack – crashing in spectacular fashion in San Diego. Fortunately, he was unhurt, but it just goes to show how accidents can happen anywhere and new products are being invented all the time which have the potential to injure people.

If you have been hurt in a Texas car wreck, motorcycle crash, truck collision or other accident you might be interested in Mark Anderson’s book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case. For a free copy of the book, or to request a complimentary no obligation consultation on your personal injury case, call a Dallas-Fort Worth Accident and Injury Attorney toll free at 800-354-6275.

Wednesday night, the loving mother of two, Yolanda Guzman, was killed in hit-and-run car accident in Dallas. Yolanda and her husband Rafael Valdovinios were on their way home from the grocery store at the intersection of Ferguson Road and Joaquin Drive. The traffic light at the intersection was not working at the time of the accident. Yolanda and her husband stopped at the out traffic light and then continued into the intersection when a pickup truck with a brush guard slammed into them. Yolanda was killed instantly and her husband was seriously injured and is now in the critical care unit at Baylor Medical Center.

Now, the Dallas police department needs our help in finding this hit-and-run driver. Police are on the lookout for a white or silver pickup truck with a brush guard. Authorities know due to the severity of the accident, the truck will probably have significant damage and that the driver could be injured. If you have any information, please contact the Dallas police – they need all the help they can get in catching this criminal.

Although I have a bone to pick with the city for taking almost four hours to fix the broken traffic light, it’s not their fault this car crash happened. It’s the fault of the idiot hit-and-run driver who didn’t remember one of the basic rules of driving: when a traffic light is out, it is immediately a four way stop. That’s one of the first things they teach you in driver’s ed! This driver didn’t even slow down at the traffic light, they were going full speed when the crash occurred. Working signal or not, you should ALWAYS slow down when approaching an intersection, as you never know who or what is coming to cross your path. Maybe the hit-and-run driver was drunk at the time of the accident, or maybe they were just an idiot who didn’t know the basic rules of the road. Whatever the reason, they have taken the mother of two young children. I’m just thankful those kids weren’t in the car at the time of the wreck. I hope this person is caught and punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Commentary provided by Mark Anderson, a personal injury attorney in Fort Worth, Texas.

After two years of uncertainty, due to a legal challenge and a subsequent appeal, Texas House Bill 148 has finally become law. The legislation, which was signed by Gov. Rick Perry in 2009, makes it illegal for lawyers or medical professionals (such as chiropractors) to solicit car wreck victims within the first 30 days following their accident. As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury attorney with 20 years’ experience, I wholeheartedly support this law. The so-called “ambulance chasers” that this law targets are fortunately few and far between, but they give my industry as a whole a bad name. I do not sue negligent drivers for the sake of winning a windfall payout for my clients; I help people that have been injured through no fault of their own make a successful claim against the at-fault party’s insurance company. The victim of a drunk driver should not have to ruin their credit or put themselves at risk of bankruptcy due to the medical expenses incurred simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time – the negligent motorist’s insurance company should.

While I welcome this legislation into law, however, I feel there is still work to be done. Traffic collision victims and their family members need time to comprehend the often life-changing event which has unexpectedly taken place. The injured person needs time to both mentally and physically recuperate. So why are insurance adjustors allowed to visit them in their hospital room? It’s true and it happens every day. Why do they do this? They can exploit the patient’s vulnerable state and get them to sign a release accepting an offensively low settlement figure, which will not even come close to covering the debt they will incur as a result of being in an accident. This is all about the insurance company minimizing their losses. I think it is a most unethical practice. Texas law gives accident victims the right to a fair settlement which compensated them for all medical costs and any loss of income caused by being involved in a crash.

It is a great thing that Texas accident victims are now protected from unscrupulous lawyers and medical professionals, but they also need protection from the equally bad insurance adjustors.

Mark Anderson is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is the author of the books 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case and Roadmap To Winning Your Texas Motorcycle Accident Case.

Almost every single traffic collision involving a bicyclist that I have encountered in my 20 years as a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer has resulted in serious, life-threatening injuries. Fatal Dallas-Fort Worth bicycle accidents occur due to a number of factors, not least of which is the amount of cars and trucks on the road – but far too often motorists fail to give cyclists the respect they deserve. Bicycles have just as much right to be on the road as other vehicles. As the number of bicycles increases in urban areas, it is more important than ever that all road users are educated on their rights and responsibilities in order to avoid deadly crashes.

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority is planning on introducing a new bicycle sharing program for local residents and those who work throughout the city. Bike racks would be spread throughout the city and people can borrow a bicycle as and when they need it. The initiative is based on successful programs from other Texas cities such as San Antonio. I think this is a great idea which fits in well with the proposed growth of new bike lanes throughout downtown. The additional benefits of course are that it promotes healthy exercise while allowing people to reduce both their gas bill and their carbon footprint. As a Fort Worth bicycle wreck attorney, I hope that there will be some accompanying publicity campaign to remind drivers of proper safety rules when driving around bicycles.

Mark Anderson has represented injured cyclists and their families throughout North Texas since 1991. If you or a loved one has been injured while riding in or around the DFW Metorplex, call the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation to understand your legal right to claim compensation. Call toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275) or locally at 817-294-1900.

School is out for the summer in Fort Worth and Dallas and you know what that means: it’s time for the kids to play. Whether your children enjoy playing at the swimming pool, on a trampoline or riding bikes with friends, the most important thing is their safety. As a child injury lawyer in Fort Worth, I’ve seen too many avoidable accidents happen in the summer to kids. Sometimes as parents, we overlook simple safety precautions that could save our children from pain and suffering if they get into an accident. Making sure our children’s bike helmets fit them correctly is just one of these precautions that often gets overlooked.

Did you know that a properly fitted bike helmet reduces the risk of a head injury by 85 percent? Before you let your kids ride anywhere make sure their bike helmets fit them the right way. On my law firm’s website, we’ve provided you with six easy steps to properly fit a bicycle helmet so that you and your loved ones can always stay safe.

Although these tips were written with children in mind, they can be applied to adults, too. Nobody who rides is completely safe from bicycle accidents in Fort Worth. The laws regarding bicycle helmets in Dallas, Fort Worth and the surrounding Metroplex are different in each city, but one thing is for sure: it never hurts to have extra protection if you’re going to ride a bike.

So enjoy life on two wheels and make sure you and your family are wearing bike helmets the right way. If you ever are hurt in a bicycle accident, give my accident and injury law firm a call at 817-294-1900.

The northbound lanes of Interstate 35W in Northlake, TX were shut down for three hours on Monday morning after a pedestrian was hit and killed by a pickup truck. The victim of the accident was a 21-year-old man from Fort Worth who had gotten out of his car on the highway. Police said the man was stranded along the freeway and that the driver of the pickup that killed him was not able to stop in time.

The Northlake police department had to shut down the I-35W lanes near the Texas Motor Speedway for three hours to investigate the accident, which caused a backup of vehicles, mostly 18-wheelers.

Every time I see people stopped along the side of highways in Dallas or Fort Worth, I get nervous. As an accident and injury attorney and Fort Worth, I’m used to hearing about car accidents, but now days it seems like so many people are getting hit or killed on the shoulder of roads in Texas. Especially on our busy highways in DFW, fixing a tire on the shoulder or waiting outside of your car can be more dangerous than you think. With so many distracted drivers out there today, there is even a higher chance that they won’t see you stopped.

A lot of Texans don’t know this, but if your car stalls on a busy road or interstate, take a look at the back of your driver’s license and call the Texas Roadside Assistance number, 1-800-525-5555. This number is for non-emergency situations and by calling it, the operator will relay your information to the appropriate police agency that will send a unit to check on your welfare and direct traffic if necessary until help arrives. It’s a free service that our tax dollars pay for so you might as well use it. It’s just another reason to always have your driver’s license on you. If you have been hurt in a car accident or injured as a pedestrian in Dallas or Fort Worth, give my law firm a call at 817-294-1900. We offer free case consultations to anyone who wants to know more about their legal rights or how to get a personal injury claim started.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the answer to that question is fireworks. As a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer I am utterly astounded at the bad decision the FMCSA has made to abandon the hour-of-service rule for commercial truckers shipping fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend. Big rig wrecks are dangerous enough as it is. I have seen first-hand the life threatening injuries that a Texas 18-wheeler collision can cause. Granting an exemption to this rule (which is designed to make our roads safer by eliminating sleep-deprived truckers) to those hauling explosive cargo seems incredibly shortsighted and dangerous.

Under the current federal guidelines, commercial truck drivers are not permitted to work longer than 14-hour days. This includes off-duty and rest periods. The exemption means they don’t have to count their non-driving time as part of their workday, which in reality means we could have drivers on I-35 and other major roads around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex who’ve actually been on-the-job for 16 hours or more!

Tarrant County truck accidents are always extremely serious. They cause massive amounts of personal injuries and property damages. If you or a loved one are ever involved in a pile-up or other auto accident involving a commercial truck, I advised you to contact a board certified personal injury attorney as soon as possible. We offer free no obligation consultations to Fort Worth commercial truck wreck victims, so call us now toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally at 817-294-1900.

At the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth, potential clients ask our accident attorneys all the time if their injuries are serious enough to hire a lawyer.

As you’ll see in this video, the scope and extent of your injuries will determine if you need to hire a Fort Worth personal injury attorney.

The lawyers at the Anderson Law Firm will never take advantage of our clients and we’ll tell you if your injuries aren’t severe enough to warrant hiring us. It’s important to be aware of the statute of limitations in Texas when you’ve been injured in an accident. Many injuries aren’t fully realized until months or even years after the wreck or accident, so you need to know that time is ticking if you want to pursue a personal injury claim.

If you think that the injury lawyers at the Anderson Law Firm can help you with your car accident or other personal injury claim, give us a call at 817-294-1900 to set up a free, no obligation case review with one of our attorneys.

In my spare time I enjoy going for a run along the Trinity River trails, as do many other runners and cyclists. Unfortunately, as a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer I know that bicycle accidents can cause severe injuries. Fortunately, the city of Fort Worth has a plan to make downtown more accessible – and safer for local bike riders. You may have already noticed the bicycle lanes on West Seventh and near south side, but more than 1,000 miles of additional bike lanes are planned. The next phase of roads to have new bike lanes constructed is along 10th and Texas streets.

I think this is a great idea – and a wonderful addition to our city. It will allow commuters to get in some extra exercise while heading to work each morning; and if more people start cycling, it could mean less cars and motorcycles on the road which decreases the potential for fewer fatal auto collisions.

If you or loved one have been injured in a bicycle crash caused by someone else’s negligence, it is important that you consult with an experienced traffic wreck attorney. For a free no obligation consultation on your personal situation, call Fort Worth 817-294-1900 or toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275). We will explain your legal rights and help you evaluate what compensation you might be entitled to.

If a business told you that they would only sell you their product if you gave up some of your rights as an American citizen, what would you do? How about if it would give you a new job if you gave up those same rights? Well, chances are you’ve already been in this situation and you’ve given up those rights already without even knowing it. The civil justice system is under attack by the special interests that represent major corporations. They have zero regard for the average American’s civil rights; all they care about is making as much money as possible. Forget everyone else.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I have 20 years of experience working within the Texas civil justice system. Time and again I’ve learned that people don’t really appreciate what an accident and injury attorney does until they need them. We do not exist to make millionaires out of people who happen to have gotten into a fender bender – we are here to help those people get the medical treatment they need for their serious injuries.

There is a corrupt smear campaign sweeping the nation, the goal of which is to trick people into taking a stand against their own rights. One of the most popular weapons this campaign has is the infamous McDonald’s hot coffee case. Everyone know it was a case of a frivolous tort case gone mad, right? Wrong. The victim in the case was 79-year-old woman who spilled scolding hot coffee over her lap while in a parked car. She suffered severe third degree burns and needed years of medical treatment as a result. A shocking documentary detailing the case and three other examples of just how unfair and unbalanced the US civil justice system can sometimes be airs on HBO tonight. If you have any interest in civil law, or if you are concerned about your rights as a citizen being stripped away - and you should be very concerned - then I urge you to watch it and make up your own mind.

“Hot Coffee” airs on HBO tonight at 11pm CST.

Ever heard of the “July Effect”? I hadn’t either until just a few days ago. Apparently, the July Effect refers to the spike of deaths in teaching hospitals in July and according to a recent study by the Journal of General Internal Medicine, it’s actually true. In the report, they recorded a 10 percent spike in teaching hospital deaths during the month of July due to medical errors. They call this spike “The July Effect” and they attribute it to the influx of new interns and residents in teaching hospitals.

Even though I’ve been a Fort Worth personal injury and medical malpractice attorney for the last 20 years, this was news to me.

Why do so many more medical errors happen in July? The answer is quite simple: medical students graduate in June, start their residency or internship at the hospital in July and make mistakes because---they don’t know what they’re doing!

No matter what you do, when you start a new job you are bound to make mistakes. The only difference is that when you are responsible for the medical care of a patient those mistakes can be deadly.

It’s good to know this information, especially if you have to be admitted to a teaching hospital in July.

The laws concerning medical malpractice and error are extremely complicated and different in every state, but if you think you’ve been a victim of medical malpractice or error in Dallas or Fort Worth, give my law firm a call at 817-294-1900. At the Anderson Law Firm, we can explore your legal options during our free, no obligation case review and see if we can help you in your injury claim.

I’ve been working as a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer for 20 years and I’ve seen some bizarre car wrecks in my time, but this one is just plain weird. A young girl waiting for her mother inside Pro-Cuts hair salon on West Berry Street in Fort Worth was taken to hospital after a car crashed through the front window of the shop, colliding with the bench the girl was sitting on. According to the shop’s owner, Beth Driskill, the girl and her sister went flying through the air across the shop as a result of the impact. The second girl is reportedly uninjured.

The driver of the car was also treated for their injuries, although their identity has not yet been released at this time. Neither has any explanation for what caused for the accident been reported. As a Fort Worth personal injury attorney, I have seen similar cases in the past. To me, it sounds like this is either a case of driver negligence, defective roadway construction or a combination of factors.

I wish both the girl and the driver a full and speedy recovery.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a traffic collision or any other accident which was not your fault, please give us a call toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275) for a no fee, no obligation consultation on your personal situation. Alternatively, you may contact us locally at 817-294-1900 in Fort Worth.

As a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer I have seen some catastrophic wrecks involving commercial 18-wheeler trucks and yesterday’s collision on South Freeway was nothing short of dramatic. According to police reports a diesel service truck rear ended a pickup truck which was propelled forward into another big rig. The driver of the pickup was tragically trapped inside his vehicle which was engulfed in flames from two explosions. He did not survive. No-one else was significantly injured to be taken to hospital, authorities say. Firefighters extinguished the fire a little under an hour after the crash occurred, although all lanes of southbound I-35W were closed for more than four hours in total.

My thoughts are with the family and friends of the individual who sadly lost their life in this horrific accident. I am sorry for your loss. Although no charges have been brought against anyone involved in this particular collision, it important that a thorough investigation is pursued after any commercial truck wreck as soon as possible. The trucking companies usually get their own teams of investigators examining the evidence almost immediately. It’s important that the victim’s find a truck wreck attorney to make sure their legal rights are protected too.

At the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth, we try to update the public about dangerous products and product recalls as much as we can by using our blogs, like this one. Our accident and injury attorneys know that these unsafe products are a hazard to our families and we want the public to be informed as much as possible. However, with so many product recalls and dangerous toys and the like out there, it’s impossible for us to keep up with all of them!

Did you know products like toys, cookware and lawn equipment can be considered defective even if there is no product recall? No matter how big or small, defective products can cause serious injuries to people, especially children. Texas law provides that people injured by unreasonably dangerous products are entitled to be compensated for their injuries—but what do you need to prove that the item was indeed defective and dangerous?

At the Anderson Law Firm, we recommend the following steps if you’ve been injured by an unsafe product:
• Save the product in its current condition
• Save all the manuals, instructions and paperwork that goes with the product
• Get the information of any witnesses that saw the accident happen
• Take pictures of the accident scene and your injuries
• If you are hurt, seek medical attention immediately
• Write down your injury symptoms days after the accident
• Do not give a recorded statement, sign a medical records authorization, or accept a settlement before talking to a products liability attorney

Following this advice will help you to get most value from your products liability accident claim. If you’ve been injured by a defective product, call the Fort Worth product liability attorneys at the Anderson Law Firm for a free case consultation. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Contact us today at 817-294-1900.

Back in 2005, Michael Miles of Arlington got behind the wheel of his car after a massive drinking session, drove five miles down US 287 and E Loop 820 S on the wrong side of the road, and smashed into another vehicle; killing the four teenagers inside. On Monday, a Fort Worth jury awarded damages to the families of the deceased teens who had attended Dunbar and Wyatt high schools. But the decision wasn’t simply against Miles’ insurance company (Miles himself died in hospital following the collision) but also the topless bar where he was drinking. Under Texas’ Dram Shop Law, wrongful death lawyers can seek compensation from the proprietors of establishments that over serve alcohol to their customers. In this particular case, the liable bar owners named as Harry Floyd Freeman and John David Faltynski of Harlem Nites Cabaret were found to be 35% responsible for the fatal crash, and Miles 65% responsible. I’m sure that the families of those that lost their lives in this tragic wreck which could so easily have been prevented are glad that justice has been done.

Congratulations to attorneys Bob Haslam and Kevin Byrne for the outstanding job these gentlemen did for their clients. I know how hard these cases are to pursue and my hat is off to them for fighting the fight and achieving justice for their clients.

We were just discussing city bus accidents at my injury law firm in Fort Worth when I read a headline about a bus wreck just blocks away from our office. Wednesday afternoon, four people were taken to area hospitals after a car hit the back of a city bus in downtown Fort Worth.

The 40-foot city bust was stopped at West Ninth and Houston when the car struck it from behind. Three bus passengers and the driver of the car suffered non-life-threatening injuries but were taken to the hospital to get checked out.

Bus accidents are caused for a variety of reasons, but most of the time it’s usually other drivers around the bus that trigger the accident, just like in the story above.

City bus accident claims in Fort Worth and Dallas are just like any regular car accident claim except that every other passenger on the bus has the same ability to file a claim against the negligent driver. Because of this, it’s important that if you have been in a city bus wreck, that you seek the counsel of an experienced DFW bus accident attorney. You need someone in your corner that understands the system and won’t let your claim get pushed to the bottom of the pack.

If you are ever in need of a bus accident attorney, give the Anderson Law Firm at call at 817-294-1900. We take personal injury claims from all over DFW and can set up a free, no obligation case consultation to talk about your bus accident.

Automobile accidents aren’t the only killer of children in Texas. It’s terrible to think about, but cars can be deadly to children even when they aren’t in motion. As a Fort Worth child injury lawyer and father, I’m well aware of just how deadly leaving children in hot cars can be.

It seems like a no brainer to remember to take your child out of the car, but in these days when everybody is preoccupied with their cellphones, iPods and whatever else, accidents will happen. In the scorching summer months in Texas, it’s especially important that parents and caregivers of children be completely undistracted when loading and unloading kids from their car.

Already four children have died in hot cars in Texas this year alone – and it’s not even July. Just this Sunday, a La Vernia boy was found dead in his parent’s vehicle after he got trapped inside the car while his father was sleeping.

Accidents can happen to anyone, even something like this. According to KidsAndCars.org, a child’s body temperature climbs three to five times faster than an adult’s, especially in a hot car. The temperature inside a car can increase 35 degrees in less than 30 minutes and a baby can die in as little as 15 minutes, even in 75 degree weather.

If you live in Dallas or Fort Worth, don’t leave your child in your car for any amount of time this summer. It’s just too dangerous. Visit my law firm’s website to read some suggestions to help parents remember that kids are on board. Remember to lock your car when everyone is unloaded and keep the keys with you at all times so children can’t grab them and play around in your vehicle. This is an accident that is completely preventable – we just have to be extra cautious.

At the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth, we take injuries to children very seriously. If you are ever in need of a child injury lawyer in Fort Worth, give us a call at 817-294-1900. Our lawyers are ready to help you in your fight for justice for your child.

If you've been unlucky enough to have been injured in a Dallas-Fort Worth traffic wreck, it's important that you understand that your chance encounter with a negligent driver could have long term implications which continue long after you complete your medical treatment and your wounds have healed. You may not know this, but unpaid medical bills are the number one reason for bankruptcy in America. Doctors and hospitals are very expensive. Even with really good health insurance, the money you personally owe can be quite substantial. As a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer, I have seen too many of my clients' lives ruined by the bad credit they were stuck with following their accidents, even after their claims have been successfully resolved and the bills paid.

Regardless of whether you were injured in a car wreck, a motorcycle collision or some other accident, chances are high that you're going to incur significant medical expenses over the course of your treatment. Added to that, you're probably going to be out of work for a while, so the loss of income makes the problem even worse. The good news is that in Texas you have the legal right to pursue a claim for compensation against the at-fault driver's insurance company. This will allow you to recover money to pay off your medical debt, replace those lost wages and compensate you for the very real pain and suffering you and your family have endured.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident which was not your fault, give me a call for a no fee, no obligation consultation on your personal situation. Call toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally at 817-294-1900.

Sure you might have all the right car and booster seats for your kids, but are they installed the correct way?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seven out of ten kids in child safety seats aren’t properly buckled in.

As a Fort Worth child injury and car accident lawyer, it’s no surprise to me that car crashes are the number one killer of children. But what is truly upsetting is that parents can help prevent child injuries from car accidents just by following the rules, regulations and recommendations for installing and restraining their kids in child safety seats.

As a parent, I couldn’t imagine the guilt I would feel if my child was injured because I had made a mistake buckling them up. Read about the most common mistakes parent’s make when installing their child’s safety harness on my accident and injury law firm’s website.

If anyone in your family has been hurt in a car accident caused by a negligent driver, call my law firm at 817-294-1900 today. We specialize in car accidents and child injuries and will make sure that justice is done for your accident injuries.

Working more than 20 years as a Fort Worth accident and injury attorney, I’m always happy to hear about city initiatives to make drivers, pedestrians and cyclists safer in DFW. My injury law firm is located in downtown Fort Worth and we’ve started to notice the new bike lane striping on our city streets. These bike lanes will undoubtedly keep cyclists safer from car accidents and injuries and we are very happy to see the city take the charge to make complete streets happen in downtown.

But to go along with the news that bike lanes are finally coming to Downtown Fort Worth, here’s a video of what I hope doesn’t happen to our cities bike lanes.

In New York City, Casey Neistat was ticketed for not riding in the bike lane in and had to pay a $50 fine. This brings up an important issue about how cities like Fort Worth must keep bike lanes safe and free of debris if they expect cyclists to ride within them. In the video, Casey gets a ticket for not riding in the bike lane. He tries to explain to the police officer why he can’t always ride in a bike lane, but sometimes words just aren’t enough. Casey thought it would be better to make a video to show why sometimes riding in the bike lane is just plain unsafe. Watch the video and see whose side you’re on.

Hopefully the city of Fort Worth can do a better job than New York in keeping our new bike lanes clear. I still think cyclists are safer riding in the bike lane and abiding by the law, but really only a combined effort will keep pedestrians, cyclists and drivers safe. We’ve all got to do our part and look out for the other guy.

If you’ve been hurt in a bicycle accident because of a negligent automobile driver, call my law firm at 817-294-1900. We can set up a free consultation to go over your case and see how our bicycle accident lawyers can help you get on the road to recovery.

If you’ve been injured in an accident in Fort Worth, your immediate focus will be on your health and getting better. Although your initial wounds will heal, there is a good chance that if you sustain serious injuries your life could be altered forever.

A term you hear thrown around quite often is “loss of enjoyment of life.” What is that exactly? Well, to put it simply, it means how your injuries have affected your daily life and activities. You can read more about it on my personal injury law firm’s website, here.

Even the smallest injuries can affect your life and the activities you are able to participate in. At my injury law firm in Fort Worth, we address how accidents have affected the daily lives of our clients in each personal injury claim we file. Even a small car accident can cause you to slip a disk in your back. Let’s say you have small children, well that slipped disk could prevent you from being able to play and care for them. This is loss of enjoyment of life.

Have you experienced loss of enjoyment of life after you were hurt in an accident? The probability is pretty high that you will if you are seriously injured.

It’s important to remember to write down how your injuries are affecting your daily activities. What activities aren’t you participating in anymore? Has your sleep pattern changed for the worse after your accident? Are you having feelings of sadness or anxiety—even weeks after your accident?

Accident victims often forget to mention emotional stresses and sleep issues when describing their injuries to their doctors and nurses, yet these are the areas where accidents can affect people the most. Sleep deprivation due to accident injuries can cause a multitude of physical and mental problems, yet I see clients time and time again forget to mention it to their doctors after their accident.

If you’ve been in an accident, take note what effect your injuries have had on your life. Then, call the Fort Worth personal injury lawyers at the Anderson Law Firm if you need help with paying for your medical bills, lost wages or pain and suffering. One accident doesn’t have to ruin the rest of your life. Contact the Anderson Law Firm today.

In my 20 years as a Dallas-Fort Worth traffic injury lawyer I have helped people injured in all sorts of car wrecks, motorcycle collisions and other accidents. Some of the most catastrophic injuries I’ve seen are broken bone injuries. They can happen to anyone from a kid falling off a climbing frame or a senior citizen slipping in a nursing home. In fracture injury cases it is incredibly important that you have an experienced personal injury attorney holding your hand and dealing with the insurance company on your behalf. You don’t want to do anything which could jeopardize your chances of recovering the maximum possible compensation from the insurance company, because chances are you’ll need it.

If you’re lucky, your broken bones can be fixed with the standard treatment of setting and casting, and waiting for your body to heal itself over time. But in the more serious cases extensive orthopedic surgery is required. Many accident injury victims need long term physical therapy. Some people never fully recover and face lifelong disability as a result of the accident.

You need to be extremely careful in how you deal with the insurance company when pursuing a claim for damages. Usually, the insurance adjustor will try to rush you into settling a claim before you’re had the opportunity to consult with an attorney who can explain your legal rights. Don’t fall for their tricks. Under Texas law you are entitled to seek monetary compensation to help pay for all past and future medical expenses related to your wreck, so you don’t want to settle too soon. I never allow my clients to sign anything until their injuries have stabilized and their doctor is able to say with certainty what their future quality of life will be.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a Texas accident and suffered any sort of injury, I would like to offer you a free copy of my book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case. It’s filled with the most important dos and don’ts to make sure you don’t get taken advantage of by the insurance company. If you live or work in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex then I offer free consultations to injured individuals and their families. Call me toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275) to set up an appointment.

In my 20 years of experience as a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I’ve been asked this question hundreds of times. My short answer is that yes, you probably will receive more compensation for your injuries by hiring a personal injury lawyer for your accident claim.

You can read a more detailed explanation of why you most likely will receive more money by hiring a lawyer on my website, but the bare bones of it is this:

•Hiring a Board Certified personal injury attorney gives your case more leverage.
•An experienced Fort Worth accident lawyer will track down all the available insurance policies to maximize the amount you are able to recover.
•A good personal injury trial lawyer knows the difference between good and bad offers.

It is true that you do not need to hire an attorney for every personal injury claim; there are plenty that you could settle just fine on your own. But in my law firm’s experience, we recommend that if you have been seriously injured or have medical bills that amount to more than $5,000, you should take advantage of our free case consultation and meet with us. At the Anderson Law Firm, we can guide you to the right course of action and make sure that you receive justice for what wrongfully happened to you.

So, if you’ve been hurt in a car accident, truck wreck, motorcycle accident or have been injured in any other incident due to the negligence of another person, give my law firm a call at 817-294-1900. We’d be happy to meet with you and see what we can do to help you get on the road to recovery.

With the temperature in Dallas-Fort Worth expected to hit 100 degrees this week, I think it’s safe to say that summer is officially here. As the schools shut down, I’m sure that most kids are looking forward to getting outside to play with their friends. I think it’s great that children enjoy physical activities outdoors, but as an experienced child injury lawyer, I know that it can also mean an increased risk of injury-causing accidents both out and about and around the home. The most common summertime accidents are usually swimming pool or trampoline injuries.

Every year I get contacted by parents whose child has been seriously injured while playing at a friend or a neighbor’s house and they want to know whether they are able to make a claim for compensation. The simple answer is yes, of course you are. So long as your neighbor has insurance, we can make a claim. It won’t cost your neighbor a penny – the full settlement will be paid by their insurance company.

Many people are still reluctant to pursue a claim even after I reassure them of that fact. The truth is, I don't pursue claims against an individual. I look for insurance. But if your child was hurt as a result of something which was preventable you absolutely have the right to pursue a claim against your neighbor’s insurance company. That’s why they (and you) pay your premiums each month – in case something happens and someone gets hurt. You buy insurance to help pay the medical bills when someone is injured in an accident.

Yet people still worry that making a claim against the insurance company will hurt their neighbor in some way. I promise it won’t affect them at all. It won’t even make a difference to their monthly premiums because home insurance costs are determined primarily by where their house is located and it's value.

If you or your child has been injured in an accident, it is important that you consult with a board certified personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Give us a call on 817-294-1900 and we can explain your legal rights and help you determine the best course of action in your personal situation.

As a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer I know that some of the most devastating auto accidents are those which involve 18-wheelers. Due to the sheer size and weight of commercial trucks, if they are involved in a traffic collision the damage to property and the injuries suffered by those involved are going to be very serious indeed. Nationwide, 4,000 people are killed and 100,000 more are injured in big rig crashes each year.

One of the biggest problems facing the trucking industry is driver fatigue. There are government rules in places for the purpose of limiting the number of sequential hours a truck driver can be behind the wheel, but many operators keep two separate logs – one real, one fake – so that they can continue to work long hours and cover vast differences, whilst still appearing as though they are operating within the law. While some truckers may be motivated simply by the additional profit of working extra hours, it seems most feel they are given no choice by an industry which places profit before people and pressures drivers to meet unreasonable delivery deadlines.

The Truck Safety Coalition, in association with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union, met in Washington to push for greater safety laws for tractor trailer drivers. Many public citizens who had lost loved ones in truck wrecks were also present to tell lawmakers their deceased loved ones’ stories. Among them were Ron Wood, whose mother, sister and three nephews were killed in a Sherman, TX accident caused by a sleepy trucker. Fort Worth Police Officer Robert Mills was also present to call for a switch from paper truck logs to computerized logs which he believed could dramatically cut down on truck companies pressurizing drivers to break the law. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is currently in the final stage of implementing electronic on-board recorders and also limiting the amount of time a truck driver can work to 10 consecutive hours in a single shift.

As an Arlington car wreck and wrongful death attorney, I welcome any new initiatives which both enforce laws already in place and also make both truck drivers and other motorists safer on Texas roads. If you or a loved one have been injured in a traffic accident which was not your fault, call now for a no fee, no obligation consultation on your case. Call toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275) or locally at either Ft. Worth 817-294-190 or Dallas 214-327-8000.

Did you know that 90,000 people are injured in forklift accidents every year? According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, forklifts cause thousands of injuries every year and in some cases, can even cause death.

Forklift accidents can leave their victims devastated. The injuries can be incredibly severe and life altering. The most unfortunate part of the whole equation is that a lot of forklift accidents are completely avoidable.

Most forklift accidents are caused by:

• Bad forklift driving
• Defective forklift design
• Lack of forklift driver training
• Improper forklift maintenance
• Improper workplace design

It’s not surprising that there are a large number of forklift accidents in Fort Worth with as many construction and industrial workplaces as there are in the DFW area. Even though most forklift injury cases are covered by workers comp, you might still be able to file a personal injury claim if the driver of the forklift was employed by a different employer than yourself.

If you’ve been injured in a forklift accident, call the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth today. Our personal injury attorneys may be able to get you compensation for your medical treatments, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Call us at 817-294-1900 to set up your free forklift injury case review.

As a Flower Mound personal injury lawyer, I’ve learned that many people who have suffered an injury due to someone else’s negligence are often hesitant about making a claim for compensation to pay for their medical treatment or loss of income. Typically they rationalize this by saying the car wreck they were in was an accident; accidents happen, they’ve completed their months of treatment now, it’d be better to put this whole unpleasantness behind them and forget about it… Sometimes people don’t want to bring a claim because the at-fault person is someone they know and are afraid of destroying a personal relationship by suing their friend or neighbor. This is the deal: you’re not suing your friend – you’re claiming against their insurance company. That’s why they’ve paid their insurance premiums all these years – that’s why you pay yours.

Full disclosure: I will never pursue a claim against an individual who does not have an insurance policy. I don’t know any Texas PI attorney who does. We are not in the business of ruining people’s lives, our job is simply to help those who have suffered physical injuries get their lives back on track. Hospital bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. If it wasn’t your fault, you have the legal right to claim for damages.

In some situations, you don’t even need to claim against an individual if the at-fault person was at work and performing a duty related to their employment when they caused your injury. A common situation where this occurs is when a truck driver crashes his big rig, injuring other motorists in a traffic collision. Another example might be a nurse who gives the wrong medication to a patient. While the nurse is of course responsible, the hospital is vicariously liable for her actions too. Therefore the patient who was injured as a result of receiving the incorrect meds does not have to worry about the nurse not having the ability to pay the damages incurred, because they can seek compensation from the hospital directly.

If you or a loved one have been hurt and someone else was to blame, please contact the Anderson Law Firm for a free no obligation consultation on your personal situation. We will explain your legal rights and let you know whether there is a legitimate cause for you to seek compensation. Call us toll free at 800-354-6275, or locally at either 817-294-1900 or 214-327-8000. Alternatively, you can contact us online and we will call you back as soon as possible.

As a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer I have nothing but respect for the emergency response professionals who help people immediately after they have been in an auto accident. Without them, crash victims’ injuries would frequently be much worse than they are. However, policemen and women are not immune to being involved in car wrecks themselves.

Early this morning, a Northlake PD officer transporting a prisoner from the Keller Jail was involved in a three-vehicle collision in Westlake. The officer was stopped behind an 18-wheeler big rig at a red light at the intersection of Highway 170 and 377, when a pickup truck driving 60-65 mph smashed into the back of the squad car, propelling it forward into the rear of the tractor trailer. Police reported the driver of the pickup had open containers in his vehicle and he is now being investigated for intoxication. Both the officer and the prisoner were CareFlited to hospital to be treated for their injuries. Their conditions are unknown at this time.

This pickup driver was doing several things wrong. He had allegedly been drinking, he was speeding, and he was ignoring a red stop light. He deserves the harshest punishment for his crimes and for the pain and suffering he has inflicted on two individuals and their families. I hope that both that neither the police officer or the prisoner’s injuries are two serious, but given the nature of the wreck, I would anticipate them being quite serious indeed. The reckless driver who caused this tragedy needs to be made an example of for his dangerous antisocial behavior.

Mark Anderson is a Fort Worth PI and wrongful death attorney who has been helping traffic injury victims and their families across the DFW area for 20 years. He is also the author of the book 15 Mistake That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case. If you have been hurt in a crash which was not your fault, call for a completely free, no obligation consultation on your case. Call toll free at 800-354-MARK (6275) or locally at 817-294-1900.

As a Tarrant County personal injury attorney, I know that accidents involving bicyclists and pedestrians are very common and can be extremely serious. Children in particular are at risk from suffering life-threatening injuries while out cycling as they are too young to drive, so their bike is their only form of transport to travel around their neighborhood. If a car hits a bike there is zero protection available to save the bicyclist from harm. While motorists certainly need to pay attention to surroundings and take greater care when driving through residential areas in particular, it is also important that children understand the risks and the hazards so they might better protect themselves while out and about on our road ways.

This Saturday, Richland Hills Baptist Church is hosting a bicycle safety rodeo to highlight best practices and safety issues specifically for cyclists. The event will also include a stunt show and competitions. Participants will be given the opportunity to win a new bicycle. The event will run from 10am to 1pm at 6852 Baker Blvd in Richland Hills.

Mark Anderson is a Texas auto wreck and child injury lawyer, and author of the book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case. If you or a loved one have been hurt due to someone else’s negligence, call for a no fee, no obligation consultation on your personal situation. Call toll free at 800-354-6275 or contact us online.

Johnson County parents are anxiously awaiting news to confirm the cause of a school bus crash which occurred early this morning on County Road 507. Fifty five children were on the Venus Independent School District Bus #11 which collided with a tree. Eleven of the kids had to be hospitalized for their injuries. So far there is no word on the driver’s condition or what the likely cause of the crash was. Venus ISD Superintendent Bobby Matthews said in a statement that the wrecked bus had an on-board camera so that more details should be forthcoming once officials had reviewed the tape.

It is understood that the bus was not equipped with seat belts which could potentially have saved some children from injury. Although state laws went into effect back in 2009 requiring all new school buses in Texas to be outfitted with safety belts, there is no requirement for older vehicles to have them installed. The National Transportation Safety Board recently conducted a study into school bus crashes after learning that 26 students die each year in school bus crashes. They concluded that while the overall design of school buses has not changed since 1977, the introduction of lap belts at a minimum would reduce the number of and the severity of injuries sustained by children involved in school bus crashes.

My thoughts are with the family and friends of those children hurt in today’s tragic accident. As a Johnson County personal injury attorney, I shall certainly be eagerly following this story to find out what caused the crash to occur.

As a DFW personal injury attorney, I know than injuries can happen almost anywhere, as a result of many different kinds of accidents. Today, 20 people were injured following an escalator accident which occurred at DART’s Mockingbird station in Dallas. Seven of the injured pedestrians are children (reported to be from Quinlan ISD schools) have now been taken for medical treatment at Children’s Hospital. One of the kids has suffered a broken leg. Two adults were transported to Parkland Hospital for treatment.

According to DART officials, the escalator’s speed suddenly increased without warning. All escalators at the station have been shut down while an investigation is conducted into the cause of the defect. Most likely, the problems are the result of maintenance issues, but they could also be due to problems with the design of the machinery.

I hope that each of the individuals hurt in the incident make a full and speedy recovery.

Mark Anderson is a child injury lawyer who has been serving the families of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex since 1991. If you or a loved one have been injured as the result of someone else’s negligence, call for a free, no obligation consultation on 214-327-8000 or contact us online.

As a Dallas-Fort Worth personal injury lawyer, I know that dog bites and other animal attacks can cause serious injuries to their victims. I am a dog owner myself, so I have nothing against people who own dogs, as a citizen of Texas it is your right. But I am also a father, and I certainly don’t want my daughter to encounter a violent animal – regardless of the breed. If you choose to own a pet, you must make sure that it does not attack anyone. It is your responsibility.

A new bill was passed in the Texas House yesterday which brings even greater responsibility to dog owners. Authored by state Representative Chuck Hopson (Republican, Jacksonville), the bill means that if a dog kills a child or a senior citizen, the dog’s owner could face life in prison. Effectively, they would be charged with a first degree felony. The bill will now go on to the Senate before it becomes law.

Already, the new bill is stirring up debate. Why the age exclusions? Why not the same penalty if the dog attack results in deaths of those not infants or elderly? On the other hand, people argue that the bill seems excessive – there are already penalties in place for negligent dog owners. This is true, if you have been bitten by a dog, you are able to seek damages to help pay for your medical bills and compensate you for your physical and emotional pain and suffering.

It will be interesting to see whether this bill does indeed become law. At the very least, I hope it gives dog owners pause for thought and recognize the responsibilities they have to make sure their pets do not hurt anyone.

Mark Anderson is a board certified personal injury lawyer who has helped dog bite and child injury victims across the DFW area since 1991. For a free consultation on your case, call 817-294-1900 or 214-327-8000.

Thursday, April 28, the House Transportation Committee voted yes on HB 1105, otherwise known as the Complete Streets Bill.

The Senate Transportation Committee has heard the Complete Streets Bill (SB 513), but they have not yet scheduled a vote. The bill must be passed out of this committee in order to be voted on the Senate floor.

Because I deal with pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents regularly in my personal injury law practice in Fort Worth, I think the Complete Streets Bill is a great idea.

If approved, Complete Streets would encourage agencies constructing or renovating streets with State or Federal funding to include accommodations for bicycles, buses and pedestrians. Things like sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian signals, bike lanes, traffic islands and transit waiting area improvements are all a part of Complete Streets.

A lot of the pedestrian and bicycle accidents in Dallas and Fort Worth are caused because drivers aren’t paying enough attention and because there aren’t enough sidewalks and bike lanes. With Complete Streets, I think our roads will be safer and there will be a lot less accidents for bikers, walkers and drivers alike.

If you were hit by a car while walking or riding your bike, you should call my accident and injury law firm at 817-294-1900. We’ve represented many bike and pedestrian accident victims and are ready to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Call us today to set up a free case consultation with one of our top-rated personal injury attorneys.

It’s the perfect weather to be outside in Fort Worth, Texas and although it’s still too cool to swim, it’s just the right temperature to go jumping on a trampoline. But before you let the kids jump on somebody else’s trampoline, take the advice of a Fort Worth personal injury attorney and know the facts on trampoline injuries.

In 2009, trampoline injuries were the reason for more than 98,000 ER visits. The American Academy of Pediatrics stance on trampolines is that they are so dangerous; children should never jump on them.

With as many trampolines as there are in Fort Worth, it’s unlikely that your kids won’t ever jump on a trampoline. But what will keep them safe from a child injury if they do?

Number one, only children 6 and over should jump on trampolines. There should only be one person jumping at a time and that person should only jump in the middle. Look to see that there is padding covering the trampolines springs and that a net encloses the jumping area.

Of course it goes without saying that a parent or adult must supervise any child jumping on a trampoline.

For more information on how to prevent trampoline accidents and what to do when they happen, read the article “Children and Trampoline Injuries.”

If your child has been injured on someone else’s trampoline, it’s a good idea to talk to a Board Certified personal injury attorney. It is very likely you could pursue an injury claim against the trampoline owner’s insurance company if your child’s injuries were caused by the negligence of the trampoline owner. Call the Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 to set up a free, no obligation case review. Our accident attorneys will have the answers to your questions.

A video of a Dallas motorcycle accident released by the North Texas Tollway Authority yesterday serves as a reminder that wrecks often come out of nowhere. Even as a DFW personal injury attorney I find this video quite shocking, so be warned before you watch it. The collision occurred on March 17, 2011. Zacharie Perez (25) was riding home when a car failed to slow with the rest of the traffic, rear-ending him and caused him to be thrown from his bike and sandwiched between cars, ultimately landing between lanes.

Miraculously, Perez is already back at work a little over a month later, but he did suffer serious injuries as a result of the crash. He was hospitalized due to a ruptured spleen, torn muscles, a fractured rib and four fractured vertebrae. His bike (a Triumph Daytona 675) was totaled. The fact that really makes my blood boil? The driver of the car that hit him had no license and no insurance and yet wasn’t arrested. I hope Mr. Perez had significant uninsured motorist coverage! Either way, as this video demonstrates, he was extremely lucky to have survived.

Mark Anderson is a board-certified PI lawyer who has been helping injured motorcyclists across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex since 1991. He is also the author of the book Roadmap To Winning Your Texas Motorcycle Accident Case. To request a complimentary copy of the book, or to schedule a free, no obligation consultation on your traffic wreck case, call 800-354-MARK (6275).

A 15-year-old girl was killed in a hit and run accident as she attempted to cross the street at S Cooper Street near Mayfield Road in Arlington.

Jennifer Herring and her boyfriend were crossing the street when the accident happened. Herring’s boyfriend had already reached the other side when Herring was hit, according to Arlington police. The driver did not stop and assist.

This terrible tragedy marks the 10th traffic fatality in Arlington this year.

Even though I’ve worked as a personal injury lawyer in Fort Worth for the last 20 years, I am still not used to hearing stories as heartbreaking as this. I urge you – if you have any information about this accident, please contact Arlington police. Jennifer’s parents deserve justice.

It seems like pedestrian accidents are happening at an alarming rate in DFW. Maybe it’s the all the distracted drivers texting and talking on their cell phones instead of focusing on the road. Whatever the case, know what you can do to be a safe pedestrian. We hear about defensive driving all the time, but if you’re going to be walking in a place with a lot of cars; you need to be a defensive pedestrian, too.

My heart breaks for Jennifer’s family. I have faith that Arlington Police will catch the person responsible for her death and that they will be held accountable.

The defective medical devices and medical malpractice lawyers at the Anderson Law Firm are currently accepting clients for a potential claim against DePuy Orthopaedics, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson Services, Inc. Between 2005 and 2010, approximately 93,000 patients received defective hip replacements which were later recalled by DePuy. Close to 49% of the people who received the artificial hips reported chronic pain and other symptoms to their doctors. In most cases, further surgical revision was required, and in some cases a second hip replacement operation was necessary.

The affected prostheses are the DePuy Orthapaedics ASR XL Acetabular Hip Replacement System or ASR Hip Resurfacing System.

If you believe you received either of these devices, you should contact the hospital where you received your surgery to find out. Testing is available to patients to help determine wither you may also experience problems with the devices. Please also contact the Anderson Law Firm as soon as possible for a free, no obligation consultation on your case. Companies that manufacture medical prosthetics make a lot of money from their products, and the fact that these hips have caused so many people so many problems is simply inexcusable. Call us now, toll free at 800-354-6275. There is no obligation, and unless we win a settlement for you, you won’t owe us a penny.

For more information on the DePuy artificial hip recall, click here.

As a Tarrant County child injury lawyer I am happy that Texas is adopting new rules in an attempt to reduce the number of serious head injuries sustained in high school sporting activities. Currently, if a high school athlete suffers a blow to the head they must stay on the sidelines for at least 15 minutes. If they show no symptoms of concussion within that time, they are allowed to return to play. Starting August 1, that will change and players will be required to sit out for a day at minimum and may only return to action after being cleared by a licensed medical professional.

Knowing how serious head injuries can be, I think this is a great idea. In activities such as football, cheerleading and soccer, concussions and brain damage pose an enormous risk to athletes who bump their heads while participating in their sport. Concussions are the most common type of head injury and can range in severity. Symptoms can include memory loss and even seizures or coma.

In addition to the new head injury guidelines, a house bill is also seeking to end the traditional practice of passing down junior varsity football helmets. The reason is that as the equipment gets older and more worn, it offers far less protection to the wearer (similar to recommendations that motorcyclists and bicyclists replace their helmets following a crash). The new law would require schools to regularly recondition football helmets that have been used for 10 years or more, and to replace helmets that have been in use for 16 years.

Mark Anderson is a personal injury and wrongful death attorney who has served the people of Dallas, Fort Worth and the surrounding area for 20 years. If you or a loved one have been hurt due to someone else’s negligence, the Anderson Law Firm offers free, no obligation consultations to help you understand your legal rights and whether you might be entitled to any compensation. To schedule a meeting, call toll free at 800-354-6275 or contact us online.

As a North Texas personal injury attorney I am always upset to learn of unnecessary deaths as a result of accidents which could so easily have been prevented. One such sad incident occurred in Kaufman, Texas on Saturday. Jose Martinez-Hernandez (37) was enjoying his apartment’s balcony when it collapsed beneath him. Investigators say that Mr. Martinez-Hernandez fell almost 12 feet and died at the scene. An engineer is now going to examine all balconies at the complex.

This tragedy is a classic case of a dangerous property condition. Mr. Martinez-Hernandez paid rent at his apartment and shouldn’t have to worry about his own safety while enjoying the outside portion of his own home. The apartment manager is responsible for ensuring that all units are free of any construction defects and that they are regularly maintained to ensure safety for residents. While my thoughts are certainly with Mr. Martinez-Hernandez’s family at this awful time, I certainly hope the news of this accident prompts other apartments across Dallas-Fort Worth to review their balconies and stairways to make sure no one else suffers a similar tragedy.

Mark Anderson is a board certified trial lawyer who has helped personal injury and wrongful death victims across the DFW area since 1991. The Anderson offers a free, no obligation consultation service to hurt individuals and their families. Contact Mark online or call toll free at 800-354-6275.

The Dallas-Fort Worth region is under a high wind advisory today until 7pm tonight. Blustery weather can cause havoc on our roadways as strong gusts of wind can increase the risk of auto accidents. In particular, high winds are a common contributing factor in large truck and 18 wheeler wrecks. In my experience as a personal injury attorney, it is typically when the tractor trailer is empty that the driver is most at risk of losing control of their rig; because a fully loaded semi is weighted down it is much harder for gusting winds to blow off-course.

Of course, since an average motorist or motorcyclist will not be able to tell whether any given truck is weighted down or not, drivers should always proceed with caution whenever passing a big rig in windy weather. Due to the increased potential of a truck crash in breezy conditions, I would advise all drivers to take extra care to stay clear of 18-wheelers’ blind spots, to pass as quickly and safely as possible, and to avoid tailgating at all costs.

Truckers have an extra responsibility to be vigilant during turbulent wind conditions and should avoid high-risk roads as much as possible. That might be easier said than done given the flat prairie lands of Texas, but exceptional dangers such as overpasses and bridges can usually be detoured fairly easily. In some states such as Idaho and Nevada, truck movement is actually restricted whenever winds exceed 39mph. Local meteorologists are predicting wind speeds of up to 45mph across DFW by late afternoon, so I urge all road users to please take care out there today.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a traffic accident involving a truck, it is important that you consult an experienced PI and wrongful death lawyer as soon as possible following the incident. Trucking companies and their insurance adjustors are notoriously difficult to deal with, so the sooner you have someone on your side – the better. Mark Anderson has over 20 years of experience helping those injured in car and eighteen wheeler accidents. For a free, no obligation consultation on your case call 817-294-1900.

March 20-26, 2011 is National Poison Prevention Week. In my experience as a child injury lawyer, I have learnt that there are many dangers to children easily accessible around the average home. As adults we know that household cleaning products are dangerous to consume, but kids are not - so I think this year’s campaign tagline “Children Act Fast… So Do Poisons!” should cause us all to put safety first as we tackle the annual ritual of spring cleaning.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) says to store all cleaning products securely where children cannot access them. If you are using a lower cupboard then make sure you install childproof latches so your kids can’t get in. Always keep chemicals in the containers they came in. By law, poisons must displays warning on their labels and you should always follow the instructions for use carefully. It also helps you easily differentiate between cleaners and other products – and can help your children learn that certain household items are dangerous and that they should not touch them. For your own safety, always make sure that you use chemicals such as cleaning supplies and pesticides in a well-ventilated area and thoroughly wash your hands afterwards.

In the event of a poison emergency, call the Texas Poison Center Network on 1-800-222-1222. Trained professionals such as nurses and pharmacists are available to talk you through the immediate steps to take and help you decide whether or not you need to go to a hospital. As with anything which presents potential for a personal injury, however, I think it is important to be proactive. In ensuring a safe environment within the home we can eliminate the dangers of poisoning, and keep our kids safe and healthy.

Fort Worth PI and wrongful death attorney Mark Anderson has helped local families cope with the aftermath of child injuries since 1991. If you or a loved one has been hurt in an accident which was not your fault, call the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation on your situation so that you can be advised of your legal rights and learn whether you might be entitled to any consultation. Call toll free on 800-354-6275 or locally on 817-294-1900.

The Following article is a guest post from the California Personal Injury Lawyers at BestAttorney.com.

Car accidents have been known to leave victims with permanent and disabling injuries. Most Los Angeles car accident lawyers can tell you that injured victims involved in a serious accident may face dramatic changes in their lifestyle. If you have suffered from a serious personal injury accident, you want to recover a maximum settlement. A catastrophic injury accident can cause physical damages, medical expenses, loss of work, property destruction, pain, stress, and mental anguish.

How do injured victims get the money they deserve?

The key to receiving a fair settlement after your accident is to keep a detailed record of both your economic and non-economic damages. One of the cruel realities of dealing with a personal injury claim in Los Angeles is that you will be tested when you are at your weakest. In order to receive fair compensation from the insurance company you will need to be preparing your injury claim. The best way to do this is by recording all of your damages in great detail.

There will be two types of damages you can collect in a personal injury claim. The first is economic damages. Economic damages are any monetary costs that you have had to pay. This will include medical bills, loss wages, receipts for any purchases (including those paid for by the insurance company), and services that you are unable to perform because of your injuries, and any loss of property, and future loss wages.

The second type of damage you can collect are non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are not easily summed up with a monetary value. These can be opportunities you have lost out on, the pain and suffering you have endured, stress, mental anguish, and humiliation and loss of companionship.

As you record your damages it is important to keep an honest record. Do not over exaggerate your damages. This could disqualify you in the eyes of a jury.

If you would like to learn more about building your personal injury claim you can request a copy of "The Seven Fatal Mistakes That Can Wreck Your California Personal Injury Claim." This book contains information every injured victim should have and is offered at no cost to California personal injury victims.

They say bad things happen in 3s. But this year for Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, it’s been more like a never-ending series of bad things.

First came the humiliating losses, then the injured star QB and a mid-season head coaching change. Finally, the season ended and it seemed like we could put the bad days behind us, regroup and focus on the future – but not until we hosted what was supposed to be the largest Super Bowl in history.

When it rains, it pours….or actually, snows in the case of Jerry Jones and Super Bowl XLV. Snow and ice ruined so many Super Bowl activities and if that wasn’t bad enough, somehow about 1,000 people weren’t able to sit in their purchased seats the day of the game. A lawsuit has already been filed about the Super Bowl seating debacle. But to make matters worse, two days before the game an avalanche of ice and snow toppled off the roof of Cowboys Stadium injuring seven people. Will Jerry soon be facing a lawsuit over this as well?

My line of work as a Fort Worth personal injury lawyer tells me, it’s possible. I don’t even know who employed the poor folks who were injured. Hopefully, there is some worker’s compensation coverage since it was an on the job injury. But even if there is such insurance, it does not fully compensate injured folks and they often must look to other responsible parties to make sure that they are compensated for the lost wages, medical bills and ongoing disability brought on by the on-the-job injury. You’d think that after last year’s practice facility collapse, Jerry would begin to expect the unexpected when it comes to weather. Why weren’t precautions taken to ensure nobody would be injured by falling ice? Why was the “fall zone” area partitioned off? Did someone really mess up?

As a Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney I always welcome the opportunity to help people live safer lives and avoid accidents which might cause injuries or worse. This week happens to be National Burn Awareness Week, a country-wide endeavor to educate the public in fire prevention strategies. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency 3,500 people die in fires and a further 18,300 are injured. Children aged 14 and under make up 10-15% of those fire-related deaths on average.

Winter is traditionally the worst season for house and apartment fires as the temperatures cool - as we saw last week and again today - so more people are heating their homes either by enjoying their fireplace or utilizing a space heater which then cause fires to start. FEMA suggests inspecting chimney and flue for leakages or blockage and disposing of ashes carefully when using a fuel-burning fire place. Space heaters should be positioned on a flat and level floor, but never on a rug or carpet. They should be placed out of the way of foot traffic and at least 3 feet away from bedding, drapes, furniture and other flammable materials.

Smoke alarms are also essential in the effort to ensure the safety of you and your family in the event of a fire and can provide vital extra seconds to get out of danger. Smoke alarms should be placed strategically on every level of your home. It is particularly important that you install them inside and outside sleeping areas in the event a fire starts in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep. You should test each alarm on a monthly basis and should replace batteries once a year.

Many fires are the result of someone’s negligence. Sometimes fires start due to defective products. Mark Anderson has 20 years experience helping clients with personal injury and wrongful death claims across the DFW Metroplex. If you or a loved one have suffered due to another’s negligence, contact Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation on your case toll free at 800-354-MARK, in Ft. Worth at 817-294-1900, or in Dallas at 214-327-8000.

Well, its official, the Packers and the Steelers will be playing in Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. There has been much anticipation in the Dallas and Fort Worth communities for the upcoming game, and approximately 299 Super Bowl Week events are planned leading up to the game all around the metroplex.

Approximately 250,000 people will be flooding into North Texas the week of the game, and with that many extra people, it is important to take the necessary safety precautions when driving on Dallas highways the weekend of the game.

In 2006 the NHTSA reported that 130 people died during Super Bowl Weekend as the result of impaired driving or alcohol related crashes. The super bowl is always a great reason for a celebration, but people should remember whether they are attending the super bowl, or a super bowl party, that they need to have a designated sober driver in order to avoid becoming a drunk driving statistic.

Here are a few easy tips for staying safe Super Bowl weekend:

•Have the number for a local cab company programmed in your phone
•Designate a sober driver for the evening, before heading out for the day’s festivities
•If you are hosting a super bowl party, stop serving alcohol during the third quarter
•If you are attending the super bowl, make sure you are consistently aware of the people around you, and report suspicious looking activities to the police

This information and commentary is provided by Fort Worth Personal Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm may be reached at 817-294-1900 or Toll Free at 800-354-MARK. You may also contact The Anderson Law Firm by filling out our contact form online.

If you have been involved in a car accident in the Fort Worth Dallas area, chances are a car insurance liability insurance company will be involved. All companies are motivated to pay out as little as they can on claims, but the fact is that some are fairer than others. Some refuse to pay out money even when it is clear they owe it. My quick list of the five worst insurance companies in Texas are United Auto, Fred Loya, ACCC, Affirmative and Sante Fe. If you are insured by one of these companies, it will mean there is a much higher chance that you will get sued if you are the one who causes the car accident. And if you were not at fault for the car wreck, but the responsible party for the accident was insured by one of these companies, then get ready for a long and hard battle for fair compensation.

If you have questions on your Fort Worth or Dallas Car Accident claim, please call Texas Injury
Lawyer Mark Anderson at 817-294-1900 or at 214-327-8000.

Several patrons were injured and a Fort Worth restaurant was damaged when a car driven by Phil Record crashed into the building Sunday. The incident occurred at Carino's Italian restaurant at 5900 S. Hulen St. after Record, a TCU instructor and longtime Star-Telegram editor, suffered an apparent heart attack.

Record was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital, where he later died. He was reportedly on his way to dine at the restaurant. A ruling on the cause of death had not been released by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner as of Tuesday morning. Record and four other people were taken by MedStar ambulance to a local hospital.

This is a very sad story and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved in this tragic accident. I hope that everyone that was taken to the hospital has a quick recovery.

Medical illnesses sometimes lead to motor vehicle collisions. Whether these are the types of wrecks that are actually preventable sometimes determines the ability of the injured parties to recover compensation for their medical bills.

Information and commentary provided by Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be contacted in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. If you have questions about an automobile accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Ft. Worth - Dallas Board Certified Injury Lawyer Mark Anderson is now representing those who have been suffering problems with their DePuy Hip Replacement System. This hip replacement was first made available by the manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, in July 2003. Since that time, many people have experienced problems with these hip replacements, such as pain, swelling and problems walking, loosening of the device, fracture of the bones around the implant, hip dislocation, and even another hip replacement when the system entirely failed. The hip replacement systems which are the most problematic are the DePuy ASR system.

If you have one of the DePuy ASR hip systems, you have the potential of a legal claim. Potential recoveries include compensation for your medical bills, lost wages and your pain and suffering. For more information, click here for DePuy Hip Recall Legal Rights.
Mark Anderson has represented many victims of defective drugs and devices in the past and has successfully recovered compensation for over a thousand dangerous drug and device victims. To find out more about your legal options, contact the Anderson Law Firm at (817) 294 1900 in Ft. Worth, at (214) 327 8000 in Dallas or across Texas at (877) 294 1115.

Just about everyday when driving home from work I see someone that is tailgating, a driver cuting other drivers off, or drivers flipping the bird to another vehicle. Each year, Conneticut-based automible club AutoVantage surveys 2,500 drivers nationwide to learn where the hotbeds of road rage are. The study shows that New York is the road-rage capital of the world, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth. There are many factors that go into the making of road rage: distracted drivers, speeding, people who are angry/stressed, running red lights, people who are in a hurry, slow traffic, and semi-trucks who get in the way.

Perhaps the biggest epidemic of why DFW is ranked number two is because there are no laws on distracted driving. Eight states have already made it a law to prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones whil driving. 30 states have made it a law prohibiting text messaging while driving. Texas currently does not have any sort of law against cell phones except in select school zones.

Information and commentary provided by Road Rage 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 or go online for a free consultation.

Many people dread the start of the week in Fort Worth and the only thing that comes to mind is how much longer until Friday? Well folks, Friday is here and with it being a weekend that means more drunk drivers on the road. An estimated 17 million people have driven while drunk at least once on U.S. streets and highways in the course of a year, according to a government study released Wednesday. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey conducted in late 2008 found that 20 percent of those 16 and older reported driving within two hours of drinking alcohol. Estimates show that that 8 percent of all drivers, or 17.2 million people, have driven at least once over the course of a year, even though they thought they were drunk. Additionally, 8 percent said they got a ride from a driver they thought was drunk. This was a particular problem for males between 21 and 24 years old. In this age group, 24 percent reported riding with a driver they thought had consumed too much alcohol.

On the positive side, the message about the dangers of drunken driving is widespread, with 81 percent of those surveyed seeing it as a serious public safety threat. The only problem is the statistics are still high. We have got to do more, as a country, to close the gap between believing that drunk driving is a threat and actively doing something about it, to warn motorists about the dangers of drunken driving, the government is spending about $13 million for an advertising campaign to publicize increased enforcement through Labor Day weekend.

Even if you are being the responsible one to drive your friends around you still have to worry about the idiots roaming the street. The time of the day does not matter for intoxicated drivers and that is the scary part. Enjoy yourself this weekend, but be smart about it!

Information and commentary is provided by Fort Worth DWI Victim Lawyer Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. . If you have any questions related with injuries from being hit by a drunk driver, please fill contact us or 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.

Vanna M. Smith of Bedford, Texas was placed in jail Monday on suspicion of abandoning and endangering a child.

Smith, age 23, left her 5-month-old baby unattended for four hours in a parked vehicle. A Bedford patrol officer, Lt. Kirk Roberts, found the baby while responding to a report that an infant was left alone in a car in the 2000 block of Natchez Drive. At 8:30 a.m. he found the baby strapped in a seat in the unlocked car with the windows rolled down about an inch.

Smith told the officers she arrived home at around 4:30 a.m., went inside the house and fell asleep.

The infant was taken to Texas Health Hurst-Euless-Bedford hospital in Bedford and then to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. Police say he did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

Every day in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, all kinds of preventable accidents resulting in serious injuries happen to children. In this case, the baby’s injuries were caused by the negligence of the mother. In the hot Texas heat mothers have to be more aware of their children. Leaving a child in a car unattended in the blistering sun is not acceptable. Thankfully the baby had no serious injuries.

Information and commentary are 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. If you have questions about child injuries please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Last week Charmion Bell, a Dallas woman, was attacked by two pit bulls as she rode her bike. The dogs mauled Bell in her Oak Cliff neighborhood.

Bell was riding her bicycle when the pit bulls assaulted and knocked her from her bike into a ditch. Once in the ditch, the aggressive dogs kept biting. She tried to fend them off but her attempts were ineffective. Covered in blood, Bell had over 60 bites before neighbors came to rescue her.

Bell’s body is now covered in bandages. She has to use a crutch to get around.

Police could not immediately locate the vicious dogs. They are currently in the process of investigating whether the dogs are strays or pets. Neighbors say the dogs have been terrorizing the neighborhood for weeks. Bell hopes that no one else will become a victim to these ferocious dogs, especially a child.

Aggressive and vicious dogs that attack humans can cause many different types of injuries. The most common injuries from dog attacks involve bites which can cause unsightly scarring. These bites can also result in serious tendon tears and ligament damage. Pit bulls, as Bell situation would agree, are some of the more uncontrollable dogs.

A while back I wrote an article about the Post Office’s movement to publicize Dog Biting Prevention week. Stories like Charmion Bell’s just enforce to reality and pain of dog biting. Best wishes to a speedy recovery for Bell. Hopefully her story will help convince the public that dog attacks can happen anywhere and they are a serious concern.

This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark Anderson. If you have been injured in a dog attack or from a dog bite, feel free to take advantage of the free consultation offered by the Anderson Law Firm. We can be reached in Dallas at 214-328-8000 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900.

On May 13th Luis Trujillo became a hero to an 8-year-old Corsicana boy who was being attacked by two violent pit bulls. Trujillo heard children screaming in the neighborhood and ran to find out what was going on. As he ran around the corner he found the children standing outside a gate all of them to afraid to go inside where the dogs were aggressively biting the little boy. Trujillo knowing he had to act grabbed a broom and held off the dogs until other help arrived.

The boy was flown to a Dallas hospital and the brutal canines were quarantined. Two days after the vicious dog biting the boy is still recovering in the Dallas hospital.

Corsicana police are still in investigation determining whether or not the dogs were up to date on their rabies vaccinations. There is no word yet on whether or not charges will be filed.

Two percent of the United States population is bitten by a dog every year. Dog biting is a serious concern in the United States, especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It is always sad to read these stories about a young boy being attacked by dogs. This one especially because it was near fatal, luckily a Good Samaritan, a handy man, was able to save the boys life. The family of the injured child will have the right to pursue a civil claim if the dogs owners knew or should have known of the dangerous propensities of the dogs.

I personally love my two dogs. I have a golden retriever, Andie, and a Labrador, Ellie. Regardless of how great a pet is, sometimes defense instincts can kick in and dogs attack. Dogs can attack in many different scenarios. The majority of attacks happen on the property of the dog owner, which is what happened in this case. Canines can cause many devastating injuries which is why we have to be careful around them.

This information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Child Injury Attorney Mark Anderson. Mark can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000 or in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. If you or someone you know has a question on dog biting please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

The City of Fort Worth, Texas has offered $2 million to resolve a pending lawsuit filed by the family of Michael Patrick Jacobs Jr. Mr. Jacobs died on April 18, 2009 after he had been shot for a total of 54 seconds by a Fort Worth police officer. The officer who had used the Taser had “inadvertently” held the trigger down for 49 seconds the first time she shot Jacobs. This incident occurred in front of Mr. Jacobs’ family home and was watched by his entire family. The Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office has ruled Mr. Jacobs’ death a homicide, but the Fort Worth police officers involved were cleared of any wrongdoing by a Tarrant County Grand Jury.

The lawsuit was apparently brought on civil rights grounds in Federal Court, which makes the state’s statutory immunity limits of $750,000.00 inapplicable. As such, there was no limit on the amount of money that the family of Mr. Jacobs could pursue.

The $2 million settlement is the largest settlement of any injury or death paid out by the City of Fort Worth. The plaintiffs were represented by Brian Eberstein of Dallas, who clearly did a great job on this case for the family. To achieve such a large settlement, and so quickly, is commendable.

Information provided by Fort Worth Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson who can be reached at (817) 294-1900 or by visiting the Anderson Law Firm’s accident and injury website at www.maafirm.com.

A Cleburne man was stitched up and released from Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital on Monday. The motorcycle accident occurred at 11:45 a.m. in the morning.

The motorcyclist, Matthew Lybbert, told rescuers that the truck in front of him had come to a sudden stop. Lybbert was able to swerve right, but clipped the left side of his bike on the truck.

Lybbert believes the truck stopped because the driver thought the light at North Main Street and U.S 67 was red instead of green. While he was able to avoid direct contact with the truck, he was unable to regain balance and fell off his bike.

Crashes like this can be prevented by paying more attention to the road. By being aware and by adhering to road safety rules many accidents can be avoided. A motorcycle rider is 37 times more likely to die in a crash than automobile driver. Luckily Matthew Lybbert was able to escape the accident with only thirty stitches.

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.

An 11-year-old girl from Saginaw, TX was hit by an SUV on Tuesday as she was riding her bicycle. The crash occurred at the intersection of High Country and East Bailey Boswell Road in far north Fort Worth. The SUV was driven by an 18-year-old, who stopped immediately after the collision. The 11 year old girl was care-flighted to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth and is reported to be in good condition.

I don't know any other information about this wreck, but I always wonder when I see these reports what was the cause of the accident. I see a good portion of these bicycle/car collisions being caused by either the bike rider or the car driver not paying attention. I'm not saying that is the case here, as I don't know what caused the accident, but it makes me wonder. I sure hope the 11-year-old girl recovers quickly from her injuries.

Personally, I somewhat know how the 18-year-old motorist feels, as I was involved in a bicycle/vehicle collision when I was in high school. Coincidently, my accident occurred in Saginaw. In my wreck, the cause was the bicyclist pulling in front of me as I was driving through an apartment complex. However, as I get older and look back, I wonder if I would have been more of an experienced driver if I would have been able to avoid the accident.

Information and commentary provided by Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson who can be contacted at (817) 294 1900. Click the link to visit the Anderson Law Firm personal injury website.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Evenflo have recalled their “Top of Stair Plus Wood Gates” due to the slats on the gate detaching. The recall is for about 150,000 units in the United States and includes model numbers 10502 and 10512.

The product can be purchased for around $40 dollars at mass retailers, including Toys R’ Us, Kmart, and Amazon.com. The recall occurred after about 142 reports of slats breaking from the gate. Several injuries to children occurred including bruising and bumps to the head, as well as a few more minor personal injuries.

For more information on this recall please contact Evenflo at 800-233-5921 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

It is so important for parents to be aware of updates on recalls in order to keep their children safe and out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, something as simple as a slat breaking from a baby gate could severally injure a young child. It is my hope that all parents stay as informed as possible by checking the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s list of recalled products.

Information and Commentary provided by Fort Worth Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. If you have questions about a car accident or personal injury case you may also contact us online.

Last year, our Texas Legislature passes a new law that prohibited medical professionals from contacting people who have been injured in an accident for at least 30 days after the accident. The law was aimed at a few unscrupulous chiropractors who would call and mislead people who had been injured in car wrecks. Usually, the marketers, as they are called, working on behalf of the chiros would obtain the information from the publically available crash reports completed by the local police department. The marketers would then call the injury victims and mislead them that the insurance company had authorized a medical visit.

A chiropractor from Houston filed a federal lawsuit challenging the new law and on Friday, a federal judge from Austin overturned the law saying the law violated the chiropractor’s right to free speech. The Texas Attorney General’s office has 30 day to decide if it wants to appeal this ruling. I certainly hope the AG’s office files an appeal, as this law seems to me to be a reasonable restriction on free speech. After all, it is done to protect the consumers from this misleading conduct while they recover or possible grieve the loss of a loved one.

On a related topic, The Texas Department of Public Safety recently enacted a change in the way crash reports are written in order to address this issue. No longer are phone numbers included on the accident reports. While this is a small deterrent, it has caused some marketers to resort to going to the home of the accident victims. While that makes the marketers’ job harder, ultimately it makes the contact more invasive.

I think the best way to handle this is to make the crash reports unavailable to anyone accept the people involved in the accident. That way, the reports could never get into the marketers hands and the phone calls (or door knocks) could never happen. Of course, there is always the possibility of someone selling the reports out the back door of the police station, but that is a whole different problem.

Commentary by Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted at 817-294-1900 or through his website at www.maafirm.com.

On Monday a Georgia Supreme Court removed limits on the amount of money a medical malpractice victim can win in that state. Tort reform passed in 2005 had placed a $350,000 cap on noneconomic damage, otherwise known as compensation for pain and suffering. The Georgia Supreme Court deemed that previous tort reform unconstitutional.

The previous law capping damage awards "clearly nullifies the jury's findings of fact regarding damages and thereby undermines the jury's basic function," Chief Justice Carol Hunstein wrote for the court. "The very existence of the caps, in any amount, is violative of the right to trial by jury."

Too bad we live in a State where there is ZERO chance that out Supreme Court would ever issue such a ruling. The right to trial by jury here in Texas does not mean as much as in other states. According to our Texas Supreme Court, it is only about what is best for the insurance companies. And my experience is that what is best for the insurance companies is always bad for the consumers.

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.

A man was struck by a pickup truck on Loop 820 late Monday evening. The man, who was identified as Aaron Smith, died at the scene.

His car had broken down and ran out of gas so he pulled over to the shoulder of the road. Smith was hit when he tried to cross the highway in order to get gas. He left his girlfriend in the car while he attempted to cross the highway.

The driver of the pickup truck stopped and no charges are expected to be filled. Witnesses also say that Smith was hit by an 18-Wheeler; however the Fort Worth Police Department states that this is not the case.

My sincere condolences go out to the friends and family of Aaron Smith. It is terrible to hear about such a tragic accident happening in our community. This pedestrian accident goes to show that you must be extremely careful in all situations involving motor vehicles, even if it is just something like crossing the highway to get gas for your broken down vehicle.

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

The US State Department has created a website called Students Abroad that goes over general safety tips to help keep you safe while on spring break. Whether you are staying in the United States, or traveling internationally, it is important to take precaution in order to avoid injury and have the most enjoyable vacation possible.

If you are traveling internationally here a few important tips to remember:

-Register Your Trip: In the case that you are a victim of crime while abroad, you should register your trip before you leave so the US Embassy knows where you are and who to contact in the case of an emergency. Registration is voluntary and free, and will only promote safety for your trip.

- Avoid excessive alcohol consumption: It is important to always be aware of your surrounding when you are abroad, and unfortunately excessive alcohol consumption can hinder your ability to make wise decisions. Alcohol is one of the leading causes of arrests and accidents for Americans while they are abroad.

-Obey Local Laws: This should be a no brainer. However, local laws in foreign countries may be very different to what you are accustomed to. Refrain from doing anything you even think may be illegal.

-Only use licensed or registered taxis: Using a licensed taxi is one way to avoid becoming the victim of crime while you are abroad. If you are at a hotel or resort, ask the front desk to phone a local taxi service to ensure they are licensed.

-Be conscientious: Being aware of what is going on around you is probably the most important thing you can do while abroad. Always notice who and what are around you, and remove yourself if something looks suspicious

If you are traveling domestically many of these same rules apply, but there are a few other tips to take into consideration:

-Take Warning Flags on Beaches Seriously
-Do not think that just because you are on vacation you can drive while impaired
-Listen to boating and water sport safety tips from operators to avoid personal injury

I hope this helps you to be more prepared for any number of situations while on Spring Break. When you are prepared and aware, you do not have to worry about as many things, and can have a more fun and much deserved break!

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 online by clicking here.

66 year old Juan Martinez died last Friday morning at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. Martinez received severe injuries by being hit by a school bus while riding his bicycle on the Northwest side of Fort Worth.

The bicycle accident occurred on January 19 at 2:33 p.m. on the 800 block of West Northside Drive. Martinez and the school bus were driving parallel when Martinez suddenly turned in front of the bus.

The school bus was operated by the Fort Worth Independent School District. No students were riding in the bus at the time of the wreck.

My condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Martinez. It is always hard to hear about a tragic accident such as this one happening in our community. 72% of bicycle accidents occur in urban areas like Fort Worth. Pedestrians and bicyclists are particularly vulnerable to traffic accidents, with over 44,000 reported in 2008. The unfortunate reality is that bicyclists, like Mr. Martinez, have to share the road with all kinds of motor vehicles. Perhaps if bike lanes would be instated in the US like other parts of the world, we would see a change in the amount of bicycle accidents.

This information is provided by DFW Personal Injury Attorney Mark Anderson. Mr. Anderson can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or online by clicking here.

Around 8 am Wednesday morning a 14 year old girl was struck by a pickup truck in North Fort Worth while skating. The pedestrian accident occurred at the intersection of Basswood Boulevard and Buttonwood Drive.

The girl is a student at Fossil Hill Middle School; she was one her way to school when the accident occurred. She was taken to Cook Children’s Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to Fort Worth police.

She was hit by a 35 year old man driving a Nissan Frontier. The man said that he could not see her after going through an intersection because the sun was partially blocking his view.
Officers chose not to issue a citation.

According to the Pedestrian Safety Guide, an estimated 70,000 injuries occur to pedestrians in motor vehicle accidents each year. Of these accidents, they typically happen during rush hour traffic periods in the morning and early evening. My thoughts are with the victim and her family, what an unfortunate accident to happen to such a young girl on her way to school. I am glad to hear that her injuries are not too serious.

Commentary provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Area Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson. Mark can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or online by clicking here.

Francisco Ramirez-Gil, 24, of Richland Hills died in a rollover car accident Wednesday in a crash off I-35W near Northeast 28th Street in Fort Worth, TX.

According to witnesses, Mr. Ramirez-Gil’s dark-colored sedan was traveling very fast in the center lane of the highway. Then the car moved into the far right lane, as if about to take the Northeast 28th Street exit, but it struck an exit sign then went up onto a grassy median. The car rolled over and Mr. Ramirez-Gil was ejected from the vehicle.

This is yet another example of speed causing a fatal wreck. I blogged a couple of days ago on a car wreck in Grand Prairie, Texas which killed two men and it was apparently caused by driving too fast.

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

46-year-old Bobby Gaddy of Saginaw, TX was tragically killed on the job yesterday morning when a tree he was removing fell on him. The accident occurred on Oak Court, a cul-de-sac off of Davis Blvd.

Mr. Gaddy was hired to remove a tree in the front yard about 30-40 feet high and about 30 inches around at the base. According to new reports, Mr. Gaddy and three other workers began to make cuts at the bottom of the tree when they realized some of the higher branches could hit the house. The tree snapped when Mr. Gaddy was up 15 feet on the ladder, and he fell and was pinned beneath the tree. He did not survive his injuries.

What a terrible accident. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Mr. Gaddy.

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

6 people, including four teenagers, an adult and a child, were injured early Tuesday morning in a three-vehicle auto accident near Boswell High School. Four people were hospitalized.

The crash occurred at about 8:00 in the morning on West Bailey Boswell Road. This area is in North Fort Worth, just outside of Saginaw. A Mercury changed lanes into a Corvette, sending the Corvette across the center lane into a Honda. The Mercury over-corrected to the right and hit a wall.

A 16-year-old girl, the driver of a Corvette, was taken by ambulance to John Peter Smith Hospital. Her passenger, a 14-year-old girl, was taken by helicopter in serious but stable condition. Both are Boswell students. A 16-year-old driver of the Mercury and his 17-year-old passenger reported injuries as well. The adult driver of the Honda and her 11-year-old daughter also went to the hospital by ambulance.

I went to Boswell High School, so I am very familiar with the area. I don't recall anything particularly dangerous about the road. This appears to be a case of basic driver error of changing lanes when it was not clear to do so. But this is a perfect example of how a simple mistake while driving can lead to serious injuries. I certainly hope all of the injured parties are not seriously hurt.

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

Seven people were injured in a car crash Sunday night at Mitchell Blvd and East Maddox Ave in Fort Worth. Everyone was taken to the hospital, but none of the injuries were life threatening, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.

The accident occurred when a Ford F-150 carrying four adults tried to make a left turn onto Mitchell from Maddox. The truck was traveling west and trying to turn south. Their vehicle hit a Mitsubishi Montero that was traveling east on Maddox. An adult and two children were in the Montero. According to Fort Worth Police, alcohol was not a factor in the wreck.

I sure hope all of those I injured in this wreck recover quickly. Even when the reports come out that the injuries are not life threatening, that certainly does not mean that no injuries occurred. Hopefully, there is enough liability insurance coverage available to fairly compensate the injured parties.

Information provided by Fort Worth Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted online by clicking here or by calling 817-294-1900.

A man was hit by a Burlington Northern Sante Fe train early Monday morning and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident happened at East Avenue and Grafton, east of downtown. The train was pulling three engines and 19 cars. The identity of the man has not yet been released. Also, the initial news reports did not explain how the accident occurred.

In 2008, there were 286 fatalities and 935 injuries at railroad crossings in the United States. In Texas alone there were 17 fatalities; Texas is one of fourteen other states whose combined fatality and injury rates make up 74% of railroad injuries and deaths. In fact, Texas leads every other state in train collisions, with 228 in 2008.

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

A Haltom City woman died at John Peter Smith hospital in Fort Worth on Friday after sustaining fatal injuries when she was thrown from her all-terrain vehicle. According to the Cleburne station of the Texas Highway patrol, Beverly Bosen, 56, was driving her ATV on Farm Road 3048 near Dove Creek Road in Johnson County when she hit a pothole. Ms. Bosen was thrown from the vehicle and the ATV rolled on top of her.

This is a terrible accident and my heart goes out to Ms. Bosen’s family and friends. ATV’s can be dangerous; according to ATVsafety.gov, 750 ATV deaths were reported in 2007 and accidents involving these vehicles caused over 146,000 emergency room visits. This number rose to greater than 150,000 emergency room visits in 2008.

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

As an accident and injury lawyer, I see all the time the unfortunate results of someone driving while talking on the cell phone. We all know we aren’t as attentive when we have that ever-present cell phone up to our ears. Well, for those of you who want to do something about it but just don’t have the self discipline to turn off your phone, I now have a solution for you. I read about an interesting new technology yesterday in the New York Times: You can subscribe (for a cost) to a service which monitors your GPS signal on you cell phone and if it shows you are moving at driving speeds—it shuts your phone off. So it takes the decision away from you—if you are driving, you won’t be talking on your cell phone! And there is less of a chance you will cause a car wreck.

So who is using this new technology? The Times reported that some businesses with delivery drivers put the service in place on all of their phones. One such company, Community Coffee out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has implemented this service after its “no talk” policy was not really being followed by its 400 drivers. They have seen their accident rates drop by about 30%.

So are car insurance companies taking notice? Sure, as anything that decreases accidents is good for their business. Nationwide Insurance Company offers a 5% discount to drivers who sign up for this service with Aegis Mobility, which is one of the companies offering this new technology. State Farm Insurance Company is looking into this and considering offering discounts. I am sure other insurance carriers will soon follow and offer discounts.

I think this service is a good thing. I don’t really see individuals forking out money for the service (it costs about $85 to set up, then $5 a month). Most people just are too attached to their cell phones and want to be accessible. But for those companies that have delivery drivers, this service makes a lot of sense. Having a corporate policy about talking on the cell phone while driving just doesn’t quite do the trick. I see all the time cases where there is a company policy that isn’t followed.

Mark A. Anderson is a Board Certified Injury Attorney who handles Texas Accident Cases. He can be contacted at 877-294-1115 or online by clicking here.

Easton Sports recalled all of their EA30 bicycle stems last week because the stem can crack and cause the rider to lose control of the bike and fall. Already one cyclist has been injured as a result of these faulty stems.

Bikes with this stem were sold from August 2007 through August 2009. Aftermarket stems were sold through September 2009. The EA30 is black with white and gray graphics and a four-bolt stem face cap. “EA30” is printed on the stem.

Easton Sports is providing a free replacement stem for the EA30’s involved in the recall. For more details, call Easton Sports toll free at 1-866-892-6059, or click here to read their recall notice. Click here to read the entire notice on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

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.

A man standing by a hot dog stand in front of Lowe’s this morning suffered facial burns as the result of a propane tank flash, or small explosion.

The propane, which was used to heat the hot dogs, flashed unexpectedly and injured the man standing nearby. An ambulance took him to a local hospital to treat the burns. The incident occurred at the Lowe’s on Eastchase Parkway in Fort Worth.

Many questions arise about this accident. Was the propane tank in good working order? Did the employees of the hot dog stand know how to operate it properly? Hopefully these questions will come to light during the course of the investigation. In the meantime, I sure hope this man is alright.

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

Searchers found the body of 20-year-old Morgan Clark on Saturday at Canyon Lake near San Antonio, Texas. She had been thrown from a 22-foot Blue Wave motorboat when it turned sharply and ran onto the shoreline.

68-year-old Robert Gilson was driving the boat and he and Clark were thrown into the water when it suddenly turned. Gilson was hurt in the accident and Clark was last seen sinking below the surface of the lake. No one was wearing a lifejacket.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, there were 61 boating accident deaths in 2008, and most boating deaths are caused by falling overboard. Nearly 85% of drowning victims are not wearing life jackets, as in this case. Life jackets are so important when you’re out on the lake. Many people may think they’re good swimmers, but being thrown suddenly into a large body of water can leave anyone vulnerable.

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

Last week I blogged about a terrible accident in Bridgeport, Texas. The city released a preliminary engineering report last Friday after an investigation into the awning fall that killed Leslie Denison and injured her classmate Rebekah Logan. The report concluded that inefficient structural supports connecting the awning to the building, combined with weather factors, caused the awning to unexpectedly collapse.

The Bridgeport High School students were crushed by the falling awning last Tuesday when they were running as part of their cross country training.

According to the report, the city was unable to find records indicating the age of the building or how long the awning has been attached to Club Barbell and the neighboring businesses. The awning was attached to the top of the building on a grouted stone block wall, which can wear down over time, according to the report. The report also noted that there was no evidence of proper structural supports such as braces or bolts attaching the awning to the building. Weather may have played a part in the tragedy as well; the awning had a wood rather than metal frame, and wood can shrink, swell, or even warp from humidity over time.

There are two more awnings, located on either side of Club Barbell, addressed in the report. While one was determined to be fine, the other has structural problems and is considered dangerous.

This report is not that surprising. Something had to have caused this awning to fall. In this case, it just sounds like poor workmanship by the installer and poor maintenance by the building owner. It would be interesting to know how long the awning had been there.

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

The Consumer Product Safety Committee recalled millions of window blinds and shades Wednesday because of their danger to children. The recall includes blinds and shades sold at Pottery Barn Kids and IKEA as well as many brands sold at retailers like Target.

Three children have died as a result of becoming caught and strangled in the exposed cords that move the blinds up and down. Two of the blinds that caused deaths were the Lewis Hyman roll-up blind, sold at retail stores from 1999-2003, and the Woolrich roman shade, sold at Target from 2006-2008. Customers should contact the company for a free repair kit. A Vertical Land blind, sold in Florida from 1992-2006, caused the third death. Customers of this product should contact the company for a free retrofit kit.

Roman shades were recalled from Pottery Barn Kids and William Sonoma after six children were found with cords wrapped around their necks. Fortunately, none of these children died. Roman Melina blinds were also recalled from IKEA after a child was found hanging from the cord nearly strangled to death. Customers of these blinds should return them to Pottery Barn Kids, Williams Sonoma, and IKEA for a refund.

The problem with these types of shades is the exposed cord that moves the blinds up and down. A child playing with or near the blinds can easily become entangled in this cord and die of strangulation if not found and disentangled immediately.

For a complete list of the recalls and more details about the types of blinds involved, click here.

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

A 78-year-old man died last night and a 20-year-old is in critical condition after the two were involved in a vehicle-accident on an Interstate 30 access road in Fort Worth.

Floyd Boortz and an unidentified 20-year-old were stalled on the Cherry Lane exit ramp filling their van with gas when a Kia SUV hit them as it was exiting the freeway. The auto accident happened around 10 p.m. and Boortz died from his injuries shortly after at Texas Health Harris Hospital in downtown Fort Worth. The 20-year-old man is still being treating at Harris.

A two-year-old toddler and 20-year-old female were in the van when the Kia struck the two men outside, as well as the van, and then went on to hit a Dodge sedan parked in front of the van whose driver had stopped to help put gas in the men's van.

Police did not release the name of the 35-year-old driver who casused the accident, but investigators don't believe alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash. An investigation will further reveal what happened.

This is a devastating wrongful death case because there were so many people involved in the accident who witnessed the Kia striking the two men. Fortunately, the woman and her baby were not injured and I hope the 20-year-old man's injuries heal quickly.

If you or someone you know has been injured or killed as the result of someone else's negligence, please contact Board Certified Fort Worth Accident Lawyer Mark Anderson for a free consultation by calling 817-294-1900.

Litigation is about to begin surrounding the collapse of the Dallas Cowboys practice facility which happened back on May 2. The collapse injured 11 people and permanently paralyzed Cowboys scouting assistant Rich Behm.

Behm has hired Dallas-based injury lawyer Frank Branson who has already deposed the president of the company who built the structure—Summit Structures. Branson has also asked for company records; apparently, the Cowboys were aware of a previous structure failure constructed by Summit Structures, but chose to go with them anyway when building the practice dome.

Behm will not be suing the Cowboys, however, since Behm was covered by worker’s compensation, which bars him from filing suit against the organization.

Instead, Behm will go after Summit Structures for the poor building quality which left Behm with permanent life-changing injuries. According to Irving building code, the practice facility was supposed to have been able to stand wind gusts up to 90 mph. The day of the storm, winds were between 70 and 85 mph according to the National Weather Service.

Apparently, Summit Structures President, Nathan Stobbe is basing his defense on the severe weather and “downdraft” of wind that fateful day. A civil proceeding to allow for pre-lawsuit discovery has been filed. A lawsuit will no doubt follow soon.

Information provided by Fort Worth Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson 817-294-1900.

One person died and five or six were injured in a crash on the monorail train system in the Magic Kingdom park at Walt Disney World over the weekend.

The accident happened at 2 a.m. early Sunday morning in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 21-year-old Austin Wuennenberg died at the scene. He was the driver of one of the wrecked trains. The driver of the other train was not injured.

This is the first monorail-related fatality at Walt Disney World in Florida; there has been one at Disneyland in California. The Florida monorail has been in operation for 38 years.

The transit system--which carts thousands of people around the Disney parks each day--was shut down Sunday while an accident investigation was conducted. There's been no word yet on what caused the crash.

Information provided by Fort Worth Board Certified Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson.

A University of Texas linebacker suffered a concussion last week after his car crashed into an Austin apartment building on June 24.

Sergio Kindle of Dallas and a senior at UT this year, was either sending or receiving a text-message when he slammed into the building, causing $8,700 in property damage. He was able to get out and pull the car back onto the street and fortunately, no one inside the building was injured.

Kindle was examined by team doctors who diagnosed him with a concussion, however he did not have to go to the hospital. According to his attorney, Kindle plans on paying for the damage himself, or through his car insurance if it will cover the accident.

An accident report was filed through the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), but no charges were filed since no one was injured and it was an accident.

Kindle had a successful season last year, but in 2007, he was forced to miss the first 10 games for suspension relating to a drunk-driving arrest.

Since Kindle was at-fault for this accident and he hit a stationary object, there is no room for him to make a personal injury claim if he suffered long-term injuries. Unfortunately, he will just have to pay the property damage and any medical bills with his own insurance, or out-of-pocket.

If you have questions about personal injury accidents in Texas, contact Board Certified Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson online, or by calling 817-294-1900.

Another “celebrity” has died this week. TV pitchman Billy Mays was found unresponsive in his Tampa home this morning by his wife. A fire rescue crew pronounced him dead. Mays was only 50 years old. He is best known for his loud style as he was hawking such products as Orange Glo and OxiClean. He was known as the "Infomercial King."

His wife told investigators that Billy mentioned he didn’t feel well when he went to bed about 10 p.m. Saturday night. He had just returned home on a U.S. Airways flight that had experienced a rough landing Saturday afternoon at Tampa International Airport. The plane left debris on the runway after blowing tires upon landing.

The Fox affiliate in Tampa interviewed Mays after the landing and he told reporters about the hard hit and that things from the ceiling started dropping. He said “It hit me on the head, but I've got a hard head.”

At this point, it is unknown whether the hit on the head caused an injury that lead to his death—like the one recently suffered by Natasha Richardson when she fell on a ski slope and died as a result of her brain injury. Ms. Richardson was not immediately rushed to the hospital, which might have saved her life.

So if the hard landing and hit on the head did indeed cause the untimely death, does that mean U.S. Airways is liable? No, not necessarily, but it probably does mean that there will be some sort of investigation into the cause of the bumpy landing. Was it a hard landing that was due to pilot error? Was it mechanical error? Answers will surface, but it could take a long time.

Information provided by Fort Worth, Texas Wrongful Death Attorney Mark A. Anderson, 817-294-1900.

It's barely 4 p.m. and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is already reporting two major wrecks which are blocking lanes and backing up traffic.

The first accident is blocking two lanes on Interstate 20 at the Grandbury Road exit. The left southbound lanes are blocked off and the impact is being reported as severe. No details of the crash or those involved has been releasd yet.

An even worse accident is being reported on Westbound Interstate 35 in Fort Worth approaching Airport Freeway/Highway 121 where an 18-wheel tractor trailor crash has left the big rig overturned. All lanes are blocked and only the left shoulder is getting by. There have also been no reports of injuries in that accident.

For the latest traffic reports, visit wfaa.com for a full list. And remember to contact the Anderson Law Firm if you've been injured in an auto accident by calling 817-294-1900.

If you have been injured in an automobile wreck, truck collision, motorcycle crash, or any other type of accident which causes personal injuries in Texas, you must be aware of the relevant law called the Statute of Limitations. This law requires you to file a lawsuit at a local Texas Courthouse within two years of the date of the accident. If you have not resolved your injury case before then, it is absolutely imperative that this very strict two-year deadline is complied with. Failing to file a lawsuit within the two-year time frame eliminates your right to pursue a claim forever.

And it's imporatant not to wait until the eve of your two years to think about purusing an injury claim. If you've been injured as the result of another person's negligence, you should consider hiring a Board Certified Injury Attorney as soon as possible after your accident. Sooner is better because crucial evidence must be collected before it disappears. Plus, it's very common for injured parties to make mistakes on their claims if they don't have the guidance of an experienced personal injury lawyer.

The common mistakes injury victims make are discussed in detail in the newly released book by Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson. It's appropriately titled, 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case. This informative book is available for FREE to Texas residents who may order it by calling 817-294-1900 or by visiting: www.DontWreckYourCase.com.

New reports are being released which indicate the Dallas Cowboys organization was aware of potential building flaws prior to the recent collapse of its practice facility in Irving, Texas.
The collapse happened May 2 after a strong thunderstorm knocked parts of the roof off while the team practiced, injuring 12 people and permanently paralyzing one team employee from the waist down.

The Cowboys hired Canada-based Summit Structures back in 2003 to design and build their practice structure, even with the knowledge that a Philadelphia building constructed by the same company had collapsed after a snowstorm. Fortunately, that collapse happened on a weekend and no one was injured. However, the Cowboys weren’t so lucky and now they might have to pay for their error.

Experts have concluded that design and construction flaws including the overall engineering of the structure was what caused the Cowboy facility to fail. Cowboy organization spokespeople declined to say whether they were warned about the Philadelphia incident or how much research they did on Summit before contracting their services.

It is clear now though, that reports, text messages and comments from multiple sources have been leaked which show there was some sort of knowledge on the part of the organization that they didn’t feel the facility was built as well as it could have been.

For the unfortunate few who were hurt in the collapse, they have multiple options should they decide to pursue a claim. There is the designer/builder Summit Structures and any related contractors who might have been negligent. But what about a personal injury claim against the Cowboys? If the Cowboys provided its employees with workers compensation coverage, then no claim can be brought against them by their own employees—the workers comp benefits are their sole source from the Cowboys. But if the Cowboys did not provide comp (it’s not mandatory) or if the injured person was not employed by the Cowboys, then any successful claim would have to prove negligence on behalf of the Cowboys to be successful.

If you have been injured as the result of another person or company’s negligence and you feel you have a valid claim, please contact the Anderson Law Firm to learn your rights at 817-294-1900.

I get this question often, as a lot of injured people don’t want to run out and hire an attorney right after they are hurt. Sometimes, they want to see if their injuries heal on their own and sometimes they want to see if they can handle their claim by themselves. All of that is understandable, but one must be careful not to wait too long, as delaying hiring an experienced injury attorney can end up hurting your own case.

Mark Anderson discusses all the various ways injured parties “wreck” their claims in his new book, 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case. One sure fire way is if the injured party tries to handle a serious injury claim on their own, without the assistance and guidance from a personal injury attorney. They injury claim process is slanted in favor of the insurance company and hiring a good lawyer is the only way to level the playing field. Knowing how to present a claim and pursue a lawsuit is not something that can be learned overnight.

For a free copy of 15 Mistakes, call the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 or order it online at www.DontWreckYourCase.com. The book is free only to Texas residents.

Of course, the Anderson Law Firm provides free consultations and a free case analysis for all callers. Check us out online or give us a call.

If you have been injured in an auto accident, or any other type of accident for that matter, you have a ton of options when it comes down to hiring a lawyer for your Texas accident claim. Hiring an attorney is a very important decision and it's sometimes very difficult to try and weed through all of the attorneys out there who hold themselves out as being “injury attorneys.” So how do you know you're making the right decision? The best thing to do is to limit your search to only attorneys who are Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. This is a designation held by only 2% of the roughly 80,000 lawyers who practice law in Texas.

What does it mean to be Board Certified? It means that the attorney has passed a rigorous test on injury topics, has tried a certain number of cases to a jury, has been recommended by local attorneys and judges and has been practicing a certain number of years. There are plenty of qualified attorneys in Texas who are Board Certified, so there's no reason that an injury victim should settle for a lawyer who is not Board Certified.

The importance of hiring a Board Certified Injury Attorney is discussed in Mark A. Anderson’s new book, 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck your Texas Accident Case. This book is full of information which is helpful to accident victims. The Anderson Law Firm is offering a copy of the book FREE to Texas residents. To order your free copy, please call the firm at 817-294-1900. The book can also be ordered online at www.DontWreckYourCase.com.

The National Safety Council has declared this week (April 5 through April 11) National Window Safety Week. The purpose of of this week is to promote safety as it applies to windows, drawing attention to the many hazards which arise from somthing as normal as household windows. The main issues the council wants to focus on are preventing falls by children out open windows and keeping windows accessible for exits in case of fire. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls are the No. 1 cause of all non-fatal injuries to children.

In an effort to help the NCS out in drawing attention to these issues, I'd like to provide the following things to consider:

Falling Hazards
*Keep windows closed and locked when children are around to prevent them from falling out a window.

*Use higher windows if you must open one for temperature control or fresh air.

*Do not keep furniture near windows, as children can climb on it and use as access to open windows.

*Keep in mind that insect screens do not prevent children from falling out an open window.

*There is no substitute for adult supervision when children are playing at home.

Fire Safety
*Windows serve as the best secondary escape in a fire. Remember to teach children how to safely open and exit a window in case of a fire.

*Do not nail or paint your windows shut--check periodically to make sure they open properly.

*Do not install window air-conditioning units in windows that might be needed for escape in case of a fire.

Keeping children safe is every parent's top priority. That's why knowing how to make your windows safe is so important!

This announcement provided by the Anderson Law Firm--a personal injury law firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. We handle all types of personal injury claims, including those involving injuries to children. Please contact our office for a free consultation at 817-294-1900.

Police had to shoot and kill two pit-bulls in San Antonio, Texas Tuesday after they mauled an infant to death before attacking their owner. A woman left her 7-month-old grandson, Izaiah Gregory Cox alone for a minute while she went to retrieve him a bottle from her kitchen. When she walked away, the dogs attacked the baby and killed him. When the woman tried to free the baby, the dogs attacked her also.

It always amazes me when people keep dangerous dogs in their homes with young children. It's one thing when a dog injures a child after jumping a fence or getting loose from its leash, but it's another to own and keep threatening dogs--like Rotweillers and Pit Bulls, in your home with kids around. This was just an accident waiting to happen. And now that poor woman has to live with the guilt from her grandson's tragic and untimely death.

If you or someone you know has suffered severe injuries or has died as the result of a dog bite or some other type of personal injury accident, please contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 for a free consultation on your rights.

Wednesday around 4:30 p.m. a 10-year-old boy was impaled by a crowbar after the pickup truck he was riding in was rear-ended in Ennis, Texas. The car accident—which happened at the intersection of Highway 287 and Highway 34, caused an inch-in-diameter crowbar from the bed of the truck to be thrust into the cab. It impaled the boy’s lower back and leg and continued on to pierce his 38-year-old mother’s back, who was seated in front of him in the front passenger seat.

It took fire and rescue crews almost two hours to cut the boy out of the truck; rescuers said he was alert, oriented and talking throughout the process. He was taken to Medical City Children’s Hospital in Dallas and his mother was taken to Parkland Hospital. Miraculously, neither suffered life-threatening injuries.

The woman who hit the Ford Ranger pickup truck, causing the accident will not be charged. The wreck happened yesterday during the severe thunderstorm weather that hit North Texas.

If you or your child has suffered bodily injuries as the result of someone else's negligence, in a car wreck--or any other type of personal injury accident, please contact the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation on how to recover damages.

Photo courtesy of NBC-Dallas.

Imagine that you're crossing a street at a crosswalk and you have the right of way. All of a sudden, a car flies around a corner and crashes into you. Pedestrian accidents like this scenario can be serious and often fatal, and unfortunately there is little you can do to prevent them if you're following the rules.

Most pedestrian accidents restult in serious injuries.

An alarming 64,000 pedestrians are injured each year and over 5,000 of these injuries result in fatalities. That means that a pedestrian is injured almost every eight minutes; someone just walking along, minding their own business and in a second a car strikes them and changes their life. Incredibly, over 85 percent of pedestrian accidents occur in urban areas--where drivers know to look for pedestrians in crosswalks and drives. The fact that the pedestrian accident rate is so high shows that drivers simply don't look before pulling out or turning a corner, and unfortunately, you or a loved one could be seriously injured as a result of another person's carelessness.

Pedestrian accidents fall under the same insurance policy as motor vehicle accidents.

If a person in a vehicle strikes you as a pedestrian, that person's auto insurance policy is just as valid as if he or she had hit the driver of another vehicle. If the negligence falls on the driver--and in many states the driver in a pedestrian accident is always liable, then that driver's auto insurance policy must pay your medical bills and other recoverable damages.

Unfortunately, due to the potentially life-altering nature of pedestrian injuries compared to injuries commonly sustained in car collisions, low auto policy limits may not be enough to cover your medical bills. Medical treatment is almost always more extensive since there is no protection of another vehicle between a pedestrian and the impact from a car or truck.

Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney to pursue an at-fault driver personally, to pay the rest of your medical bills and any other sufferable damages incurred (i.e. time off of work, loss of benefits, etc.) will help you recover the compensation you deserve after such a traumatic incident. Please contact the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation if you or someone you know has been injured in a pedestrian accident at 817-294-1900.

If you’ve ever tried to leave Northeast Mall during rush-hour, then you know just how awful the traffic is in Hurst, Texas, right there where the three major North Texas highways interchange. Well it’s official—the interchange where Loop 820, Highway 121 and Airport Freeway (Highway 183) all intersect has been given the title: “Most Congested Area of the Metroplex.”

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been stuck in traffic in that area—at any time of the day, really—whether driving to or from work, or just taking someone to the airport. The area has been officially rated by a traffic company as the worst bottleneck in North Texas.
I can’t tell you the number of calls we get from those who have been in truck accidents, car wrecks and motorcycle collisions in Hurst and along that whole stretch of Airport Freeway into Euless and Bedford.

Luckily, the $2 billion North Tarrant Express is aimed to alleviate much of the stress on that particular area, however it’s not expected to be completed until 2015. And I don’t even want to think about how much worse traffic will be when the construction begins (it’s projected to take five years). The Texas Department of Transportation is going to have to do something to keep that bottleneck moving or North Texans will have to put up with the ever-growing congestion for six more years until the Express is finally complete.

If you have been involved in a vehicle-related crash on that stretch of road, or any other in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, please call the Anderson Law Firm to learn how you can recover compensation for your injuries.

LEGISLATURE OPPOSES SPEEDING CAMERAS

About a month ago, the state announced it was changing various Dallas-Fort Worth speed limits on different interstate stretches, effective as soon as new signs were posted. This mostly meant reducing speeds from 65 to 60 miles per hour on roads like Loop 820 and Interstates 30 and 35 in and around the Metroplex. At the same time, state legislators have been discussing a bill which would implement the use of cameras to take pictures of speeders and send them tickets in the mail to enforce local speed limits (much like red-light cameras do for those who run them). Luckily for speeders, Thursday’s legislature opposed the idea presented by the Department of Public Safety and area counties who proposed it.

UPDATE ON MEXICAN TOUR BUS WRECK

The company who owned the Grupo Sendo bus which was demolished Monday after a drunk driver in an 18-wheel tractor trailer crashed into it in Mexico announced it will cover the funeral costs, medical bills and transportation expenses for the 11 victims of the wreck. Seven of the 11 killed were Americans. The Mexican company, based out of Brownsville, Texas has offered to help out—even though it wasn’t at-fault, because the driver of the semi-truck was uninsured.

Uninsured drivers are a huge problem and cases like this prove why. The number of injured and wrongfully killed parties on that tour bus who could make personal injury claims is huge, and there’s no insurance to cover their medical bills and pain and suffering, unless they use their own coverage (assuming they have it).

Please take this tragic situation as a lesson and look into getting yourself uninsured motorist coverage, so that if you’re in an accident with someone who’s uninsured, you’ll have something to fall back on. I think the bus company is extremely generous for helping out.

Please contact the Anderson Law Firm if you have questions about the different types of insurance coverage or if you’ve been injured in a truck/bus accident.

Construction work can be dangerous. Construction work presents many potential causes for injury. Workers are injured in construction accidents every day here in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Construction accidents shouldn’t be a fact of life, but they are. If you have been injured in a construction accident, you might have a personal injury claim on your hands in certain circumstances.

If a construction accident occurs because of negligence, it might warrant a personal injury claim.
Accidents happen. But when accidents happen because someone didn’t do his or her job properly, it can become a personal injury claim. When the negligence of one of your co-workers causes your injury, both that co-worker and your employer may be at fault for your injury. Consider an example where a co-worker fails to assemble a piece of scaffolding correctly. If you’re up on that scaffolding, it falls and you become injured, you might have a personal injury claim against the co-worker who assembled the scaffolding, your employer and even the scaffolding manufacturer.

Construction accident claims can get complicated, so consult a lawyer.
Construction accidents can have their roots in a variety of causes. If you’re using a piece of equipment that fails and injures you, you could have a product liability case contributing to your construction accident. If you’ve got a piece of equipment that someone else failed to operate properly, then that person and his employer could be at fault for your accident.

A personal injury lawyer with experience in construction accidents can help you figure out what caused your accident, and whether it’s a product liability case, a personal liability case or something else entirely. In some cases, a personal injury crosses the boundaries of several types of cases, so an experienced lawyer can help you sort it out and pursue the correct parties to get you a remedy for your injury.

For a free consultation on your rights if you have been injured in a construction accident, please contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 or Contact Us Online.

Area ambulances are trying to fund a new fleet of vehicles to decrease the time the injured have to wait for help. The only problem is, ambulance services like Medstar, are using patients to foot the bill.

Lately, Medstar has made changes to try and get to accident scenes quicker—their goal is to reach 90 percent of patients in less than nine minutes. To do this, they have recently started stationing their ambulances around the mid-cities area near places where personal injury accidents, like car crashes, commonly occur. Medstar services to 15 cities in Tarrant County and wants to add at least five more working ambulances, per day, to the current system.

Right now, Medstar has proposed the cities it serves to foot the bill for new vehicles and if they refuse to pay, the burden will fall onto the citizens. It seems to be putting city council members in tough positions. Some say that they’d be willing to pay for new vans if Medstar can prove its goal of reaching 90 percent of injured people within nine minutes. Those with critical injuries—usually from vehicle accidents, can’t wait much more than that for help.

Helping injured people receive quicker treatment is great, but many are worried about the cost—and for good reason. Currently, for a Medstar ambulance to pick a patient up, it charges about 1,200 dollars. On top of that, the company charges an extra fee for millage. Before a person even gets to a hospital, they’ve already racked up over a thousand-dollar bill. So obviously increasing this amount worries many people.

It will be interesting to see who ends up having to pay for this, and if it ends up being Dallas-Fort Worth Cities, how they’ll prove whether their money is being put to good use or not.
If you or someone you know has suffered bodily injury as the result of another person’s negligence, please call the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 for a free consultation.

The driver of an 18-Wheel Tractor Trailer faces homicide charges after his semi truck crashed into a Mexican tour bus on Monday, killing 11 and injuring many more. Investigators are still waiting on toxicology results to show the truck driver’s blood alcohol level which many suspect was over the limit. The Grupo Senda bus tour, which was hired out by McAllen, Texas-based Viva Mexico Tours was headed to Zacatecas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which was just one stop along the four-day tour of the area.

The semi-driver apparently lost control and swerved to overcompensate before crashing into the driver side of the tour bus. The truck had been traveling in the opposite direction of the bus. One of the bus passengers who escaped death said the first six rows of the tour bus were completely crushed. The driver of the tour bus, Cesar Garcia of Mexico was killed on impact.

Passengers on the bus included Mexicans, Americans and even Canadians. Among them, seven Americans were killed—including two Brownsville, Texas school teachers, as well as three Canadians and the Mexican driver. Sixteen people were injured—many seriously, but all are said to be in stable condition now.

The driver who caused the accident was hurt, but not critically, and now faces potential involuntary homicide charges due to the severity of the wreck and the number of those killed. His name has not been released yet as the accident investigation continues.

If you or someone you know has been injured or wrongfully killed in a truck, bus, car, motorcycle, or other vehicle-related accident, please contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 for a free consultation on your rights.

Yesterday evening, in the 3000 block of Las Vegas Trail, a toddler was injured when a group of teenagers threw rocks at the car she was riding in. The two-year old had a contusion and swelling to her right cheek, but did not suffer any life-threatening injuries. The girl’s mother was driving and noticed a group of teens throwing rocks from the sidewalk as her car approached them. One of the teens then threw a rock which flew through an open window and struck the girl as she drove by. The culprit was a 15-year-old girl who admitted fault and was taken to the Tarrant County Juvenile Detention Facility. This personal injury accident happened around 6 p.m.

The Anderson Law Firm handles all types of injury accidents, and most times, they result from vehicle accidents like car, truck and motorcycle wrecks. Occasionally, we get calls about dog bites and other common accidents. But there are so many ways a person can be injured as the result of someone else’s negligence that it’s too hard to categorize them all. This is the perfect example of a freak accident which cannot be categorized, but it’s also a case I might be able to take after some investigation.

If you or someone you know has been injured as the result of another person’s negligence, please contact the Anderson Law Firm to discuss your rights at 817-294-1900.

Tractor-trailer accidents are some of the most serious accidents waiting to happen on the roadways. Semi-truck-related deaths are estimated at over 5,000 per year, and 98% of fatalities in tractor-trailer accidents are the drivers of the other vehicles; not the drivers of the 18 wheelers. Defensive driving is vital to keep you out of harm’s way and out of the way of the tractor-trailers with whom you share the road.

Look out for blind spots when driving near tractor-trailers.
18 wheelers have two big blind spots; along the side of the trailer, and very close to the rear of the trailer. If you’re passing an 18 wheeler, you’ll spend much of the trip in its blind spot, which can result in the semi-truck trying to merge and potentially pushing you off the road. If you drive too close to the rear of a semi-truck, it may stop suddenly and you could find yourself under the truck, in a potentially serious or fatal accident. Avoid blind spots when driving near tractor-trailers for your own protection.

Don’t drive right in front of a semi-truck.
Tractor-trailers take a long time to stop. National highway associations estimate that it takes tractor-trailers over 300 feet to go from 55MPH to a complete stop. Because semi-trucks are so large, bulky and difficult to maneuver, it’s vital to stay far ahead and give them plenty of room to stop. If you’re too close to the front of a semi-truck, let it pass you or speed up and pass other traffic to get you out of harm’s way.

Don’t be afraid to drive off the road to drive out of the way of a tractor-trailer accident.
Brakes fail. Semi-trucks jackknife. If you’re driving near a tractor-trailer, always keep one eye on it to make sure it’s driving normally. If an 18 wheeler begins driving erratically, do whatever you have to do to get out of the way. Drive onto the shoulder or off the road entirely to get out of the way of a semi-truck accident. Driving off the road may damage your car, but it’ll be less damage than if you’re involved in a tractor-trailer accident.

Information provided by Fort Worth, Texas based personal injury lawyer Mark A. Anderson.

Free Consultations. Please call at 817-294-1900 or Contact Mark A. Anderson Online.

When you’re involved in an accident, you should try to get photographs of an accident scene as quickly as possible. Why do you need photos of an accident scene?

Photographs back up what you say.
One of the most important considerations in a personal injury case is to establish credibility. Photographs physically back up what you say by showing how things happened. Not only does this strengthen your personal injury case in terms of facts, but it also makes you look like a more credible party.

Photos can demonstrate negligence.
Depending on what’s included in a photograph, photos can demonstrate negligence. If you slip and fall on debris that someone should have spotted and cleaned, photographs can show the debris and demonstrate that the party was negligent in not cleaning it. Likewise if photographs show an auto accident scene where a vehicle made no attempt to stop (i.e. skid marks) before hitting your car, the photo can help to establish the liable party’s negligence.

Photographs show the extent of the damage.
One of the most popular defense mechanisms for a liable party is to attempt to minimize the damage of an accident. Photographs show the extent of the damage at an accident scene. If a liable party tries to say you weren’t injured badly in an accident, but a photograph shows a car so mangled that you had to have the Jaws of Life pry you out, the liable party can’t minimize that photograph away.

Good photos can help counter any defense.
Popular automobile accident defenses may include inclement weather, poor road conditions, blocked or obscured street signs or other considerations that prevented the liable party from exercising due caution. Good photos that show the accident scene can counter all of these defenses by showing conditions at the time of the accident.

If you have questions regarding your personal injury claim, The Anderson Law Firm offers free consultations. Please call us at 817-294-1900 or contact us online.

Location: Bowie County, Texarkana

Type: Motorcycle/Car Accident

Outcome: Two Hospitalized

Two people are injured after a motorcycle accident in the Bowie County area of Texarkana, Texas. A 25-year-old man on a motorcycle was hit by a 52-year-old woman who turned in front of him. The motorcycle rider struck her car and flew up over it. He was taken to the hospital with critical injuries. The driver of the car was treated and released with minor injuries however, charges are now being pressed.

These types of accidents occur all too often when drivers don’t see or anticipate the speed of motorcyclists. If you or someone you know has been injured in a motorcycle crash, please contact the Anderson Law Firm to learn your rights at 817-294-1900.

2-year-old Abdallah Khader remains on life support at Cook Children’s hospital in Fort Worth after his car was hit by an alleged drunk driver. Stewart Richardson is in jail on $100,000 bond. He has been charged with intoxication with serious bodily injury and DWI felony repetition. Richardson has outstanding drunk-driving charges in Iowa, Colorado and Utah.

The car crash happened in Arlington. Richardson rear-ended the Khadar family after he’d been drinking at two bars—Applebee’s and Mr. B’s, both in Mansfield. His blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit at the time of the wreck at .25. Witnesses say he showed no remorse and when he heard of Abdallah’s condition, he said, “that sucks.”

Since Abdallah is Muslim, religious beliefs are preventing his family from taking him off life support even though 80 percent of his brain is damaged. If he lives, he will have severe brain injuries and if he dies, it will be unfacilitated. The family has filed a civil action suit as well and investigators are looking into the two bars which served Richardson the night of the wreck.

If you’ve been injured in an accident as the result of someone else’s negligence, please contact the Anderson Law Firm for a free consultation on your rights at 817-294-1900.

In May 2007, a huge explosion destroyed David Powlik’s house in Cleburne, Texas. The explosion killed his wife and daughter and injured his son-in-law and his granddaughter.

The explosion at Powlik’s house was caused by trapped natural gas. He did not even have natural gas service at his house, as he had an all electric system. The Cleburne Fire Marshall conducted an investigation. It found out that the main gas line in front of the Powlik’s home had been leaking into the soil. The soil was saturated by heavy rains and the gas was not able to escape; instead, it leaked into the sewer system. From there, a line in the Powlik’s air conditioning unit acted like a pump and drew the gas into the home. From there, the air conditioning system circulated the gas throughout the house. The blast occurred when Hazel Powlik lit a cigarette.

The lawsuit alleged that Atmos did not properly maintain its lines. The terms of the settlement are confidential and are not disclosed to the public.

This is a very tragic and preventable explosion. I am very familiar with this area, as I own a property across the street from the site of the explosion. My property, like the Powlik’s house, is all electric and I would never dream that an explosion caused by a gas leak could occur there. It takes lawsuits like the one here to discover all of the facts and figure out exactly how Atmos Energy could have prevented this tragic occurrence. Clearly, it is their responsibility to inspect and maintain the gas lines. The Powliks have no responsibility in that regard and were nothing more than innocent citizens. Hopefully, Atmos will learn how to put in place a better program to inspect and maintain its gas lines for the safety of Texans everywhere.

Author: Mark A. Anderson, Board Certified Injury Attorney, Fort Worth, Texas

Contact Information: www.maafirm.com or (817) 294 1900.

A man killed in a motorcycle accident Sunday night on Airport Freeway in Haltom City, Texas remains unidentified. The driver of the bike had been wearing a helmet when his motorcycle ran into the back of a pickup truck in the 6100 block of Highway 183. He had been riding with at least two other bikers around 7:45 p.m. when the wreck happened. The man died at the scene after his Suzuki GSXR 600 speed bike struck the back of a 1995 Ford F-150. The impact threw the man from his bike and police are saying speed was a factor contributing to the accident.

Sport bike racing and riding has become a popular sport in DFW in recent months, but a handful of young men have died as the result of dangerous riding. If you or someone you know was injured as the result of someone else’s negligence while riding a motorcycle, sport bike, or any other type of vehicle, please contact the Anderson Law Firm at 817-294-1900 to learn your rights.

Personal injury law covers many different practice areas. Basically, a personal injury claim may arise when you are injured as a result of someone else’s negligence. This can take the form of an auto accident, a construction accident, a product liability case or any number of other potential injuries. If you’ve been injured, you may want to seek the assistance of a personal injury attorney to help pursue your personal injury claim.

Personal injuries could be avoided.
One key characteristic that all personal injury claims share is that they could have been avoided. If the liable party had behaved in a responsible manner, most personal injury cases would never happen. Common examples of personal injuries that could be avoided include: auto accidents caused by negligence, an accident at work caused by unsafe work conditions, or a defective product that the manufacturer should have foreseen as a potential issue. In each of these cases, if the liable party had behaved differently, the personal injury would never have occurred.

What should you do if you’re injured?
If you’re involved in an accident, you should consult a personal injury attorney to determine if you’ve got a personal injury claim on your hands. In some cases, injuries are unfortunate but not caused by negligence; accidents do occur. In many cases, however, those accidents could have been prevented with a certain exercise of due care, and a personal injury attorney can help you follow up on your claim and get compensation for your injury.

Should you need a free consultation on your legal rights, feel free to contact Board Certified Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson at 817-294-1900 or contact him online.

Date: February 15, 2009

Location: North Park Boulevard in Grapevine

Type: Rollover Wreck

A 21-year-old man was killed after the car he was riding in flipped several times before hitting a 5-foot-10 Grapevine, Texas church sign Sunday night. Michael Bentley was taken to JPS Hospital where he was pronounced dead after the car accident.

Now, the driver of the Ford Focus—a 20-year-old man whose name hasn’t been released yet, has been arrested on suspicion of intoxication manslaughter. He and another passenger, a 19-year-old female, were treated for minor injuries and released. The accident happened at 9 p.m. Sunday night near First Presbyterian Church of Grapevine. Charges have yet to be filed.

Date: February 15, 2009
Location: LBJ Freeway
Type: Car Accident
Outcome: One Dead

A man was killed overnight when his car rolled off of an embankment in Coppell, Texas on LBJ Freeway. His car rolled 40 feet and landed upside down in a creek between Royal Lane and Freeport Parkway. His body was recovered by divers but he has yet to be identified. An accident investigation will hopefully reveal what caused the wreck.

Over the weekend a tragic one-car accident in Bowie, Texas killed young Allison Hammer on her sixth birthday. The wreck occurred when the van she was riding in veered off the road, and rolled after the driver tried to over-correct. The van was driven by her aunt and unfortunately, Allison was not wearing a seatbelt.

Texas law requires the use of child safety seats if the child is less than five years old and less than 36 inches in height. But those are the minimum standards, and it is recommended that all children be in child safety or boosters seats, or at the very least, have seat belts on. Since it was Allison’s sixth birthday, no law was broken by her not being in a car seat. But it is illegal to not wear a seat belt. Seatbelts do save lives.

According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, the leading cause of death or injuries to children is auto accidents. Approximately seven children are killed and 700 are injured every day in the United States in car crashes.

Information provided by Texas Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson.

An Arlington, Texas man is in the Grand Prairie jail today awaiting potential intoxication manslaughter charges after he killed a 17-year-old Arlington student in a car wreck Friday. 20-year-old Adrian Quezada Jr.’s bail has been set at $30,000 after he was arrested Monday on suspicion of intoxication assault just after he was released from the hospital.

Investigators are awaiting the results of a blood-alcohol test—they suspect alcohol was a factor in the crash, as well as speeding.

The wreck happened Friday in Arlington when Quezada’s GMC pickup truck hit 17-year-old Robert Joslin’s 1977 Chevy Malibu as he sat at a red light. The impact caused Joslin’s car to then crash into an SUV which was also stopped at the light. Joslin and his passenger were taken to Dallas Hospitals; he was taken off life support yesterday. His passenger was treated and released along with two injured people in the SUV.

Joslin was the starting center fielder for Sam Houston High School’s football team.

Ironically, just last week, a plan was announced to try and reduce the number of severe car accidents in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. In just over one month of the New Year, there have already been six accidents in Arlington involving fatalities and two in Grand Prairie.

Information provided by Arlington DWI Car Accident Lawyer Mark A. Anderson. Photo courtesy of star-telegram.com.

Date: February 3, 2009
Location: Airport Freeway and Industrial Road
Type: Truck accident
Outcome: Wrongful Death

A woman is dead after an 18-wheeler big rig rolled onto her car, crushing her. The accident happened late this morning at 11 and police are still investigating the woman’s identity. Her body wasn’t recovered from the wreckage until two hours later. She had been driving on Industrial Boulevard in Euless, Texas (also known as Farm Road 157) when the rig driver—carrying a large load of sand, attempted to turn southbound onto Industrial from the Airport Freeway (Hwy 183) service road. He turned right into her Chevrolet.

Date: February 1, 2009
Location: Cass County, Nebraska
Type: car accident
Outcome: one dead, two critically injured

A Weatherford, Texas woman is in critical condition after a wreck early Sunday morning. 44-year-old Karen M. Frank was ejected from a vehicle in Cass County, Nebraska over the weekend. The driver, from Plattsmouth, Nebraska lost control of the vehicle, rolling it several times. All three occupants, including Frank, were ejected. The driver was killed. Frank was taken by helicopter to the Creighton Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska with critical injuries. None of the three occupants were wearing seatbelts at the time of the wreck and an accident investigation is being conducted to determine whether or not alcohol was a factor.

Date: January 30, 2009
Location: I35E and Saner Ave.
Type: truck and car accident

A man was critically injured Friday after a rock-hauling 18-wheeler crushed his Toyota Corolla on Interstate-35E at Saner Avenue in Dallas, Texas. Somehow, the large truck wound up with its rear wheels on top of his small car and several firefighters had to extricate the man before he was quickly transported to Methodist Hospital in Dallas in critical condition. The man’s passenger, a woman, was able to escape the vehicle and was not injured. The wreck, which happened right around 2 p.m., shut down the interstate until 4:40 p.m. when everything was finally cleared. An accident investigation is being conducted to determine how the wreck occurred. The driver of the rock-hauler was not injured.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson. Photo courtesy of NBC5.com.

Last Wednesday, 16-year-old Chelsea Lunt was texting on her way to Decatur High School just before losing control of her pickup truck. The truck flipped five times after she tried to overcorrect it before landing in the ditch on U.S. 81/287, just short of the FM 730 exit. Lunt was killed instantly in the car accident. Although she was wearing a seat belt, her body was partially ejected and she suffered major head injuries.

Lunt was on her way to track practice and had been texting a boy during the drive. 11 messages had been sent to the boy on her drive to school—the last was at 6:51 a.m.—the time of the accident, which was called in two minutes later.

Witness statements revealed that the sophomore had been swerving in her lane, an indication that she might have been distracted by something. An accident investigation, which will continue for weeks as police await test results, revealed that texting was the absolute cause of the tragic wreck.

According to an article published a year ago in U.S. News and World Report, approximately 20 percent of people on the roads were texting while driving. I’m sure that number has increased in the last year. Already, texting and driving has been banned in New Jersey and Washington, and 16 other states were considering legislation that would ban the distracting activity. Most of these states are in the Midwest and on the East Coast, but unfortunately, Texas is not among them.

The good news is Texas does recognize texting—and using a cell phone in general, while driving as dangerous. Already, several cities in North Texas ban the use of cell phones, including texting, in school zones. Hopefully, our state will jump on board soon as far as extending the ban to major roads and highways.

Funeral services for Lunt—a star athlete in volleyball and track, were Saturday in Decatur, Texas.

Information provided by Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson.

Just after 9 p.m. last night, two motorcyclists on separate bikes were killed in the westbound lanes of Highway 183 just past Loop 12 in Irving, Texas. Apparently road debris caused portions of the busy road to be temporarily closed, resulting in back-ups and heavy traffic. Witnesses said they saw the two cyclists weaving in and out of traffic to avoid the congestion just before the motorcycle crash. The accident facts are still unclear, but the cause of the wreck happened when both bikes collided into the back of a minivan.

The wreck, which happened near Texas Stadium, closed down Highway 183 for hours Sunday night as an accident investigation was conducted. Traffic was diverted off of the westbound lanes onto Loop 12 and a service road.

News reports have not revealed what type of bikes the 21-year-old woman and 42-year-old man were riding at the time of the wreck. Last year, sport bike riding at high speeds was the cause of several Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas deaths. An investigation will further reveal the facts of this tragic accident.

For the full story, watch WFAA Channel 8’s live coverage.

Contact Fort Worth Motorcycle Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson at 817-294-1900.

Just after 3 p.m. yesterday, U.S. Airways flight 1549 taking off from La Guardia Airport in New York and heading to Charlotte, North Carolina was forced to make a crash landing into the Hudson River. Miraculously, all 150 passengers and five crew members survived and only suffered minor injuries. Shortly after take-off, the plane ran into some birds which got stuck in the engines, causing two of them to fail. The SAS Airbus A320 was brought down so carefully and at such an angle, that pilot, Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger kept the plane from submerging. Nearby ferries in the river were then able to arrive quickly and rescue the passengers from the wings of the plane. The temperature outside was 19 degrees Fahrenheit and the water was 40 degrees. Thanks to a quick rescue, few passengers suffered minor hypothermia and most just walked away with bruises.

Photo courtesy of ABC News

The pilot is now being hailed as the Hudson River Hero because of the incredible way in which he averted crisis and stayed calm while keeping everyone safe. Sullenberger has had many years experience and training in air crisis management and was able to put his skills to good use. Many are saying the plane was extremely lucky to have the pilot it did in that particular situation as he was highly trained and prepared for an accident such as this.

While some might see this as an opportunity to make a claim against U.S. Airways for recovering damages and pain and suffering, it is my opinion that those on board should be grateful to be alive. It appears that the circumstances which caused the engines to fail were completely out of the airline’s control.

In the past, I have written about freak accidents like the military jet that crashed into the San Diego home or the helicopter that fell into a Wisconsin home as the family slept, and in cases like those where people were killed or could have been killed innocently in their homes, a wrongful death claim might be more appropriate. The people on the airbus yesterday are undoubtedly thankful to walk away unharmed and with a heck of a story to tell.

If you have been personally injured as the result of someone else’s negligence, I’d be happy to talk to you about your rights. Contact Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson at 817-294-1900.

The State of Texas closed a licensed, but severely overcrowded Denton home-based day care center after a four month old girl was found unconscious and later died. According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office in Fort Worth, the cause of death is pending.

According to Texas law, day care centers in homes are required to be licensed and can have up to twelve children. The Denton business, called 2 Kool 4 School Kids Club, had 30 kids at the home—more than twice the amount allowed. This business was licensed in August to care for children from infants to school age. No violations had been noted during the time the day care had been in operation.

While this death is under investigation, the State’s investigator did not see any evidence of foul play. But one has to wonder about the over capacity issue. The limits on the number of children allowed are there for a reason. To have over double the state limit, it seems likely that the employees were not in a position to adequately supervise the children.

For questions regarding personal injury claims, including injuries to children, feel free to contact Mark A. Anderson online or by calling toll free 1-877-294-1115.

A 44-year-old woman was killed early this morning on Highway 175 and Malloy Bridge Road in Seagoville, Texas when her car flipped and ejected her. She died at the scene. Fortunately, the passengers in the car accident—the woman’s daughter and two grandchildren, ages 6 and 2, were taken to the hospital with minor injuries and are expected to be released later today.

A Dallas County Sheriff’s spokeswoman said that water from nearby sprinklers may have been the cause for the slick road, which in turn caused the rollover, resulting in death.

So that raises the question of whether or not it is negligent to allow your sprinklers to hit the road when it’s below freezing. In my opinion, I don’t think you should be running your sprinklers in the winter when temperatures might drop below 32 degrees. But what’s potentially negligent is allowing water to fall onto the road. It is my understanding that most cities have ordinances which prevent excess water on the streets. If that’s true, then there is definitely a possibility that someone was negligent in breaking a city ordinance which, not only resulted in an injury to a child, but also in the wrongful death of an innocent person.

If you have questions regarding an injury claim, feel free to contact Fort Worth Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson online, or by calling 817-294-1900.

Yesterday during the morning rush hour, local news stations were reporting over 200 car accidents which were all causing problems around the DFW Metroplex at the same time. Luckily for me, I don’t have to take an interstate or major highway to get to work, but hundreds of thousands of people were affected by the weather-related wrecks.

Most Texans, including myself, don’t really know how to drive when the roads get icy or snow packs the ground. But with the always unpredictable and ever-changing climate, it seems to me all of us should jump on the bandwagon and learn how to safely maneuver slick roads and poor weather conditions while driving.

On the Fort Worth National Weather Service Forecast Web site, every major snow or ice storm has been documented, amazingly since as far back as 1879. Not only is the site helpful for forecasting inclement weather and offering predictions for the upcoming winter’s climate, but it also gives information on bad weather awareness and how to prepare for when it strikes North Texas.

While searching through the site, I couldn’t help but notice a pattern amongst all the major storms. It seems that every year as far back as anyone can remember, North Texas has experienced a snowfall or poor weather event about twice a winter season. Each winter we have experienced a storm once between late November and December and then another one in either January or February. The record shows at least two storms a year for the last 50 years, so why aren’t we prepared when bad weather hits?

I’m not saying we all need to go out and buy chains to put on our tires, but we could learn not to follow too closely and to pump our brakes instead of slam on them if we need to stop on ice. And maybe stay off the roads completely unless it's absolutely necessary to go somewhere (as all meteorologists tell us).

If you are injured as the result of someone else’s negligence (ice or not), then please call Fort Worth Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson at 817-294-1900 for a free consultation.

This morning in Carrollton, Texas, an elementary school crossing guard was hit by a passing car. The car accident happened around 8 a.m. at L.F. Blanton Elementary School on Scott Mill Road. Since it happened just three hours ago, no more information has been released on the people involved or their injuries.

I recently just settled a pedestrian injury case exactly like this. My client in that case was working as a crossing guard at a local Fort Worth, Texas elementary school. It was a cold morning and there was a small layer of ice on the windshields of the cars. Unfortunately, one idiot didn’t take time to scrape the ice off his windshield and chose to drive with an obscured view. He didn’t see my client and ran him over. We were able to obtain the full insurance policy limits for my client on that case.

Injuries happen every day in Fort Worth and many people don’t immediately think to make personal injury claims on pedestrian accidents or other types of accidents that are not car wrecks, truck accidents or accidents that are work-related like oil field injuries, for example. Sometimes in automobile wrecks or truck accidents, a “he said, she said” debate arises over who was at fault—especially if there is no police report to show who was at fault. But the truth is, accidents like a crossing guard struck by a car make the most compelling cases. A man or woman helping children cross the street at a school is just doing his or her job in a school zone where the speed limit is only 20 miles per hour. There is no disputed liability if they are hit by a car. The driver of the car is clearly at fault.

If you or someone you know has suffered personal bodily injuries as the result of someone else’s negligence, even in the strangest of ways—car accident, pedestrian accident, ATV accident or other type of accident which may not even be classified, please call me to discuss your rights at 817-294-1900 or feel free to Contact Mark Anderson Online.

Remember when I wrote about the helicopter that crashed into the roof of a residential home in Wisconsin while a family slept inside? Well a similar thing happened yesterday in San Diego, California and unfortunately, some residents were just as unlucky.

Several people were injured and three people were killed when a military jet crashed into a home in a residential area of San Diego and at least two homes burnt to the ground. Twenty more homes were evacuated Monday due to the dangerous fumes the explosion emitted. The aircraft was a F/A-18D Hornet fighter jet and it crashed into the University City neighborhood which sits just about two miles from the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Early accident investigations have not revealed the cause of the crash but apparently, jets like this one have been recently grounded by the military for repair. The pilot ejected safely before the crash and did not appear to be injured. He was found hanging by his parachute in a tree nearby.

The three people who were killed included a baby, its mother and a grandmother—all of which were in the house the jet crashed into.

Yesterday, when I wrote about a girl killed in a Beaumont, Texas parade over the weekend, I mentioned that the viability of a wrongful death claim in that case will depend on the accident investigation. In this case, however, the people in the home who were innocently killed by the jet crash were most definitely wronged. By no fault of their own, an accident took their lives. Their families will most likely make wrongful death claims against the military or the jet manufacturer for the deaths of their loved ones.

If a loved one has been killed wrongfully or personally injured as the result of someone else’s negligence, please call me to discuss your rights at 817-294-1900 or Contact Me Online.

Just days after a Cub Scout troop was hit by a reckless driver in an Overton, Texas parade, another freak parade accident over the weekend left a 10-year-old girl dead. The girl was riding in the back of a pickup truck and had been hopping on and off the slow-moving vehicle during the parade. At one point, she was scolded and told not to hop around for safety reasons. Then, in front of the Beaumont, Texas crowd of a couple hundred people, the girl jumped off the truck and hit her head just before a trailer full of children ran her over. The girl was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Ironically, the annual parade was put on to bring the community together in a positive way after the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike in September.

As I view each wrongful death and tragic incident I read about through the eyes of an injury lawyer, I always wonder if a claim will be pursued. While I don’t know many of the facts of this case except what I have written above, I do not know whether an accident investigation will reveal that anyone, other than the young girl, was responsible for her tragic death. That is what investigations are for. I would look at the reasonableness of the actions of the event organizers and whether the adults on the truck in which the girl was riding took reasonable precautions to prevent her from jumping out. I would also look at the distance between the truck and the trailer vehicle that ran over her to make sure that a safe distance was between the two vehicles. And like I have said before, investigations are key and sometimes unveil surprising results in personal injury cases.

At the Anderson Law Firm, we investigate all of our clients’ claims to make sure that all possible evidence is found and used to support each claim. If you have questions regarding a personal injury claim or would like to set up a free consultation with Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, please call 817-294-1900.

A tragic and bizarre pedestrian-truck accident has spiked my interest. An 82-year-old Troup, Texas man was released on bail from the Rusk County Jail yesterday after he drove his pickup around a barricade and crashed into a Cub Scout troop at a Christmas parade in downtown Overton, Texas Monday night. It’s hard to tell whether the man intended to hit the troop or if the Cub Scouts were just collateral damage. Either way, ten children and two women suffered injuries. The injured scouts were 7 to 11 years old and all but two were treated and released.

Unfortunately, two of the kids were not so lucky. One was taken to the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas and is in good condition while another child—a 7-year-old boy from New London, Texas, is in serious condition and being treated at Mother Frances Hospital.

The 82-year-old, Charles George, lost his license and has been charged with reckless driving. Overton, Texas is located about two hours southeast of Dallas.

As a parent, I would be outraged if this happened to my child. Maybe some sort of injury to a child charge would be more appropriate. The man should have never driven around a barricade. I sure hope this man had sufficient insurance to cover all the medical bills being incurred by these unfortunate families.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact me at 817-294-1900 or Contact Me Online to discuss your rights.

A teenage boy whose name and age are still unknown is at John Peter Smith Hospital (JPS) this morning after he was hit by a truck last night in east Fort Worth, Texas. Witnesses say the boy appeared to be frightened by some dogs being walked on the same sidewalk he was on and jumped in to the street to avoid them. That’s when a passing truck struck the boy and stopped to help him.

The teen had no form of identification on him but was rushed to JPS with critical injuries. As of this morning, the only clue in his identification is that he may attend Eastern Hills High School. An update on his condition cannot be made without knowing his name.

The accident occurred on Meadowbrook Drive just after sunset.

If you or a loved one has suffered personal injuries from a pedestrian, truck, car or other vehicle-related accident, contact Attorney Mark A. Anderson at 817-294-1900 to learn your rights.

New information has been released regarding the investigation of a Euless, Texas woman who injured eight teenagers in a car accident back on October 25th. I wrote about this accident when it happened—the lady was the mother of twin daughters who were out at the movies with six of their friends. At 10 p.m., the woman was called to go pick the teens up in her 2002 Trailblazer. On the way home she hit a curb and flipped the vehicle several times. All of the kids were taken to hospitals in nearby Irving and Grapevine and luckily none of them suffered life-threatening injuries. On a subsequent blog, I wrote that evidence was released revealing that the woman’s blood-alcohol level was .13, which is .05 over the legal limit.

After having been arrested Nov. 6, the woman has since posted $20,000 bail but is being indicted on charges of driving while intoxicated (DWI) with a child, endangering a child and injury to a child. DWI with a child carries a larger penalty than a normal DWI.

A new article out today gives more detail on what happened, including witness accounts. Apparently, the woman told the kids she only had three beers and when the accident occurred, she said she swerved so as not to hit a dog. However, witnesses told police it was a parked car she swerved to miss just before hitting the curb and flipping. Also, a trailblazer has at most, 5 to 8 seats. The woman, plus the eight kids makes nine people riding in that car and none of the kids in the back seat were wearing seatbelts when the car flipped several times.

Apparently, during the drive home, the woman drove up to 95 miles per hour on an interstate.

Reports also allege that the woman asked her daughter to lie to police as well as the passengers and their parents about her drinking and driving. The sad thing about it is that the group of teens had gone to the movies to celebrate the twin daughters’ 15th birthday.

From a legal perspective, this case presents many issues. Clearly, the mother was negligent in driving while intoxicated. Did she have liability insurance? If so, does she have enough insurance to cover all of the teenagers’ personal injuries? In an injury case, the parents of the teenagers can recover for the medical bills and pain and suffering of their children. If the total amount of all those claims exceeds the limits of the mother’s policy, then each person must take a reduced settlement. The parents could then look to their own insurance policies, and if they had underinsured motorists coverage, that could help recover compensation for their children’s injuries.

When an accident occurs, there are many different ways to make a claim. If you were injured in an accident and would like to find out more about your rights, please call me at 817-294-1900 or feel free to Contact Me Online.

Photo courtesy of www.star-telegram.com

Just two months after a fatal car accident, changes have been made and upgrades implemented at a dangerous intersection. River Park Drive off Bryant Irving in Fort Worth, Texas curves just before the entrance to a gated subdivision at River Park Circle. A wall and trees along the street previously made the road difficult to see—especially at night. But now, the far eastbound lane, closest to the wall and trees, has been closed and new signs warn of the poor visibility.

A Fort Worth man, Rick Kubes, owner of Kubes Jewlers, began petitioning for safety upgrades at the neighborhood entrance in August. Ironically and tragically, a month later, his son Jeff, sustained fatal injuries at that exact intersection.

Luckily, Mr. Kube’s efforts continued and now the area is much safer for its residents. This just goes to show that persistence pays off. We should all be thankful for people like Mr. Kube who are helping to improve our city living standards.

If you or a loved one has suffered personal injuries and you have questions regarding your legal rights, please contact me at 817-294-1900 or feel free to Contact Me Online.

This past summer and into the fall there has been what seems like a story a week in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about a tragic motorcycle accident in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex? Well, the Arlington Police Department and other DFW-area law enforcement agencies teamed up this week to teach these riders the “SMART” way to ride. I think this is a great idea.

SMART is one of the courses developed from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) which was founded in 1974 to educate riders about safe driving and proper licensing. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for: Smart Motorcyclists Attend Rider Training. The course was developed for riders specifically in Topeka, Kansas, however its message is the same one DFW law enforcement is trying to relay here.

Apparently, since 2006, the number of motorcycle-related fatalities in Arlington has tripled. And as early as two months ago, a study was done on the sport bike trend and how racing such bikes is compromising the safety of riders and fellow motorists. That study came just one month after the Irving accident that killed two young men when they lost control of their bikes and were flung off a ramp on the George Bush Turnpike.

It’s time something be done and I’m glad our area is taking steps to educate inexperienced riders on sport bike and motorcycle safety. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more programs and classes like the one they put on in Arlington this week.

Of course, motorcycle accidents are not always the fault of the riders, but instead, accidents are caused by other car and truck drivers. Another good thing about these motorcycle safety courses is that they teach riders how to be defensive and watch out for mistakes made by other motorists.

If you have suffered bodily injuries as a result of a motorcycle-related accident, please call injury attorney Mark A. Anderson for a free consultation at 817-294-1900 or Contact Me Online.

A few weeks ago I wrote about a Euless, Texas woman who injured eight kids (including one of her own) when she drove them home from the movies while she was drunk. Here's an update on what’s developed.

Last night, the 37-year-old was arrested and her bail has been set at $75,000. She’s being charged with endangering a child and the obvious DWI. The blood alcohol test showed she had been driving her Trailblazer at .05 over the legal limit of .08 when the car hit a curb and flipped. The car accident sent all eight teens and herself to the hospital. Luckily, no one was killed.

Dog bites are relatively rare personal injury cases. However, when they happen, the damages are usually pretty bad. Not long ago, I wrote about the law regarding dog bite cases, and yesterday, the two came together, literally, when a judicial candidate who was out campaigning was attacked by a pit bull.

Former Dallas Democratic Party head, Ken Molberg, was walking door-to-door Monday on a sidewalk when a pit bull came running up and attacked his leg. The dog bit him near his groin on his upper leg and Molberg sustained 11 puncture wounds, causing him to have 17 stitches.

The dog hadn’t had his rabies shots either. Part of the law surrounding dog bites requires owners of dogs designated as “dangerous” to stay current on vaccinations, including the rabies vaccination. That dog chose the wrong person to attack.

Molberg didn’t give up, though. He will continue campaigning through today by phone and email. He is running for Judge of the 95th Civil District Court. Click here for a link to his Web site, which has a nice video clip explaining his philosophy and credentials.

For information on injury cases or dog bite claims, feel free to call me at 817-294-1900, or Contact Me Online.

**Photo courtesy of kenmolberg.com

A 70-year-old man was tragically killed yesterday near the Stockyards in North Fort Worth. What started out as a pedestrian/car accident, quickly made a turn for the worst in just a matter of minutes. The incident happened on Northwest 25th Street at 7:30 p.m. when a woman driving an Oldsmobile hit the elderly man as he was walking. She pulled over while another car traveling behind her narrowly missed running into the man as he was still in the road. Then, a pickup struck the man and ended up dragging his body for three blocks. The man was pronounced dead at the scene at the intersection of Ross Avenue and Northwest 24th Street.

The driver of the pickup truck drove on and has yet to be caught. He or she was said to have been driving an extended-cab, gray Chevrolet pickup, according to witnesses who saw the elderly man dragged. Reports also said drag marks were visible along the route.

This wrongful death case makes my stomach churn. Certainly the driver of the pickup knew he had hit and dragged the man. The law (not to mention human decency) requires that he stop. Sometimes I just can’t understand the way people act. Hopefully an investigation into the accident will determine who committed this horrible crime.

If someone you know or a loved one has been tragically killed or seriously injured, you may have rights regarding their wrongful death or personal injuries. Please contact me for a free consultation to discuss your rights at 817-294-1900.

Another drunk-driving car accident in the Metroplex injured eight teenagers Saturday night. One of the teen’s mothers picked up her daughter and seven other kids from the movies in Euless, Texas and was driving the kids while under the influence. On the way home, she served because of a dog in the road and hit a curb, causing the SUV to flip. Everyone was transported to hospitals in nearby Grapevine and Irving.

The accident investigation is still pending, but the woman faces several counts of driving while intoxicated, or DWI. A first offense can mean a jail stay, suspension of one’s license and up to a $2,000 fine. After the first time, jail time increases, as well as the length of license suspension and the amount of the fine.

Not long ago I wrote about the unfortunate weekend when two separate drunk-driving related incidences killed three people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I just hate to see when intoxication is a cause for a wreck or accident because such incidences are 100 percent preventable.

For more information on the DWI laws in Texas, visit www.texasdwi.org. If you’ve suffered injuries due to someone else’s negligence, please call me to discuss your rights at 817-294-1900 or feel free to Contact Me Online.

Early this morning a car crashed through the home of a Haltom City couple, driving into their bedroom where they were sleeping. Upon impact, the car flipped the mattress they slept on and ran over it as the couple lay beneath. It came to a rest on top of them. Although the 54-year-old husband and 45-year-old wife were treated at Harris Hospital in Fort Worth, both were able to get up and walk around, seemingly unharmed. Miraculously, they were only banged up with scrapes and a few bruises.

The driver on the other hand, ran from the scene. A bloody trail led police to the 30-year-old driver who was then also taken to Harris and treated for head trauma. Oddly, alcohol is not suspected to have been a factor in the car accident.

Posted on the Houston Chronicle’s Web site, this story got so many hits and had people making many light-hearted and often “colorful” remarks about the situation. One commenter writes, “SERTA-fied lucky!” and another, “I bet that’s the most their mattress has moved in years!” Others wrote faux advertisements for life-saving mattresses.

Either way, I don’t doubt that couple knows how lucky they are. And now they have an incredible story to tell. I can’t help but wonder what kind of mattress it was. If the brand name was released, something tells me profits will increase after this incident.

After a hose on a school bus broke, antifreeze was sprayed on six kids who were coming home from an away middle school football game. The freak personal injury accident happened in Denton County just before 10 p.m. last night when the Sanger Middle School football team was on its way home from a game.

Four of the six who were sprayed were taken by helicopter to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas—all with very scary injuries. Three had eye injuries and one had burns on both legs. As of now, there’s no update on whether anyone else was injured or treated.
There seems to be some confusion on whether the injured were on the bus or outside next to it when they were sprayed—either way, this accident is a perfect example of wrong place, wrong time.

Antifreeze, a chemical which is used to protect air-conditioning systems from freezing or boiling over, is poisonous to ingest, but not to the touch. The problem in this case was that the chemical was boiling hot, which was actually what caused the injuries.

I’m sure an investigation must be pending on how (I assume was) a pipe with poisonous matter would break or malfunction and endanger school children. I can’t wait to hear what the problem was and I hope all those children will fully recover.

If you have experienced bodily injury due to the negligence of another person or as the result of some sort of malfunctioning equipment (as in this case), please call me to discuss your rights. I am always available for free consultations. Call 817-294-1900 or Contact Me Online.

A new Texas dog bite law was put to good use recently when the owners of four dangerous killer dogs were sentenced to seven years in prison. Back in May, their four pit bulls were found surrounding the dead body of a 7-year-old boy in a ditch near the couple’s house. Two of the dogs were killed by police at the scene; the other two were taken away by animal control at the reluctance of the owners.

The new Texas law states that unsecured dogs that attack are the responsibility of their owners, holding the owners liable if the dogs injure or kill a person.

In this case, a Texas jury found the couple guilty of the second-degree felony (a dog attack resulting in a death), which means a maximum of 20 years in jail. Since this sentence was for less than 10 years, the two were each up for $150,000 bail, but neither has posted it yet.

About two weeks ago, a Rotweiller attack in Fort Worth prompted me to examine the law surrounding dangerous dogs. Under the new (and much stronger) dog laws, owners of “dangerous dogs” are required to carry liability insurance for their dogs, keep rabies and other vaccines current, make sure their dogs are secure at all times and pay an annual fee for keeping a dog designated as “dangerous.”

I applaud our state legislature for strengthening these dog laws. The change came at the urging of the family of an elderly lady who was killed in a dog attack as she was gardening over the Thanksgiving holiday back in 2005. The new law has been referenced to as “Lillian’s Law” after this lady.

I represent people who have suffered personal injuries as a result of a dog bite or attack. Should you have any questions about a dog attack, please give me a call at 817-294-1900.
Dog attacks are always preventable, which is what makes the resulting deaths so tragic. So if you’re going to own an aggressive-by-nature dog, please, do everyone else around you a favor and keep it secure.

Texas Highway 121, just west of DFW Airport in Grapevine, was shut down until about noon today due to a tragic motorcycle accident involving an already crashed car.

Early this morning, a woman suspected of drunk driving wrecked her car on 121 and then got out. She was standing next to it as a 32-year-old man on a sport bike motorcycle slammed into her crashed car. The man died at the scene from his injuries. His impact was so hard that it flipped the woman’s Honda Civic over onto its roof.

The man had been riding with another guy who was also on a motorcycle. Luckily, the other rider was able to avoid the accident and is unharmed. Coincidentally, just last week I wrote about the dangers of riding sport bike motorcycles, but in this particular scenario, the biker wasn’t the one guilty of dangerous behavior. It’s tragic that the man came up on the scene at precisely the wrong time.

An investigation is still pending, but if it is determined that she was intoxicated when she crashed, causing a dangerous road-block for other drivers and killing one, then she will be facing charges for intoxication manslaughter.

Drunk driving is a serious problem. As I mentioned in a recent blog about drunk driving accidents, every five hours someone is killed in Texas in a drunk-driving wreck. That is just ridiculous.

If one of your loved ones has suffered injuries or a wrongful death due to a motorcycle collision, please give me a call to discuss your rights. I can be reached at 817-294-1900 or Contact Me Online.

A charter bus swerved off a rural two-lane highway Saturday night, killing 10 people just 10 miles short of the casino resort it was heading to. The bus, which departed from Sacramento, California flipped at least once, tossing passengers around and crushing some, eventually coming to rest right side up in a ditch.

The injured were taken to many hospitals in the surrounding area, and as of today, 11 were still in the hospital—all with varying conditions ranging from critical to fair. Many of the passengers on the bus were from Laos and did not speak English.

The weird part is that the bus said “Greyhound” on the side, which is a Dallas, Texas-based company. However, spokespeople from Greyhound said the bus had been sold years before. And that was just one of the bizarre factors surrounding the wreck. Among other problems: the bus had an invalid, Texas license plate, the driver was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription or non-prescription drugs and the driver might not have even had the proper permits to have been driving a charter bus in California.

This entire situation is strange-sounding to me. I feel terrible for the victims and their families and am anxious to find out the story behind who owns the “Greyhound” bus. As I have blogged about several times before, many of the bus accidents are easily preventable. Who knows? A little better screening of bus operators might have saved 10 lives here.

If you or a loved one has suffered bodily injuries in any type of bus or other vehicle-related accident, please call Fort Worth Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson at 817-294-1900.

Photo by wfaa.com

On Saturday, a grandmother and her baby granddaughter were hit by a drunk driver in Dallas when they were walking together on East Overton Road in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. The 54-year-old man who hit the two is currently in a Dallas jail, facing two counts of intoxication manslaughter. He and his passenger (who was also arrested for public intoxication) hit the woman and her 1-year-old granddaughter, then carried them 20 yards before the two finally fell off the car. Both died of blunt force trauma at the hospital.

Then, just a few hours later, a 12-year-old Dallas, Texas boy was killed when he was riding as a passenger with two teenagers when the car he was riding in hit another car and a utility pole. The car accident happened at the intersection of Lemon Avenue and Lovers Lane. The boy died at the hospital of his injuries and the other two were last heard to be in stable condition. Alcohol is suspected to also be the cause of this accident.

Drunk driving is a huge problem in Texas. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, every five hours, someone is killed in Texas in an alcohol-related traffic crash. Unfortunately, Texas ranks second only behind California in drunk-driving deaths.

If you have been seriously injured or a loved one has died as a result of a drunk-driving collision, you may receive a free consultation from a Board Certified injury attorney by calling Mark Anderson at 817-294-1900.

Not long ago, I wrote about about a motorcycle accident that killed two teenagers. Now, just a few weeks later, a story has turned up in the Dallas Morning News about the culture surrounding sport bikes—riding them and showing off tricks.

Sport bikes are different than “cruiser” bikes like Harleys in that their low weight allows them to reach speeds up to 185 miles per hour. They are also capable of going from zero to 60 miles per hour in just three seconds.

Another problem with the sport bikes is that they are very affordable. This means teens and young twenty-somethings are able to purchase racing bikes a lot easier. Some of the riders of these bikes do it for the thrill; many popping “wheelies” and racing on interstates and highways all around Dallas-Fort Worth. Not only does going double (or more) the speed limit on Airport Freeway, for example, greatly endanger the driver of a speedy sport bike, but just think of all the other vehicles on the roadways who aren’t looking to get into a deadly collision with a motorcycle. Statistics show those who ride sport bikes are far more likely to be killed than those riding cruiser motorcycles.

And that seems to be what happened with the wreck I previously wrote on. Even though the speed the teens were going when they crashed has not been determined, fellow racers who knew the two who were killed reasoned that they were following each other too closely and maybe going too fast to prevent the deadly wreck. They had been riding on a ramp from the George Bush Turnpike to Highway 161 in Irving, Texas, when one hit a wall, flying over the side of the ramp and falling to his death, and the rider behind him ran into the first bike, also being thrown over the wall of the ramp. The two were both 18-years-old; one was from North Richland Hills and the other was from Bedford, Texas.

If you have been injured riding a motorcycle and someone else caused your injury, you may have a claim for your personal injuries. Please call Fort Worth Motorcycle Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson at 817-294-1900 of Contact Me Online.

Not long ago, I wrote “Texas Supreme Court Declines to Hear Case on Malpractice Caps,” which is ironic, considering today’s news.

Today, Medicare announced that it will stop paying medical bills for 10 preventable conditions in a congressionally-mandated attempt to save millions. Among those conditions are:

* Bedsores
* Infections after surgeries
* Incompatible blood transfusions
* Urinary tract infections caused by catheters
* Operations to remove sponge left from first operation
* Injuries from falls while at the hospital

Amazingly, out of the 12.5 million people covered by Medicare, cutting these corners could prevent several hundred thousand hospital stays a year.

On the positive side, doctors will stop getting paid for medical errors and this major change will hopefully encourage better medical practices.

But I also see this as bad news for consumers. I wonder if the patient will get billed for the doctor’s mistakes instead? I would hope not. And worse than that, I wonder if the remedial procedures or treatment will ever even occur? Take for example, a piece of sponge left in a body after surgery. That’s about the clearest example of a medical error that exists. So if Medicare doesn’t pay for the second (and necessary)sponge-removal surgery, will the doctor just do the surgery for free? Probably not.

If a doctor has the fear that goes along with the threat of a medical malpractice case, then a necessary second surgery might be possible. But here in Texas, doctors received a “free pass” by our state government with the so-called Tort Reform of 2003. In the new law, there have been unreasonably low caps placed on recoverable damages, which has led most attorney’s (including myself) to refuse to take medical malpractice cases. Since doctors are basically shielded from lawsuits, their incentive to “do the right thing” and fix their errors is nonexistent. With no fear of litigation and no payment from Medicaid, there will be outrageous numbers of medical errors which will unfortunately go untreated.

If you have questions about a personal injury claim, please call Personal Injury Attorney Mark Anderson, or feel free to Contact Me Online.