Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

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.

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , News to Use , Personal Injuries , Wrongful Death

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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.

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Motorcycle Accidents , News to Use , Personal Injuries , Wrongful Death

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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.

Posted by Mark A. Anderson | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Accident Investigation , Auto Accidents , News to Use , Personal Injuries , Wrongful Death

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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.

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Posted In: Dog Attacks , News to Use , Personal Injuries , Wrongful Death

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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.

Posted by Mark A. Anderson | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Accident Investigation , Auto Accidents , Motorcycle Accidents , News to Use , Personal Injuries , Wrongful Death

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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

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , News to Use , Personal Injuries , Truck & Bus Wrecks , Wrongful Death

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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.

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Posted In: Accident Investigation , Auto Accidents , News to Use , Personal Injuries , Wrongful Death

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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.

Posted by Mark A. Anderson | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Motorcycle Accidents , News to Use , Personal Injuries , Wrongful Death

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Saturday night an Arlington, Texas woman was killed when she was struck by a car on Interstate-20 in Arlington. The woman’s car stalled so she got out to push it to the shoulder when a 21-year-old man driving a Jetta was unable to swerve around the woman and hit her. The woman died at the scene while a young girl who was in the car steering it to the shoulder was taken to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth with injuries. The driver of the Jetta also suffered some minor injuries.

This extremely tragic accident is a prime example of wrongful death. While the lady was doing what she believed was the right thing to prevent an accident, it turned out to be just too dangerous. If her car was still able to drive on its own power, it would’ve been better to drive it off the roadway before calling 9-1-1. If a car ever stalls and you can’t get it to the shoulder of the road (which was the case here), it’s safer to turn on the hazard lights, exit the car immediately, and head to a safe area to avoid a car accident.

If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may have a legal right to compensation. For answers to your questions, you can call Fort Worth, Texas Personal Injury Attorney Mark Anderson at 817-294-1900, or feel free to Contact Me Online.

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , News to Use , Personal Injuries , Wrongful Death

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A bizarre truck accident in Benbrook, Texas left one man dead when the 18-wheeler he was driving swerved off of Southwest Loop 820 and unded crunched up under a bridge. The truck was carrying water bottles. The accident happened at 7:15 p.m. Thursday evening under the Winscott Road bridge. Three other cars driving the same direction as the semi-truck were involved and one man was taken to the hospital with injuries.

The bridge was closed last night until early this morning so it could be checked for structural damage.

As of now, no facts have been released which would reveal the reason for the accident. A thorough accident investigation might turn up what happened. The best source of facts for this investigation will be witness interviews and collection of the scene evidence, like skid marks, for example. The truck should also be equipped with an Engine Control Module (ECM) which may give useful information such as how fast the truck was going at the time of the crash.

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Posted In: Accident Investigation , Auto Accidents , News to Use , On the Job Injuries , Truck & Bus Wrecks , Wrongful Death

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In 2003, five bus passengers were killed when a bus headed to Dallas from Temple crashed on I35. The bus accident occured when the bus driver lost control of the bus in the rain and crossed the median near Hewitt, Texas, slamming into a southbound Chevrolet Suburban. Two passengers of the Suburban were killed and additional passengers of the bus were injured.

A wrongful death lawsuit was brought in Waco against Motor Coach Industries, an Illinois company which assembled the bus. In 2005, the case went to trial and a jury ruled that the crash victims should receive $17.5 million dollars, finding that the bus was defective as it had no seatbelts. Of course, the bus company appealed.

This week the 10th Court of Appeals, based in Waco, overturned the jury’s decision. The main reason for the reversal was that the appellate court believed that the trial judge should have asked the jury whether the bus driver or the charter bus company should share in responsibility. One of the three appellate justices also said the jury’s verdict should have been thrown out as federal law governing seatbelts “preempts” the victim’s ability to pursue that type of claim.

It is a shame that these victims’ claims have to go back and start over. The question of which parties’ conduct the jury considers is an important part of all injury cases where more than one party may be responsible. Who the trial judge ultimately “submits” to the jury depends on many things, including the requests made by the various parties’ attorneys and the type of claims being asserted. What is troubling here is the “preemption” argument asserted by the dissenting justice. It seems like federal preemption arguments are being increasingly relied upon by appellate courts to throw out plaintiffs claims. So much for state rights and the decision of juries.

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Posted In: Trial News , Truck & Bus Wrecks , Wrongful Death

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A 66-year-old Fort Worth, Texas man is dead after injuries he sustained last Friday afternoon when his bike collided with a car. The accident happened at the intersection of South Drive and Inwood Road, near Interstate 20. The man died yesterday at JPS Hospital from his critical injuries. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that this is the 53rd death related to a motor-vehicle accident. Last year at this time, there had been 60 fatalities relating to car and/or bike crashes.

In July, I wrote about a Weatherford, Texas man who was killed riding his bike when a car hit him near Willow Park on an I-20 access road. In that post I discussed the danger most people don’t associate with riding a bike. At that time, I stumbled upon an excellent website on bicycle safety. Check it out before you hit the streets on your bike, and don’t forget your helmet!

Posted by Mark A. Anderson | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Bicycle Accidents , News to Use , Personal Injuries , Wrongful Death

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Yesterday, I wrote about a Fort Worth, Texas Woman Killed at the Railroad Crossing on Galvez Avenue, where it intersects Riverside Driver near downtown Fort Worth. The 21-year-old woman who died was riding passenger to a 23-year-old man who is expected to survive, but suffered major bodily injuries when he decided to drive around the gates, as the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) came crashing into the passenger side of his car. The woman's two-year-old daughter was also in the car, and suffered injuries.

A similar car/train accident injured another woman at the same crossing just last year.

Now, just two days after the most recent accident, there's already talk of improvements to be made at the crossing as soon as February, 2009. So why wasn't this addressed sooner?

The hold up was due to a battle of control of the project to improve many Tarrant County crossings between TRE officials and the City of Fort Worth, so funds were dispersed between the competing groups. In 2005, government officials put the money together and approved $384,000 for improvements to be made as early as 2009.

Improvements suggested at the particular intersection of Galvez Avenue and Riverside Drive include installing "quad gates" to block access to the tracks completely from the road so impatient drivers won't be able to go around them. There's even been talk of cutting Galvez Avenue off completely just before the tracks and turning it into a cul-de-sac.

No matter what it decides to do, let's hope the city does something sooner, rather than later. But it's important to remember that no matter how many improvements a city can make, nothing beats common sense, and there's a big lesson to be learned from fatal accidents like this one.

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , News to Use , Wrongful Death

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Early this morning, two teenage-boys were killed in a motorcycle wreck on a ramp from the George Bush Turnpike to Highway 161. One was from Bedford, Texas; the other from North Richland Hills, Texas. The details are still unknown, but apparently when one of the riders hit a wall, the other came up behind him and both were flung off the freeway.

Were they racing? Were they wearing helmets? Helmets might not have even mattered if they were racing. When I first heard the story, initially I thought of helmets and then I thought of racing, but my next thought was: what kind of bikes were they on—maybe one of those sport bikes?

Many riders complain that roads are dangerous because of other motorists. This case shows a wreck that was probably not caused by other cars or trucks, but by a combination of too much speed and the vulnerability that goes with riding a motorcycle on an interstate highway. When the boys hit the wall, they flew off their bikes and fell to their death. If they had been encased in a car, the result might have not been deadly. Either way, this unfortunate story just brings to light how dangerous motorcycle-riding can be.

More news to come, I’m sure, as the story develops.

Posted by Mark A. Anderson | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Motorcycle Accidents , Wrongful Death

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Early Monday morning a drunk driver killed a newlywed couple and injured four others in a horrific car accident near Interstate 75 and Mockingbird Lane in Dallas, Texas. Prior to the accident, police pulled a man driving with a female passenger over whose vehicle had been weaving in and out of traffic. When the officer started to approach him, the driver sped away with his lights off, eventually running a red light and slamming into a carload of Southern Methodist University (SMU) students. All five of them suffered injuries. The impact from that crash sent the drunk driver’s Tahoe flying into another car—killing a newlywed couple. At the hospital, his passenger was in serious condition while he was upgraded to fair.

If this story isn’t tragic enough, it gets worse. The drunk driver had previously been convicted of DWI twice before and two other DWI charges were pending. He was out on bond, which had been revoked and had four outstanding warrants. He was driving the night of the crash with a suspended license and two empty bottles of Patron tequila.

This is one of those tragic cases of someone slipping through the cracks of the legal system. Why wasn’t he in jail? Who forgot to take his license…and his car for that matter? Apparently on one of his latest DWI charges, the “system” did not catch his prior DWI’s.

I only practice personal injury law—not criminal law, but it just seems to me like the law should mandate that the driver should have already been in jail. This man should have already lost his freedom.

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Posted In: Auto Accidents , Wrongful Death

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Late Friday night, an 18-year-old passenger in a Chevrolet Suburban was ejected from his vehicle when a Honda CRV ran a red light and hit the Suburban on the rear passenger side. Unfortunately, the passenger was not wearing his seatbelt as is required by Texas law. The tragic accident occurred at Highway 121 and Holfords Prairie Road in Lewisville, Texas.

I just wrote earlier this week about the huge problem we have in Dallas/Fort Worth with people running red lights. The statistics are staggering: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that in 2006, in the United States alone, there were 171,000 crashes, 144,000 injuries and 887 deaths related to red light running. In my opinion, the more red light cameras the better. But we all have to be aware and drive defensively anyway, as some folks are going to run red lights and cause accidents whether they're caught on camera or not. This serves as one more reminder of the importance of always wearing a seatbelt.

Posted by Mark A. Anderson | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Auto Accidents , Wrongful Death

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