Texas Trial Lawyers » Auto Accidents http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog Just another WordPress weblog Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:13:52 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Motor Home Accidents Part 2 http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/1557/ http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/1557/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:13:52 +0000 texastriallawyers http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/?p=1557 A recent and deadly motor home accident has prompted me to develop several short journal entries on the topic. Let us consider the basic facts and statistics of this type of vehicle in this article.

*There are three classes of motor home vehicles – which are decided by the weight of the recreational vehicle. The Class “A” vehicle is most like a home and not unlike stripping a truck chassis and overlaying it with the framework of a bus – only with living accommodations. The obvious advantages are roominess and a high perch for the driver.

*The advantages are also disadvantages as well. These vehicles are cumbersome at best – and difficult to maneuver, park, back up and handle in an emergency situation. Driving the vast majority of RVs requires no special license and dealers will tell prospective buyers that handling them is easier than many newcomers think. In some states, the very largest motor homes may require a special driving test or written test for a different class of driver’s license. Regardless of size, personal use recreation vehicles do not require a commercial driver’s license.

*There are a variety of other types of recreational vehicles as well including the travel trailer, van/camper, attached cab, truck campers, pop-up campers and fifth wheel models. All come with the need to develop an expertise in handling before taking them out on the ‘open-road’ and drivers would be well served with a little training before taking the road.

Greg Baumgartner is a Houston personal injury attorney and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Houston accident attorney call the Baumgartner firm.

]]> http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/1557/feed/ 0 Women at Greater Risk of Injury In an Accident http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/women-at-greater-risk-of-injury-in-an-accident/ http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/women-at-greater-risk-of-injury-in-an-accident/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:18:07 +0000 texastriallawyers http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/?p=1467 A recent report indicates that in the case of vehicle collisions women are repeatedly at greater risk of more severe injury than their male counterparts. According to results published in a recent article of the highly regarded American Journal of Public Health women who are generally of smaller stature sustain greater injuries in comparable accidents even with the additional support of safety devices such as seat belts and air bags. In fact, according to the findings of their study women are actually nearly twice as likely to sustain catastrophic injuries as men!

Not everyone who has read the research agrees with the results. There are a number of anomalies in the study that bear closer inspection. In an interview on a television newsmagazine one expert counters by offering the following problem with the findings:

*the study relied on statistics that date back over a decade. This means that the types of vehicles from which data was collected did not have the safety features that are common on today’s cars and trucks. In fact, the vehicles under consideration could have been built in the late 1980s to early 1990s. Safety technology has evolved rapidly since then.

Those who take exception to this study believe that it is all but invalid and should not be presented as authentic science. It was suggested that one way to improve the findings would be to limit the research to vehicles that were manufactured in the last decade alone. The other side of the coin is that the study has pretty clear evidence the women may be more likely to be seriously injured in a car accident.

Greg Baumgartner is a Texas personal injury attorney and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Houston accident lawyer call the Baumgartner firm

]]> http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/women-at-greater-risk-of-injury-in-an-accident/feed/ 0 Deer Season and Car Accidents http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/deer-season-and-car-accidents/ http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/deer-season-and-car-accidents/#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:27:06 +0000 texastriallawyers http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/?p=1451 With fall approaching and winter not far behind it’s a good time to remember that this is ‘deer’ season and add extra caution to your driving. While these animals may seem beautiful from afar – they are the cause of numerous crashes and fatalities each year. If you keep the following advice in mind – you may save yourself or a family member from potential disaster.

*Be alert when driving through the countryside particularly the Texas hill country. Unfortunately we tend to get lost in the beauty of a particularly ethereal location and only snap back to reality when an animal darts out in front of our car. Try to stay focused and drive defensively.

*Do not speed on country roads. That way – you’ll be able to react to an animal appearing suddenly before you. In inclement weather when the roads are more slippery – slowing down is even more important.

*Keep an eye on the road in front of you and actively scan both sides of the road in search of animals that may run out. In addition, always be especially wary at sunrise and sunset because these are the times that deer and moose are more active.

*Use your high beams at night so as to illuminate more of the road. If a deer runs out in front quickly beep the horn to prevent them from becoming mesmerized by the headlights. Slow down as quickly as possible but do not swerve radically. It may be better to hit a deer than to lose control of the car.

Greg Baumgartner is an auto accident attorney and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims with serious injury seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with Houston accident attorneys call the Baumgartner firm at 281-587-1111.

]]> http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/deer-season-and-car-accidents/feed/ 0 Child Safety Campaign http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/child-safety-campaign/ http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/child-safety-campaign/#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:46:13 +0000 texastriallawyers http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/?p=1444 Recently the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration kicked off a child safety campaign complete with loveable characters and an easy-to-remember slogan. The motto – “Think Safe, Ride Safe, Be Safe” is catchy and simple enough for children to remember. It is predicated on the fact that automobile accidents continue to be one of the leading causes of wrongful death for children between the ages of 2 to 7 years of age.

The safety campaign is interactive and is designed to deliver ‘life-saving lessons’ to children as they travel by bus, bike, car or on foot. Developed by the well-known creators of Chuggington, the public service program includes a website, downloadable activity and coloring sheets, and other fun activities that will engage children while delivering valuable safety lessons.

For instance, if you visit the ‘bike safety’ webpage you’ll find valuable parent tips to help guide your child to make safe bike riding decisions such as wearing a helmet, preventing accidents and proper bike care. Children are urged to take a safety pledge, watch safety videos and complete a safety activity book. The program has been created in collaboration with educators and other professionals around the country – and except for the requisite taxpayer subsidy -the program is delivered at no cost to the user.

Parents, I urge you to take the time to visit the site and familiarize yourself and your children to take the time to use the educational materials available on this site and become experts in traffic safety.

Greg Baumgartner is an accident attorney in Houston and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Houston accident law firm call the Baumgartner firm.

]]> http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/child-safety-campaign/feed/ 0 40,000 Car Accident Fatalities Each Year http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/40000-car-accident-fatalities-each-year/ http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/40000-car-accident-fatalities-each-year/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:05:14 +0000 texastriallawyers http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/?p=1441 In our previous article we discussed some new and interesting data related to vehicle collisions that should give the driver pause before making unsafe driving decisions such as driving intoxicated or distracted. Consider the following information.

*In the case of head-on collisions, the result is often one or more fatalities – while only a minor portion of these are injury-producing only and even less result in property damage alone. In other words, head-on collisions are almost certain to cause death.

*Other causes of fatalities include loss of control of a vehicle when negotiating a curve, an unawareness of slowed traffic ahead and/ or vehicle merging or changing lanes. In addition, the top five causes of car accidents are: failure to yield the right of way, speeding or driving too fast for road conditions, failing to stop at lights or stop signs, reckless driving and drunk or drugged driving.

*In terms of cost – accidents account for a significant portion of the Gross National Product. The total cost of accidents averages over $32 billion dollars a year to the economy – of which nearly a billion and a half goes to emergency services, another $11 billion goes to legal costs, and $20 billion goes to lost productivity.  Another $39 billion is spent in property damages.

*An average of 40,000 people lose their lives each year on American roadways. Everyone needs to drive safely.

Greg Baumgartner is a successful wrongful death attorney in Houston and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Houston fatal accident lawyer call the Baumgartner firm.

]]> http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/40000-car-accident-fatalities-each-year/feed/ 0 Auto Accident Statistics are Shocking http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/auto-accident-statistics-are-shocking/ http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/auto-accident-statistics-are-shocking/#comments Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:53:04 +0000 texastriallawyers http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/?p=1436 Motor vehicle accident facts are compiled by multiple sources in the United States – some agencies are private, some public, many are governmental including (but not limited to) FARS (fatal accident reporting system), IIHS (insurance institute for highway safety), NCHS (national center for highway statistics), NHTSA (national highway transportation safety administration) and NCSS (national crash severity system). Frankly, you’d think that with such powerful organizations and dozens others like it there would be NO traffic accidents or fatalities whatsoever. Unfortunately, nothing could be farther from the truth. Let us consider some of the very real facts about traffic injuries and deaths that occur annually across the country.

*In a recent year there were 28 million vehicles damaged to some degree due to a traffic accident. These were the result of 12 and a half million traffic accidents that caused over 2 million permanent and disabling injuries to drivers, passengers or other victims (such as pedestrians and other nearby witnesses).

*There are a suspected and significant number of additional injuries that are never reported due to such things as a lack of insurance on the part of the person who caused the accident and/or hit and run drivers who fail to seek medical help for fear of being caught and prosecuted.

*Rear-end collisions are the major cause of accidents and injuries in the U.S.

*Every second a driver is behind the wheel of their vehicle they are confronted with no less than 10 traffic situations that require them to make a driving decision.

In addition, the typical driver is confronted with at least one driver error every two minutes they are on the road. The situation gets more complex with the explosion in mobile phone communications, primarily texting and email use by drivers.  Studies have shown that texting is almost as dangerous as a drunk driver. Unfortunately, our Texas governor chose to veto a state wide ban of texting and driving.

Greg Baumgartner is a Houston personal injury attorney and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Houston accident lawyer call the Baumgartner firm.

]]> http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/auto-accident-statistics-are-shocking/feed/ 0 DWI Accidents and Prescription Drugs http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/dwi-accidents-and-prescription-drugs/ http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/dwi-accidents-and-prescription-drugs/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:17:49 +0000 texastriallawyers http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/?p=1373 Most people think that driving under the influence refers only to alcohol intoxication. In fact, impaired drivers with legal and illegal substances in their blood stream are also considered to be driving under the influence as well.

There are millions of over-the-counter and prescription medications taken each year by Americans young and old. Some of these are bound to affect a person’s ability to drive. Physicians regularly warn their patients about the adverse effects of the prescribed drugs on a person’s daily routine and drug makers include strict warnings on their products as well. In addition, it’s good common sense to expect that drugs will affect you in some way.

Persons who are ticketed for driving under the influence of legal substances are generally treated with greater lenience. Of course, the courts don’t like it – but to some extent it is understandable if your driving was impaired by prescription medication. However, in the case of illegal substances – which include everything from pot to pills and crack to cocaine – there is ‘zero tolerance’. This type of ‘drugged’ driving leads to greater fines and lengthier jail terms if there is a conviction. Too, prosecutors may place addition charges on the suspect including ‘possession of an illegal substance’. This complicates legal matters for the suspected drugged driver.

If you are under a doctor’s care and medicine is prescribed – be sure to review any precautions and restrictions with him or her. As for the recreational drug user – don’t drive drugged.

Greg Baumgartner is a Houston drunk driver accident lawyer and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping injury victims seek civil justice. For a free no obligation consultation with a Houston DWI wreck lawyer call the Baumgartner firm.

]]> http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/dwi-accidents-and-prescription-drugs/feed/ 0 Driving in Severe Weather http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/driving-in-severe-weather/ http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/driving-in-severe-weather/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:23:53 +0000 texastriallawyers http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/?p=1316 The recent tornados and severe storms crossing the country have prompted me to devote an article to safety procedures specific to storm driving.

*First, if you can avoid driving in bad weather that is the best advice. Weather forecasts are available online, on the radio, on television and in newspapers. It is also a common topic of conversation – so there’s really no reason NOT to be aware of upcoming weather events.

*If you ARE driving and a tornado appears in front of you and you are able to – then drive at a right angle to the storm. According to one expert tornadoes tend to track northeast so a right angle turn would take you south and southeast or (hopefully) away from the storm.

*Do not try to outrun a tornado or drive through it. Recent video of tornado damage demonstrates that tornadoes are strong enough to lift a car and fling it – if you or your family are in that vehicle you will likely suffer catastrophic injury.

*If you have time pull the car off the road and find shelter or lay in a ditch or culvert. Cover your head with your hands.

*Do not pull under an overpass. IT will not protect you. Instead air getting trapped under the overpass turns it into a wind tunnel.

*The last piece of advice is the same as the first – we are in tornado season – it happens this same time every year. We are also in an area prone to tornadoes so make it a habit to know the weather forecast for several days in advance. This allows you plenty of time to be prepared.

Greg Baumgartner is a Texas personal injury lawyer and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Houston auto accident lawyer call the Baumgartner firm.

]]> http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/driving-in-severe-weather/feed/ 0 Children Left in Hot Cars http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/children-left-in-hot-cars/ http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/children-left-in-hot-cars/#comments Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:07:55 +0000 texastriallawyers http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/?p=1335 With the news that another child in the area was left in the car and succumbed due to the extreme heat I have resigned myself to the fact that at least once a year I will revisit the topic of child safety and children in hot cars. Some years ago I represented the family of a small girl who was left in a day car van in a Houston wrongful death lawsuit and will never forget the impact on the family of the loss.

According to statistics – there have been at least ten incidences of children who have died so far this year because they were left behind in a hot car. Last year nearly fifty children died from this – and over five hundred children have died from this since 1998.

The actual cause of death is hyperthermia. This is an elevated body temperature in which the body absorbs more heat than it can dissipate. The actual progress of the ailment begins when the blood vessels dilate to allow for greater heat dissemination – or perspiring. The individual eventually becomes dehydrated and the abnormally high body temperature leads to heat stroke. For lack of a better explanation (or because one is necessary) the body simply boils to death.

More than one organization has developed a plan to help parents remember that they have a little one in the back seat. I hope you find the following advice helpful.

*Put your purse, cell phone, brief case or other personal item in the back seat by the baby car seat. This way you will have to retrieve it from the back and it becomes a reminder that your child is there.

*Make it a habit to check your back seat EVERY time you arrive at work, home or other destination. This two second routine could save your child’s life.

*Put the car seat behind the passenger seat so that it is in your peripheral vision.

*Put a stuffed animal in the car seat. When the baby is placed in the seat put the stuffed animal beside you as a visual reminder that the child is there.

*Keep your car locked at all times and keys out of the reach of children.

*Slow down – what could be more important than your child? We all have busy lives but their welfare should be at the top of the list of your concerns. You cannot undo an oversight of this magnitude.

* Never leave your small child unattended in the car.

Greg Baumgartner is a Houston wrongful death lawyer and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Houston wrongful death attorney call the Baumgartner firm.

]]> http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/children-left-in-hot-cars/feed/ 0 Car Accidents and Blunt Force Trauma http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/car-accidents-and-blunt-force-trauma/ http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/car-accidents-and-blunt-force-trauma/#comments Sat, 21 May 2011 18:08:34 +0000 texastriallawyers http://www.texastriallawyers.com/blog/?p=1287 One of the most common types of injuries that result from an automobile accident is blunt force trauma – also known as blunt injury or blunt trauma. In fact, research shows that blunt force trauma accounts for nearly fifty percent of all injuries sustained in vehicle accidents. It may also be called a non-penetrating trauma. It can happen to any part of the inside of the human body and may result in concussions, fractured bones, abrasions and/or lacerations. In addition, vehicle wrecks can lead to internal injuries as well.

Abdominal trauma is not uncommon in automobile accidents even with today’s advanced safety features such as seat belts and airbags. In the case of an accident the immediate deceleration of the vehicle coupled with the impact of any number of objects can lead to bruising or even rupturing of the internal organs. This includes everything from your intestines to your liver, your kidneys to your pancreas, and even your heart or stomach.

Recent accidents that resulted in blunt force trauma injuries include a one-car accident that occurred when the driver of a van swerved to avoid debris in the roadway and ended up losing control of the car. Two passengers who were not wearing seat belts were thrown from the vehicle and died on the roadway from blunt force trauma to their head and extremities – as well as internal injuries.

In another accident a young man was the victim of blunt force trauma to the brain when he was hit from behind by a flying object. He suffered bleeding inside his brain and was hospitalized for several months.

Blunt force trauma from vehicle collisions can be very serious.

Greg Baumgartner is a Houston auto accident lawyer and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping personal injury victims seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Texas personal injury attorney call the Baumgartner firm.

Baumgartner Law Firm

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