According to reports, police became suspicious about a car stopped in downtown Houston and approached the vehicle, asking its occupants to get out. One of the occupants apparently complied with the police request yet the other fled the scene in the vehicle.

While attempting to evade police the driver ran a red light and crashed into another car killing a woman and injuring two other people, before the driver fled the scene of the accident.

Houston has had a rash of hit and run fatal accidents in the last year. It is almost astonishing the number of hit-and-run accidents we have seen in our community. The accident reported by the Chronicle happened downtown about 1130 in the evening. It seems a high percentage of fatal hit-and-run accidents happen in the evening or early morning hours.

Some of the reasons for hit and run accidents are that the driver of the vehicle is afraid of being arrested for one reason or another. Frequently, intoxicated drivers for the accident scenes hoping to avoid arrest for drunken driving or intoxicated assault. Folks that are uninsured and seeking to escape financial responsibility perpetrate some hit-and-run accidents, and also there are those who may not have a driver’s license or may not have documents to be in the country legally.

For whatever the specific cause of the driver fleeing an accident scene, it is clear that Houston has reached the epidemic level in hit and run accidents.

Almost every week in my Texas personal injury practice I see folks who have been in an accident with an uninsured party and left holding the bag. In these times of uncertainty economically, it may well be in your best interest to meet with your insurance agent and discuss underinsured motorist coverage and uninsured motorist coverage. You may be very glad you did.

The Houston Police Department’s hit and run central telephone number is 713-247-4065. If you have any information about this hit and run or any other hit and run accident please contact the Houston Police Department hit and run division.

Greg Baumgartner is a and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, a Texas personal injury law firm dedicated to helping families of people injured or killed in accidents. For a free no obligation consultation call the Baumgartner law firm at 281-587-1111.

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*A Houston Police Officer assigned to the vehicular crimes division was investigating a motorcycle accident on the Loop in the early morning hours when he was struck and killed by another driver – suspected of drunk driving.

*In another auto accident at nearly the same time a man and woman and two infants were traveling north when the driver lost control of his SUV. The vehicle left the road and rolled over in a ditch. The man who had been driving was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. The female and babies were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital where they are all in serious but stable condition.

*A male jogger was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver around the same time as the previous two accidents. There are no witnesses – and another who happened by and saw the man lying in the roadway notified the police. The man was taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Sadly, all these deaths were potentially preventable. Drunk driving accounts for nearly half of all vehicle accident fatalities. Yet knowing this – people still drink and drive. And there’s simply no excuse for not wearing your seatbelt. It is the single most valuable passive life saver in car and truck accidents. Finally, jogging in the middle of the night can be dangerous– if you jog at night sure you have on reflective gear or better yet carry a light.

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 18 wheeler accident lawyer call the Baumgartner firm.

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The individual services and products of a funeral include:

*the casket and other products such as a temporary grave marker and prayer cards

*professional and administrative services provided by the funeral home including such things as embalming and employee support

*rental of the facility and equipment including the funeral home visitation room and/or a chapel

*transportation to the burial site including limousine service to take the body to the grave

*incidentals including flowers, cemetery plot, and a permanent headstone

Funerals can cost as little as a thousand dollars (not likely though) to upwards of $20,000 or more depending on the amount of money a family has available and is wishes to spend. Funeral homes do not list their charges in quite so graphic and easy-to-read formats. Instead the person planning the funeral should be prepared to ask the cost of separate products and services – and frankly, this usually does not occur because it inflicts addition trauma on the survivors. Often families turn the planning and details of a funeral over completely to a funeral home and do not realize the costs until well after their loved one has been buried.

It is true that we share the common bond that we all will die. I always recommend that funeral arrangements should be planned well in advance.  If necessary it may be best for a friend, lawyer or distant relative help with the funeral arrangements as the family is very susceptible after a sudden accident that claims a loved one.

Greg Baumgartner is a Houston wrongful death lawyer and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping families seek civil justice. If you would like to speak with a Houston wrongful death attorney- call the Baumgartner firm for a free no obligation consultation.

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*Work-related traffic accidents are the leading cause of fatalities for both workers and the general population.

*Over a five year period it was determined that nearly a quarter of all occupational deaths were those in vehicle collisions. This amounts to nearly 8200 workers in all. The data shows that the over-65 population made up the largest segment of deaths followed by those in the 55-64 age groups.

*The majority of these deaths were semi-truck drivers killed in accidents. Jackknifed trucks, head-on collisions and rear-ended semis were several of the most common types of 18 wheeler accidents that resulted in fatalities.

*In addition, the NIH named some of the more common causes of accidents including driver fatigue and distracted driving. Too, mechanical equipment failure and unsafe driving practices played a further role in these accidents.

For more information visit the National Institute for Health homepage at www.nih.gov.

Greg Baumgartner is a Houston 18 wheeler 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 Houston wrongful death lawyer call the Baumgartner firm.

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*FIRST AND FOREMOST – invest in swimming lessons for your children. Babies as young as a few months are able to learn how to survive in the water – and there is simply no better way to spend your money than ensuring that your children can handle themselves in the water. Swimming lessons are the first line of defense to drowning accidents.

*Never leave children unsupervised near a swimming pool – not for a moment. It takes only seconds and a few inches of water for a child to drown.

*Ensure that your pool is inaccessible to neighbors and strangers. Invest in fencing that is too high to climb – and has edges that made it impossible to cross at the top. Invest in a secure locking system and allow for only one entrance to the pool.

*Inflatable toys can tip – causing a child to get stuck under the water. Keep a close eye on children if they are using pool toys.

*Never leave a pool of water sitting out. If you filled a small wading pool for your children to play in – empty it before you go inside for the day.

*Remember that water is slippery – running around a pool may cause slip and fall injuries.

*Create a list of ‘pool rules’ with your children – this will encourage them to consider safety procedures as well. Then post them and follow them!

Greg Baumgartner is a Houston pool 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 pool accident attorney in Houston call the Baumgartner firm at 281-587-1111.

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Statistics on semi truck accidents abound and are pretty disturbing . One source finds that there are 2.6 deaths per every 100 million vehicle miles traveled – a rate that is 50% higher than that of any other vehicle on the road.

An average of 5000 trucks are involved in a fatal vehicle collision annually – often there are multiple deaths and it is the passengers and drivers of the other vehicle who are killed at a much higher rate than the semi truck operator. In fact, recently over 5500 wrongful deaths occurred from semi truck accidents and, of these fatalities, only 713 were the truck drivers.

Although there are numerous state and federal regulations that target big rig driving safety it is the responsibility of the truck driver and his or her company to ensure that these rules are adhered to. Such requirements as the number of hours a driver may be behind the wheel to semi truck maintenance are important not only to the truck driver but to every other driver on the road.

Having been a Texas semi truck accident lawyer for the past 25 years I make it a rule of thumb to give semi truck drivers wide berth on the roads and drive defensively.

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Burn injuries are truly some of the worst for a victim to endure and recover from. Second and third degree burns can leave a person scarred for life. In addition, they may be a source of constant pain in the coming years.

Even the process of tending to burn wounds in specialized medical facilities devoted solely to the care of burn victims is particularly daunting. However, the good news is that recent medical breakthroughs offer hope to those who have suffered burn injuries thanks to the development of a particular type of wound dressing that has been shown to help burns healing at a remarkable rate.

The burn dressing was developed in another country – and its designer was recently recognized in an international forum. The dressing itself is made from re-engineered and bio-based materials found in abundance in many countries. In addition, the manufacturing of the burn dressing appears to be economical – which ensures that it can be made available to burn victims world-wide – not just in the more technologically advanced countries.  That is good news for everyone.

Greg Baumgartner is a Houston burn 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 Texas personal injury lawyer call the Baumgartner firm.

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The word ‘punitive’ derives from the word ‘punishment’ and that is the gist of this type of monetary award. Punitive damages are meant to punish the person or party who – through their wanton or gross negligence, deliberate actions, indiscretion or lack of good judgment – is responsible for the death of another. The ways in which this can occur are too numerous to provide a comprehensive accounting of – but one of the most common reasons is a vehicle collision which can be traced to intoxicated or distracted driving.

The awarding of punitive damages is often meant to serve as a warning to the public of the danger of the negligent behavior and the accountability one must bear if you are the offending party.  On the other hand, compensatory damages are monies awarded to the family of a victim that, in effect, is a repayment of the outlay of funds that have already occurred. This would include the cost of emergency services, medical care, funeral and burial arrangements, and future expenses such as lost wages.

Those involved in the litigation of a Texas wrongful death lawsuit should be aware that in the case of an unusually large punitive award a judge may intercede and set the judgment aside or reduce the amount of the award and Texas has specific statutory limitations on the amounts of punitive damages.

Greg Baumgartner is a Houston punitive damage 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 wrongful death lawyer in Houston call the Baumgartner firm.

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Currently the NHTSA is holding workshops on the effects of ‘light-duty’ vehicle mass and size on vehicle safety. The topic goes to a number of concerns include the structural crashworthiness of a light-duty cars and trucks, the safety of the driver and occupants in this vehicle and how the results of collisions inform future decision-making related to safety requirements.

In addition, the NHTSA has taken up a conversation related to the safety of passenger vans due to the recent occurrence of related wrongful death accidents. The NHTSA has found that multi-vehicle passenger vans – often used by churches, schools and other social service agencies – are at a higher risk for any number of potential problems. These include such things as having a higher center of gravity which tends to cause rollover crashes, an over-reliance on side-view mirrors to engage in such maneuvers as lane-changing, and the lack of inexperience on the part of van drivers overall.

The types of problems the NHTSA explores are those that are important to every driver. I suggest you take the time to review their site for information that may be relevant to you.

Greg Baumgartner is a Texas truck 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 Houston van accident lawyer call the Baumgartner firm.

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If you listen closely in reports from 12 step programs today, many of the teenagers, and young adults that are in attendance started at the ages eight to twelve years old with their drinking vocations. By the time they are ready to drive, they are full blown alcoholic that are more likely to achieve a black out, than most adults drinking currently. For example, they get a fifth of vodka on the way home from school and two or three teens consume the entire bottle in two to three hours.

Often drunk teens can barely navigate a staircase much less getting behind the family’s second vehicle parked in the garage. Joy riding after binge drinking is worse in many ways than simply a drunk driver trying to make it home after having three or four at the local watering hole. These youngsters are at the point of inducing themselves into alcoholic comas, and on their way to taking out unsuspecting pedestrians, and drivers. Waking up to the fact that they have killed one or more individual because of their extreme drinking is a reality that no one would like to face, much less the financial, and criminal responsibilities that will ensue afterwards.

It is not known if there will be a new way of raising the consciousness of parents, and educating the children in the dangers of these situations. Apparently stronger educational tools are needed, with a shock and awe value that will get teens to quit taking their own, and others life in their hands over a fifth of hard liquor is needed.

As these youngsters graduate from high school, they will be exposed to campus populations of students where sixty eight percent drink while attending college, and forty percent of them drink muliple times per week. It might seem their futures are not that bright unless some sort of group task force implements new rules, educational processes, and therapy for this new generation of drinkers.

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 drunk driving accident lawyer call the Baumgartner firm.

Please help support the fight against drunk driving in Texas.

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