Texas Injury Lawyers Blog

Published on: August 21, 2019

E-cigarettes and Vaporizers Present Serious Risks to Texas Adolescents

Smoking has long been known to present serious health risks to young adults. However, when the use of e-cigarettes, also known as vape pens, became popular a few years back, many young adults assumed that this new form of smoking was safer than traditional cigarettes. For several reasons, that is not the case. In fact, e-cigarette and vape pen accidents have been the basis of many Texas personal injury lawsuits.

Since the U.S. Fire Administration began keeping track of e-cigarette injuries in 2009, there have been 195 documented incidents of vape pens exploding. These incidents injured 133 people, and of those, 38 people required hospitalization as a result of their injuries. Most of these injuries consisted of chemical burns and blast injuries to the face, hands, thighs, and groin.

Vaping presents many of the same risks as smoking traditional cigarettes, and also carries several unique risks. For example, according to a recent report by WebMD, in 2018, a vape pen exploded in a teen’s face, breaking his jaw. Apparently, the pen exploded during regular use.

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Published on: July 8, 2019

Texas Supreme Court Considers Property Owner’s Liability to Independent Contractors

By Carabin Shaw

The state’s high court recently released an opinion in a Texas wrongful death case involving the death of an employee that worked for an independent contractor that was hired by the defendant property owner. The issue in the case was whether the property owner could be held liable for the employee’s death based on a theory of negligently hiring.

According to the court’s opinion, the property owner was an energy company that had hired a drilling company as a contractor to drill a well. A drilling company employee died while working on the well. He was working on the well when a rope caught on a pulley, causing a pipe to hit the employee in the head, which eventually resulted in his death. The employee’s family sued the energy company, alleging that the energy company negligently hired, retained, and supervised the drilling company.

A property owner can be held liable for a claim that harms an independent contractor or the contractor’s employees if the property owner controlled the work and knew or should have known of the risk or danger that caused the contractor harm. Under Chapter 95 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, a property owner can be held liable for an injury to a contractor that is repairing, renovating, constructing, or modifying property, but only if the property owner controlled the work and “had actual knowledge of the danger or condition.”

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Published on: July 8, 2019

Texas Workplace Injury Lawsuits

By Carabin Shaw

When a Texas employee is injured on the job, they may be able to obtain Texas workers’ compensation benefits until they are able to return to work. However, a workers’ compensation claimant is limited in the amount they can recover for their injuries. Typically, an injured worker can only recover for their medical expenses and lost wages.

A Texas personal injury claim, on the other hand, allows for an injured employee to recover more fully for their injuries, including for their pain and suffering. However, under the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act, when a workers’ compensation claim is appropriate, it is usually the employee’s sole remedy against their employer. This means that an injured employee may be prevented from pursuing a personal injury case against their employer.

There are several instances in which an injured employee may be able to pursue a Texas personal injury case against one or more parties. For example, if a third party causes an employee’s injuries, the employee may be able to pursue a Texas third-party claim against that person or organization. Third-party claims do not implicate Texas workers’ compensation laws because the named defendant is not the injured worker’s employer.

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Published on: July 8, 2019

Texas Woman Seriously Injured after Pharmacy Error

By Carabin Shaw

Medical errors are consistently ranked as one of the leading causes of accidental death in the United States. While there are many different types of medical errors that contribute to this startling statistic, one of the most common types of mistakes is medication error.

A Texas medication error is typically the result of a pharmacist, nurse, or another medical professional, providing a patient with medication that was not intended for the patient. It may be that the nurse mistook one drug for another with a similar name, or that a pharmacist missed a decimal point when dosing a prescription. In any event, medical professionals are human and, as a result, make mistakes. When mistakes are made, patients suffer.

Two years ago, an Austin woman was given a prescription that was 54,000% stronger than the medication that was prescribed by her doctor. According to a local news report covering the error, as well as the woman’s recovery, the woman suffers from a rare disorder called Hashimoto’s disease that causes her immune system to attack her thyroid. As a result, the woman’s thyroid does not make sufficient levels of hormones.

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Published on: July 8, 2019

Employer Liability in Texas Car Accident Cases

By Carabin Shaw

One of the most critical decisions a Texas car accident victim must make when pursuing a claim for compensation is which parties should be named as defendants. Naming all potentially liable parties is important for several reasons. First, plaintiffs typically only get “one bite at the apple,” meaning that an injury victim can only bring one case based on their injuries. It is the plaintiff’s responsibility to name all potentially liable parties, and if an essential party is not named a plaintiff will not likely be able to file a subsequent lawsuit against the unnamed party. Thus, a plaintiff should name all potentially liable parties because a failure to do so could result in the named defendants shifting a portion of the fault for the accident onto a non-present party.

Another important reason for naming all potentially liable parties is to increase the likelihood that a successful plaintiff will be able to collect on an award. Serious Texas personal injury cases can result in substantial monetary damages. Often, individuals may not have sufficient assets to fully compensate a successful plaintiff and, in some cases, they may not carry enough insurance coverage. By naming additional parties, a plaintiff has the ability to collect a damages award from several parties, increasing the chance that the plaintiff will be able to collect the entirety of what she is entitled to.

Texas Woman Killed When Delivery Truck Runs Red Light

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Published on: July 8, 2019

Texas Supreme Court Determines Off-Duty Officer Was Immune from Liability in Recent Wrongful Death Lawsuit

By Carabin Shaw

In May 2019, the state’s high court issued a written opinion in a Texas wrongful death case discussing whether an off-duty officer could be held individually liable after he shot and killed a suspect while attempting an arrest outside the officer’s jurisdiction. Under the state’s election-of-remedies provision of the Texas Tort Claims Act, the court determined that the officer could not be held liable in his individual capacity.

Under the election-of-remedies provision of the Texas Tort Claims Act, government employees cannot be held individually liable for injuries they cause to others under certain circumstances. Specifically, an injured victim cannot hold a government employee personally liable when: 1.) the employee’s actions were conducted within the scope of their employment, and 2.) the case could have been brought against the government.

According to the court’s recitation of the facts, the plaintiffs’ son was shot and killed by an off-duty officer (the defendant) during an attempted arrest that occurred outside the defendant’s jurisdiction. The plaintiffs filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the officer in his individual capacity.

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Published on: July 8, 2019

Six Killed in Texas SUV Accident

By Carabin Shaw

Earlier this month, six El Salvadoran citizens were killed and five others seriously injured in a Texas car accident. According to a local news report covering the tragic accident, the single-vehicle crash occurred when an SUV crashed into a roadside ditch near Robstown. Apparently, shortly before the accident, the vehicle was being pursued by police. However, law enforcement gave up on the pursuit due to the wet conditions. The SUV was traveling at estimated speeds of up to 50 miles per hour before the crash.

The authorities have not yet released several important details surrounding the fatal accident. For example, it is unclear what the basis of the traffic stop was and whether it justified a high-speed chase. Additionally, it is unknown how long after the authorities called off the chase the crash occurred. What is known is that the people involved in the accident were undocumented.

Because police gave up on the pursuit, they were not immediately aware of the accident, which was only reported after passers-by noticed two injured men walking along the side of the road. Once the crash was reported, emergency medical crews responded to the scene, removing several from the wreckage.

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Published on: July 8, 2019

Ten Things to Do Following a Texas Car Accident

By Carabin Shaw

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, each year 17,500 people are seriously injured in Texas car accidents. Human nature is such that most of us operate under the assumption that we will never be included in that statistic. However, the reality is that a car accident occurs in Texas every 59 seconds, and someone is injured in an accident nearly every two minutes.

Knowing what to do in the aftermath of a serious car accident is essential knowledge that all drivers should possess. The moments after a car accident are incredibly stressful, and many motorists go into autopilot mode, relying on their instincts rather than thinking through the situation as they usually would. Thus, it is important that Texas motorists commit the following essential “to dos” to memory.

Stop, even if it wasn’t your fault – Even in the event of a minor accident, stop to evaluate the damage. The body has a remarkable way of masking pain in the moments immediately following a traumatic event. Motorists who brush off a minor accident may wake up a few days later with significant pain or other related issues.

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Published on: July 8, 2019

Texas Supreme Court Discusses Notice Requirement in Personal Injury Lawsuits Filed Against the Government

By Carabin Shaw

The state’s high court recently ruled in a Texas personal injury case involving the notice requirements in lawsuits against government entities. According to the court’s opinion, two individuals were riding on a motorcycle when they hit a large mound of dirt on an unlit asphalt road in Killeen, Texas. While both driver and passenger initially survived the crash, they ultimately died as a result of their injuries. The accident victims’ relatives sued the city, claiming that the mound of dirt was a “special defect” for which the city was responsible. The city argued that the plaintiffs failed to give formal notice of the claim, as required under the Texas Tort Claims Act. In response, the plaintiffs argued that the city already had actual notice of the claim and therefore the plaintiffs should be excused from providing additional notice.

Under section 101.101(a) of the Texas Tort Claims Act, a claimant must provide a government entity with notice of a claim against it within six months of the “incident giving rise to the claim.” The notice must describe the incident, the time and place where the incident occurred, and the damage or injury that resulted. However, under section 101.101(c), a claimant does not need to provide notice if the governmental entity has “actual notice” that the claimant was injured, the claimant’s property was damaged, or that a death has occurred.

In a 2004 Texas Supreme Court case, the court held in order to have actual notice, the government must be subjectively aware of its alleged fault in the resulting death, injury, or property damage. The plaintiffs argued that the case should be overturned because this requirement was not part of the statute. However, the court declined to overturn its previous decision, and held that in this case, the city had actual notice.

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Published on: July 8, 2019

Man Charged with the Deaths of Seven Motorcyclists Was Previously Involved in a Texas Rollover

By Carabin Shaw

In late June, seven motorcyclists were killed and four seriously injured in a tragic accident that occurred when a pickup truck inexplicably veered out of its lane and into oncoming traffic, crashing into a group of ten motorcycles. Since the fatal accident, reports have surfaced indicating that the driver of the pickup truck involved in that fatal collision was also involved in a number of other incidents, including a Texas truck accident a few weeks earlier.

According to a local news report, on June 3, 2019, just three weeks before the fatal motorcycle accident, police responded to reports of a crash on Interstate 10 in Baytown. When they arrived, officers found a red Mack truck rolled over onto its side. The driver of the truck told police that another motorist cut him off, and that he lost control of the truck when he attempted to avoid a collision. Police officers were unable to locate any sign of the other vehicle, but did not cite or arrest the truck driver because there was no indication of intoxication or any other wrongdoing. However, the man was fired after this incident.

After looking into the man’s record more closely, reporters discovered that he was arrested back in February of 2019 for possession of a crack pipe. The man was placed on a deferment, meaning that the charges would be dropped if he stayed out of trouble. Just a week before the fatal motorcycle accident, the charges were dropped.

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