Personal Injury

Published on: September 15, 2020

ACCIDENT INJURY REPORT: Fatal Car Crash in Edinburg Kills Pedestrian Girl and Injures Other

pexels-energepiccom-174936-300x225 Tuesday, September 8, 2020: The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating a fatal auto-pedestrian crash in Edinburg Sunday evening that left one girl dead and another injured.

According to the release, the accident occurred around 10 p.m. on Owassa Road between Tower Road and Val Verde Road where a woman driving a blue 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe struck two pedestrians.

The release says the woman was allegedly speeding and under the influence of alcohol and continued driving west on Owassa. She was later found near Earling and Tower roads.

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Published on: August 3, 2020

ACCIDENT INJURY REPORT: Woman Charged with Intoxication Assault After Family of 3 Struck by Car in Beaumont Neighborhood in Pedestrian Hit and Run

By Carabin Shaw

July 29, 2020: BEAUMONT, Texas — A 21-year-old Beaumont woman has been charged after police say the car she was driving struck two adults and a child in a west end Beaumont neighborhood Wednesday evening.

Kenlie Davis, 21, of Beaumont, was arrested near the scene and later charged with three counts each of intoxication assault and failure to stop and render aid according to a Thursday news release from the Beaumont Police Department.

When officers arrived on the scene on Oak Trace Drive, they found the three victims in the street suffering from multiple injuries and the vehicle unoccupied in the grass nearby according to the release.

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Published on: July 27, 2020

Pursuing Financial Compensation Through an Auto Insurance Claim Following a Texas Car Accident

By Carabin Shaw

car-crash-cartoon-pictures-19-300x210 When someone gets into another’s car as a passenger, they hope that the driver is safe and alert while operating the vehicle. Sometimes, however, even when the driver exercises the utmost care and attention while driving, Texas car accidents can happen because of recklessness or negligence from other careless drivers on the road. When collisions involving these circumstances result in a tragedy, families left in the wake of the incident deserve to be compensated for their loss.

In a recent news report, a fatal Texas car crash resulted in the death of two young individuals. At around 6:00pm in the evening, a 19-year-old was driving east and did not yield the right-of-way as a pickup truck was heading north. The truck collided with the passenger side of the 19-year old’s vehicle, and the driver died at the scene. His passenger, a young 20-year-old woman, was flown by air ambulance to a hospital nearby, where she later passed away. The Texas Department of Public Safety and its troopers are still investigating the fatal crash, which occurred west of Fort Worth.

Following an accident like this one, holding the driver liable through their insurance company is the natural next step. In Texas, it matters who was responsible for the accident, so the injured party will be required to present their claims to the insurance company of the at-fault driver. The insurance company will then either negotiate a settlement or deny the claim. Texas also recognizes comparative negligence, which may pose a challenge if the injured party’s own negligence contributed to the crash. However, an accident victim would still be eligible to receive compensation as long as you were not more responsible for the accident than the other driver. If a motorist negligently contributed to the car accident, the amount of compensation received would be reduced by their own percentage of fault.

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Published on: July 25, 2020

How to Safely Drive During a Flash Flood Warnings

By Carabin Shaw

You don’t have to live near an ocean, lake, or river to be subjected to flash flooding brought on by heavy rains that have nowhere to go.

Flash floods may be one of the most dangerous weather-related phenomena because they can happen anywhere. The water rises so fast and flows so swiftly that roads can be particularly dangerous.

Nearly every town and city across the country is vulnerable to storm drains and sewer systems overflowing and/or backing up because of too much rain for them to handle or debris clogging them

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Published on: July 13, 2020

Texas Plaintiff Denied Relief in 5th Circuit Product Liability Claim

By Carabin Shaw

medical-tools-placed-on-tray-in-modern-clinic-3884085-300x200 A recent case provides insight for Texas plaintiffs suing manufacturers for injuries caused by their products. According to the court’s opinion, the plaintiff was injured after her dentist inappropriately used a product to clean her dentures. The plaintiff later suffered significant injuries when the dentures were placed in her mouth. After suing the dentist and the product’s manufacturer, the plaintiff’s claim against the manufacturer was dismissed by the United States 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The plaintiff’s claim against the manufacturer was based on a failure to warn. The theory underlying failure to warn claims is that a product’s manufacturer has a responsibility to warn users of harmful effects. As one court explained, “in a failure-to-warn case, the plaintiff must show that the warning was defective and that this…was the producing cause of the plaintiff’s injury.” These cases typically come down to a question of whether the warning was adequate. In other words, a plaintiff will generally be able to recover if the judge or jury believes that the manufacturer’s warning was not sufficient to warn the plaintiff against the type of injury that occurred.

In this case, the plaintiff’s claim was unsuccessful because the product’s label contained language warning against using the product in the manner that caused the plaintiff’s injury. The warning label on the product stated that it was not to be used to disinfect dentures or the surface of any other instrument that would come into contact with mucous membranes. By instructing his assistant to soak the dentures in the product for fifteen minutes before placing the dentures back in the plaintiff’s mouth, the dentist caused the plaintiff’s injury by using the product in the exact manner that the warning label prohibited. When a product’s warning warns against the very activity that causes injury, the warning is deemed adequate as a matter of law, and the plaintiff’s claim automatically fails. For this reason, the plaintiff’s claim was unsuccessful.

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Published on: July 3, 2020

Backyard Fireworks Dangers

By Carabin Shaw

Friday, July 3, 2020, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS–Fireworks are a time-honored and much beloved tradition on the July 4th Weekend. But this year, fireworks celebrations across the country may be cancelled or reduced due to Covid-19. Many people will now celebrate the holiday at home or at a neighbor’s house. Here are suggestions for staying safe and avoiding a visit to the hospital from do-it-yourself-home fireworks.

Backyard fireworks can be dangerous, causing serious burns, eye injuries and even death. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, fireworks should only be handled by a well-trained adult — and that includes sparklers.

Children under 15 account for more than a third of the injuries, which included burns and wounds to the hands, fingers and arms, the head and face, and eyes. Some of the most severe and fatal injuries happened when lit fireworks seemed not to work correctly and were being held by the victim when they exploded.

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Published on: May 8, 2020

Accident Injury Report – Crash on I-40 Leaves Two Dead, One with Life Threatening Injuries in Oldham County

By Carabin Shaw

Tuesday, May 5, 2020: OLDHAM COUNTY, Texas — Two people are dead and another suffered serious injuries after a wreck on Tuesday between a car and semi-trailer on Interstate 40, about 15 miles west of Adrian in Oldham County.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, at about 11:55 a.m., a 2005 truck-tractor with a semi-trailer, driven by 30-year-old Ali Mohamed, of Columbus, Ohio, was traveling west on I-40 followed by Cadillac passenger car, driven by 26-year-old DCarlos Benton, of Rochester, Illinois.

The Cadillac failed to control its speed and struck the semi-trailer. Benton and passengers, 22-year-old Hayden Stout, of Springfield, Illinois, and 21-year-old Tavin Benton, of Fullerton, California, were all ejected from the Cadillac. After the crash, the Cadillac caught fire and burned. Oldham County Justice of the Peace Kristy Homfeld pronounced both Stout and Tavin Benton dead at the scene.

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Published on: May 6, 2020

Brake Failure Is a Major Cause of Texas Truck Accidents

By Carabin Shaw

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that there were 5,000 truck accident fatalities in the United States in the last reporting year and Texas had the highest number of trucks involved in a fatal crash. Further, there has been a 12 percent increase in the total number of individuals killed in trucking accidents over the last ten years. These startling facts about Texas trucking accidents make it clear that motorists should take every precaution to drive safely when traveling, especially on the state’s many highways. However, even when motorists and pedestrians take steps to protect themselves, accidents can still happen. In these cases, Texas truck accident victims should seek legal representation to ensure that they understand their rights and remedies.

One of the most common causes of Texas trucking accidents is brake failure. The NHTSA reports that almost thirty percent of trucking accidents occurred due to an issue with the truck’s brakes. When a large truck experiences a brake failure, the driver often loses control of their vehicle and may slam into other motorists, pedestrians, or buildings. In response to the prevalence and aftermath of large truck accidents, Texas has many measures in place to ensure that drivers take steps to limit the chance of brake failure.

Texas truck drivers should make sure that they inspect their vehicles before embarking on journeys. The inspection includes making sure the vehicle’s brakes are working and that all of the cargo is secured. Additionally, employers should make sure that their drivers have adequate training to inspect, maintain, and drive their vehicles. Further, drivers should have the skills to control their vehicle and mitigate damages if they experience brake failure. In many cases, there may be several parties responsible for a truck’s brake failure. Injury victims should understand the elements of a Texas trucking accident lawsuit so that they can recover damages for these serious accidents.

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Published on: April 15, 2020

ACCIDENT INJURY REPORT: Breckenridge Man Dies, One Seriously Injured in One-Vehicle Crash Near Trent in NE Taylor County

By Carabin Shaw

Saturday, April 11, 2020: ABILENE, Texas – A Breckenridge man died in a one-vehicle crash early Saturday morning. The accident happened in northwest Taylor County near Trent. “The vehicle went off the west part of the road, struck a bridge, and fell off landing on a concrete barrier below the bridge in the median of IH-20.

A passenger, Raymond Santos Baladez, male, 30 was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Mr. Santos was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

The driver of the vehicle, a Ford F150, a 30 year old male also from Breckenridge sustained serious injuries and a 33 year old female passenger from Anson, Texas received what are described as stable injuries. Both of these persons along with the deceased Mr. Baladez were not wearing seat belts. A minor 14 year old female passenger also of Anson was the only person wearing a seatbelt sustained injuries also. All were taken to Hendrick Medical Center for treatment. Preliminary crash report shows the vehicle was traveling North on BI-20 where it went around a curve where the road intersects with a bridge over IH-20. “The vehicle went off the West part of the road, struck a bridge, and fell off landing on a concrete barrier below the bridge in the median of IH-20.”

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Published on: April 3, 2020

ACCIDENT INJURY REPORT: Two Dead, Child Injured in Amarillo Crash

By Carabin Shaw

Wednesday, April 1, 2020: AMARILLO, TX- Two women are dead, and a child is in the hospital after a Wednesday night wreck near the Ross Rogers Golf Course in Amarillo. Police were called to a two-vehicle accident near NW 24th Avenue and N. Jefferson Street on April 1 around 9:50 p.m. Police said alcohol is a factor in the crash.

According to a Police, a car driven by 32-year-old Margaret Finch was driving east on 24th Avenue. An SUV driven by 36-year-old Ykevia Johnson was driving west on 24th and turning onto Jefferson.

Police said Johnson did not yield the right of way to Finch and was hit by her car. According to Amarillo police, Finch died at the hospital and 44-year-old Leskisha Nicole Washington, a passenger in Finch’s car died at the hospital later from injuries sustained in the accident. A 1-year-old child, also a passenger in Finch’s car was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

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