Personal Injury

Published on: December 17, 2018

Dog Bites Are The Worst: An Overview of Texas Law on Dog Attacks

Ever been bitten by a dog? It is not very much fun. The personal injury lawyers at Guest and Gray Law Firm are keenly aware of this fact. Over the years, Guest and Gray Law Firm has helped victims of dog bites recover top dollar against negligent dog owners.

For the most part, dogs are man’s best friend. Not like those useless cats that just lay around the house and look at you in disgust. Dogs are sweet and caring and love you unconditionally. However, dogs have it in their system the capacity to become dangerous. Certain breeds more-so than others. Pit Bulls, Bull Dogs, and Rottweilers are some of the main dog breeds that people associate with a dangerous capacity to injure people.

However, in Texas, you really cannot just use a dog’s breed as a means of proving your dog bite case. It must be dog specific. This is a good and bad thing. Texas does not have a statute that covers civil liability for dog bites. Rather, in Marshall v. Ranne, 511 SW 2d 255 (Tex. S.C. 1974) the Texas Supreme Court adopted the view of dog bite law contained in the Restatement of Torts section 509. That means Texas is a “negligence” or “one bite rule” when it comes to dog bites. In order to recover damages for a dog bite, the injured person must show that:

Published on: December 17, 2018

2017 Texas Fatal Accident By Holiday Statistics

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

The headline is a misnomer. Lets just scratch that, its pretty much bad and ugly. Texas has some pretty bleak accident statistics when it comes to the holidays, especially Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Thanksgiving.

The Texas Department of Transportation collects fatal crash statistics for travel periods, not just the Holiday itself. For instance, for the Memorial day holiday, they collect crash data from a 78 hour period and for Christmas it is a 102 hour period. It allows them to cover the travel period for when people are traveling to destinations to celebrate the holiday.

In 2017, Thanksgiving was the single deadliest travel holiday of the year with 73 fatalities in a 102 hour travel period. That is up nearly 20 deaths from 2016 and an increase of 31 additional fatalities from 2015’s total of 42 from the same travel period. Overall, 2017 saw 296 fatalities during major holiday travel periods that included Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. That is an increase of 49 deaths year-over-year from 2016’s total of 247. Thanksgiving alone had 19 more fatalities during its travel period year-over-year.

Published on: December 13, 2018

Subrogation Issues In Kaufman and Rockwall County Personal Injury Cases

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Subrogation. The word itself is strange and seems scary to the uninformed. However, it is a very common legal tool for health insurance companies to recoup monies that they have paid out when their insured has been injured due to the negligence of a third party, i.e. a car or trucking accident, dog bite, etc..

The experienced personal injury attorneys at Guest and Gray navigate the complicated field of subrogation on a daily basis in pursuing personal injury cases for our injured clients. We have represented injured parties in Forney, Rockwall, Dallas, Terrell, and all over East Texas in hundreds of personal injury cases.

In most cases, if you are involved in an accident, you go to the hospital and you provide your health insurance information and you think that is that. However, unbeknownst to you, that gives rise to a subrogation claim by your health insurance company and they are pretty quick to pick up on the charges due to the type of treatment and billing codes that are entered by the hospital or other treatment facility.

Published on: December 12, 2018

Kaufman County Personal Injury Lawyers

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Guest and Gray is Kaufman County’s premier personal injury law firm. Our team of experienced personal injury lawyers and knowledgeable staff work hard on a daily basis to fight for the rights of Kaufman county’s injured accident victims.

As Kaufman county continues to grow at a record pace, Guest and Gray has been here since the beginning. We have recovered millions of dollars over the years for local Kaufman county residents after they have been injured in automobile, motorcycle, trucking accidents, dog bites, and many other types of injury cases. We work closely with providers, health insurance companies and the at-fault insurance carriers to maximize our client’s recovery in each case.

Our attorneys take each Kaufman County personal injury case on contingency. That means that we take on the risk and you pay nothing unless we win your case. Our personal injury lawyers are ready to take your case all the way to trial, if necessary.

Published on: December 6, 2018

Kaufman County’s Trusted 18-Wheeler Accident Attorneys

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Guest and Gray prides itself in being the largest and highest rated law firm in Kaufman county. We are number one because we care about our clients and their situation. Personal injury cases are just that: personal. They happen to real people and it causes REAL problems in their lives. No accident situation can bring more drama to a family’s life than an 18-wheeler accident. These are simply the most destructive types of accidents that can occur on Kaufman county roads. Every year, Kaufman county residents and passers-through die on our local highways due to negligent truck drivers and as our roads become more congested and traveled as a result of development, the numbers will only go up.

Kaufman county is one of the fastest growing counties in Texas. Growth in cities like Forney, Terrell and Crandall will lead the way over the next few years. All three of those cities are corridors in and through Kaufman county with interstate highways and state highways leading right through them. Forney and Terrell have the highly traveled highway 80 and interstate 20 passing right through them and Crandall, as sort of the gateway to East Texas has highway 175. All three cities are gearing up for exponential growth over the next few years as pastureland is converted to shopping, retail and most of all, homes. Crandall has the Wildcat Ranch Development that plans to bring nearly 3,100 unites, which would effectively more than double the population of Crandall alone. Travel anywhere in Forney and you will see new community development and shopping and retail going in, and Terrell leads the way in commercial development. The result of this population increase will be an economic boom. Increased economic out put means an increase in commercial traffic. Commercial traffic means 18-wheelers and other commercial vehicles traveling on our roadways will only increase to meet demand.

At Guest and Gray, our personal injury lawyers see this as being a potential problem for our local citizenry and those who travel our major highways to get to and from home and work. The greater the number of commercial vehicles means that our current and future citizens will be at a greater risk of being injured due to negligent commercial truck drivers as they come into our area. A semi truck, without the tractor-trailer, weighs around 80 thousand pounds, without a tractor-trailer attached. In comparison, the average passenger vehicle weighs about 5,000 pounds. When the two meet at high speeds, the results can be absolutely devastating.

Published on: December 5, 2018

Injured In An Accident and It Wasn’t Your Fault?

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Have you recently been injured in an accident and it was not your fault? Then you need to contact the law firm of Guest and Gray today. We handle cases just like yours every single day. From car accidents, to 18-wheeler wrecks, premises liability and beyond. When you are injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, Guest and Gray is there for you. We fight hard for the rights of the injured.

Injuries as a Result of Other’s Negligence Can Happen Anytime You are on the Road

Negligence can occur in the most innocent seeming moments. The most common is while driving a car. For most people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, we become very accustomed to driving longer distances to get where we need to go, whether it be to work or to even the grocery store. The problem is that people can become so used to driving in those areas that they lower their guard and drive more dangerously. Messing with the radio, talking with others in the car and texting and driving are common factors in these types of accidents. People get bored driving so they distract themselves. In doing so, they make it more dangerous for others on the road because they are paying less attention to the 2-ton projectile they are driving at high speeds down the road. Driving is something that we do every day. Unfortunately, as a result, North Texas experiences catastrophic and fatal accidents on a daily basis.

Published on: November 20, 2018

Traveling Thanksgiving Day? Practice These Safety Tips

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Most people travel on Thanksgiving, whether it be to a family gathering or to a restaurant or for black Friday shopping deals. It is a time to give thanks for the blessings we have in life. A time to relax (or stress out completely) and eat way too much food. For most, the holiday goes without a hiccup and life returns to normal after the holiday. For some, they wake up to the horrors of a dirty kitchen and some family member sleeping on the couch.

For others still, it can be a nightmare. Thanksgiving is one of the most dangerous travel holidays in America. More people travel for the Thanksgiving holiday than for Christmas. This means that roadways are busier than normal, which inevitably leads to accidents. For restaurants and bars there is something known as “black Wednesday” which is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and may just be the busiest night of the year. This means that a lot of people who have been out drinking may also be on the roadways with you and your family. To help you get around some of this craziness, here are a few safety tips from your friendly personal injury lawyers at Guest and Gray Law Firm:

Don’t Drink and Drive– If you do drink and have to drive, get a designated driver. Uber can literally be a lifesaver. Pay the money, its cheaper than dying. Trust me. You are far more likely to be involved in an accident after drinking. Alcohol slows your ability to respond to stimuli while driving. This includes other drivers, animals and even things in your car.

Published on: June 29, 2018

Be Safe this Fourth of July!

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

When most people think of the Fourth of July, they think of freedom, backyard barbecues and fireworks. As a personal injury lawyer, I cannot help but think about the people who will inevitably be hurt or killed along with the celebrations. I hate to be the Debbie Downer, but once you see the dirty underbelly of the pig, its hard not to think about it when you eat the bacon.

The grizzly truth is that the Fourth of July weekend is typically the deadliest holiday each year. Last year alone, 10 people died in water related accidents in Texas. What is most concerning is that according to IIHS travel statistics, the fourth of July is the deadliest day in America with an average of 118 lives lost each year in motor vehicle accidents. According to the same report, it is the deadliest day for motorcycle riders as well, with an average of 26 lives lost. Alcohol is usually a greater factor during the fourth of July holiday, ranking second only behind New Year, with 42 percent of deadly accidents involving alcohol for Independence day and a whopping 62 percent for the New Year holiday.

To help illustrate, here is a list of the top-10 days with most accidents since 2014 according to IIHS.com:

	All deaths	Average deaths per day
July 4	592	118.4
January 1	591	118.2
September 18	552	110.4
August 2	541	108.2
August 27	541	108.2
July 5	539	107.8
October 2	539	107.8
October 8	537	107.4
September 1	535	107
September 2	535	107

Top 10 days with most
motorcycle crash deaths, 2010-14

	All deaths	Average deaths per day
July 4	129	25.8
August 24	120	24
August 8	116	23.2
June 30	112	22.4
July 8	112	22.4
August 27	112	22.4
June 5	111	22.2
August 10	110	22
June 21	109	21.8
July 27	109	21.8

TRAVELING AROUND TEXAS FOR THE FOURTH? BE SAFE!

If you are traveling around our great State this holiday, be safe and watch out for other drivers who seem impaired. Indicators of intoxication, according to NHTSA are:

Turning with wide radius
Straddling center of lane marker
Appearing to be “drunk”
Almost striking object or vehicle
Weaving
Driving on other than designated roadway
Swerving
Speed more than “10″ miles below speed limit
Stopping without cause in Traffic lane
Following too closely
Drifting
Tires on Center or Lane marker
Braking Erratically
Driving into Opposing or Crossing Traffic
Signaling Inconsistent with driving actions
Slow response to traffic signals
Stopping inappropriately (other than in a lane)
Turning abruptly or illegally
Accelerating or Decelerating Rapidly
Headlights off

INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT? CALL GUEST AND GRAY TODAY!

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident, you need to call Guest and Gray immediately. Our knowledgeable and experienced personal injury attorneys are ready to get to work for you. We need to begin working on gathering and protecting evidence, speaking to witnesses and asserting your rights. Whether it be car, motorcycle or 18-Wheeler accident, you need to speak with an attorney as soon as possible. Get the medical treatment you need and then make the call to Guest and Gray. You will be glad you did! Be safe this Independence Day and God Bless America!

Published on: June 11, 2018

Forney and Rockwall Wrongful Death Lawyers

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Guest and Gray Law Firm is the legal team that local residents turn to when a loved one has been seriously injured or killed in an accident. We have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. If a loved one has been killed in an accident in Rockwall or Forney, you need to call the local, trusted law firm of Guest and Gray, P.C.

What is Wrongful Death?

Chapter 71 of the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code is where the basis of wrongful death and survival actions in Texas are found. Under section 71.002, the statute outlines the basis of bringing a wrongful death lawsuit

Published on: May 29, 2018

Need Legal Help in Rockwall? Call Guest and Gray Today!

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Guest and Gray Law Firm is the firm to turn to when you have a legal problem. Our practice is quickly growing and we are the trusted Rockwall criminal and civil litigation firm. We are proud to own the title of being the largest and most highly rated local Rockwall law firm.

Sure, you can call a Dallas firm for help, but why? Guest and Gray, P.C. offers the same excellent service but we have convenient office locations for our Rockwall clients. Live in Rockwall or north of Rockwall? Our Rockwall office is located off of TL Townsend just passed the Rockwall county courthouse. Live south of Rockwall towards Heath? It may be better for you to meet us in our Forney location in downtown Forney just off the old townsquare near the city offices. Wherever you may be in Rockwall county, Guest and Gray, P.C. is the local choice.

We are skilled in all different practice areas that you may need, whether it be criminal defense, family law, civil litigation or personal injury, we have a lawyer (or two) just for you. Our attorneys are aggressive and fight hard for each client. No case is too big. We have the resources to take your case the distance. Period.