Dallas Texas Accident Attorney

Published on: December 29, 2016

Negligence and Negligence Per Se: Parking 18-Wheelers and Tractor-Trailers on the Roadway

Every now and then you may come across a semi-truck or car-hauler parked on the side of the road, or even partially in the road and think to yourself, “that is so dangerous,” or “they should not be allowed to do that.” Well, technically they aren’t supposed to do that. Section 545.301 of the Texas Transportation Code provides that an operator may not stop, park, or leave standing an attended or unattended vehicle on the main traveled part of a highway outside a business or residence district unless:

(1) stopping, parking, or leaving the vehicle off the main traveled part of the highway is not practicable;

(2) a width of highway beside the vehicle is unobstructed and open for the passage of other vehicles; and

Published on: December 15, 2016

Got Hit By a Delivery Driver?

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

This time of year seeing a UPS or Fed Ex truck on the road is a common occurrence. Driver’s delivering packages this time of year are often under a lot of pressure. In my house, those delivery men and women are called “Santa’s little helpers” because they’re the real heroes of the Christmas package delivery game, not those elves. UPS expects to deliver more than 700 million packages this holiday season, with 13 of 21 holiday shipping day to exceed 30 million packages a day. https://pressroom.ups.com/pressroom/ContentDetailsViewer.page?ConceptType=PressReleases&id=1477506556294-677. Fedex does not expect to be quite as busy as UPS, although they still predict record deliveries of around around 325 million packages this holiday season. http://www.businessinsider.com/ups-fedex-holiday-shipping-plan-new-technology-2016-11. All told, that is around 1 billion packages traveling around the country in large semi-trucks and delivery trucks. That is a lot of packages and a lot of driving.

This time of year it seems like every where you go, you see a Fedex or UPS vehicle delivering package. Those drivers are everywhere. You see them traveling in and around our local highways all day and into the night, often working very long hours and driving in upwards of 50-100 miles per day to drop off their hundreds of shipments. It is a tough job with long hours, lots of driving, and a lot of stress. With such a vast number of drivers on the roads this time of year, that leads to one absolute certainty: accidents.

Accidents with delivery drivers happen for a variety of reasons. It could be human error, or it could be some outside factor. Here is a list of some common causes of accidents with delivery truck during the holiday season:

Published on: December 7, 2016

Yet Another Head On Collision on Kaufman County Roads

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Anyone driving in and around Kaufman county can tell there is more traffic than their used to be. Forney is growing. Terrell is growing. Talty, Kaufman, Heartland/Crandall, and even little old Combine has seen some growth. For most people in Kaufman county, the growth is a welcome sight.

But the old Farm to Market roads that many of us travel on a daily basis have become a danger zone. Back when these two lane “highways” were built, there were no cellphones, no Facebook. The only reason you got distracted on the road was because you saw a deer or you were changing the radio station. With all the increased traffic and increased distraction, these two lane roads have begun to show their age.

It seems like every day or two Mathew Richards is writing about another head on collision or rollover crash that has happened on those roads. Last night it was another head-on collision near Lake Ray Hubbard drive, which is pretty close to where 740 and 460 meet. Now, I am not calling for an all out upgrade of the roadway system in Kaufman county. For one, I don’t want to pay for it. But as a personal injury attorney, I see people who have had their lives changed forever because of accidents. I meet people who have lost loved ones as a result of these types of accidents. Safe driving is important to me, not just because I don’t want to see anybody get hurt, but because we need to keep our roadways safe for those who may be traveling in those other cars. It may not just be Joe Schmoe in the other car you hit. It may be Joe, Jr., and that is exactly what drives our firm to take each case of unsafe driving so seriously. We want to make an example out of those drivers who do not take the safety of the other drivers on the road seriously. Distracted drivers, unsafe drivers, and anyone in between are driving selfishly. It is important that people understand that it is not “okay” to text and drive. It is not “okay” to watch Youtube videos while driving on Highway 80. Its just not. Your phone, and the entertainment it brings, is not more important than the safety of everyone else on the road. And when one of my clients comes in here and tells us about how they got hurt by some selfish driver who was on their cellphone, then get ready because we are about to make an example out of them.

Published on: August 15, 2016

Wet Weather and Failing to Maintain Safe Speeds

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Every year, thousands of drivers around the country are injured in car wrecks where weather played a role in the accident. Dallas-Fort Worth is not an exception to this trend. Especially with the amount of rain we have received over the last two years. Now, after a fairly dry summer, the wet weather has returned and our forecast calls for rain straight through the end of next week.

For local farmers this is exciting news. For most everyone else it means cooler weather. For personal injury attorneys, it means lots of phone calls. Why? Lots of car wrecks occur on North Texas roads when they become wet from the rain.

Under Texas law, “An operator may not drive at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the circumstances then existing.” This means that our State requires drivers to maintain a speed that is safe under the conditions. If you get into an accident in Texas, whoever the police officer believes is at fault will usually receive a ticket for “Failing to Maintain Speed”. If you get into an accident and receive one of these tickets, it is vital to your case against liability to have this ticket dismissed. Your personal injury attorney will usually get you in contact with a ticket attorney to defend the ticket.

Published on: February 2, 2016

A Quick Overview of Personal Injury Cases in Texas

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Damages: What Kind of Compensation is Available?

Most personal injury cases seek financial damages to compensate for an injury. This will compensate for medical costs, lost wages, future lost pay, and pain and suffering both physically and mentally, disfigurement and disability as a result of the negligence of another, as well as for loss of consortium.

Statutes of Limitations