Personal Injury Dallas Tag Archives

Published on: December 15, 2017

Guest and Gray, P.C.: Personal Injury Attorneys Who Get Results

Personal Injury Attorneys are a dime a dozen these days. We know it. You know it. So, lets not beat around the bush about it. I dare you to try and drive anywhere in the Kaufman, Rockwall and especially Dallas areas and try to count the injury attorney billboards. I bet you lose count after a while. They all start to blend together.

Let me start off by saying, we don’t even have a billboard. All we have is this website and the people we have helped in the past who tell their family and friends about us after they are injured in an accident, or as business marketing professors would call “WOM” or word-of-mouth advertising. Although we hate to hear that people have been injured in an accident, when our previous clients recommend us to other people who have been hurt, that lets us know that we are doing something right and getting results for our clients.

That is the part of this job that we love. Getting results for a client is always very rewarding on a personal level. We understand that being in an accident takes an emotional as well as physical toll on the injured party. For that reason, you will never just be a number to us at Guest and Gray. Whether it be a vast number in a deep client list or a numeric value on your case. We don’t do that here. To us, you are you. You are the injured victim who’s only fault in the case is that you were innocently driving your car when somebody decided to be negligent and slam his or her vehicle into yours at a high-rate of speed. That is our motivation, and that is why we work so hard to get you results you deserve. It is personal to us because it is personal to you.

Published on: December 15, 2017

Driver Falls Asleep At Wheel, Causes Crash With School Bus, Injuring Bus Driver and Student

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Via (CBSDFW.COM) – A child was taken to the hospital Friday morning after a crash involving a school bus and two other vehicles. The incident happened at around 7:30 a.m. near the intersection of Elston Drive and Greenspan Avenue in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas.

According to witnesses at the scene, a gray sedan slammed into a blue SUV. The force of that impact caused the larger vehicle to spin around and run into the school bus. Witnesses also stated that, after the wreck, the female driver of the gray sedan said that she had fallen asleep behind the wheel.

INJURED IN A TEXAS AUTO OR TRUCK ACCIDENT? CALL THE TRUSTED LEGAL TEAM AT GUEST AND GRAY, P.C.

Published on: December 8, 2017

Guest and Gray, P.C.: Commercial Truck Accident Attorneys

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Rockwall and Kaufman counties are major trucking routes with highways such as Interstate 30, Interstate 20 and Highways 80 and 175 passing through those counties respectively, along with other major highways intersecting them. Commercial trucking accidents are some of the most severe and potentially fatal types of accidents imaginable. An 18-Wheeler truck loaded with thousands of pounds of cargo can weigh upwards of 40,000 tons, or 80,000 pounds. That is a massive amount of destructive force which is why trucking accidents often result in debilitating, life-altering injuries and even death.

Truck Accidents Can Be Fatal

Data from the US Department of Transportation shows 2,485 passenger vehicle occupants died in “large truck accidents” in 2014. The most deaths happened in 1979, when 4,226 people in passenger vehicles died in large truck accidents. That’s a 41.1% drop from 1979, which represents good progress, however, the number of deaths per accident has risen. This is true despite increased federal regulations on trucking companies and truck drivers, respectively. Quite often the cause of trucking accidents is due to a trucking company forcing drivers to violate federal regulations and drive for longer periods of time without sleep than allowed by law, truckers going against their own companies rules and regulations to meet strict delivery deadlines, and driver fatigue or equipment failure.

Published on: December 5, 2017

Dog Bite Cases in Rockwall and Kaufman County

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Dog attacks are a frequent occurrence here in the Dallas, Rockwall and Kaufman county areas. Much of our county contains rural homesites where people are more likely to let their dogs run free. Our area can also be densely populated with neighborhoods where dogs are kept in backyards but quite often those dogs find themselves running loose out of the backyard and are not used to coming in contact with new people. However, the most common scenario surrounding a dog bite is where a friend or family member comes over for a visit and is attacked by the homeowner’s dog.

According to handctr.com, there are as many as one million animal bites that happen each year across the United States. It can happen in an instant. You or a loved one is over at a friend’s house or jogging on the street and out of no where the dog attacks. It happens too often. The worst part about dog bite cases is not always the initial injuries sustained but it is the time period of recovery. Dog bites are a mixture of puncture wounds that dig through flesh and deep cuts and scratches caused by the teeth and claws of the animal. As a result, the injuries can take a long time to heal, leave lasting scars and disfigurement as well as nerve damage and nerve pain. Dog bites also impress upon the victim a distinct level of pain and suffering and mental anguish as a result of becoming fearful of dogs and other animals as a result of the attack. Someone who used to be a dog lover may be left being fearful for their life every time they come in contact with a new dog.

Establishing Premises Owner Negligence

Published on: March 21, 2017

Commercial Traffic Accidents Increase by 34.5% in Rockwall County, 20% in Kaufman County in Just One Year

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

According to recently released crash data from TXDot, both Rockwall and Kaufman counties are experiencing significant increases in commercial traffic accidents. The data just released is from 2015, so 2016 statistics are not known. However, the number of commercial vehicle accidents increased by 34.5% year-over-year from 2014 to 2015 for Rockwall and Kaufman county increased by 20.3% over the same time period.

We know that Rockwall and Kaufman counties are experiencing extreme growth, with cities like Rockwall, Royse City, McClendon-Chisholm, and Heath as well as parts of Dallas, Garland, and Rowlett located in Rockwall county, it is no wonder that Rockwall county has experienced large year-over-year growth in commercial vehicle accidents. But over 34%? That is a crazy statistic.

In Kaufman county, what is really the most surprising is that it had more commercial vehicle accidents that Rockwall county in 2014 (113 in Kaufman county and 107 in Rockwall county). What may be surprising to hear is that Kaufman county has a larger population that Rockwall county, thanks to large growth in cities like Forney, Terrell, and Kaufman. That may partly explain the higher number of accidents, but Rockwall county is smaller in geographic size and is more densely populated, so the statistic is still a little surprising. Forney’s population alone grew by over 25% from the 2010 census to the last released data in July 2015, and Kaufman county’s growth over that same period is at exactly 11.0%.

Published on: February 3, 2017

Maximizing Personal Injury Settlements: The Stowers Doctrine

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Sounds cool, doesn’t it? Stower’s Doctrine. Its got moxy. The Stowers Doctrine is as Texan as they come. From the Stowers Doctrine flows the Stowers Demand, a powerful settlement tool in personal injury practice.

But what is a Stowers Demand, exactly? Where does it come from? What does it do? Well, ask any attorney who deals with insurance companies on a regular basis and they will tell you it is a lifeblood of a personal injury practice. In our practice here in the Forney, Rockwall and Dallas area, once damages have been reasonably calculated, we always send a Stowers Demand to the insurance company. It is quite possibly the single most powerful pre-trial tool a personal injury attorney has to maximize settlement dollars for their client.

What is a Stowers Demand?

Published on: January 29, 2017

Why Do I Need A Personal Injury Attorney?

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

The answer is simple, but to understand importance of the work they do, and the value they bring to their clients, you must understand a little more about the process of handling personal injury claims. It is no cake walk, even for experienced personal injury attorneys.

Notifying Insurance Companies and Establishing Communications Between the Parties

A personal injury attorney will notify the insurance providers of the claim for injuries and that the injured party is represented by counsel. This is true whether it is a motor vehicle accident, boating accident, commercial vehicle accident, or even slip-and-fall. These providers must be provided “notice” of the claims being made by the injured parties that were caused by their insured. In addition to notifying the at-fault parties insurer, the injured party will need to notify their own insurer of the possibility of any claims under their own UM/UIM in the event that the other party has no insurance or carries insufficient coverage to pay for the damages that have been suffered.

Published on: December 29, 2016

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

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

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 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: February 8, 2016

Statute of Limitations About to Run on Your Kaufman or Rockwall County Personal Injury Claim?

by Guest and Gray Law Firm

Statute of Limitations 101

Good Question. Here at Guest and Gray, we have many potential clients coming into our Forney and Rockwall offices that, without realizing it, find themselves up against the statute of limitations by the time they come speak with an attorney about filing a lawsuit. So, to better inform our clients and the public, here is a Statute of Limitations 101. Class is now in session.

What is the Statute of Limitations in Texas?