30-year-old Jose Cruz of Fort Worth died at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas on Monday. He was taken to the hospital early Saturday morning after he failed to negotiate a curve near Highway 121 and North West 19th Street in Grand Prairie. Police believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.

This is such a tragic situation that’s seen over and over in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Each year over 1400 people die in alcohol related accidents here in Texas. My heart goes out to Mr. Cruz's family and friends.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Can Accident Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

Recently I wrote about the investigation into the causes of at 2008 deadly bus wreck in Sherman that left 17 dead, which I blogged about here and here. Now, three employees of the inspection company that looked at the bus prior to the deadly accident are being charged with tampering with a government document.

The inspection company, 5 Minute Inspections in Houston, was allegedly issuing hundreds of stickers a month to vehicles that had not been properly inspected, according to investigators. The Texas Department of Public Safety, who filed the charges, did not provide information on whether or not the bus involved in the crash was properly inspected, as the investigation is still ongoing.

This type of conduct is horrible. It puts all of us at risk each time we get in our cars. Without proper inspections, certain companies are going to use trucks and buses that have bad tires, bad brakes….Allowing these dangerous buses on the roads is criminal and I am glad to see that charges have been pursued.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

A toddler died at the hospital Sunday after his older sister backed up the family’s SUV without realizing the child was there.

The 17-year-old older sister was leaving for the grocery store from their Oak Cliff apartment complex home on North Marsalis Avenue. She didn’t realize her 18 month brother had wandered behind the vehicle. Police say they do not expect to file charges against the sister.

This is such a terrible accident. My heart goes out to the family of this tragedy. According to safety advocates, two children are killed every week in this type of accident, mostly involving children younger than two-years-old and adults driving large SUVs. Back up cameras help in these situations, but nothing is better than another adult watching out for the kids while the car is backing up.

Information provided by Dallas Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached at 214-327-8000 or toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

In a horrific tragedy on Tuesday, two Dallas-area natives were killed when a tractor-trailer crashed into vehicles stopped in a construction zone on 1-30. The collision set off an explosion that killed four people.

43-year-old Vaughn Gentry was originally from Sherman, and 51-year-old Albert Pruitt was from Addison. Mr. Gentry and Mr. Sherman were in a car stopped in the work zone on the highway. Arkansas residents Walter Carpenter, 77, and Victory Barker, 64, were also killed in the explosion.

My heart goes out to the families of those killed in this tragedy. It seems like every month or so we read about an 18 wheeler running into cars, killing the occupants, in a construction zone. There have been two similar accidents in Gainesville recently. Truckers make mistakes like the rest of us, but their mistakes in not seeing or reacting properly have terrible consequences. These truckers have a higher duty to be careful. Again, I feel sorry for the friends and families for their losses.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115 or contacted by clicking here.

In what would have to be considered good news, according to the Texas Department of Insurance, the workplace incidence rate of nonfatal illness and injury dropped in 2008 for the sixth consecutive year.

For private industry workplaces in 2007 the incidence rate was 3.4 cases per 100 workers; in 2008 the incidence rate was 3.1. This is below the national rate of 3.8 for 2008. For public sector workplaces, the incidence rate was 5.8 cases per 100 workers, lower than the national rate of 6.3. This is the first year the public sector data has been collected and released.

Click here to go to the Texas Department of Insurance website to see the specific incident rates by industry.

It is interesting to see of all the various private sector industries, that the highest incident rate of injuries is for courier and messengers. Maybe these folks are always in a hurry and that is when accidents happen. Or maybe it’s just because they are on our roads more than other people and are more likely to be involved in car accidents.

Information provided by Texas Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

Car and truck accidents happen every day here in the Fort Worth Dallas area. When you’re injured in an accident, the goal is always recovery. You want to get back to the point you were at before the accident happened, or as close to that as possible. Unfortunately, in some cases, it’s not possible to fully recover from an injury. Some injuries leave permanent scars or long-term repercussions that will affect you for the rest of your life. How do you live with a long-term injury?

Provide for ongoing medical care
If your injury is a result of someone else’s negligence, that person should be responsible for providing for ongoing medical care. If you’re injured in a car accident, for example, you can make a claim for not only the existing injury and medical bills to date, but also future medical care expenses.

In the event of a serious, long-term injury, you’ll potentially need intermittent medical care for the rest of your life. Your injury case should include this “element of damages.”

Seek counseling for a change in the quality of life
Sometimes it can be hard to adjust to a change in your quality of life. Say you’re an avid runner prior to an accident, but a knee injury changes that forever. It’s natural to feel angry, resentful or unhappy about the change in your circumstances. Depression is a very real possibility in these circumstances.

Seek counseling if you’re having trouble to adjusting to a long-term injury. There’s nothing unusual in having these feelings, and outside help can give you the tools you need to deal with them constructively. Don’t let a physical injury stunt you emotionally. Find ways to deal with the repercussions, and that may mean getting help from a professional.

Get an advocate on your side
Finally, having a strong advocate on your side can help you pursue your personal injury case and let that aspect of your life take a backseat to learning to live with your life changes. An experienced personal injury attorney understands that these changes affect you for life, and know how to make arrangements for long-term care as a part of the case.

Mark A. Anderson is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law and has successfully represented many injury victims over the past 18 years. For a free, no obligation consultation with Mark, just call 817-294-1900 in Fort Worth, 214-327-8000 in Dallas or toll free 877-294-1115, or contact us online.

In a move that I very much agree with, the Texas Transportation Commission voted yesterday in a meeting in Fort Worth to remove phone numbers from the standard form used by police officers after an accident. This change goes into effect January 1, 2010.

I recently blogged about this topic (read it here) and said that removing the numbers is a great move. The way things happen now, if you are in an accident there is a good chance you will get called from a “marketer” offering the services of an attorney or a chiropractor. Sometimes these “marketers” are not so honest and represent themselves as being from an insurance company. This leads to all kinds of confusion and irritation to the car accident victims. By removing the phone numbers, it will make the marketer’s job extremely difficult. The harassing won’t stop, but it will definitely slow down.

I also recently was interviewed by Channel 11 News about this topic. Here is a link to the article from their website.

To contact Mark A. Anderson, call toll free 877-294-1115 or click here.

A man faces charges this morning of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving after traveling north in the southbound lane near the Northwest Highway exit of the Dallas North Tollway. While driving the wrong way, 39-year-old Dick Eastin struck a light pole and his truck stopped near the center median. Mr. Eastin was injured and taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital.

This driver was lucky no one else was involved in the accident. This is certainly not the first wrong-way incident on the Tollway; click here and here to read about some of the other wrong-way crashes I’ve blogged about. Four people have died this year in accidents caused by wrong-way drivers on the Tollway. The North Texas Tollway Authority is trying to come up with ways to prevent these types of crashes, including more “Wrong Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs as well as making these signs more visible to drivers. I applaud these efforts to prevent wrong way accidents, and I hope no more people have to die before these changes go into effect.

Information provided by Dallas Accident and Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

A pickup truck driven by an elderly couple crashed into El Mexicano Taqueria yesterday just before the lunch rush. Four people were taken to the hospital for injuries, including the driver.

Witnesses saw the truck drive off of the road, through a fence, strike another vehicle, then crash into the restaurant, which is located in the 1500 block of South Washington. The police are still investigating the cause of the crash. Along with the driver, three restaurant employees were taken to the hospital, one of whom is believed to have a broken leg, another an injury to the head.

According to reports, the few diners in the restaurant at the time were seated at the opposite end of the building. Considering the extensive damage to the building itself, it is amazing there weren’t even more injuries. There is still no word on why the driver lost control of the vehicle. I wonder if he suffered an injury or illness while driving that caused him to wreck. These questions will undoubtedly be explored in the course of the investigation.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached in Dallas at 214-327-8000, toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

Photo from nbcdfw.com

Lerado is issuing a recall of certain Mia Moda child restraint seats. The Viva and Viva Supreme models are affected in the recall. Lerado will notify registered owners of the seats and is offering a full refund.

There are a couple of problems with the seats. The harness splitter plate, located on the rear of the seat, has sharp edges that can cut the harness and leave the child unrestrained. Also, the base of the seat could crack in a crash.

We all know how important it is to secure young children in safety seats. In fact, the Texas Legislature just tightened up on the child safety seat laws, which I blogged about here. That is why it’s so important to make sure the seats we do use are working correctly.

For more detailed information about the seats affected in the recall, click here.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

A hit and run accident happened this past Sunday evening in Dallas in the 5100 block of South Marsalis Avenue, just south of Loop 12. According to the Dallas Police Department, a speeding vehicle struck another vehicle shortly before 6:00 p.m. The accident caused the second vehicle to hit a tree, killing 35-year-old Kedrick Rattler and injuring Mr. Rattler’s passenger, who was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center. The driver of the speeding vehicle fled the scene and, according to the DPD, has not been located.

This is a terrible accident and I feel very sorry for Mr. Rattler’s family and friends. I wonder if the person who caused this accident even knows the results of their actions. I’m sure they know they caused a wreck, but I wonder if they know that their reckless action ended another man’s life. I hope the Dallas Police Department can use all available evidence in their accident investigation and find the speeding driver. Should they be able to find the driver, serious charges, and hopefully prison time, will result.

On the civil side, I hope Mr. Rattler, or the owner of the car, carried uninsured motorist protection to compensate the family for this premature death. In a case like this, uninsured motorist coverage is usually the only available insurance to compensate the family.

Information and commentary provided by Dallas Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson who can be contacted at 214-327-8000 or at www.maafirm.com.

In what I consider to be a justified corporate reprimand, Fort Worth based Burlington Northern Sante Fe was penalized by a judge in Minneapolis, Minnesota for hiding and lying about evidence. The penalty, called a sanction, was issued by the presiding judge who heard evidence in a case involving the death of four young people whose car collided with a BNSF train at a crossing. The judge found compelling evidence that Burlington Northern lost or fabricated evidence, interfered with the family’s investigation of the accident and lied or misrepresented facts to conceal the truth. Basically, all of the allegations of lying involve whether the crossing gate was working. Apparently at the trial, Burlington Northern tried to use fabricated evidence that the crossing gate was indeed working, when all other evidence pointed to the fact that the crossing gate was not working.

The amount of the sanction issued by the presiding judge was $4 million. That sanction will definitely be appealed by BNSF. However, I hope that the appellate courts will uphold the sanction because this kind of conduct is despicable. I hope that this new story is making the national news, even though it might only appear in our local papers as BNSF it is located here in Fort Worth. When corporate defendants do this type of shenanigans, they need to be punished. Our wonderful trial system only works if our jury can make decisions based upon the real truth. When companies start fabricating evidence, they should be punished. And they should be punished severely.

Information and commentary provided by Fort Worth Dallas Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted at 877 294 1115 or at www.maafirm.com.

A tandem trailer truck jackknifed and overturned on the wet highway in Fairview, Texas this morning. The truck blocked the highway and caused the road to be closed for several hours.

According to news reports, the driver of the big rig failed to see the construction barriers in the northbound lane and over-corrected as he tried to miss them. The truck cab and the trailer attached directly behind it overturned while the other trailer remained upright. Because of dense fog, the driver couldn’t see the warning signs posted about the upcoming barriers. The National Weather Service had issued a dense fog advisory for North Texas until the previous morning, but apparently conditions were still dangerous this morning.

Police said they hoped the North Texas Tollway Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation will add additional, well-lit signs that could help prevent another wreck. But all drivers, especially tractor trailer drivers who possess a CDL permit, should adapt their driving to the weather. If the fog is too heavy to see, they should exit the road way and park in a safe, non-obstructive spot until the fog lifts. Luckily no one was injured in this accident, which is great news.

Information provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.

Picture from WFAA.com

Over 100 bicyclists gathered outside of Dallas City Hall on Wednesday to push for safer and more accessible roadways for cyclists and pedestrians.

The event was organized by Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, and supported the decision of the city council to endorse the policies of the National Complete Streets Coalition. The Coalition supports city planning with bicycle and pedestrian safety in mind, such as creating or enlarging bicycle lanes, making physical barriers between bicycle and car lanes, and adding signals and signs to improve traffic control. Although Dallas has not yet created a specific policy, the city supports making changes in line with the Complete Streets initiative.

I really do hope the city can make some of these changes. I have written several times about tragic bicycle accidents that could have been prevented by things just like this. It’s good to hear that Dallas recognizes the need for bike safety measures.

Information provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Accident Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be reached toll free at 877-294-1115, or contacted by clicking here.