DALLAS, TX –On the heels of an announcement last week that Toyota would recall approximately 2.3 million vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific models, Toyota announced today that it has instructed dealers to temporarily suspend sales of eight models involved in the recall, including the following:

• Avalon (2005-2010)
• Camry (certain 2007-2010 models)
• Corolla (2009-2010)
• Highlander (2010)
• Matrix (2009-2010)
• RAV4 (2009-2010)
• Sequoia (2008–2010)
• Tundra (2007-2010)

Spurring the recall and subsequent halting of sales is the possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position.

Though the car maker reports that this product defect is quite rare, a local tragic accident proves that ‘rare’ does not mean ‘never.’  In fact, a sticking accelerator is being investigated as one possible cause of the December 26, 2009, crash in Southlake last month that killed four people driving in a 2008 Toyota Avalon. Investigators say that the Toyota Avalon was going 40 mph when it sped through an intersection, smashed into a metal fence, hit a tree and landed in a pond, upside down.  Witnesses reported that the vehicle never slowed down. This is consistent with the fact that there were no signs of braking.

Our Dallas accident law firm offers free initial legal consultations on defective products and personal injury cases. If you have been injured, you should contact a Dallas injury attorney immediately to help you determine what insurance coverage may be in place to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, and so that you can take steps to protect your legal rights. Call our Texas Personal Injury Lawyers at (972) 231-5800 or click here to contact us by email.

DALLAS, TX –Despite the financial responsibility law that requires Texas drivers to buy insurance, millions of motorists in the Dallas metroplex are skirting the requirement by using counterfeit proof-of-insurance cards or canceling coverage once they get their licenses renewed.  Officials are finding that the law, designed to ensure that minimum liability coverage is in place to pay for injuries and damages caused by the driver, is difficult to enforce.

Alarmingly, a recent analysis released by the Texas Department of Insurance shows that 26 percent of vehicles in Dallas County are uninsured. That amounts to around 482,000 cars and trucks—the highest number of uninsured vehicles in any of the state’s large urban counties.  An additional 4.1 million cars and trucks lack basic liability coverage and are in violation of the state law that requires insurance.

Local cities and the state are doing their best to combat the problem.  For example, in cities like Arlington, Dallas, Garland, Irving, and Mesquite, uninsured vehicles may be towed if a driver is stopped for a violation and found to have no insurance.

When a driver is involved in an accident or stopped for an infraction, an officer can enter the license plate number or VIN into the TexasSure system to verify insurance coverage. This is a massive database containing the names of all insured drivers and their insurance companies that is linked to license plate VIN numbers. Drivers without insurance are ticketed, subject to a fine of up $350 for the first offense, and up to $1,000 for the second offense.  Multiple offenses without action on the part of the owner can lead to arrest.

At the state level, the Insurance Department is sending letters to approximately 100,000 drivers who are believed to have insurance policies, but do not have their vehicle registration numbers matched up with an insurance company in the TexasSure state database.  These individuals are being asked to verify their coverage by mail, e-mail or telephone. Once the information from those drivers is compiled, the state will send warnings to millions of drivers without insurance that they are breaking state law.

Despite these efforts to force all drivers to carry insurance, responsible drivers are saddled with carrying extra insurance to protect themselves from drivers without coverage to the tune of nearly $1 billion each year.  That additional insurance such as Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM), Underinsured Motorist Insurance (UIM), and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) can mean the difference between being able to afford medical treatment for injuries from an auto accident and not.

Our Dallas personal injury law firm offers free initial legal consultations on personal injury cases. If you have been injured by a driver that is uninsured, you should contact a Dallas, Texas personal injury lawyer immediately to help you determine what insurance coverage may be available to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, and so that you can take steps to protect your legal rights. Call Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 or click here to contact us by email.

December 4, 2009

Dallas, TX — Two or more people were killed this morning in a multiple car collision on westbound LBJ Freeway near the High Five interchange on the border of Richardson and Dallas, Texas.  Several others were injured, including a child, in the car accident, which occurred just east of Central Expressway (Hwy 75).

The crash occurred about 4:40 a.m. this morning when a motor vehicle collided with two other vehicles.  Information on the victims and the cause of the wreck has not yet been released.

Regrettably, fatal accidents like these happen all too often in our local communities like Dallas and Richardson, TX.  Some are the result of DWI or DUI. Many cause serious injuries and even deaths. If you have been involved in an auto accident in Plano, Richardson, or Dallas, Texas or a nearby area, a local, experienced personal injury attorney can help you.

Our personal injury law firm offers free initial legal consultations on personal injury cases. If you have been injured, you should contact a Plano, Texas personal injury lawyer immediately to help you determine what insurance coverage is in place to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, and so that you can take steps to protect your legal rights. Call Plano Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 for more information or click here to contact us by email.

ARLINGTON, TX — After slipping some 75 feet from the top of Cowboys Stadium, two workers sustained multiple injuries when they crashed into the lip of the retractable roof, which, mercifully, stopped their fall.  Arlington Assistant Fire Chief Don Crowson reported to local news crews that the workers apparently slipped on a patch of ice.

The two men, employees of Birdair, Inc., were reportedly not wearing safety harnesses or lanyards when they began maintenance work at around 7:00 a.m. atop the stadium roof.  Birdair, a specialty contractor for long-span and large custom tensile structures, is a subcontractor for Manhattan Construction.  According to stadium officials, the men were working to diagnose a problem with the stadium’s massive retractable roof.

One of the men was care-flighted by helicopter ambulance to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX and was reported to have suffered significant head and neck injuries and a broken leg. The second worker suffered a back injury and was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, TX.

Although a formal report will take months, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was already on site to begin investigating circumstances surrounding the accident. A lawyer for Birdair said the company is cooperating with OSHA, Manhattan Construction, and the Dallas Cowboys in the investigation of safety issues.

Although federal agencies like OSHA have implemented extensive construction and job safety standards, thousands of workers are injured on the job and killed each year in the United States while performing their job duties.  Many times those injuries are caused by a lack of safety equipment or inadequate safety training.

Our Dallas personal injury law firm offers free initial legal consultations on personal injury cases. If you have suffered a work injury and believe you may have a workers compensation claim, you should contact a Dallas, Texas personal injury lawyer immediately to help you determine what insurance coverage is in place to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, and so that you can take steps to protect your legal rights.  Call Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 or click here to contact us by email.

Arlington, TX — Slippery roads caused by rain are suspected to be the cause of a one-car accident in Arlington that left one man dead and his female passenger injured.

Arlington police were called to the scene at approximately 10:30 p.m. Sunday night, November 15, on Interstate 20 near Green Oaks Boulevard.  Apparently, the driver’s car veered off the highway and hit a guardrail.

Tragically, fatal traffic accidents like these happen often in our local communities. This same weekend, a toddler was also killed in Oak Cliff when he was run over by a family member driving an SUV. In West Oak Cliff, a 16-month-old boy who was not restrained in a child seat died from injuries sustained in a rear-end collision.  In addition, a crash on Jim Miller Road in Pleasant Grove claimed the life of a 37-year-old man while two motorcycle wrecks in Dallas, TX were responsible for the death of two others.
Regardless of the cause, if you have been involved in an auto accident in Mesquite or a nearby area, a local, experienced personal injury attorney can help you.

Our Dallas personal injury law firm offers free initial legal consultations on personal injury cases. If you have been injured, you should contact a Mesquite, Texas personal injury lawyer immediately to help you determine what insurance coverage is in place to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, and so that you can take steps to protect your legal rights. Call Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 or click here to contact us by email.

All drivers in Texas are required to carry minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per injured person, and up to a total of $50,000 for everyone injured in a motor vehicle accident.  Alarmingly, it’s estimated that up to 20% of drivers in Texas are uninsured at any given time.

Even when the other driver has auto insurance, many times the minimum amounts are not enough to cover all damages.  In addition to the minimum coverage amounts, Texas drivers can purchase additional collision coverage, personal injury protection (PIP), medical payments coverage (MedPay), and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM).

If you’ve been in a car accident that was not your fault and the driver of the other vehicle has no liability insurance, the only recourse may be to pursue a claim against uninsured motorist coverage (UM) on your own auto insurance policy.  Uninsured motorist coverage is insurance you buy to protect yourself in case you’re in an accident with an uninsured driver.  Texas law requires that every auto insurance policy automatically include UM coverage, unless the buyer (you) rejects that coverage in writing.

If the negligent driver is underinsured, the driver’s automobile insurance policy may not provide enough coverage for your monetary damages.  Similar to uninsured motorist coverage, you may have to pursue an additional legal claim against your own underinsured motorist coverage to pay for injury and property damages that exceed the at-fault driver’s insurance coverage amounts.

If you’ve been in a car accident and find yourself in this situation, but are unsure about whether the other party’s liability coverage is adequate, it’s wise to consult a Dallas personal injury lawyer who can help you sort through the insurance issues and the complex insurance claim filings that follow most wrecks.

Our DFW car accident lawyers offer free initial legal consultations on personal injury cases. If you have been injured, you should contact a Dallas TX personal injury attorney immediately to help you determine what insurance coverage is in place to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, and so that you can take steps to protect your legal rights. Call our law firm at (972) 231-5800 for more information or click here to contact us by email.

PLANO, TX — Plano police spokesman Rick McDonald explains that there were no witnesses to the accident that left two people dead in the wake of a crash that occurred during the early morning hours of Saturday, October 10.

The two male victims were found inside a 2000 Plymouth that had struck a concrete block which served as the base of a light pole.  “It appears they were driving northbound in a right hand turn lane, and they failed to change lanes at Highland Drive,” McDonald said.  The single car accident occurred in the 2500 block of Preston Road.

The driver, identified as 20-year old Perfecto Sarinana-Ayala, was a resident of Frisco Texas. At the time of the report, the passenger’s identity was pending until the man’s next of kin could be notified. While McDonald explained that the cause of the accident is still under investigation, Plano police believe that alcohol and excessive speed contributed to the weekend crash.

Sadly, fatal accidents like these happen often in local communities like Plano.  Some are the result of DWI or DUI. Many cause serious injuries and even death. If you have been involved in an auto accident in Plano or a nearby area, a local, experienced personal injury attorney can help you.

Our personal injury law firm offers free initial legal consultations on personal injury cases. If you have been injured, you should contact a Plano, Texas personal injury lawyer immediately to help you determine what insurance coverage is in place to cover your medical expenses and lost wages, and so that you can take steps to protect your legal rights. Call Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 for more information or click here to contact us by email.

FAIRVIEW, TX — Poor visibility due to dense fog was blamed for a major accident on U.S. 75 that resulted in a jackknifed Con-way Freight tandem trailer.

Despite message boards and warning signs posted ahead of the construction zone at the Highway 121 interchange, reaction time is greatly reduced when weather conditions limit visibility say Fairview police.

This was the reason given by the driver of the tractor trailer 18-wheeler who stated that dense fog kept him from seeing construction barriers until the last second. In an attempt to avoid the barriers, the driver over-corrected, and the truck jackknifed.

Police said say they hope the North Texas Tollway Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation will add lighting and signage that could help prevent another wreck.

Despite the disruption to traffic on this portion of U.S. Hwy 75 near Allen, TX for more than seven hours, the driver escaped without injury, and no other vehicles were involved.  Unfortunately, this is not usually the case. Poor weather and resulting road conditions are a major cause of automobile accidents and truck accidents that cause serious injury or death.

If you have been involved in a car accident in Fairview, Allen, or McKinney, a local, experienced personal injury attorney can help you.  Our Accident law firm offers free consultations on personal injury cases. If you or someone you know has been injured, you should contact an Allen personal injury lawyer immediately so that you will know your rights and can determine what insurance coverage may be in place to cover your damages.  Call our office at (972) 231-5800 or click here to contact us by email.

Mesquite, Texas

A new government report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), confirms that driver distraction is a major cause of catastrophic and fatal motor vehicle accidents on our roadways.  NHTSA released new statistics regarding driver distraction for 2008:

• There were 34,017 fatal car crashes in 2008, in which 37,261 people were killed. Driver distraction was found to have been involved in 16 percent of those fatal car crashes in 2008;

• Approximately 2,346,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2008, of which 22 percent of those collisions involved distracted driving.

Lately, there has been an increased focus put on the problem of distracted driving.  Whether from eating, drinking, conversing with passengers, talking on a cell phone, or text messaging, it is clear that distracted driving can result in serious personal injury or death.  Some studies show it is more dangerous than drunk driving.

Sadly, these types of car accidents are all too common, and as a Mesquite TX personal injury lawyer, I am too frequently asked to help family members who suffer these types of tragedies deal with the aftermath.  Due to the lack of punishment, text messaging while driving has become the biggest safety concern on our roads.  It is the cause of numerous major motor vehicle collisions in our communities like Garland, Plano, and Mesquite, Texas.

If you have been involved in an auto accident in Plano, Garland, or Mesquite TX, or the surrounding areas, a Texas personal injury attorney can help you.  Our car wreck attorneys offer free consultations on personal injury claims.  If you or someone you know has been injured or killed, you should contact a Mesquite car accident lawyer immediately so that you can protect your legal rights and cover your damages. Call our office at (972) 231-5800 for more information or click here to contact us by email.

Frisco, Texas — On Monday, September 28, 2009, eight people were injured in a major car accident that occurred at the intersection of Hwy 380 and Preston Rd. in Frisco TX.

The injury-producing collision involved a passenger van from Carter BloodCare and a pickup truck. The pickup truck struck the van on the passenger side. The impact flipped the van onto its side. Carter BloodCare said the van was carrying workers to a blood drive.

Two of the injured people were flown by helicopter ambulance to Frisco hospitals for treatment and five other injured people were taken ground ambulance.

Hwy 380 was shut down for a time during the cleanup and accident investigation.

Unfortunately, serious car accidents and personal injury collisions occur every day to residents of our local cities such as Frisco, McKinney, and Plano, Texas.  Many times, auto accidents like these happen due to driver fatigue, the negligence of a driver who was not paying attention, texting, or even driving while intoxicated.

If you have been involved in a personal injury accident in McKinney, Plano, Frisco, or the surrounding areas, an experienced-local personal injury attorney can help you and your family.

Our motor vehicle accident lawyers offer free consultations on personal injury cases. If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a car accident, you should contact a Frisco, TX personal injury lawyer immediately so that you will know your legal rights and can determine what insurance coverage may be in place to cover damages. Call our office at (972) 231-5800 for more information or click here to contact us by email.