HOUSTON, TX – Megan Small, 21, a Baylor University pharmacy student was heading back to school on Thanksgiving weekend, in 2007. It was then that her parents received the phone call that changed their lives forever.

During the Thanksgiving weekend, a number of college students were on the road and heading back to school. One of them was Jason Reed Vestal, who was behind the wheel of a pickup truck, on his way back to Texas A&M. Accident investigators say he crossed into Megan’s lane and collided with her car head on.

Hunter Craft, attorney for the Smalls, says that Vestal claimed he didn’t remember the accident and that there wasn’t a cell phone in his vehicle. The Small’s attorney, however, found out differently.

It was discovered that Vestal had sent or received 15 text messages and placed 7 phone calls within a short period of time leading up to the accident, according to Craft. “And, in fact, he was receiving a text and possibly trying to return that text at the time when he crossed the center line and hit Megan.”

The evidence prompted a Robertson County jury to award $21.8 million, as the kind of message that they wanted to send.

“We’re not in it for the money. We just wanted closure, answers and healing. And basically to send a message to the community that texting and phoning behind the wheel is wrong,” said Megan’s mother.

Accidents such as these can occur, at any time, in our local cities such as Dallas, Plano, and Richardson, TX. Some are the result of texting while driving.  Many of them lead to serious injuries or fatalities. If you’ve suffered a loss or injury due to a Dallas, Texas auto accident, you may wish to consult with a knowledgeable, experienced local personal injury lawyer.

Our personal injury law firm will offer you an initial free legal consultation regarding your potential personal injury case. If you, a loved one or someone you know have been involved in an accident resulting in an injury, you should consult a Dallas Texas personal injury lawyer regarding your legal rights to secure compensation for lost wages and medical expenses. Call Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 for more information or you can click here to contact us by email.

On April 1^st at about 1:00 a.m., two people were killed in an overnight motor vehicle collision located off Interstate 20 in Dallas TX.

Officials from the Sheriff’s Dept. stated that the driver was travelling at a high rate of speed while attempting to exit from eastbound I-20 at Lancaster Road. He subsequently lost control of the car and crashed into a fence, knocking down a 20-foot tree. He and his passenger, James Funaro, 28 were killed almost instantly.

Car accidents that occur as a result of speeding are a serious threat to motorists in Dallas, and its surrounding areas like Garland, Plano, and Mesquite TX. If you’ve received an injury or experienced property damage as a result of a DFW or surrounding area auto accident, then you may wish to consult with an experienced local personal injury lawyer.

A free initial legal consultation will be provided by our personal injury law firm regarding your potential injury case. If you, or someone you know, has been injured you should contact a Dallas, Texas personal injury lawyer to understand your legal rights regarding potential compensation for your medical expenses and lost wages. Call Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 for more information or you can click here to contact him by email.

Early Sunday morning, a man who already had three prior DWI convictions crashed into the rear of a sedan, killing the driver of the other vehicle and her 13-year-old daughter, police authorities reported. The incident occurred on Lewisville, Texas Interstate 35E near Vista Ridge Mall.

The driver, 30-year old John Patrick Barton of Lewisville, will be officially charged with two counts of murder and is currently being treated for injuries sustained in the vehicle crash. Although hospitalized for internal bodily injuries, police say that Barton will be immediately escorted to jail upon his medical discharge. The driver of the other vehicle, identified as Kandace Hull 33, of Argyle, died at the scene. Her daughter, Autumn 13, died eight hours later at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas TX police stated.

Hull’s husband and two other children remained hospitalized with Hull’s husband suffering serious head trauma.

Research has indicated that Barton has a long criminal record that dates back to his teenage years, with convictions including burglary and speeding charges.

He was first convicted of DWI in 2001 and placed on parole for his third DWI conviction in January 2009 for an incident occurring in June, 2006.

Unfortunately, drunk driving accidents such as these are not uncommon in our local cities such as Lewisville, Plano and Frisco, TX. Many lead to devastating consequences such as serious personal injury or wrongful death. If you’ve suffered a loss or injury due to a Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex auto accident, you may wish to consult with a knowledgeable, experienced local personal injury lawyer.

Our personal injury law firm offers free initial legal consultations regarding potential personal injury cases – at no charge to you. If you, a loved one, or someone you know has been involved in an accident resulting in an injury, you should consult a Lewisville, Texas personal injury lawyer regarding your legal rights to secure compensation for lost wages and medical expenses. Call Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 for more information or you can click here to contact him by email.

A ban on text messaging, while at the wheel, was proposed for interstate truck and bus drivers. This is a follow up call on measures that will reduce crashes that, in many cases, have serious consequences – including fatalities.

The proposal would make permanent the current interim ban that had been announced in January, by the Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, which applies to all drivers of commercial trucks and buses weighing over 10,000 pounds. A driver caught violating this ban would face possible civil and criminal penalties.

Safety advocates, as well as the government, have pushed for greater restrictions as cell phones, mobile electronics and vehicle navigation systems have become more commonplace in cars and trucks. Reports from the Transportation Dept. indicate that 5,870 were killed along with 515,000 injured in 2008 as a result of driver distraction, which, in many cases, involved the use of cell phones and other mobile devices.

A study conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has shown that a driver who sends and receives a text message will take their eyes off the road an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds, while texting. If the speed of the vehicle is 55 per hour, it translates into the vehicle travelling the length of a football field without the driver looking at the road. This can easily result in a catastrophic auto accident.

MVAs such as these frequently occur in our local cities such as Frisco, Plano and McKinney, TX. If you’ve suffered an injury or property damage in the DFW metroplex or Dallas TX area as the result of a car accident, you should consult with an experienced local personal Dallas injury lawyer.

Our personal injury law firm will offer an initial free legal consultation regarding your potential personal injury case. If you, or someone you know, has been injured you should contact a Dallas, Texas personal injury lawyer, without delay, to know your legal rights regarding compensation for your medical expenses and lost wages. Call Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 for more information or you click here to contact him by email.

Last Sunday, in Fort Worth, Hung Nguyen died around 2 a.m. after being involved in a seven-car collision on the bridge from the southbound East Loop 820 to eastbound East Freeway (Interstate 30), due to icy road conditions.

While standing next to his 2001 Honda and inspecting for any damage to his vehicle from the earlier crash, Nguyen and his car were struck by an on-coming vehicle that pushed Nguyen over the barrier, where he fell several hundred feet to the freeway below.

Police said that the pileup occurred due to icy conditions on the bridge, which initially caused two cars to collide after which a tow truck stopped to assist them. Nguyen’s Honda subsequently ran into the back of the tow truck while a black car crashed into Nguyen’s vehicle. With Nguyen outside his vehicle, he was struck by the sixth car which was then struck by a seventh car.

In Arlington, Texas police have stated that icy road conditions were also most likely a factor in the death of Paul Travis Smith, 36. That accident involved two 18-wheel tractor-trailers on Interstate 30 at Fielder Road.

In total, Fort Worth police reported 44 accidents on Sunday between midnight and 10 a.m. compared to 14 for the previous week, during the same time period.

In Dallas, 144 car wrecks were reported on city streets from midnight to 10 a.m. and 140 reported on freeways.

Unfortunately, auto accidents such as these can often be the result of poor weather conditions combined, in many cases, with a lack of judgement on the part of motorists. These accidents frequently occur in our local cities such as Irving, Southlake, and Arlington, TX, and can be quite catastrophic. If you’ve been involved in a Dallas metroplex or DFW area auto accident, you may wish to consult with an experienced local personal injury lawyer.

Our personal injury law firm will offer a free initial legal consultation on your potential personal injury case. If you, or someone you know, have been injured, you should immediately contact a Dallas, Texas personal injury lawyer in order to know your legal rights regarding compensation for medical expenses and lost wages. Call Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 for more information or click here to contact us by email.

MESQUITE, TX—Mariana Aguilarde-Rodriguez died early Monday morning after causing a head-on crash with another vehicle.  The collision occurred just before 2 a.m. on Monday when Arguilarde-Rodriguez’ pick-up collided with another truck on I-30 between Motley and Big Town Boulevard in Mesquite, Texas.  Arguilarde-Rodriguez was reportedly driving the wrong way on I-30. She was transported to the hospital with multiple, critical injuries and died several hours later. The other driver and a passenger were taken to the same hospital with less severe injuries and are expected to survive.

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

If you have been injured in an accident as a result of someone else’s careless driving, you should contact a Mesquite personal injury lawyer immediately.  Our personal injury law firm offers free initial legal consultations. Call Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 or click here to contact us by email.

DALLAS, TX—Police say that a driver who ran a red light this past Sunday was responsible for a serious crash.  Sometime in the early morning hours on Sunday, the driver smashed into a car carrying a teenager and two small children at the intersection of Westmoreland Road and Singleton Boulevard in Dallas, Texas.  The condition of the driver who caused the accident is unknown. All three victims from the other vehicle were immediately transported to Children’s Medical Center with personal injuries.

Unfortunately, serious injury car accidents like these occur frequently in our local communities like Dallas, Garland, and Richardson, TX.  Many cause serious personal injury and even wrongful deaths. If you have been involved in an auto accident in Garland, Richardson, or Dallas, Texas or a nearby area, a local, experienced personal injury lawyer can help you.

If you have been injured in an accident as a result of someone else’s careless driving, you should contact a Dallas, TX 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.  Our car accident law firm offers free initial legal consultations. Call Dallas Personal Injury Lawyer Kristopher Barber at (972) 231-5800 or click here to contact us by email.

GARLAND, TX—Alcohol was a suspected factor in two recent MVA collisions in Van Alstyne, which is about 18 miles north of McKinney, and borders Collin and Grayson County.

Both auto crashes occurred Monday night, February 1, between 7:00 and 10:00 pm. The first accident happened on US Highway 75 when a Ford Explorer traveling south in a northbound lane slammed into a Toyota Camry.  Although both drivers were sent to Wilson N. Jones Medical Center in Sherman, according to police, their bodily injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

In a separate motor vehicle accident, Bobbi Lalonde, 44, of Denison, was driving south in the northbound lane of US Highway 75 near Farmington when the second wreck occurred just after 9 p.m.  The victim, a Garland resident, was killed.  A Van Alstyne police spokeswoman said Lalonde was booked into the Grayson County Jail on suspicion of intoxication manslaughter.

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

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.