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.