Every year in the United States about 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs. About twenty percent of those require medical attention. Among children, those between the ages of five and nine have the highest rate of dog-bite related injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Many of those bites are from the family dog. However, there are ways to keep your children safe around your dog.

It helps to keep your children in mind before choosing a dog for your family. If your child is young and is scared of dogs, it may not be time to add a dog to your household. Also, special care should be taken before you bring a dog into a household with infants and toddlers.

Once you feel your family is ready for a dog, consult with a veterinarian or a breeder to see what might be the best breed of dog for your household. Before purchasing or adopting a dog, spend time with it. See if the dog is gentle with your children and if they feel comfortable around him or her.

After you’ve decided on a particular dog, get it spayed or neutered, which can reduce aggressiveness. Spend time training the dog and getting it used to your family. Teach the dog how to behave submissively. Don’t wrestle or play other aggressive games with your dog, or the dog might think it’s acceptable to wrestle with young children.

Has your child been bitten by a dog? By law, the dog’s owner could be held liable for any injuries suffered as a result of the bite. If you are in the Dallas area and have suffered a dog bite due to the negligence of a dog’s owner, contact the Dallas dog bite attorneys at the Barber Law Firm at 866-986-1529. They will help you learn more about receiving compensation for your injuries.

A new study shows that young women in the U.S. who choose to drink and drive are now at an increasing risk of being involved in a fatal accident. In 1996, men had double the odds of a fatal crash as women with the same blood-alcohol level. However, in 2007, the gap had closed, and now men and women with high blood-alcohol levels have the same risk of fatal crashes.

Researchers aren’t clear why more young women who are drinking and driving are being killed, but they believe it may be because women are taking more risks while driving than in previous years. Unfortunately, between 1996 and 2007, the risk of a fatal car crash doubled for sober men drivers as well. Researchers believe this is because distracted driving is on the rise.

Also, although this shouldn’t come as a surprise, regardless of a driver’s age or gender, his or her risk of being killed in a car accident increases as their blood alcohol levels rise. Drivers with a blood alcohol level between .02 percent and .049 percent, which is well below the legal limit of .08 percent, faced a three times higher risk of being involved in a fatal crash than sober drivers.

Accidents attributable to drunk driving are especially tragic, because they are so senseless, and because everyone of driving age should know the dangers of drinking and driving. However, thousands are killed in the U.S. each year by drunk drivers. If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident in which alcohol was a factor, call the Dallas personal injury attorneys at the Barber Law Firm at 817-329-5095. We will work hard on your behalf to obtain compensation for your injuries.

Tragically, a catering service employee was killed at Dallas/Fort Worth International airport on Sunday morning. The victim, who was in his 50s, was on the loading dock and was struck by a truck. The victim died on the scene. No details of how the accident occurred are being released. The airport’s Department of Public Safety is investigating. The accident did not affect flight operations at DFW, but did affect the catering services to some flights.

The loved ones of accident victims such as this man, who die in on-the-job accidents, are entitled to fair compensation. By law, most employers are required to provide workers’ compensation insurance for their employees. Employees that are injured on the job are entitled to receive money for medical expenses as well as any wages they lost because of time off from work due to an injury. In addition, if an employee is permanently injured, the employee is entitled to receive extra compensation which varies depending on the injury.

Some employees may choose not to accept workers’ compensation, or their employers may not have workers’ compensation insurance. In that case, the employee may choose to sue the employer for injuries.

Workers’ compensation cases can be complication and expensive. If you or someone you know has been injured on the job, contact the Dallas workers’ compensation attorneys at the Barber Law Firm at 972-231-5800. We will work hard to obtain the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Call us today.

It’s so tragic when a highway worker gets hit by a car and killed or injured. However, it’s not uncommon – road workers have one of the highest injury and fatality rates of all occupations. In order to stay safe in work zones, keep in mind the three S’s: speed, space and stress.

First, watch your speed. It’s very dangerous, and not to mention illegal, to speed through a work zone. Maintain a consistent speed throughout the work zone. Don’t accelerate to your normal speed once it appears that you have left the work zone. Instead, wait until you see signs that say it is safe to resume your normal speed.

Next, it’s important to be aware of the space around you. Leave enough room for braking between your car and the car in front. If you become stopped in traffic, leave some distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you. If someone rear ends you, you could avoid hitting the car in front if there is sufficient space between the vehicles. Make sure to leave enough distance between your car and the highway workers, trucks, and equipment. Also, be aware of tailgaters in construction zones. Some drivers become impatient when forced to slow down. If possible, pull over and let them pass.

Finally, manage your stress in work zones. It can be frustrating to encounter a work zone if you are in a hurry to get somewhere, but calm down. Try not to become distracted, which could lead to an accident.

Have you been injured in an accident in a Dallas work zone due to another driver’s negligence? If so, contact the Dallas car accident attorneys at the Barber Law Firm. Call them today for a free consultation at 817-329-5095.

A personal injury claim is valued and usually settled based upon an estimate of what a jury would likely award as reasonable compensation for your injuries. The jury will take into account how severe your injuries were and the effects of the accident on your life, both immediately and for years to come. In addition to compensation for medical expenses and lost wages, you are entitled to damages for personal injuries, including pain, suffering, and loss of companionship and of enjoyment of life. Severe injuries requiring substantial medical treatment, extended time off from work, and permanent physical or mental injuries may justify a large monetary award.

When it comes time to settle a claim, both sides should have a clear picture of the victim’s injuries and how they have affected the victim’s life. The difference between the victim’s life before the accident and the victim’s life after the accident is the value of the claim. For example, a previously healthy, productive, young worker injured severely by an obviously responsible defendant will demand substantial compensation. This is especially true if the victim has undergone substantial medical care, a large loss of earnings, and is facing a future of impaired earning capacity, disfigurement, pain, and suffering. On the other hand, the claim of an older person injured in uncertain circumstances resulting in complaints that can’t be medically proven may be substantially discounted both by a jury and an insurance adjuster.

If the injured person is found partially at fault for the accident, the amount of damages will be reduced. Also, if there is a substantial chance that the claim will not succeed for any reason, then any pretrial settlement offer will be reduced in most cases.

Have you been injured by an accident due to the negligence of another person or business in theDallasarea? If so, contact the Barber Law Firm at 972-231-5800. Our attorneys will help walk you through the process of filing a personal injury claim. Call us today for a free consultation.

Thursday afternoon, a tractor trailer loaded with 30,000 pounds of cardboard was involved in an accident, shutting down the Dallas North Tollway for hours. The accident occurred when the truck began travelling too fast, crossing all three lanes of Tollway traffic. The truck then pushed an SUV through a concrete barrier and into the southbound side of the highway. The truck fell over and landed on top of another vehicle. The drivers of the other vehicles were transported to area hospitals. The driver of the semi truck was not injured.

Large commercial trucks are far more likely to be involved in fatal vehicle accidents than passenger cars, partially because of their large size in comparison to other vehicles on the road. Every 16 minutes in theU.S., a person is injured or killed in a semi-truck accident. Surprisingly, the majority of large truck accidents occur in rural areas during the daytime, and on weekdays. Most also occur on dry roads in good weather.

Sadly, accidents caused by fatigued and overworked truck drivers are not uncommon. Most accidents between a tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle end up badly for passengers in the smaller vehicle. If you have been injured in a crash caused by a fatigued truck driver, you may be entitled to compensation from the trucking company. Your compensation could include money for medical expenses, damage to your vehicle, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.

If you have been injured in a tractor-trailer accident, contact theDallastractor trailer attorneys at the Barber Law Firm at 972-231-5800. Our attorneys will provide you with a free consultation and will work hard to obtain compensation for your accident.

It is a very common misperception among non-lawyers that almost any attorney can represent a client in almost any matter as long as the case is a common one. Many clients think that if they need a routine bankruptcy or a will prepared, they can go to the same attorney who handled their divorce or did the closing on their home. In addition, some attorneys will agree to handle a case outside their specialty in order to collect the fee.

 However, the truth is that the law is increasingly becoming more complex, so it is much better to find an attorney who specializes in what you need. Also, you may think you have a very simple, straightforward case. While this is sometimes true, more often a simple case can be filled with complexities that only an experienced attorney will recognize. Instead of finding any random attorney to handle your case, a better approach is to find the most experienced attorney in the field of law your case is in who you can afford to hire to handle your case.

 This is particularly true in personal injury cases. Although personal injury cases are very common, they can be very complex. Only an attorney with substantial personal injury experience should handle such a case. Also, once a case is settled, an injured party cannot get more compensation later if their medical circumstances change. Therefore, you should hire an experienced attorney to help you get the maximum amount of compensation available.

 Have you been injured in an accident due to another party’s negligence in the Dallas area? If so, contact the Barber Law Firm, a personal injury law firm dedicated to helping accident victims recover. Call them today at 972-231-5800 for a free consultation.

Generally, a person who is injured by a product he or she used could have a claim against the manufacturer or the retailer for product liability. Those claims usually fall into one of three categories: (1) defective design; (2) defective manufacture; or (3) failure to provide proper warnings or instructions. It’s important to understand the difference in these types of claims, as that can help you understand whether you may have a case for product liability or not.

Defectively designed products. In this type of product liability, a product’s design is inherently dangerous or defective. These claims originate when an entire product line is correctly made, but the design itself is dangerous. Some examples of design defects include prescription drugs with very dangerous side effects, a curling iron that catches on fire when left on too long, or a vehicle that flips easily when travelling at a high rate of speed. In order to pursue a claim for a defectively designed product, you must show that your injury was caused by the defective design.

Defectively manufactured products. In this type of product liability, the product is properly designed, but it was flawed because of an error while manufacturing it. This means that the entire product line would be fine, but your particular product was defective. Some examples of defectively manufactured products are a vehicle that’s missing its brake pads, a jar of peanut butter containing a toxic substance, or a trampoline with broken springs. In order to pursue a claim for a defectively manufactured product, you must show that your injury was caused by the defect.

Failure to provide adequate warnings or instructions. This type of product liability involves a failure to provide warnings or instructions about the product’s proper use. Usually, this means that the product is dangerous in some type of way that’s not obvious, but no warnings were given about the hidden danger. Some examples would be a medicine that doesn’t give warnings that it shouldn’t be taken in combination with another medicine or a dangerous chemical that’s sold without instructions on how to store it.

Product liability claims can sometimes be complex. It can often be difficult to know whether you even have a valid product liability claim. If you have been injured by a defective product, contact Dallas product liability attorney Kris Barber at 972-231-5800.

The Dallas/Fort Worth area has become a hub for major sporting events, festivals, and other events and attractions that draw thousands of tourists into the area. Although events such as the World Series bring a lot of attention and tourism dollars into the Dallas/Fort Worth area, they also bring a lot of traffic headaches for many residents.

With this being the second year in a row of the World Series coming to Arlington, the city of Arlington made a lot of plans to avoid the extreme congestion associated with a major sporting event. In addition to the World Series, the Dallas Cowboys hosted the St. Louis Rams during one game of the World Series, and during that time, there were also several other events going on in the area.

Additional parking lots were opened up to handle the traffic, and each had several access points. During days when the Cowboys were not playing, additional parking was available in lots in the Cowboys Stadium. The city of Arlington also set up a special World Series website that contained updated information on traffic and parking. Even with the advance preparation, traffic in the area was still a nightmare for many drivers.

When driving to events with a huge turnout, such as a World Series game, experts recommend leaving early, wearing comfortable shoes, and preparing for a long walk. It’s also a good idea to be aware of your surroundings, especially at night. Also, avoid leaving valuables in your vehicles. Thieves often see huge sporting events as a great opportunity. It’s also important to avoid parking on private property. If you park in a private business’s lot, you risk parking illegally and giving your money to scam artists who don’t own the lot, and you could get towed.

If you are attending a big event in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, be careful and have fun. If you have been involved in an accident in the area due to the negligence of another careless driver, contact Kris Barber, Dallas automobile accident attorney, at 972-231-5800 to pursue your legal options.

A tragic accident occurred north of Dallas yesterday in Fairview, where a worker was killed and another is missing after repairing a sewer line. Authorities say one of the men went into the sewer to remove a plug on a sewer line. The man was most likely overcome by gas from the sewer. When the man didn’t emerge, a second man went to find him and didn’t come out.

The body of the first man to go into the sewer was found yesterday morning. Authorities are looking for the second man but are not hopeful of finding him alive. It is standard procedure to check air quality before going into a sewer, but because the men were basically done with the project when they realize they had one line to unplug, they might have failed to follow safety recommendations. OSHA is currently investigating the accident.

If you have been injured in an accident at the workplace, you or your loved ones may be able to either collect workers’ compensation payment or other compensation for your injuries. Call Dallas workers’ compensation attorney Kris Barber at 972-231-5800 to learn more.