In today’s world, travel by air is a frequent occurrence for many people. It’s also one of the safest forms of travel. However, aviation accidents do occur, and the results can be horrific. It’s very rare that an airliner is involved in an accident, but crashes involving smaller aircraft and helicopters are not uncommon.

There are many factors that can be involved in an aviation accident, such as poor maintenance of an aircraft, mechanical defects, pilot error and air traffic controller error. Determining what caused the accident is crucial in an aviation accident, since there are so many different parties involved – the pilot, the airline, the air traffic controllers, the airport and the aircraft manufacturer.

Aviation accidents can involve a variety of laws, both state and federal. In theU.S., both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are responsible for overseeing aviation law. The FAA is in charge of the enforcement of aviation-related laws, as well as the oversight of the manufacture, operation and maintenance of all aircraft. The NTSB investigates all accidents that occur and recommends changes in safety procedures for aviation.

Aviation accidents can hurt not only those riding in an airplane or helicopter, but also those on the ground when an accident occurs. One common example is an air show. For example, in 2011 11 people were killed at an air show inReno,Nevadawhen an airplane crashed into the stands.

If you have been injured in an aviation accident, either as a pilot, passenger or a bystander, contact theDallasaviation attorneys at the Barber Law Firm at 817-329-5095. We will analyze the accident to determine which party is at fault, and will fight to get you compensation for the accident from the responsible party.

Scientific advances the past few decades have brought us wonderful medications that can drastically improve the lives of those patients taking them. However, simple mistakes in prescribing or administering such medications to patients have taken countless lives. Unfortunately, medication errors have been estimated to account for about one-quarter of all medical malpractice cases. Often, those medication errors turn out to be fatal.

There are many types of medication errors that can occur in the prescription, distribution, or administration of different types of drugs. These mistakes can be made by any medical professional, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists or pharmacy technicians.

Some types of medication errors include:

• Giving      the wrong dose. A doctor may prescribe the wrong dosage, which could      result in an underdose or an overdose. A nurse could fail to administer      the correct dosage. Or, a pharmacist may fail to correctly fill or label      the prescription, which could result in the wrong dose.
• Interactions      among drugs.  Sometimes, if a      patient is taking more than one medication, those medications could      interact with each other in a dangerous way. This could occur if a doctor      failed to ask a patient if he or she was taking prescription drugs. Or      pharmacists may fail to note that a patient was prescribed two drugs that      could interact.
• Receiving      the wrong drugs.  This could      happen in a variety of ways. A doctor may write down the wrong drug. A      nurse could administer the wrong drug. A pharmacist could accidentally      grab the wrong drug when filling a prescription.
• Failing      to warn about a drug’s side effects.       Many drugs come with very serious side effects, which could affect      patients in dangerous ways.

Have you or a loved one been a victim of a medication error inDallasthat resulted in injury or death? If so, you may have a potential claim against a health care professional. Contact the medical malpractice attorneys at the Barber Law Firm at 972-231-5800. We will work hard on your case.

According to a new survey by Men’s Health magazine,Dallas,St. LouisandHoustonhave the most dangerous drivers in the country. Three ofTexas’s cities finished in the top 10: Dallas, Houston and Austin. Three moreTexascities were in the top 20:Ft.Worth,Lubbock, andSan Antonio.

To arrive at the rankings, the magazine studied accident statistics, including speeding, hit and runs, accident involving alcohol, seatbelt use, and fatal accident rates. The study also looked at cell phone laws and the number of years between accidents. The study used data from Allstate Insurance, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

So what can you do if you find yourself in a city full of bad drivers? If you find yourself surrounded by bad drivers, the best thing to do is practice defensive driving techniques. This means not only driving safely and responsibly yourself, but also keeping an eye on the drivers around you.

First, buckle up – not only yourself, but all of your passengers as well. Make sure all doors are locked. Drive with the flow of traffic – not too fast, not too slow. Don’t drink while driving, of course, and don’t use cell phones or other electronic devices while driving. Be very alert for other drivers – avoid those you think may be driving aggressively or may be under the influence. If you see such a driver, call the police. Finally, don’t follow too close – give vehicles plenty of room.

If you have been involved in an accident with a bad driver inDallas, call the Barber Law Firm at 972-231-5800. Our attorneys will help you pursue a case against the bad driver.

service road inIrving. He was attempting to avoid an accident. An employee at a radio station took the bus’s picture and contacted the school district. The driver was suspended pending an investigation.

Although no accident occurred and no one was hurt in this incident, school buses are occasionally involved in accidents and children are hurt from time to time. So how can you make sure your kids are safe? First, you need to be aware of the risks involved with children and school buses, and educate your kids about how to stay safe. About 22.5 million school age children ride school buses to and from school. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 40 children are killed in school bus-related traffic accidents each year. These statistics make school buses one of the safest forms of transportation available.

Of those students who were killed in school bus related accidents, most were pedestrians struck by school buses rather than passengers. Children between the ages of 5 and 6 represented more than half of all school-aged pedestrians killed by school buses over the last 10 years. Therefore, it’s especially important to educate your younger children about the dangers of walking near school buses.

Inform your children that in order to stay safe, they should try to arrive at their bus stop early. When crossing streets, look both ways and cross at crosswalks. Once you’re at the bus stop, stand away from the curb. Cross at least 10 feet in front of the school bus, and wait for the driver to signal before you cross. While you’re actually riding the bus, don’t lean out the window. Try not to distract the driver, and use a seatbelt if it’s available.

Have you or your child been injured in a school bus accident because of the negligence of another party? If so, contact theHoustonschool bus accident attorneys at the Barber Law Firm at 817-329-5095. Our attorneys will help you get the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

Last week, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood proposed the first guidelines for reducing distracted driving, which is becoming an ever-increasing problem in theU.S.The NHTSA released the guidelines for automakers, which aim to offer criteria for the types of electronic devices and the number of those devices used within a vehicle.

The guidelines are issued in three phases, and they are currently in Phase I. Phase I applies to light vehicles, such as cars, minivans, SUVs and pickups. In Phase I, guidelines are suggested that help automakers make use of electronics that are not as likely to distract the driver with tasks that aren’t required for the operation of the vehicle. Phase I also recommends any electronic devices within the vehicle not require the use of the driver’s sight and touch for long periods of time.

Specifically, the guidelines recommend that any in-vehicle electronic devices reduce the complexity and task length required by the device; any off-road glances required to operate the device be limited to no more than two seconds; limit the operation of any device to only one hand; and limit the amount of inputs required for device operation. Phase I also recommends that some in-vehicle features be disabled unless the car is in park, such as Internet browsing, 10-digit phone dialing, texting, social media browsing, and GPS destination entry by address. Phase II and III are going to look into electronics that aren’t yet part of the vehicles but do serve as distractions, as well as voice-activated controls.

Tragically, distracted driving is killing thousands of Americans each year. If you have been injured in an accident by a distracted driver in theDallasarea, call the personal injury attorneys at the Barber Law Firm at 817-329-5095. Our experienced attorneys will work hard on your case.

Hundreds of Texans die every year in motorcycle crashes, and many more are injured. About one out of every five motorcycle crashes result in head or neck injuries. Statistics show that head and neck injuries account for a majority of serious and fatal injuries to motorcyclists. Statistics also show that head and neck injuries can be reduced by wearing an appropriate helmet. According to the CDC, helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 69 percent. In a crash, a rider who is not wearing a helmet is 40 percent more likely to die from a head injury than someone wearing a helmet. Hundreds of lives could be saved in the U.S. each year if all riders wore helmets.

 There are two main types of helmets – three-quarter and full face. Whichever you choose, make sure it meets U.S. Department of Transportation standards. If it does, it will have DOT lettering on the back of the helmet that should not be easily removed. Make sure your motorcycle helmet fits snugly, and has no defects like cracks, loose padding or frayed straps. Finally, it’s important to make sure the helmet is secured tightly on your head – if it flies off during a crash it can’t protect you.

 You should also consider face protection while you are riding. A face shield can help protect you from dirt, rocks, bugs and more that can be very distracting for motorcyclists. When choosing an eye shield or face shield, make sure it’s free of scratches, gives a clear view and is able to fasten securely.

 If motorcyclists use the proper equipment, they can greatly reduce the chances of an injury if they’re involved in an accident. If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident in the Dallas area, contact the Dallas motorcycle accident attorneys at the Barber Law Firm at 972-231-5800. Our firm will work hard to fight for your rights.

A Dallas meat packing plant, the Columbia Packing Co., has recently come under fire for contaminating a Dallas area creek which flows into the Trinity River.

 State and federal investigators recently found an unauthorized underground pipe leading from the back of the company’s slaughterhouse directly to the creek. The investigators determined that pig blood was flowing from the slaughterhouse to the creek. In addition to the blood, industrial waste such as pig hair and flesh and plastic gloves was found to be flowing into the creek as well.

 The company claims it was only notified about the problem on January 19 and immediately cooperated with officials. It claims a clog in the sewer line caused the flow to backup into an overflow pipe in the drainage area. It also claims that the city was aware of the problem for 41 days before notifying the company.

 The investigation began when an individual taking pictures of a nearby creek noticed what appeared to be blood flowing into the water near the plant. The person let the Dallas County Health Department know, which then took its own pictures and began investigating the situation.

 Companies have a duty to the public to avoid harming us through their manufacturing processes. They also have a duty to manufacture products which are safe for the general public to use in the manner in which they were intended. If they fail to meet that duty, and an individual is harmed, that person can seek compensation from the company for injuries. In this case, if a person were made sick by the contamination of the creek, and could prove the illness was caused by the contamination, the meat packing plant could be held liable.

 Have you been injured by a company’s negligent actions? If so, contact the Dallas personal injury attorneys at Barber Law. We will work hard to hold the company responsible for its negligence. Call us today at 972-231-5800.

“Damages” means the monetary value of what is required to compensate you for your losses that were caused by your personal injury. “Damages” is a very broad term, but generally there are two types of damages, economic and non-economic. Punitive damages are a separate type of damages. Punitive damages are monetary damages which are usually not awarded.

Economic damages are monetary damages that are suffered by the injured party. Economic damages is a broad term, and it can include the loss of income because of the injury (both past and present), damage to property, medical expenses (both past and present), the loss of future income because of the injury, and any other extra monetary expenses suffered as a result of the injury. In addition, economic damages can include a variety of other expenses incurred directly or indirectly as a result of the injury, such as any special vehicles or transportation or any special home helpers required because of your injury.

Non-economic damages are damages that can’t be measured in monetary terms. Some common economic damages include mental anguish caused by the injury, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium (awarded to a spouse for the loss of companionship), and more.

The damages to which a personal injury victim is entitled depends on the facts of the case and they can vary greatly from case to case. Have you suffered an injury in the Dallas area caused by the negligence of another party? If so, contact Dallas personal injury attorney Kris Barber at 972-231-5800.

If the defendant in your personal injury case has insurance, prior to any offer of settlement, an insurance adjuster will want to evaluate all documentation regarding the accident and the expenses incurred. Those records could include things like medical records, records of lost wages, out-of-pocket expenses, and other types of medical documentation regarding any permanent injuries that were caused by the accident.

The insurance company may make an initial offer to settle after receiving all required documentation.  If after negotiations, the insurance company offers a fair settlement that you agree to, then the case is over. You sign a Release and receive a check from the insurance company.  This process generally takes 6 – 8 months from the date of the accident, but can vary depending on the length of medical treatment you receive.

However, if the settlement offer is inadequate and the insurance company won’t budge, you may choose to pursue the case further, such as by filing a lawsuit.  Once a lawsuit is filed, it could take a significantly larger amount of time.  Due to the busy schedule of most courts, trials usually occur between 1 and 2 years after the lawsuit is filed.

Once the suit is filed, both parties will investigate the claims in a process called discovery. Discovery could include taking depositions from the parties involved, or seeking additional documentation on the accident. After discovery is completed, both sides may begin settlement negotiations or enter into mediation prior to trial. Most personal injury cases settle prior to trial.

Have you been involved in an accident caused by another party’s negligence in the Dallas area? If so, you could have a potential case. To learn more, contact Kris Barber, Dallas personal injury attorney at the Barber Law Firm. He has experience both with case settlement and with trials. Call him today at 817-329-5095.

When individuals visit a doctor or a hospital, they expect a very high standard of care. In some cases, patients leave a doctor’s office or a hospital with more problems than they had when they arrived. In other cases, the individuals may have been the victims of medical malpractice but they are unaware that malpractice actually occurred.

Hospital malpractice can include any type of negligence that may occur in a hospital or outpatient setting, and it can be committed by any hospital employee but is usually committed by a health care professional. There are a variety of types of hospital malpractice. Some include errors during surgery, medication errors, a failure to prevent infections, and health care professionals failing to do what they are supposed to, such as the failure to monitor a patient, the failure to diagnose a condition, or the failure to order tests.

Malpractice by a doctor usually occurs either when the doctor failed to do something (such as order extra tests), or made an outright error (such as prescribing the wrong medication). Doctor malpractice can occur in addition to hospital malpractice, or can be a separate issue.

Doctor malpractice and hospital malpractice issues can be complex to sort out. Do you suspect your doctor or hospital committed malpractice? If so, contact Dallas medical malpractice attorney Kris Barber at 817-329-5095. He will provide you with a free consultation and will help give you peace of mind about your legal situation. Contact him today to learn more.