Texas Accident & Injury News

CHLORINE SHORTAGE COULD CAUSE DANGERS THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND AS THE SUMMER SEASON KICKS OFF FOR POOLS, RESORTS AND WATERPARKS

Published on: May 28, 2021 | by Carabin Shaw

May 24, 2021, San Antonio, TX – Every summer families head to the beaches, lakes and pools to beat the heat and cool off. Summer fun also means a serious focus on summer safety. Texas had the deadliest rate of child pool and spa drownings in 2019 for children under age 15. Drowning can happen anywhere which makes it necessary for everyone to practice water safety.

Just last week a two-year-old toddler died after squeezing through a safety gate and falling into a swimming pool here in Texas and another drowning tragedy involving toddlers occurred in Florida at a daycare center. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), drowning is one of the top causes of unintentional deaths for children in the U.S. There are nearly 400 pool-related drownings per year involving children.

In the U.S. drowning takes an average of 3,500-4,000 lives per year. That is nearly 10 fatal drownings per day. The CDC reports an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings annually in the U.S. An additional 332 people die each year from drowning in boat-related incidents.

Malfunctioning Crane Causes Fatal Texas Car Accident

Published on: May 24, 2021 | by Carabin Shaw

Last month, an accident involving a construction crane and a pick-up truck claimed the lives of two men. The accident occurred in Jefferson County on Interstate 10, near Beaumont. As is often the case in fatal Texas car accidents, news reports conveyed conflicting information in the immediate aftermath of the collision.

What is known is that two men were traveling westbound on I-10. As they approached a section of I-10 where crews were working on widening the highway, they collided with a crane. Both men were immediately killed in the collision.

Initially, reports indicated that a large commercial vehicle was towing the construction crane, which somehow became dislodged from the truck. As the crane broke free, it collided with the pick-up truck.

Seven Children Injured in Texas School Bus Accident

Published on: May 24, 2021 | by Carabin Shaw

Recently, two school busses in Texas City, TX, were involved in a collision during afternoon drop-off that injured seven students. The accident occurred when two Independent School District busses were approaching the intersection of Bay Street extension and 25th Avenue North at around 4:30 p.m. Evidently, the first school bus pulled up to the intersection and stopped at a stop sign. The second school bus failed to stop in time, rear-ending the first bus. Authorities have not released the total number of students on board the busses, and the accident remains under investigation.

While law enforcement has not yet released the official details of the accident, preliminary news reports offer conflicting information. Initially, police indicated that seven people were injured in the accident. According to one report, emergency responders took two of the injured students to the hospital, and the other five were released to the care of their parents. However, another report indicated that four students and the driver of the school bus were hospitalized, and two students were immediately released to their parents.

There is no indication of the seriousness of the students’ injuries. However, it appears everyone who was admitted to the hospital was released that same day. All students involved in the accident attended Levi Fry Intermediate School.

Fatal Texas Car Accident Involving Driverless Car Claims Two Lives

Published on: May 24, 2021 | by Carabin Shaw

Last month, two people died when the Tesla Model S they were driving veered off the road and crashed into a tree. After colliding with the tree, the vehicle burst into flames. According to a news report released shortly after the accident, it took firefighters four hours and 30,000 gallons of water to put out the fire. A feat that was complicated by the fact that the vehicle’s electric battery continued to re-ignite.

In the initial aftermath of the accident, authorities believed no one was in the driver’s seat when the collision occurred. However, Tesla representatives also inspected the wreckage, and the company immediately disputed the claim that no one was driving. For example, Tesla initially claimed that the preliminary data recovered from the car’s onboard computer system did not indicate that the vehicle was in Autopilot mode. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also noted that this particular Model S was not equipped with “Full Self-Driving Mode,” an optional feature.

In the weeks following the accident, Tesla continues to claim that someone was driving the car at the time of the accident. According to an article released weeks later, a Tesla representative pointed out that all the seatbelts were unbuckled when emergency response crews arrived, explaining that the Autopilot feature does not work unless all seatbelts are worn. Additionally, Tesla claimed that because the vehicle’s steering wheel was “deformed,” it was likely that someone was in the driver’s seat. In response to Tesla’s claim, law enforcement released a statement that they were 100 percent certain that no one was in the driver’s seat.

ACCIDENT INJURY REPORT: Fatal Crash South of Tyler in Smith County

Published on: May 3, 2021 | by Carabin Shaw

pexels-pavel-danilyuk-6754163-300x200 May 3 ,2021: On Wednesday, April 28, Troopers responded to a two-vehicle fatal crash near Tyler. The crash happened on SH-110 South at Meador Cemetery Rd. south of Tyler’s City limits in Smith County.

Violet Louise Wright, 59, of Bullard, the driver of a Honda Accord, had stopped on Meador Cemetery Rd attempting to enter SH-110 South. The driver of a Volkswagen Jetta, Jessica Karen King, 20, of Lindale was traveling northbound on SH-110 South. It was at this intersection that Wright failed to yield the right of way, entering onto SH-110 South, King hit the Honda that had pulled out into the traffic lane.

Wright was transported to UT Health–Tyler, where she was pronounced dead. King, the driver who struck Wright’s vehicle was transported to UT Health-Tyler in stable condition.

Accident Injury Report – Two Killed in Fiery Tesla Crash in Houston Area

Published on: April 27, 2021 | by Carabin Shaw

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April 27, 2021, Houston, TX – On the evening of Friday April 16th a Tesla Model S crashed and burst into flames after hitting a tree in the Carlton Woods subdivision in the Woodlands. The Tesla, traveling at high speed, failed to negotiate a bend and came off the road on Hammock Dunes Place, a residential street in the upscale Houston suburb.

Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said that the investigation showed “no one was driving” the fully electric 2019 Tesla Model S when the accident happened. There was a person in the passenger seat of the front of the car and in the rear passenger seat of the car. One of the men was identified as Dr. William Varner, a member of the Memorial Hermann medical system. The second victim of the Tesla crash was named as 69-year-old engineer Everett Talbot. The accident has made national headlines because local officials investigating the incident say there was no one driving the vehicle.

Federal investigators with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are among those now looking into the deadly accident that killed both men.

ACCIDENT INJURY REPORT: Two Dead After Tire Separates From Car in Wood County

Published on: April 1, 2021 | by Carabin Shaw

pexels-pixabay-263402-300x199 Saturday, March 27, 2021, Mineloa, TX: Two people died after the back tire separated from a vehicle and caused a rollover crash on Saturday in Wood County. The driver of an SUV, Robert Guy Marino of Tyler, was pronounced deceased Monday morning. The passenger, Cathy Marks, 64 also of Tyler died at the scene Saturday.

According to DPS, the driver of a Ford Explorer was traveling north on US 69 at around 1:20 p.m. Saturday when a back left tire came off the vehicle, causing the driver to loose control. The Explorer traveled off the road into the eastbound ditch where is rolled over. The driver, Marino, was not wearing a seatbelt and was transported to UT Health Tyler in serious condition where he later died.

DPS said the crash is still under investigation.

Accident Injury Report: Abilene PD Investigating Fatal Crash On Highway 36

Published on: March 14, 2021 | by Carabin Shaw

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Sunday, March 14, 2021: ABILENE, Texas — The Abilene Police Department responded to a major vehicle crash at approximately 1:05 p.m. Saturday, March 13 at US Highway 36 and Blackburn Road. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a pickup truck and a Dodge Challenger that had both driven off the road and the Challenger was on fire.

Witnesses said the Challenger, driven by James Wells, 59 was traveling north on US Highway 36 at a high rate of speed, passing vehicles on the two-lane road.

Wells tried to pass the pickup truck driven by Mark Rodgers, 39 of Abilene near the Blackburn Road intersection. A vehicle in the oncoming lane caused Wells to try to get back in his lane but clipped the Rodgers vehicle in the rear, causing it to veer off the road and hit a tree before stopping in a field. Rodgers was pronounced dead at the scene while his wife and three children (ages 8, 10, 11) who were also in the truck where taken to the hospital for treatment. Their condition is unknown. Wells was also taken to the hospital for his undisclosed injuries.

Wintry Texas Conditions Leave More than Six Dead in a 100-Vehicle Crash

Published on: February 18, 2021 | by Carabin Shaw

Because Texas is such a large state, some areas receive more wintry conditions than others during the winter months. As a result, many drivers do not know how to drive on icy or slippery roads, which can result in devastating Texas car accidents. To stay safe this winter season, it is crucial that you drive with care if you must travel, and to limit travel as much as possible when temperatures are particularly low and the weather is icy.

According to a local news report, six people were killed in a major car accident that involved more than 100 vehicles after a rush of winter weather that swept across Texas. Following the accident, multiple people were trapped in their vehicles, and more than 36 people were taken to local hospitals for further treatment and several were in critical condition at the scene. Videos and photos from other news outlets showed a massive crash involving multiple cars, eighteen-wheeler trucks, tractor-trailers, and local firefighters responding to the scene. Vehicles were piled on top of each other, rolled on their sides, or spun out along the sides of the road. Due to significant amounts of winter weather rolling across the state, local authorities are asking drivers to proceed with caution, especially since the roads are especially slick and icy.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (DOT), several easy driving tips can ensure a safer, smoother, less stressful trip when traveling in unpredictable winter weather.

Filing a Wrongful Death Claim After a Texas Wrong Way Car Accident

Published on: February 11, 2021 | by Carabin Shaw

In the United States, wrong-way accidents can kill hundreds of people every year. These accidents can be particularly deadly when compared to other types of collisions, and account for as many as 54 percent of traffic accident-related deaths in previous years. In the event of one of these devastating accidents, if someone you love is killed because of the neglect and carelessness of another driver, you may have grounds for a personal injury or wrongful death suit for monetary damages.

According to a local news report, two San Antonio residents and four others were killed after a wrong-way accident. Evidently, two vehicles crashed into each other head-on, resulting in one driver being pronounced dead on the scene and his passenger succumbing to her injuries after being transported to a local hospital for treatment. The other victims who died were between 18 and 24 years old, and three other unidentified passengers were taken to the hospital for medical care. Following the accident, local authorities are still investigating the accident’s details.

In Texas, you may be eligible for filing a wrongful death claim on behalf of a loved one if that individual died due to a wrongful act, neglect, carelessness, or unskillfulness from the at-fault party. Car accidents that result in a wrongful death are a common claim in Texas, but not everyone is eligible to bring a claim on behalf of the deceased. If you decide to file a wrongful death lawsuit, you must either be the deceased’s surviving spouse, child, or parent. Children who are legally adopted, surviving adoptive parents, and personal representatives of the deceased’s estate can also file a wrongful death claim.