It’s the end of the year, and that means it’s time for the Winter 2008/2009 Texas Law Alert! This table-of-contents article and the following short blog entries are all part of this winter’s Alert. Easy-to-read tips and articles on common legal questions make up each Texas Law Alert, a free service from the STREET LAW FIRM, your Fort Worth/Dallas personal injury law firm.

WE PREFER YOU TO REFER!

The period of time following an accident is one of confusion and uncertainty. There are many things to take care of. Hiring a good lawyer is one of them.
Many times, people don’t know where to go when they need legal help. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, call us. We will vigorously represent you and make sure that you are justly compensated for your injuries. That’s our job.

ATVS: ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, approximately 136,000 injuries and 700 deaths occur from ATV accidents every year.

CHILDREN AND ATVS

Amazingly, 95% of children between the ages of 12 and 15 who are injured on ATVs (and 65% of younger children) are injured or killed while riding a full-size ATV intended for an adult.

BE ALERT FOR MEDICATION ERRORS
While more and better drugs are usually considered a good thing, the increase in the number of drugs available and in the number of drugs the average person takes has led to an explosion in the number of errors made in prescriptions.

UNSAFE LOAD = BIG RECOVERY
The company’s president told him he could either drive the company’s truck or drive his own truck home. The trucker refused to take the unsafe load and was fired the same day.

BALANCE YOUR CHECKBOOK
Although no one would argue that balancing your checkbook is a fun way to pass an evening, balancing it every month is important for several reasons.

INSURANCE COMPANY HITS
When it’s time for an insurance company to pay you a settlement because you were injured in an auto accident, does your insurance company sing a different tune?

Since they were introduced in the early 1970s, ATVs (all terrain vehicles) have become increasingly popular. With this popularity comes an increasing number of accidents and injuries-according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, approximately 136,000 injuries and 700 deaths occur every year. It might not surprise you to learn that Texas has the dubious distinction of leading the nation in these injuries.

Design Problems

The reason ATVs are so dangerous has a lot to do with their design. They have no frame protecting the operator in the event of an accident. They ride on large, low pressure tires that can have difficulty gripping the rough terrain over which they travel. They are stopped by hand operated brakes, which can lack sufficient power and can cause ATVs to overturn as they stop.
ATVs have relatively large engines for their size and weight, which means they can travel as fast as 70 mph, often across broken, uneven terrain. Although ATVs are not designed for passengers, it is possible (even easy) for people to jump on-people who will be injured if there is a crash. Earlier three wheeled ATVs were less stable than the current four wheeled versions, but even the four wheeled models can be top heavy and prone to serious rollover accidents. Even on roads and flat surfaces, ATVs can be unstable.

Consent Decree

As the result of safety concerns expressed by the federal government, ATV manufacturers entered into a consent decree in 1988. In this decree, they agreed to halt production of three wheeled ATVs, to provide safety training for new owners, to place warning labels on their products, and to make recommendations about what size of ATV is appropriate for different age groups. Although this consent decree expired in 1998, ATV manufacturers have pledged to continue to follow most of its provisions, although the government can no longer force them to do so.
Despite these improvements, the number of injuries and deaths per year attributable to ATV accidents continues to rise. To some degree, this is because ATVs continue to become more popular, and more people ride them. However, another reason for the increase in injuries and deaths is that ATV makers are building more powerful ATVs and marketing them to younger and younger children.
The latest marketing gimmick is the so called “transitional” ATV, one that is sized between the smaller ATVs intended for children and a full-sized adult ATV. ATV makers claim that these ATVs are more appropriate for the 14  to 15 year old age group, but critics note that bigger ATVs with bigger engines undercut the messages conveyed by safety training and other warnings, increasing the likelihood of injuries.
In addition to making more powerful ATVs, ATV makers have fought any attempt to impose regulations on ATV ownership or use (such as age limits and mandatory helmet laws). With the expiration of the 1988 consent decree, it will take either new laws passed by Congress or new action by federal agencies (such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission) to force ATV manufacturers to pay more attention to safety. Neither of these outcomes appears likely to happen.
Sad to say, the only kind of regulation available to many is the “private” regulation that comes with lawsuits. Enough successful suits may convince ATV manufacturers that the cost of not planning for safety is just too high.
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed while riding an ATV, contact us so that we can help protect your legal rights.

Children are involved in over 45,000 ATV accidents every year. Amazingly, 95% of children between the ages of 12 and 15 who are injured on ATVs (and 65% of younger children) are injured or killed while riding a full size ATV intended for an adult. These full size machines are dangerous for children because they are too big and powerful for kids to control.
Alarmed by the number of injuries and deaths suffered by child ATV riders and passengers, neurologists who conducted a study of ATV accidents involving children issued a call for a number of common sense guidelines, including banning children younger than 16 from riding ATVs and requiring all ATV riders to wear a helmet. Such common sense would reduce the profits of ATV manufacturers, who oppose any such regulation and continue to market ever more powerful ATVs to children.
Regulations or not, if parents allow their children to ride ATVs, they should insist that their children safely ride ATVs of an appropriate size while wearing a helmet. This is not a cure all but should help reduce what is becoming an epidemic of ATV related injuries.

Rarely a year passes without the announcement of some new wonder drug to treat another disease. While more and better drugs are usually considered a good thing, the increase in the number of drugs available and in the number of drugs the average person takes has led to an explosion in the number of errors made in prescriptions.
These errors can take all kinds of forms and can occur in many different ways. Sometimes a drug other than the one prescribed is provided, or the correct drug is provided in the wrong dosage. Sometimes a drug is prescribed that interacts negatively with another drug the person is taking and the patient is not warned of the danger. Sometimes the mistake is made by the doctor prescribing the drug, sometimes by the pharmacist filling the prescription, sometimes by the person administering the prescribed drug. Mistakes can occur in hospitals, nursing homes, and the corner drugstore. Regardless of the many different ways that prescription problems can occur, they all share one thing: They can be serious and potentially deadly.
A recent study concluded that out of 3 billion prescriptions filled each year, 51.5 million of them contain some kind of error. Although reliable statistics are hard to come by, these errors lead to thousands of unnecessary hospitalizations and hundreds of unnecessary deaths.
Interestingly, many consider the primary reason for the rise in errors to be financial-the doctors who write the prescriptions, the pharmacists who fill them, and the nurses who often administer them are pressured to serve more patients in less time, increasing profits, but also increasing the risk of an error. Others point to the rise in the marketing of drugs directly to patients. Patients are more likely to go to their doctors and demand a prescription for some drug they saw on television, leading to more prescriptions and more chances for error.
Several solutions to this problem have been suggested. The first is also the easiest: Slow down and make sure the prescription is correct. The second is to install more safeguards, such as having another person check the prescription. Another solution is to make sure that different drugs or different dosages don’t look similar, reducing the chance that the wrong bottle will be used. Yet another suggested solution is to make sure that pills are always available in many dosages, which will prevent people from having to break their pills into halves or quarters, possibly exceeding the intended dosage.
Cases involving prescription errors, which can involve claims of negligence, medical malpractice, and products liability, and which require a great deal of expert testimony, can be very complicated to pursue. If you or someone you know has been injured due to a prescription error, call us. We would be happy to discuss your case with you.

It is worth remembering that sometimes things do work out for the best if you do the right thing. This point was driven home by a recent case involving a Texas truck driver and an unsafe load.
The truck driver was fired because he refused to take to the highways driving a load of steel that was not properly secured and was therefore dangerous. The company’s president told him he could either drive the company’s truck or drive his own truck home. The trucker refused to take the unsafe load and was fired the same day.
The trucker sued, claiming that he was fired solely for refusing to perform an illegal act. At trial, the jury agreed. Contributing to its verdict were a number of facts, including the following:

•    This was not the first time the driver had complained about having to drive a dangerous load.
•    The company admitted that it knew next to nothing about the federal regulations governing trucks and their loads.
•    The driver had previously received a ticket for transporting an unsafe and illegal load, about which he had complained.
•    When another driver took the same unsafe load the trucker had refused to take, part of the load came loose and slammed into the driver’s cab.

The trucking company tried to discredit the trucker’s stance and to portray him as being in it for the money, but the jury credited his testimony that he had been trying to do the right thing and be a good role model for his kids. The jury awarded the trucker $267,000, even though he had suffered only $7,500 in lost wages. Those of us who drive on Texas highways can only hope that the trucking company got the message.

Although no one would argue that balancing your checkbook is a fun way to pass an evening, balancing it every month is important for several reasons.

Bouncing Checks Is Expensive

Banks make much of their profit on bounced check charges and overdraft fees, and these charges and fees keep going up. They can also have a negative effect on your credit rating, making borrowing for everything from a house to a car to a vacation more expensive. Balancing your checkbook every month (and keeping good records of ATM withdrawals, fund transfers, etc.) helps make sure you don’t write checks you can’t cover, saving money.

Mistakes Happen

Although not common, banks sometimes make mistakes on your statement. If you balance your checkbook every month, you can find these mistakes early, when they are easier to correct.

Stop the Bad Guys

Finally, as much as we hate to think about it, fraud and identity theft are on the rise. While rare, it is possible for others to siphon off funds from your bank account without your knowledge. If you go over your records every month, you can discover this kind of problem before you lose too much of your hard-earned money.

Insurance companies take in billions of dollars of premiums. But when the tables get turned and it’s time for an insurance company to pay you a settlement because you were injured in an auto accident, the insurance company sings a different tune. An insurer will use any excuse to avoid paying a fair settlement, but some of the more common ones are listed below.

1. You were speeding and therefore could not avoid the accident (sung to the tune of Hot Rod Lincoln by Commander Cody)
2. Your car had defective equipment that caused the accident (sung to the tune of Manic Mechanic by ZZ Top).
3. You failed to use a turn signal (sung to the tune of Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Byrds).
4. You were not paying attention before the accident (sung to the tune of Carefree Highway by Gordon Lightfoot).
5. There were no witnesses to the accident except for the passengers in your car. . . and they don’t count. (Can I Get a Witness? by Marvin Gaye).

Don’t let an insurance company give you the old song and dance routine and avoid paying you what you deserve. Call us today and we’ll make the insurance company sing sweet music to your ears.

And is your insurance company one of our Worst Insurance Companies? Maybe you’re smart enough to have picked one of our Best Insurance Companies to insure your car. Find out now!

PELIGROS DE TRENES, RIESGOS DEL FERROCARÍL

Los trenes llevan 150 años como una parte vital de nuestra economía. Sin embargo, tal cantidad de trenes resulta en accidentes frecuentes, y debido al gran tamaño de los trenes, estos accidentes pueden resultar en lesiones graves.

DATOS SOBRE LOS ACCIDENTES DEL FERROCARRÍL

En promedio, hay una colisión o un descarrilamiento cada dos horas.

DROGAS PELIGROSAS

Trasylol es la única droga aprobada por la Administración de Drogas y Alimentos de los Estados Unidos (FDA, por sus siglas en inglés) para prevenir la pérdida de sangre durante la cirugía de corazón. Desafortunadamente, puede tener efectos secundarios, incluyendo insuficiencia renal, fallo cardíaco, y derrame cerebral.

LAS LLANTAS ENVEJECIDAS PUEDEN CAUSAR LOS ACCIDENTES

Los autos les cuestan mucho a sus dueños. Requieren que el dueño compre bienes consumibles como la gasolina, el aceite, los filtros, las bujiíllas y los limpiaparabrisas. Dentro de esas cosas consumibles incluyen la llantas, y la mayoría de los dueños de los autos entienden que tendrán que reemplazar sus llantas de vez en cuando porque las llantas se gastan.

MANEJAR CON AGRESIVIDAD

Ahora que las calles están más colapsadas y las vidas de las personas son más agitadas, aumenta la cantidad de personas que maneja con agresividad y los peligros que se asocian con ello.

Los trenes llevan 150 años como una parte vital de nuestra economía. Transportan productos por largas distancias de manera más económica que los aviones o los camiones. Sin embargo, tal cantidad de trenes resulta en accidentes frecuentes, y debido al gran tamaño de los trenes, estos accidentes pueden resultar en lesiones graves. Cada año, miles de personas sufren lesiones causadas por los trenes en los Estados Unidos. Tales lesiones pueden dar lugar a una demanda contra una compañía ferroviaria.

Cuidado!

Por supuesto, la mejor manera de tratar las colisiones de trenes es de prevenirlas en desde un principio. Los conductores y los peatones necesitan recordar que los trenes son grandes y pesados, y que requieren mucho tiempo para que puedan detenerse. Los trenes están limitados a sus vías y si usted se encuentra en la vía, probablemente le impactará el tren. Los conductores que cruzan una vía deben mirar cuidadosamente por trenes antes de cruzar, aún si el lugar tiene mecanismos de advertencia como señales con luces y barreras.

En particular, los conductores deben tener cuidado en los cruces cuando hay más de una vía porque un tren en una vía puede ocultar la vista de un tren en la segunda vía. No se debe cruzar la vía de tren a menos que haya espacio para que su carro cruce completamente la vía del otro lado. Si hay un tren a la vista, espere que pase. Está por demás decir, no pase las barreras bajadas. Es mucho mejor llegar unos minutos tarde que muerto.

Los peatones también deben ejercer precaución y seguir las mismas reglas que los conductores. Los peatones deben cruzar las vías solamente dónde está indicado, y no se debe caminar por o pescar desde un puente ferroviario porque se puede quedar atrapado si llega un tren inesperadamente. Las vías de tren nunca se debe usar como un camino o una pasarela. De hecho, los peatones deben tener cuidado aún cuando caminan al lado de las vías porque los trenes sobrepasan las vías con por lo menos tres pies en cada lado-el cargamento puede superar aún más esa distancia.

Los Accidentes Pasan

Desafortunadamente, las personas a veces se involucran en accidentes con los trenes. Si eso pasa, la índole de la demanda de la persona lesionada puede depender de lo que hacía la persona en el momento en que fue lesionada. La persona que sufre una lesión en una colisión con un tren puede tener una demanda de negligencia contra la compañía ferroviaria. Tener éxito en una demanda de negligencia requiere que se muestre que la empresa debe a la persona una responsabilidad de cautela y que la compañía ferroviaria causó la lesión por el incumplimiento de su responsabilidad.

Aunque los trenes tienen el derecho de paso, eso no quiere decir que los trenes pueden correr por todos los cruces en cualquier momento a la velocidad máxima. En cambio, el operador de tren debe usar cuidado responsable, que puede significar que va más lentamente en las áreas más urbanizadas y que está al acecho de los vehículos y los peatones. La cautela responsable también puede requerir que un ferrocarril erige los mecanismos de advertencia y señales que pueden advertirles a las personas cuando viene un tren.

Los ferrocarriles deben una responsabilidad más grande a los pasajeros que viajan en sus trenes. Por razones históricas, las compañías ferroviarias se suelen tratar como una empresa de transporte común, lo cual quiere decir que aunque no son aseguradores de la seguridad de sus pasajeros, pueden tener una obligación afirmativa a protegerlos del peligro, incluyendo las lesiones que pueden ocurrir si se descarrila el tren. Todos los datos y las circunstancias alrededor del accidente pueden afectar la determinación de que si la empresa fue negligente o no.

Si el accidente involucra un empleado del ferrocarril, la demanda está sujeta a una ley federal llamada el Acto Federal de Responsabilidad del Empleado (FELA, por sus siglas en inglés). A diferencia de las leyes de recompensa por accidentes en el trabajo, las cuales protegen a los trabajadores dañados en el trabajo sin tomar en cuenta la culpa, FELA requiere que el trabajador dañado muestre que la compañía ferroviaria fue negligente. Los ferrocarriles tienen la obligación general de proveerles a los trabajadores un lugar seguro para trabajar, y si el trabajador se ha lesionado porque el ferrocarril no le dio las herramientas o equipo necesario, la empresa puede ser culpable de negligencia.

Pide Consejo Legal

Las demandas de las lesiones por los ferrocarriles pueden involucrar la navegación de un pantano de leyes del estado y federales que requerirán que usted muestre que el ferrocarril debe de ser responsable bajo las circunstancias del caso. No lo haga solo. Pida la ayuda de un abogado de lesiones personales que tenga experiencia y que pueda ayudarle a evaluar su demanda y de perseguir cada fuente disponible de restitución.

* En promedio, hay una colisión o un descarrilamiento cada dos horas.

* Un tren, llevando materiales peligrosos, se descarrilla cada dos semanas.

* Más de la mitad de los accidentes involucrando los trenes ocurren en los cruces sin protección.

* El gobierno federal dice que el 80% de todos los cruces del ferrocarril tiene un mecanismo de advertencia inadecuado.

* Un tren que viaja a la velocidad de 55 millas la hora necesita una milla entera para parar después de poner los frenos de emergencia.