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Important News from Your Texas Accident Lawyer

Are you wondering about the latest Texas accident news?  The Houston accident lawyers of Denena & Points stay on top of the latest accident news stories and provide them to you in one centralized place.  Check back often for late breaking stories.

News Category: All CategoriesTruck WrecksMotorcycle CrashesDefective, Unsafe AutosCar WrecksAmusement Park InjuriesBalcony CollapsesGeneral

Truck Wrecks

• ND Dump Truck Driver Leaves Highway and Drives into Camp Building
  Feb 05, 2012

  Houston dump truck injury lawyers mention an unusual dump truck injury accident in North Dakota this week. 47-year-old Kevin Tanzie, who was involved in a different wreck just 9 days ago, was driving a Kenworth dump truck this time when he lost control on the highway. He was southbound on Highway 2 in the northern state when he lost control of the Kenworth dump truck, veered out of the southbound lane across the highway median, crossed the northbound lane, and traveled over some distance of open field before he slammed into a building.
   
  Kevin Tanzie's high-energy crash opened up a room at what North Dakota reporters called the target logistics man camp. No one occupied the room at the time of the crash, so Kevin Tanzie had the only injuries from the dump truck wreck. He received transport to a local hospital after the accident.
   
  A North Dakota trooper quoted in news accounts of the incident indicated that he was very surprised that the dump truck ended up driving into the building after crossing such a long distance. He said, "I would have thought at some point he would have been able to stop."
   
  News reports did not specify whether a brake problem on the dump truck might have contributed to the wreck, or what caused Kevin Tanzie to lose control of the vehicle. Stories also didn't provide any details on Kevin Tanzie's accident of only a few days before.
   
  The Houston dump truck injury lawyers at Denena & Points were relieved to read that no other people were injured in this bizarre dump truck accident. Our wishes for a smooth recovery from his injuries go out to the truck driver.
  

• Dump trucks have more accidents than other types of large U.S. trucks
  Jan 27, 2012

  A key report by the U.S. NHTSA called the "Large Truck Causation Study in the United States" revealed that commercial dump trucks experienced a much higher accident rate than other type of commercial truck except for commercial vans. As a Houston dump truck collision lawyer, I noticed that dump truck involvement stood at around 20% for all truck accidents while van involvement took about 35% of the total. But when you consider the amount by which commercial vans outnumber dump trucks on our roads, the proportional rate of dump truck collisions actually outnumbers the rate of commercial van accidents.
   
  Approximately 20% of all the truck accidents from the Study resulted in fatal injury. Another third of the crashes caused incapacitating injuries. And around another third caused non-incapacitating injury. Our Houston dump truck collision lawyers note that the interesting thing to note is that only a tiny percentage of truck accidents resulted in no injury or very minor injury.
   
  The Study classified the following types of injuries as incapacitating:
   
  

  • Broken or distorted limbs.
  • Severe lacerations,
  • Abdominal injuries,
  • Skull or chest injuries,
  • Unconsciousness at/when taken from the accident scene,
  • Inability to leave the accident scene without assistance, and
  • Other severe injuries
   
  A typical, non-fatal group of injuries after a Houston dump truck collision might include a deep laceration to the forehead, a skull fracture and traumatic brain injury, a fractured pelvis, a ruptured spleen, and a hemorrhaged kidney. And it's no wonder. A single fully loaded dump truck of the usual 5-axle variety can weigh more than 65,000 pounds.
   
  If a massive dump truck overbalances and falls on a passenger vehicle, even the best auto safety engineering can't hold up against the resulting crush and impact forces. And Houston dump trucks are huge vehicles, designed to carry heavy loads with a high center of gravity. To do this, they have to maintain high ground clearance. So bumpers on dump trucks are placed high or omitted altogether. This presents the dangerous potential for deadly underride accidents in collisions with smaller passenger vehicles.
   
  Dump trucks (and similar garbage and waste disposal trucks) are omnipresent in residential Houston neighborhoods and in urban and rural developments under construction. Their omnipresence increases the potential for sudden collisions with pedestrians and smaller passenger vehicles as the large trucks turn at intersections or emerge from alleyways and intersecting streets.
   
  Indeed, in Texas' major urban areas like Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, dump trucks kill and injure more pedestrians per mile traveled than any other type of vehicle. Houston dump truck collision lawyers know that the heavy, lumbering dump trucks are extremely powerful; they must be to haul their intended loads. But they also have massive blind spots. Children playing in their neighborhoods, school children walking to or from their schools, and even adults out jogging or walking the dog suffer horrific and deadly accidents when dump trucks accidentally run over them.
   
  Dump trucks are a necessity for the smooth functioning of our complex society. But they're also hazardous to pedestrians and smaller vehicles in their vicinities. So take extra care when you're driving near a dump truck. And warn your children to be vigilant as they play out in the neighborhood or go to and from school. If you'd like more information, our Houston dump truck collision lawyers' free e-book could provide you with some essential information you need to know about truck accidents and how to make a successful tuck accident claim. Just download it from our website; it's free.
  

• Dump Truck Runs over Man Waving it Back in Fatal Houston Accident
  Jan 19, 2012

  
  Our Houston truck accident lawyers were troubled to hear of the fatal dump truck accident that took the life of the man who was waving the truck back into a lot. The fatal dump truck accident occurred on Duoto near Mansfield Wednesday afternoon around 12:30 p.m. in the Acres Homes area of Houston.
   
  57-year-old Joe Gamez was to the rear of the dump truck guiding it into a vacant lot. Mr. Gamez, owner of a different trucking company from the one that owned the dump truck, had just told the truck's driver to accelerate when it backed over him.
   
  Mr. Gamez's wife was standing nearby in the street when the fatal dump truck accident occurred. Reportedly, she screamed for the dump truck driver to stop. She had the traumatic experience of witnessing the tragic loss of her spouse right before her eyes.
   
  When investigators arrived on the scene, they found Mr. Gamez under the truck covered in the thick mud at the site. News accounts of the accident say that no charges have been filed against the dump truck driver, and that the investigation is still in progress.
  
  The sincere sympathies of the Houston truck accident lawyers at Denena & Points go out to Mrs. Gamez. Our thoughts are with you after your horrific experience of Wednesday afternoon. Our prayers are with you and your family at this difficult time.
  

• Lowe's 18-Wheeler Crashes into School Bus in Fog near Temple, TX
  Jan 17, 2012

  
  The Texas truck collision lawyers at Denena & Points were deeply troubled to hear of a major collision between an 18-wheeler and a school bus full of children this morning. 29 students and 3 adults received transport to the hospital with injuries, some of them critical, after an early morning collision between a Lowe's delivery truck and an Academy I.S.D. school bus.
   
  Accounts of the incident state that heavy fog was in the area when the Lowe's 18-wheeler failed to yield right of way at an intersection, ran a stop sign, and clipped the school bus. The forceful crash flipped the school bus over onto its side. The collision occurred just after 7:30 a.m. at Old 95 and FM 93 between Temple, Texas and Little River.  The Lowe's delivery truck had been southbound on Old 95 while the school bus was traveling on FM 93.
   
  The school bus was transporting 38 Little River Academy students. 29 students and 3 adults were hospitalized. The school bus driver received the most critical injuries. The truck driver received only minor injuries, and has been cited for a traffic violation.
   
  The Texas truck collision lawyers at Denena & Points convey sincere wishes for safe recoveries to all of those injured in this traumatic wreck. As parents ourselves, our thoughts and prayers are with the parents of the injured students as they face this difficult situation.
  

• TX drunk driver w/suspended license kills mother & son in fiery crash
  Jan 13, 2012

  
  The Clear Lake truck wreck attorneys at Denena & Points were saddened to hear of the untimely deaths of a mother and son in a fiery, fatal crash caused by an intoxicated Texas driver. Shortly before 2:30 a.m. Thursday, 48-year-old Katherin Addison and her son Kendall, 13, pulled over beside I-10 near Brookshire because of a flat tire. Katherin Addison got out of the car to change the tire while her young son remained inside the vehicle.
   
  Then a pickup truck slammed into the Addison car. Witnesses report that the pickup truck had been traveling at a high rate of speed when it ran into the Addsion vehicle. The car burst into flame, and Katherin Addison and her son Kendall died at the scene of the ugly wreck.
   
  Reportedly, the Texas drunk driver behind the wheel of the pickup truck was 23-year-old Taylor McShan, who had a suspended driver's license. Detectives noted that Taylor McShan had already been arrested multiple times for driving without a license. For the fiery, fatal wreck, authorities charged Taylor McShan with two counts of intoxication manslaughter.
   
  Police added that Taylor McShan's passenger in the pickup truck at the time of the fiery, fatal wreck was Cody Parchman, a Katy police officer. The police force has suspended Cody Parchman with pay. An Assistant Police Chief mentioned that some type of disciplinary action was likely.
   
  Maybe more than a slap on the wrist might be warranted for a police officer accompanying a driver that was driving under a suspended license, intoxicated, and at an excessive speed? Especially when that driver takes two innocent lives on I-10 through his reckless behavior.
   
  Our Clear Lake truck wreck lawyers express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Katherin Addison and her son Kendall at this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
  

• 18-wheeler driver trying to parallel park lands truck in Houston ditch
  Jan 12, 2012

  
  Houston truck accident lawyers note a different sort of truck wreck that happened yesterday. Fortunately no one was injured by this crash, no fires erupted, and no hazardous cargo spilled. This SE Houston truck accident simply provides an illustration of the dangers associated with trying to parallel park something as massive as an 18-wheeler.
   
  Heck, it's difficult enough to parallel park an ordinary passenger car. Just imagine trying to back and parallel park an 18-wheeler with its massive blind spots and tremendous momentum.
   
  The truck driver apparently tried to take a spot along the street in front of Produce Row early yesterday morning. A slight miscalculation had massive consequences when the truck went over the edge of a ditch alongside the street. The fall into the ditch flipped the 18-wheeler over onto its side.
   
  The truck was carrying recycled clothing, which might now be less-than-gently used. The truck leaked a bit of diesel fuel into the ditch. But the truck driver remained uninjured, except perhaps for his pride, after the unsuccessful parallel parking attempt. No one else was injured by the sudden slip and flip of the 18-wheeler.
   
  Our Houston truck accident lawyers are glad to hear that the truck driver did not suffer injuries in the wreck. We pass along the story of his less than successful parallel parking attempt to caution readers against trying to parallel park anything so massive and heavy as a cargo-laden 18-wheeler. Indeed, we know of several people who've not attempted parallel parking since their driver's test. For many, that may be the wisest course. Drive safe; park safe.
  

• Dense fog & smoke causes mighty 79-vehicle pileup near Port Arthur, TX
  Jan 05, 2012

  
  Coastal Texas accident attorneys note one of the biggest vehicle pileups in the state's history yesterday along the gulf coast. Authorities have attributed a massive 79-vehicle pileup that occurred Thursday morning near Port Arthur, Texas in part to dense fog that combined with smoke from winter marsh fires to create zero visibility along part of Texas Highway 73.
   
  Reportedly, a welder sparked a fire last Sunday that burned approximately 14,000 acres in the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge and wasn't brought under control until Wednesday. The extensive blaze closed part of the Refuge. The Refuge has been reopened, but fire and smoke dangers still remain from the large burn.
   
  Authorities had not yet pinpointed the vehicles that catalyzed the massive chain reaction pileup. Ultimately 79 vehicles were damaged. The wreckage included an 18-wheeler hauling hazardous materials. 54 people were injured in the 79-vehicle pileup, 4 of them critically.
   
  Rod Carroll, a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesman, said that surprisingly there were no fatalities from the huge pileup in the zero visibility conditions, He indicated that people remaining in their vehicles after the wreck and not venturing out into the road might have saved lives.
   
  He suggested that motorists should try to always be aware of what's going on around them as they drive. Drivers should lower their speeds in limited visibility conditions, and pull off and away from the roads in dense fog or smoke conditions when they can't see to drive. He also reminded drivers to use their fog lights when driving in low visibility conditions.
   
  The coastal Texas accident attorneys at Denena & Points are relieved to hear that no one suffered fatal injuries in this massive 79-vehicle pileup. We empathize with those who suffered injuries and trauma in the accident, and wish safe recoveries to all who might be suffering from this chain reaction wreck.
  

• 2 Dead, 61 Injured in Fatal Multi-Vehicle Crash on I-10 in New Orleans
  Dec 30, 2011

  
  The I-10 accident lawyers at Denena & Points were saddened by news of a fatal crash on Thursday on the major artery that leads east out of Houston. The predawn hours in eastern New Orleans, LA formed the scene of a deadly multi-vehicle crash that left two men dead and at least 61 other people injured. The chain-reaction wreck occurred in the westbound lanes of I-10 between Michoud Blvd and I-510.
   
  At least 40 cars, trucks, vans and other vehicles combined in the deadly mix that blocked all lanes of heavily trafficked I-10 for most of the day. I-10 functions as a primary corridor between the east and west coasts of the United States and carries much of the nation's truck freight.
   
  Witnesses ascribe the wreck to a black mixture of smoke and fog that suddenly shrouded drivers in darkness. Police didn't weigh in on the cause of the multi-vehicle crash in news reports that we read. They also didn't remark on what vehicles might have initially collided, saying that the investigation is ongoing.
   
  A pickup truck driver and a passenger in another pickup truck died from the multi-vehicle crash. Both men were from Louisiana. Their names were not released.
   
  Dozens of people received transport to hospitals for their injuries. Several were reportedly in critical condition. At least one firefighter that responded to the scene received injuries. Another 37 people reportedly refused treatment for their injuries.
   
  A tow truck driver on the scene stated that the multi-vehicle crash was the worst wreck he had ever seen. He said that in the diminished visibility he could hear accident victims crying out for help.
   
  The I-10 accident lawyers at Denena & Points convey their sincere sympathies to friends and families of the victims who lost their lives in this catastrophic wreck. Our hearts also go out to many people who suffered injuries and had their lives disrupted because of the sudden lack of visibility that caused this deadly crash. Our free e-book on the do's and don'ts of car crash injury claims is available to you for free if you need it. Just click on this web page, and we'll send it out to help and inform you.
  

• Chain reaction wreck closes FM 1484 & SH 105; 1 arrest; 1 hospitalized
  Dec 21, 2011

  Our Montgomery County truck crash lawyers cite this accident as an example of an 18-wheeler wreck that gets a criminal off our streets. The criminal was not from the 18-wheeler, but was one of the uninjured victims of the chain reaction wreck.

  An 18-wheeler hauling hay from Louisiana to Caldwell jack-knifed when trying to stop for a red light on Monday night at the intersection of FM 1484 and SH 105. The wreck punctured the left diesel tank of the 18-wheeler, spilling diesel fuel out onto the intersection. The wet road caused the 18-wheeler hay truck to slide into the eastbound lane of the roadway.

  A KIA sedan and a Nissan Pathfinder coming upon the hay truck wreck were both able to stop in time to avoid a collision. A Ford Escort that came up behind these two vehicles failed to stop in time and crashed into the Nissan Pathfinder, which then collided with the KIA.

  The driver of the Ford Escort, Katisha Jones of Conroe, stepped out of her vehicle following the accident. Witnesses report that Ms. Jones then passed out. She received transport to a local hospital in stable condition.

  DPS troopers on the scene conducting the investigation of the accident found that Gari Bates of Cleveland, TX and driver of the KIA had a warrant out for her arrest. Our Montgomery County truck crash lawyers note here that the warrant related to Theft by Check charges from Liberty County. Officers arrested Gari Bates on the warrant and conducted her to the Montgomery County Jail. The intersection remained closed while workers contained the diesel spill.
  
  Order our free e-book on 18-wheeler accident injury claims for more information on truck wrecks and their consequences.

• Tow Truck Leaving Highway 6 Accident T-Bones Car & Kills Driver
  Dec 17, 2011

  Our Harris County truck accident lawyers sadly note a 3-vehicle accident that led to a fatal accident at Highway 6 and FM 529 in northwest Harris County. Harris County deputies, rescue crews and tow trucks were called to the scene of a 3-vehicle wreck on Highway 6 near FM 529 around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. The 3-vehicle accident resulted in one person receiving an airlift and other victims receiving ground transport to hospitals for their injuries.

  As one of the tow trucks left the scene of that 3-vehicle wreck, it T-boned a car driven by a 24-year-old woman pulling on to Highway 6. Authorities pronounced the woman dead at the scene of the fatal tow truck wreck. News accounts state that it's not yet clear who was at fault in the wreck and that alcohol didn't appear to be a factor. But toxicology reports are pending.

  The Harris County truck accident lawyers at Denena & Points convey their deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the woman who died far too young in the tragic tow truck wreck.

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