Plano Injury Lawyer Blog

18-Wheeler Crash On Highway 114

Sat, 05 May 2012 11:08:43 -0600

In Fort Worth, a late night crash near the Texas Motor Speedway, left Highway 114 closed for hours. It was reported by police that an 18-wheeler box truck was turning from westbound Highway 114 onto the southbound I-35W frontage road. The 18-wheeler was struck by an 18-wheeler gravel truck. Diesel fuel and gravel was diffused all over the intersection. Highway 114 was closed in both directions for hours. The effects of the wreck lingered well into morning rush hour. Both drivers appear to be alright, as no injuries were reported.

According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, there were 4,669 fatal large truck accidents in 2003. Due to their size and variability, large trucks are much more likely than passenger cars to be involved in fatal crashes. Large trucks are not only responsible for deaths, but can also cause serious injuries to both the driver and other vehicle. Such accidents may sustain injuries ranging from broken bones to spinal or brain injuries. The costs to cover injuries obtained by truck accidents can be very high, affecting you and your family financially, physically, and emotionally.

Another Fatal Car Crash Near Plano

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:40:22 -0600

Just last week in Rowlett, a suspect who was fleeing police crashed into another driver, taking the life of an innocent man from Garland. The incident took place around 4 a.m. in Garland when police responded to a call, the woman on the phone said her former boyfriend was throwing beer bottles at her home while he was shouting out threats that he was going to kill her. When one of the officers arrived on the scene, he attempted to speak with the suspect who was in a green sedan. The driver attempted to drive away, but the officer shattered the cars window and attempted to confiscate the keys. The driver of the sedan kept going, dragging the officer for about 15 feet before he let go and fell to the ground.

Moments after, police began to chase the sedan in squad cars however, the chase only lasted a minute. The suspect had turned onto Miller Road and started to pick up speed, leaving only seconds until he smashed into a black truck at the Rowlett Road intersection. The driver of the truck died instantly.

Man Sentenced To Prison For 8 Years For DWI

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:01:10 -0600

As reported by Fox 4 News, a Fort Worth man who was a drunken driver involved in a crash that did not injure anyone is going to prison for 8 years due to a car accident in 2010.
Back in December 2010, Max Voltmann smashed into a parked car near his Fort Worth Home, which resulted in a four- vehicle chain reaction car wreck. Luckily all cars were empty and no one was injured. Tests later revealed Voltmann's blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit, and also showed he had marijuana in his system. The legal limit for Blood Alcohol concentration is 0.08. Although he might have only served a couple of days in jail and paid a fine for drunk driving except that he killed a man and injured two other people 14 years ago while doing the exact same thing. On average someone is killed by a drunk driver every 40 minutes.

Police said that during the crash 20 years ago, he was driving drunk while running from Dallas police. He hit a seminary student from Ghana, Wilfred Sewodie. Sedowie was killed instantly and his passenger and a driver from another car were injured. Voltman's punishment was 10 years of probation. As stated by Torch.com, 50% to 70% of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license.

Another Unfortunate Accident Is Related To Alcohol

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:36:14 -0600

As reported by Scott Goldstein of Dallas Morning News, another unfortunate accident is related to alcohol. There were three different people involved all in seperate cars. Witnesses stated that that Sean Mackey, 24, drove his car into another car along the northbound express way heading towards Royal lane. Dallas officers had arrived at the scene, shortly after Charles Bowers, 46, drove his car into the back of the Dallas police car. The officer's car was parked at the initial accident scene with emergency lights flashing. Police stated that Bowers reeked of alcohol, and refused to provide a breath or blood sample.

Not long after the police car was struck by Bowers, the Dallas officer spotted a motorist drive a van through the traffic flares and cones. Guillermo Salinas,26, was behind the wheel and he to reeked of alcohol, according to police. Mackey, Bowers, and Salinas were all arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Mackey had told police that he drank "pretty much" three vodka and Diet Cokes.

Accident In The Colony Kills Teen

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:02:32 -0600

According to Governers Highway Safety Association(GHSA) the number of teens who have lost their lives in car accidents jumped 11 percent in the first half of 2011. This is the first increase in 8 years. The deaths for 16-17 year olds rose from 190 to 211. Unfortunately a Plano teen, Nicole Legrow, was just another victim.

Legrow was a passenger in a speeding sedan that lost control, crashing into the northbound lanes of the highway near Plano Parkway. Witnesses said that the vehicle was going well over 70 miles per hour when the driver, 16 year old Alexandra Hayes, lost control and crashed. Legrow was pronounced dead at the scene. Hayes was airlifted to a Dallas Hospital for treatment in critical condition. Many question still remain unanswered.

3 Trucks Collide Leaving 6 People Injured

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:16:13 -0600

Six people were injured after two 18- wheelers and a pickup truck crashed on I-45. The crash took place last Friday morning around 3:00 a.m. leaving all lanes of I-45 closed for over 3 hours. Two of the victims were taken to Dallas hospitals by air ambulance.

It was reported that an 18-wheeler flatbed loaded with sod slammed into the back of an 18-wheeler box truck. This caused the flatbed to plunge, spilling its load and bursting the fuel tank. Three men in a pick up truck rammed in the flatbed trailer. Several different emergency crews from fire departments responded to the scene. Several of the victims were stuck inside their vehicles. Many questions remain unanswered as to what caused the trucks to crash in the first place.

Man Seriously Injured by Speeding 18- Wheeler

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:33:28 -0600

A man was seriously injured by an 18-wheeler that was speeding during rush hour traffic shutting down the Dallas North Tollway for hours. A witness stated that the 18-wheeler was traveling too fast, crossing all lanes of traffic, pushing an SUV through the concrete barrier and into the southbound traffic and landing on top of another car.

Forty nine year old Greg Meece, the driver of the car that was trapped beneath the 18-wheeler, was admitted to the ICU at Parkland Hospital in serious condition. The driver of the SUV was taken to a nearby hospital.

According to the 2010 Texas Department of Transportation statistics there were 343 crashes in Collin County involving commercial vehicles; five of these resulted in death.

Alcohol and Speed Kill Twin Brothers and Friend

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:47:59 -0600

Alcohol and speed were responsible for the deaths of 21 year old twins Stephen and Michael Eckel and their passenger Danielle Ruthstrom. The brothers were pronounced dead at the scene; Danielle Ruthstrom was pronounced dead upon arriving at the hospital."It appears that speed and alcohol played a factor in this deadly crash," said Tiara Ellis Richard, Arlington police spokeswoman. "A bottle of alcohol was recovered at the scene."

The driver of the car appeared to have lost control of his car which struck a tree.
Prior to the accident they were at the home of Richard Eagan, just a few miles from their own home. "When they left my house they seemed fine to drive," Eagan said. "They had brought some Buds, but no one drank any more than they could handle."

Student Indicted For Intoxication Manslaughter

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:31:23 -0600

A Texas Tech student, Brian Cody Hawthorne was indicted on three counts of intoxication manslaughter and three counts of aggravated assault after a fatal car accident that left three people dead. Hawthorne was arrested and charged on Thursday, February 2, 2012 immediately following his release from the hospital.
Lubbock police say Hawthorne was heading south on the 500 block of Univeristy Avenue the night of the accident. The arrest warrent stated that a witness saw Hawthorne driving at a high speed, lose control, and roll the truck. Witnesses say the truck struck 68 year-old Courtland Whitmore who was riding his bicycle home from work. Whitmore died on impact.
The truck, flipped on its passenger side and continued to slide down the sidewalk hitting a fire hydrant. The hydrant went through the windshield hitting the front seat passenger , Arturo Almaguer. The hyrdrant then went into the back seat kiling Kendrick Johnson, a second passenger.

Life In Prison For A Deadly Car Crash In 2009

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:27:27 -0600

On June 9,2009 Manuel Clerkley was the drunk driver in a fatal accident which resulted in the death of his niece Michelle Coaster, a mother of two. Almost three years after the incident Clerkley was sentenced to life in prison. He received such a harsh punishment because of prior criminal history.

A witness who was stopped at the traffic signal at the intersection near where the collision occurred described Clerkley's car as going out of control and crossing the southbound lanes of the highway before going off of the highway and hitting a tree head on. Coaster was taken to East Texas Medical Center and a few hours later was pronounced dead. Clerkley was taken to the trauma unit of East Texas Medical Center where he was treated and released a week later.

Federal Agency Says Texas Among Worst States At Preventing Drunken Driving Fatalities

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:19:26 -0600

As reported by the Dallas Morning News at a meeting of the National Transportation Safety board, it was noted that Texas is ranked as one of the top 10 states that have done the least to prevent alcohol-related traffic fatalities. The state has only implemented 4 out of 11 of the federal agency's recommendations to terminate "hard core" drunken driving. Texas is known for having one of the highest proportions of drunken driving deaths in the country
In the year 2009, there were a total of 3,071 deaths just alone from alcohol related accidents in the Plano/Dallas area, which involved drivers with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.15 or greater. Over 40 percent of all crashes in the state involved a drunk driver, the fifth highest rate in the country. "The number of deaths associated with drunk driving is far too high, completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated," said NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) member Mark Rosekind.
Some advocates have suggested that they lower the limit for legal blood-alcohol levels when driving. There has also been discussion on taking the driver's licenses away for the first DWI offense. Out of the 11 recommendations, Texas is currently acting on 4 recommendations. The NTSB considers adoption of 8 to be an acceptable response.

Texas Van Crash Tragedy: Any lessons learned?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:20:32 -0600

According to the Washington Post, the government is finally issuing a consumer advisory for motorists using 15-passenger vans following fatal crashes in Georgia and New York.

In 2001, in Wichita Falls, 4 people were killed when a 15-passenger van full of women from a nearby church, crashed and rolled.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says users of the vans need to ensure that the tires are properly inflated before every trip, and the vans are maintained and not overloaded.

In Blakely, Ga., four people were killed and 15 passengers were injured on Oct. 4 when an aging church van blew a tire and overturned. Last month, a church van blew a tire and rolled over along the New York State Thruway, killing six people and injuring eight others.

The federal auto safety agency is directing its advisory to church groups, nonprofit organizations and colleges that may keep older 15-passenger vans in service.

Three Victims Identified in Fatal Car Wreck

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:38:02 -0600

As Reported By Fox 4 News, three victim's bodies have been recovered from a fatal car wreck that took place Wednesday morning between 2:30 am and 4:30 am. The bodies of attorney Ron Eddins, and Kaat Debeuckelaer were recovered on Wednesday, and Kenny Lark (Debeuckelaer's boyfriend) was recovered on Thursday morning.

The vehicle went unrecognized for nearly 12 hours until a city maintenance worker spotted the car and immediately called for help. Police say speed played a major role in the crash.Questions still remain as to what happened that night and if alcohol was involved. "Just on face value, I don't see any open containers in there, but I'm not saying that couldn't be a contributing factor, because we don't know if they were coming from some type of establishment, or if they had been drinking at all. It'll be up to the medical examiner to determine that," said Officer Steve Burres with the Irving Police Department.
The three victims were last seen in the Copeland Bar at the Hilton Hotel in Southlake.

Texas DWI Roadblocks Unconstitutional & Dangerous

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:31:08 -0600

New legislation in favor of DWI Road Blocks in Texas is a hot topic these days. It's referred to as House Bill 439. On one hand, you have many proponents in our state who qualify their support, with self-righteous statements like, "If I don't have anything to hide, I don't mind being pulled over. Nobody should." Then on the other hand, there are strict-constructionists of the Constitution, who believe a man should lay down his life to avoid a seemingly unconstitutional search, or any search for that matter.

The Dallas Morning News reported the history of this bill, and how it may now be at a point that it gets passed.

Austin publication, We Are Austin, reported that Texas is currently one of twelve states that does not allow sobriety checkpoints.

As House Bill 439 is written, it would allow police to set up checkpoints in counties with populations greater than 250,000.

This is the fifth time State Representative Todd Smith of Euless has introduced such a bill. He believes his best chance to pass it will be next month when the legislature reconvenes. "This about ensuring that drivers are sober when they are driving on our streets," Smith said.

Critics argue checkpoints wind up bothering people that did nothing wrong.

Man Charged With Intoxication Assault In Wrong-Way Wreck In Dallas

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:12:00 -0600

As reported by The Dallas Morning News, a local intoxicated man was headed the wrong way on North Central Expressway near Royal Lane severely injuring a 21 year old woman on August 12, 2011. Both the drunk driver and the victim went to Baylor hospital for injuries sustained from the accident in which both cars were completely destroyed. The drunk driver almost hit the woman head on while exceeding 80 miles an hour. It is a miracle that both drivers survived the accident.

Many laws have been enacted to ensure that people drive safely. If people would simply choose to follow the rules and regulations that have been set in place for the roads, so many injuries and deaths could be avoided altogether. As the intoxicated man stated "He told investigators that he didn't know where he had been before the accident and that he wasn't sure how much alcohol he consumed, according to police documents."

"The crash came only days after Dallas police and other law enforcement agencies launched their biggest anti-DWI campaign of the year, ahead of the Labor Day weekend." Lt. Scott Bratcher, head of the vehicle crimes unit, said the collision was another unfortunate reminder of the consequences of driving while intoxicated.