The owner or manager of a building that includes a stairway has a duty to maintain that stairway in a safe condition. When they fail, very serious accidents can occur. Life-altering harm like spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries can occur when a person falls down the stairs. In some tragic cases, stairway accidents can even be fatal. If you or a loved one has been injured on an unsafe stairway, a lawyer may be able to recover compensation. It is important to contact a lawyer as soon as possible after a stairway accident. 

What is Considered a Dangerous Condition on a Stairway? 

A number of conditions can render a stairway unsafe, and the premises owner is responsible for making sure these conditions do not exist. The premises owner may be found negligent and ordered to compensate the injured parties if any of the following dangerous conditions exist: 

• Low Lighting - If a person using the stairway cannot see very well, they are at a higher risk of tripping or falling and getting hurt. Stairways must be kept well-lit. 

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Right after you have been in a car accident, you may be feeling a rush of emotions. You are likely experiencing an adrenaline rush, which can act as a natural painkiller and make injuries harder to notice. Even if you do not feel pain right away, or see any visible marks on your body, you may still be injured and it is even possible that those injuries are serious. Symptoms of some injuries may not appear for hours or even days. 

It is very important to get in contact with an attorney as soon as possible after an accident, whether you initially think you are injured or not. A knowledgeable car crash attorney will be able to begin preserving evidence that may be vital if you decide to file a claim later. 

What Car Crash Injuries Might Have Delayed Symptoms? 

Even if you did get medical care soon after the accident and did not seem to be injured, you should remain vigilant for new symptoms over the next several days. Injuries that may not appear immediately include: 

There are multiple types of catastrophic injuries that can have drastic effects on a person’s short-term and long-term health. Brain injuries can be especially harmful, but they are not always easy to recognize, since their symptoms can sometimes be delayed. When a person suffers a blow to the head in a situation such as a car accident or work accident, the full effects of their injury may not become known until days or weeks after they were initially injured. By understanding the symptoms a person may experience and the long-term ramifications of an injury, a victim and their loved ones can take legal action to pursue compensation from the person or parties who were responsible.

Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms

A traumatic brain injury or TBI involves damage to brain tissue resulting from a blow to the head or a strong jolt to the body that causes the brain to move around inside the skull. This may result in bruising of the brain, torn brain tissue, or serious bleeding, which can put pressure on the brain and cause additional damage. A mild traumatic brain injury may result in symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, confusion, temporary memory loss, or loss of consciousness. These symptoms will usually last for a short period of time, typically around a few days to a week.

Moderate or severe brain injuries can be much more serious, and they may result in some of the same symptoms as mild brain injuries, although these symptoms may persist for a longer period of time. A victim may also experience other long-term symptoms that affect their quality of life, such as chronic headaches, weakness in the body, loss of coordination, sleep disorders that result in difficulty sleeping or sleeping more than normal, slurred speech or difficulty expressing themselves, problems with concentration, impairments to hearing or vision, mood disorders such as anxiety or depression, personality changes involving anger or irritability, sensitivity to light or sound, continued memory loss, or seizures.

Of the different types of motor vehicle accidents that can occur, motorcycle crashes are some of the most dangerous. Motorcyclists have little in the way of protection, and if they are struck by a car or truck, they are likely to be seriously injured in the initial impact. They may also suffer additional injuries if they are thrown from their motorcycle and strike the ground, other vehicles, or objects near the road. Unfortunately, motorcyclists are often blamed for collisions, even though an accident is much more likely to be caused by a driver who acted negligently. Victims of motorcycle accidents can protect their rights by working with an attorney who can help them recover compensation from the driver who was responsible for their injuries and damages.

Negligence Leading to Motorcycle Crashes

When drivers do not take the proper care to drive safely, they can put themselves at risk, but they also increase the risks of injuries to others. Motorcyclists may be injured in accidents that occur because of driver negligence such as:

• Distracted driving - Motorcycles can sometimes be difficult to see, especially for drivers of vehicles with large blind spots, such as SUVs, vans, or trucks. If a driver is not fully paying attention to the road, they may fail to notice a motorcycle traveling near their vehicle, and they may collide with a motorcycle or run it off the road if they do not look before changing lanes or making turns.
• Drunk driving - The use of alcohol or drugs can drastically impair a person’s ability to operate a vehicle safely. Effects of intoxication may include blurred or double vision that may make it more difficult to see motorcycles, increased reaction times that cause a driver to be unable to act in time to avoid colliding with a motorcyclist, or issues with balance and coordination that affect a driver’s ability to control their vehicle safely.
• Traffic violations - Traffic laws are meant to ensure that vehicles can operate safely and that everyone who uses the road is protected. When drivers violate these laws, they make it more likely that accidents will occur, and certain types of violations increase the chances of motorcyclist injuries. Drivers who exceed the speed limit may be unable to slow down or stop in time to avoid colliding with a motorcycle, and those who follow too closely behind motorcycles may strike a motorcyclist from behind. Motorcyclists may also be injured in collisions that occur when a driver runs a red light or stop sign or makes an illegal turn in front of a motorcycle.

Contact Our Dallas Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

If you are a motorcyclist who has been injured in a collision caused by another driver, Attorney Jerry D. Andrews P.C. can help you understand your legal options. We will work to ensure that a negligent driver is held responsible for all of the ways you have been affected, including your medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering. Contact our Irving, TX motorcycle accident attorney at 214-221-5800 to arrange a free consultation today.

Distracted driving is known to be one of the most common causes of car accidents these days. In fact, in 2018 alone, more than 2,800 people were killed and approximately 400,000 people were injured in accidents that were caused by a distracted driver. If you were recently injured in a distracted driving accident, consider speaking to a personal injury lawyer about your legal options.

Common Types of Distractions Drivers Face

One of the most common types of distractions for drivers is cell phone use. According to a study conducted by Zendrive, 69 million drivers use their smartphones behind the wheel each day. It is estimated that drivers are on their phones for 1 minute and 52 seconds for each hour they are driving. At night, drivers use their phones for 30 seconds longer than that.

Other distractions that drivers face include eating, drinking, changing the radio station, and conversing with passengers.

Car accidents do not always result from driver error, like distracted driving or speeding. Sometimes a defective auto part is to blame. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that as many as 44,000 car accidents occur each year because of car defects. If you were injured in a vehicle crash caused by a faulty car part, you may be entitled to receive compensation. 

Common Types of Defective Car Parts

Vehicles are made up of thousands of parts that have to work together. If one part is defective, it can lead to an accident. Here are several examples of faulty auto parts and how they can result in collisions.

• Tires - If a vehicle’s tires are defective, they can blow out, causing a driver to lose control of the vehicle and get into an accident. The vehicle can also roll over if there is a tire blowout.

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There are many situations where a person may be injured through no fault of their own, and in these cases, a victim will want to determine whether someone else was responsible for the harm they have suffered. Dog bites often fall into this category, and because they can inflict serious harm on a person, a victim may look to recover compensation from the dog’s owner. However, it is important to understand the situations where an owner will be liable for injuries inflicted by their animal. By working with a personal injury attorney, a person can determine their best legal options for holding a dog’s owner responsible for their injuries and damages.

Liability for Dog Bite Injuries in Texas

Texas uses what is sometimes called the “one bite free” rule when it comes to dog bites. That is, the state’s laws allow a dog’s owner to be held liable if they knew that their dog was dangerous and the dog attacked someone without being provoked and inflicted serious bodily injuries or caused wrongful death. 

Drowsy driving is a problem that affects many people, and when someone nods off or falls asleep while behind the wheel, this can lead to a dangerous collision. Drowsy driving is even more dangerous for drivers of large semi-trailer trucks since truck accidents are likely to result in serious injuries for people in other vehicles. Unfortunately, driver fatigue is a common issue that affects truck drivers. Those who have been injured in collisions caused by a drowsy or fatigued truck driver will need to work with an attorney to determine how they can hold the driver and/or the trucking company that employed them liable for their damages.

The Dangers of Truck Driver Fatigue

Drowsy driving can have a major impact on a person’s ability to drive safely. Truck drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel may collide with other vehicles or pedestrians, run other cars or trucks off the road, or collide with obstacles, which can result in rollover accidents that affect multiple other vehicles. 

Even if a driver does not fall asleep, drowsiness will cause them to be less attentive to what is happening on the road around them. It can also slow a person’s reaction times and affect their ability to make decisions quickly, meaning that they may be unable to respond quickly enough to avoid a collision. In fact, scientific studies have found that if a person stays awake for 18 hours, this is equivalent to having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .05%, and staying awake for 24 hours is equivalent to a BAC of .08%. The legal BAC limit for commercial truck drivers is .04%.

When the light turns green, you remove your foot from the brake and drive into the intersection. Suddenly, a vehicle from your right races through the intersection because the driver is trying to beat the light that has already turned red. It may have been a near miss, but perhaps you weren’t so lucky.

Intersections are among the most common places for accidents to occur. In fact, the Federal Highway Administration reports that about half of all motor vehicle accidents happen at intersections, and almost all of them are the result of a driver making a terrible mistake. If you are recovering from injuries resulting from an intersection crash or you lost a loved one in such a tragedy, you likely want answers to your questions, particularly when it comes to knowing who is responsible.

Getting enough sleep is an important factor in living a happy, healthy life. It is also an important factor in staying safe on the road. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Texas drivers who get behind the wheel even though they are far too tired to do so. This lax approach to drowsy driving is seriously injuring and even killing innocent people.

The average person needs anywhere from 7 to 9 hours of sleep just to function properly. Lack of sleep is only one contributing factor to drowsy driving though. Certain medications can also make people feel very tired, while sleep disorders might also interfere with some people’s ability to drive.

Drowsy driving is not uncommon

Maybe you have heard more about the dangers of distracted or drunk driving, so drowsy driving might not seem like that big of a threat. The reality is that drowsy driving is shockingly common. According to the American Automobile Association at least 40% of drivers admit to having fallen asleep while driving.

Vehicle safety has improved greatly over the years. Things like airbags, seatbelts and improved structural design keep you and everyone else on the road safer than ever before. Unfortunately, there is something that is counteracting these new safety features — higher speed limits. New speed limits are making car accidents even more dangerous.

Even cars that boast the best safety features and ratings simply cannot stand up to higher and higher speed limits. In fact, even as cars have gotten safer, rising speed limits have directly contributed to 37,000 deaths over the last 25 years. So, why are speed limits still going up?

All in the name of traffic flow

Improving traffic flow is one of the reasons that Texas state officials choose to raise maximum speed limits. One aspect of traffic flow that officials seek to improve is the variance in speeds between vehicles. Since some drivers tend to always go faster than the posted limit, the thought process is that raising those limits will get everyone traveling at the same speed.

Large trucks are an essential part of Texas’ economy. Truck drivers traverse across the entire country, bringing goods from all over. While these vehicles and drivers might serve an important function, they also pose a serious threat. Large truck accidents are life altering and, in some cases, even life ending.

In accidents involving large trucks and smaller passenger vehicles, victims in the smaller vehicles are much more likely to suffer fatal injuries. Part of the problem is that tractor trailers simply weigh more than cars — a lot more. The average large truck weighs as much as 30 times more than passenger vehicles. Sadly, several issues could result in these massive vehicles causing a serious accident.

Poorly maintained equipment

Trucking companies are supposed to ensure that their vehicles are properly maintained and free of defects. Unfortunately, defective equipment is a common factor in large truck accidents. Brake defects factor into an astounding 42% of all investigated trucking accidents. A single defect can increase the risk of a crash by 200%.

Work does not just stay at the office anymore. With the advent of technology like smartphones and video chatting, bosses are expecting more from their workers than perhaps ever before. Like a lot of people in Texas, your boss might expect you to answer work calls or reply to emails regardless of what else you may be doing. Unfortunately, this extra work pressure is making the distracted driving problem worse.

Distracted driving certainly is a huge problem. Around 80% of drivers talk on the phone when they are behind the wheel. At least 30% of drivers admit they have nearly caused accidents while driving too. Since these figures were self-reported in a Travelers Companies survey, it is possible that the real numbers could be much higher.

What if your boss is calling?

Connected culture — the idea that people should be constantly connected to their devices and available — could literally be killing workers. In a survey of company executives, nearly 75% said they do not think distracted driving is a big concern. Instead, these executives seem to prioritize being “on” all the time. That same survey found that 87% of executives think they should be able to either always or frequently contact employees outside the office.

Drunk drivers do not just endanger their own lives. They also put everyone else in Texas at risk for serious injury or even death. Unfortunately, many men and women still act as if drinking and driving is safe. This dangerous attitude toward drunk driving makes it difficult to get the problem under control.

Part of the problem could be that drunk driving is not necessarily as visible as distracted driving. While it is easy to spot a driver staring at his or her phone, it might be harder to identify someone who is under the influence of alcohol. So while you might find it easy to believe that distracted driving is the most common cause of car accidents, you may not realize that drunk driving is the second.

Does age matter?

A 2020 study from the Zebra found that age plays a huge factor in determining who is most likely to drink and drive. When asked which generation has the most drunk drivers, nearly 36% of respondents pointed to drivers between the ages of 25 and 39 — millennials — followed by 31% of drivers aged 16 to 24 — Gen Z.

Life without a smart phone probably feels a little unrealistic in today’s society. But is it unrealistic to expect people to use their smart phones safely? Unfortunately, there are many drivers in Texas who still prioritize their phones over paying attention to the road, making texting and driving a huge problem.

Every year in America, drivers on their phones cause 1.6 million crashes. In 2018 alone, cell phone use had a connection to 4,637 car accident deaths. These high numbers of injuries and deaths do not seem to deter some drivers from reaching for their phones.

Does age matter?

Age is a factor in who is most likely to text, and for different reasons. For example, people who text and drive are probably more confident in their abilities to multitask. A survey from The Zebra found that nearly 40% of drivers age 55 and up believe they multitask well, compared to only around 30% of drivers between the ages of 25 and 34.

It is always a good feeling to walk into a store and find the exact product you were looking for, but you might not think much about how it got there. However, you have probably had the experience of driving near a large truck. Large trucks travel back and forth across the country each and every day, delivering goods and consumer products. Unfortunately, getting products to stores is not always safe. Large truck accidents are responsible for thousands of deaths every year.

In 2018 alone, large truck accidents caused 4,136 fatalities. In two vehicle accidents that only involved large trucks and passenger vehicles, drivers and occupants in passenger vehicles accounted for 96% of deaths. Large trucks also caused 22% of all passenger vehicle deaths in multi-vehicle accidents.

What is a large truck?

Large trucks are also referred to as 18-wheelers or tractor trailers. An example is a tractor truck that is pulling one or more trailers. Large trucks can also be single unit vehicles. These trucks often weigh upwards of 10,000 pounds.

While you might assume that other drivers take the responsibility of being behind the wheel as seriously as you do, the reality is that many men and women in Texas simply do not. Deterring people from driving while under the influence of alcohol is not easy either, and police arrest around one million Americans for this act each and every year. However, some experts believe that technology could be the answer to this problem.

According to a research paper from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — IIHS — reducing drunk driving deaths could be as easy as installing a breath testing unit in new vehicles. Some form of this technology already exists, too. Ignition interlock devices are frequently used for drivers convicted on DUI charges.

Stopping drunk drivers

When it comes to drunk driving, IIHS reports that the U.S. has made very little progress since around the mid-1990s. Looking back over just the past decade, drunk driving has contributed to 30% of roadway deaths. Some car manufacturers are committed to lowering those numbers.

Why should you or one of your loved ones have to suffer injury because another Texas driver chose to disregard traffic laws and safety regulations? It is never okay to fail to stop at a stop sign or to make unsafe lane changes or blow through red lights. Chances are, there are distracted drivers on the road every time you get behind the wheel or ride as a passenger in someone's car.

There are three main types of driving distraction. Some drivers deal with simultaneous distractions in more ways than one. Even a momentary distraction greatly increases the risk of collision. One minute, you might simply be commuting to work or driving to the grocery store. The next, a driver looking down at a cell phone might not see that you've stopped at a stop sign, and you could wind up in the back of an ambulance because of his or her negligence.

Understanding these types of distraction can help you stay safe

Perhaps one of the most frightening things to realize when you are on the road is that someone in another vehicle may have been drinking before getting behind the wheel. When you travel, alone or with your family, you may take every precaution to keep safe. Nevertheless, there may be others on the road who are not thinking of your safety, and these drivers pose a deadly risk.

Even a single alcoholic drink can impair someone's ability to react appropriately while driving. This can include reacting to basic cues, such as stop signs or the presence of another vehicle in his or her path. Someone who has been drinking freely may create a situation that places you and your loved ones in harm's way.

Why is drinking and driving so bad?

Most safety campaigns to address distracted driving focus on texting or other smartphone use, almost disregarding other equally dangerous distractions. Drivers in Dallas County who thought they could multitask while driving are not alone. Safety authorities estimate as many as 660,000 drivers nationwide drive while distracted.

It may come as a surprise, but the human brain is able to process only a limited amount of information at a time. The primary task is to focus on the road and safe driving, and adding other activities distracts the brain from driving, forcing it to process other information.

Most common distractions