Archive for April, 2013

To those affected by the explosion at the West Fertilizer Company plant

We wish to express our support for all those affected by the explosion at the West Fertilizer Company plant and offer our deepest condolences to those families who have suffered the loss of loved ones, injuries and/or property damage.

We are dedicated exclusively to helping the citizens of West, Texas and with this in mind have made a contribution of $25,000 to the American Red Cross.  We urge others to join us in a show of support for the victims of this tragedy by contributing to the American Red Cross as well.

Auto Accidents Increase Sharply In Eagle Ford Shale Region Of South Texas

Auto accidents in the Eagle Ford Shale region of Texas increased by 98 percent during a recent two-year period, raising concerns about road safety and the increased risk of serious Texas car accidents due to oil and natural gas development in the region.

Our San Antonio car accident lawyers were alarmed by the statistics released by Texas Department of Public Safety. According to the report published by MySanAntonio.com, the total number of motor vehicle crashes in Karnes, LaSalle and Dimmit counties increased by 98 percent between 2009 and 2011. And during that same time period in the same three Texas counties, the number of crashes involving commercial vehicles increased by 470 percent.

The report also cautions that other counties could be at risk of more auto accidents due to additional pending drilling permits. The other Texas counties at risk of more motor vehicle accidents include Dewitt, McMullen, Webb and Zavala.

The Eagle Ford Shale play in South Texas contains one of the world’s largest oil and natural gas reserves. The oil and gas industry there has produced numerous jobs. But our Eagle Ford Shale accident lawyers know that work-related injuries have been common, often due to exploratory drilling rig accidents and hydraulic fracking accidents.

Reports about disputes over wages and hours involving oil and gas workers are also common in the Eagle Ford Shale region.

But it’s the sharp rise in motor vehicle accidents in the region that has people extremely concerned. One recent accident in Karnes County involved a pickup driver who fell asleep and hit both an 18-wheeler and a school bus, according to MySanAntonio.com.

And the number of safety violations for commercial vehicles operating in the Eagle Ford Shale region has also skyrocketed in recent years. MySanAntonio.com reported:

…During a safety check last summer, many commercial trucks driving in the Eagle Ford region didn’t meet safety standards.

Last June during a 72-hour commercial-trucking safety event called “Roadcheck,” state troopers pulled over thousands of commercial vehicles across the state to look for driver and truck violations.

Counties in the Eagle Ford Shale region had particularly high rates of violations that took either the driver or the vehicle out of service, according to data requested by the San Antonio Express-News under the Texas Public Information Act.

If you or a loved one was injured in an Eagle Ford Shale accident or you are coping with a wage and hour case or other Eagle Ford Shale legal dispute, call The Herrera Law Firm, Inc. at 800-455-1054 to schedule a free case evaluation.

San Antonio drunk driving accident kills 4 people in wrong-way, head-on crash

16
Apr 2013
By:

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Four Brackettville, Texas family members died this past weekend when a drunk truck driver crashed head-on while driving the wrong way on U.S. 90 in San Antonio, leaving the close-knit community distraught, angry and frustrated.

Drunk truck driver accidents wreak havoc on San Antonio’s highways. That’s why the Herrera Law Firm takes such a tough stance against Texas drunk driving accidents. The Texas drunk truck driver accident lawyers at our firm have seen firsthand how such accidents can turn the lives of entire families upside down in an instant. As one of the leading San Antonio drunk driving law firms, the Herrera Law Firm works tirelessly for families directly affected by such accidents. We do this because we realize such accidents are about more than just money. They’re about justice, about holding reckless people responsible for their actions.

Two Brackett High School students and their parents died in the accident around midnight on Saturday, April 13th, according to MySanAntonio.com. Kenneth and Melissa Koontz, and their two daughters, Madison and Marley Ann, died at the scene. Madison was a senior and Marley a freshman, school officials told MySanAntonio.com. The only survivor in the Koontz family was seventh-grader Zachary.

Carrollton, Texas truck driver Ruben Galindo, 60, has been charged with four counts of intoxicated manslaughter. He remained in jail Monday on a $1 million bond, according to the news station KENS5.com.  Police are still investigating why Galindo was driving his big rig the wrong way on U.S. 90 West near the Loop 1604 exit when the accident occurred.

The Koontz family was returning home from a University Interscholastic League competition, where Madison was “singled out for her performance in a one-act play Saturday,” MySanAntonio.com reported. “You couldn’t have asked for a more model family for character and integrity,” Brackett High School principal Kevin Newsom told the web site.

Saturday’s car accident was the deadliest car crash in San Antonio this year, according to police. So far this year, 50 people have died in fatal auto accidents in the city, 12 more than at this time last year, according to MySanAntonio.com.

Bicycle Accidents a Risk in Warmer Weather

As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, more people will enjoy bicycling in and around San Antonio. Unfortunately, as more people choose to ride their bikes this spring and summer, these bike riders are at risk of potentially being injured or even killed in a car accident.

Our San Antonio, TX injury attorneys know that bike riders face many potential perils as they take to the road and share space with cars, pedestrians, trains and other bicycle riders. In some cases, bike riders can protect themselves from danger by making smart choices to stay safe. In other instances, however, drivers will simply not share the road in a responsible and safe manner with bicyclists and the chances of an accident will be significantly increased.

Recent Bicycle Accident Reminds Bike Riders to Obey Driving Rules

One of the biggest dangers to bike riders is that some riders do no believe the rules of the road apply to them. For example, some bike riders will drive against traffic on the wrong side of the road; will stray into the street instead of staying on sidewalks or designated bike lanes; will fail-to-yield; or will skip stopping at stop signs and traffic signals. In one recent tragic case, KSAT.com even reported that a bicycle rider appeared to ignore closed gates indicating that a train was coming, going around the gates and trying to cross the tracks. This led to tragic consequences as the bicycle rider was killed by the train.

To avoid the self-inflicted dangers that come along with not obeying driving rules, bicycle riders need to remember that they are expected to follow the law when they are on their bikes. The bike is a vehicle too, just like a car, and bicycle riders should not break any traffic laws while riding their bike just as they wouldn’t break these laws when driving any other car.

Drivers Need to be Mindful of Bicycle Riders

While bicycle riders sometimes do dangerous things that lead to accidents, most accidents are caused by other vehicles on the road, which typically fail to yield the right-of-way to a rider. Often, drivers are at fault when a bike accident occurs between a motor vehicle and a bicycle. In some cases, drivers will also misjudge the speed at which a bicycle rider is going, so the driver may believe he or she has plenty of time to make the turn or cut the bike off when in reality this is not the case.

Drivers who are speeding, driving drunk, distracted by their cell phones or something else in the car, or who are overtired and falling asleep may also increase the chances of becoming involved in a crash with a bike rider. Any time a driver is not paying attention or is not in control of his vehicle, there is a chance that the driver could hit an innocent bike rider and become responsible for the harm caused. Drivers, therefore, will also need to be more cautious as the warmest months of the year approach and as more and more people take advantage of spring to get on their bikes.

If you’ve been injured in an accident, contact the Herrera Law Firm at 800-455-1054 for a confidential consultation.