Car Accidents

March 31, 2011

Fort Worth Truck Explosion Accident Wrongful Death

As a Fort Worth Car Accident and Truck Accident attorney, I am reporting this tragic accident that lead to a wrongful death of the truck driver, from a tanker gasoline explosion. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Raya family.

Fort Worth police have arrested and charged Louis Nieves, 23, with intoxication manslaughter after a fiery traffic accident early in the morning that killed the driver of a fuel tanker truck and shut down the freeway most of the day.

Nieves was the driver of a small red pickup truck. Police reported he was driving the wrong way on Interstate 30 when he slammed into the oncoming 18-wheeler near the Beach Street exit at 2:37 a.m.

The freeway was shut down and traffic was backed up through downtown Fort Worth after the deadly wrong-way crash. The tanker exploded after impact, killing its driver. The truck was so badly burned that the flames destroyed the tanker and damaged the surface of the freeway.

The red pickup showed significant front end damage, but did not catch on fire. Emergency crews rushed Nieves to a nearby hospital. He was treated at the hospital, released and booked into the Fort Worth jail. Officers said several people called 911 to report the wrong-way driver.

The other two lanes remain badly damaged and must undergo extensive repairs. TxDOT said the road must be resurfaced and, underneath, steel beams and the concrete support system that burned must also be replaced.

The tanker was so badly burned, there is no obvious way to determine who owns it or even to whom it was registered.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has opened an investigation into where a 23-year-old pickup driver was drinking before he was involved in a fiery crash.

Louis Nieves, 23, who was arrested after the wreck, told a reporter for WFAA/Channel 8 TV that he had drunk 10 beers before getting behind the wheel and leaving a bar on East Eighth Street near the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Family and friends identified the tanker driver as 45-year-old Alejandro Raya of Fort Worth.

The beverage commission is investigating but won’t identify the business until the investigation is further along.

Nieves, who faces a charge of intoxication manslaughter, remained in the Mansfield Jail with bail set at $90,000, according to Fort Worth police.

Alejandro Raya left a wife and three children, ages 21, 14 and 12. Alejandro Raya moved to the United States from Mexico in the 1980s. Raya was working for Petro-Chemical Transport, based in Addison, according to a company spokeswoman. Gasoline fuel that spilled from the tanker ignited, melting steel beams and concrete in the I-30 bridge over Sycamore Creek.

February 24, 2011

Personal Injury, Wrongful Death and Car Accidents

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Dallas car accident attorney, I am writing to inform folks about the dangers to automobiles and drivers from highway construction zones.

Construction sites and highway construction zones are adversely impacted by poor communication, a work force in a hurry, third party contractors, a mind set of profits before people and safety and negligence.

The first rule of safety is to eliminate the danger; if that is not possible, then the second rule of safety is to barricade the danger and if that is not possible then you communicate the danger and warn. The trouble is how can you communicate with somebody who does not understand or speak English.

Safety violations can occur; by breaking and ignoring local, municipal, city, county, state or federal regulations, for example when equipment is left too close to the side of the road, or when proper safety policies and procedures are not followed, construction companies and employers can be held financially liable.

Highway and road construction zones are the most dangerous road conditions in Texas. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area major highways and thoroughfares are always under construction, leaving drivers to deal with improperly marked roads, obstacles, and other hazardous road conditions. In our Metroplex, we have over 6,000 miles of highways and roads. Hundreds of drivers and passengers of cars, semi-trucks, buses and motorcycles are injured or killed every year in construction zone accidents that could have been easily prevented and avoided.

If you or a family member has been injured in a highway or construction zone car accident, there may be more than one party that can be held responsible and required to compensate you for your injuries. Road maintenance crews, highway design engineers, and other drivers are often held legally accountable for their negligence Contractors, subcontractors or government agencies in charge of construction zones may also be held liable if they were negligent in their duties.

The following is a list of some factors that may lead to an auto accident in a construction zone:

Substandard road maintenance
Unmarked or unfixed potholes
Dangerous gravel on the road or road resurfacing
Slippery road surfaces due to spills especially chemicals or oil
Substandard or defective marked construction zones
Dangerous unmarked changes in road conditions
Defective or missing Guardrails
Substandard marked intersections
Negligently or reckless designed roadways, bridges, and rights-of-way

January 20, 2011

Victims In Car Fire Were Filling Gas While Driving

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney, this story takes the biscuit as far as crazy things to do while you are driving.

According to police, a van that caught on fire in a Seattle suburb was caused by the passengers filling up the van with gas while driving.

According to one of the victims, she and her two friends had bought gas at a gas station. She said they didn’t have a gas can, so they filled an open bucket with two gallons of gas and put it in the van.

The engine cowling, a piece of metal that covered the engine had been removed. The passengers used a water bottle to transfer gas from the bucket directly into the carburetor in order to keep the engine running.

The van was filled with gas fumes, then the van stalled and as the driver tried to restart the van, it exploded.

According to Witnesses, the woman jumped out of the back of the van and fell to the ground, on fire, and that the van rolled over her leg. All three people were on fire and “desperately trying to put it out,” investigators said.

January 19, 2011

Car Accident and Road Rage in Grapevine Texas

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney, I am reporting this crazy case of road rage, which took place in my back yard of Grapevine, Texas.

A Dallas man, James D. Wilson, tried to escape after assaulting another driver in a road-rage incident here in Grapevine.

According to the Grapevine police, Wilson is expected to be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, endangering a child and criminal mischief. The incident occurred on westbound Texas 114, which is being rebuilt as part of the DFW Connector project.

The other driver, was with his wife, his 9-year-old daughter and their dog in their BMW when he was cut off by a pickup.

The pickup pulled up beside the BMW and then the pickup driver and his passenger got out and yelled at the BMW driver.

The pickup driver got into his truck, leaving the door open, and backed into the BMW and the driver with the door.

The BMW driver got up after being hit, and was dragged about 100 feet while hanging on the door. The BMW driver eventually let go of the door and rolled onto the roadway.

Luckily the incident was witnessed by an off duty police officer and the arrest took place. The man who performed the criminal attack should have his license revoked, pay a hefty fine and go to jail. These kind of assaults/road rage cannot be tolerated in a civilized society…zero tolerance.

January 15, 2011

Texas Supreme Court to Answer: Is Builder Liable for Bridge’s Guardrail Gap?

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The law is always changing when it comes to accidents, and as a Fort Worth Car Accident attorney I read with interest this car accident case which is now in front of the Texas Supreme Court.

Seven years ago, near Fredericksburg, Courtney Foreman of Cedar Park drowned after construction work left a 15-foot gap in a bridge guardrail room enough for her car, sliding on wet dirt and gravel, to hit the Pedernales River.

She was 18. But a lawsuit against the construction company that followed those plans was thrown out, only to be reinstated on appeal.

Now the case is before the Texas Supreme Court, which will determine whether the Allen Keller Co. had a duty to protect drivers like Foreman from a potentially dangerous situation. The answer could have repercussions for Texas contractors, construction firms and accident victims.

January 4, 2011

Fort Worth Car Crash Leads to Death of Promising Young Soldier

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Fort Worth Car Accident attorney, I am writing about this tragic loss of life in a car crash just before New Years day.

Spc. Clinton Young, on leave for Christmas, and was to return Jan. 3 to finish training at the 14th Military Police Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He died just before New Years day when a collision knocked him off an overpass on U.S. 287 in southeast Fort Worth, where he was standing after his car crashed into a guardrail.

His mother, Ruby Young said she was on the phone with her son moments before he was killed. “He loved his family very much and his family dearly loved him,” his mom said. “But we’d like people to know that Clinton was proud to serve his country. He wanted to be a soldier.”

Ruby Young said she was told that her son lost control of his car on a U.S. 287 overpass and smashed into the guardrail. An 18-wheeler then crashed just past her son’s vehicle, blocking the road.

Another 18-wheeler stopped in the road because the driver couldn’t get around the wreckage. Then a vehicle slammed into the second truck’s trailer and careered into Clinton Young, who was standing next to his vehicle.

The collision threw him over the guardrail and he fell dozens of feet onto East Loop 820, Fort Worth police reported. My thoughts and prayers are with this young man;s family at this time of need.

December 30, 2010

Denton Woman Wrongful Death After Being Run Over By Trailer

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Fort Worth Car Accident and Wrongful Death Attorney, I have the following accident to report.

According to the police, a 33-year-old Denton woman died after being ran over by a moving trailer.

Police said a group of people were helping friends move out of an apartment complex, when Andrea Noecker sat down on the tongue and hitch connected to a trailer. One in the group was moving a pickup truck to the street when Noecker fell off in the parking lot and was run over by the trailer.

December 16, 2010

Fort Worth Wrongful Death Truck Accident Update

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Virginia Jury Verdict: $10.5 Million in Wrongful Death

A Virginia jury has awarded $10.5 million to the family of a woman who died in 2007 after a concrete mixer truck fell onto her car.

The wrongful death victim was aged 25, and she died after eight days in hospital. The victim’s husband survived the horrific accident. Their car was crushed as they drove on State Route 53 and were hit by a truck driven by William Sprouse, working for Allied Concrete Co. Sprouse later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served 30 days in jail.

December 15, 2010

Texas Wrongful Death Verdict: Bus Co to Pay $132M in Crash Lawsuit

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Fort Worth car accident attorney I am proud to relay this Texas jury verdict involving a bus accident.

An El Paso jury ordered a local Texas bus company to pay more than $132 million to the victims of a 2005 Colorado deadly crash.

The jury found that the van had bald tires and no safety belts. Two people died, and several others were severely injured in the crash. After a four-day trial, the judgment was reached against Los Paisanos bus lines and its owner, Uriel Chavira.

December 12, 2010

Court Refuses to Dismiss Toyota Wrongful Death Law Suits

by Dr. Shezad Malik

As a Fort Worth Wrongful Death Attorney and Car Accident Attorney I am providing this latest update regarding the on going Toyota Product Liability Lawsuits.

The California federal judge said that he is inclined to let personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against Toyota Motor Corp. move forward.

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna issued a preliminary opinion denying the automaker’s motion to dismiss key causes of action in 51 lawsuits.