Houston pedestrian accidents highlight safety issues

Several recent pedestrian accidents in Houston have called attention to the fact that pedestrian injuries and deaths are far from uncommon.

2013-05-10

May 10, 2013 (Press-News.org) Houston pedestrian accidents highlight safety issues

Article provided by The Weaver Law Firm
Visit us at http://www.weaverlawyers.com

A series of recent pedestrian accidents in the Houston area has called attention to the issue of pedestrian safety in the city. In one of the most recent incidents, a 25-year old man was struck by a motorcycle and killed on Highway 59 in the early morning hours of April 27, 2013.

Earlier the same month, two more pedestrians were struck on Houston roads in the space of two days. On April 13, a man was hospitalized after being clipped by a truck while walking on Gulf Bank Road. The next day, a 46-year-old woman was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while getting into a vehicle near downtown Houston, KHOU.com reported.

In another local case, a 41-year-old Texas City woman was convicted on May 6 of intoxication manslaughter for running off the road and killing a pedestrian in 2011.

Pedestrian injury facts

While people tend to think of car accidents mostly in terms of drivers and passengers, many of those who are harmed by traffic collisions are pedestrians. In fact, according to the Federal Highway Administration, pedestrian deaths account for 12 percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States. Nationwide, about 4,000 pedestrians are killed each year in vehicle crashes, and another 59,000 are injured.

To put these numbers in perspective, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that someone is taken to an emergency room for treatment of traffic-related pedestrian injuries once every eight minutes in the United States -- and once every two hours, on average, a pedestrian dies as a result of a vehicle crash. In the next 24 hours, this translates to approximately 460 pedestrian injuries and six pedestrian deaths on U.S. roads.

Liability for pedestrian accidents in Texas

Regardless of whether criminal charges are involved, vehicle drivers who kill or injure pedestrians in Texas can be held liable in civil court for the damage they cause.

Depending on the circumstances, a person who has been injured in a vehicle-pedestrian crash in Texas may be able to receive compensation for the harm they have suffered from the crash, including medical and rehabilitative costs, lost wages and other damages.

Similarly, when a person dies as a result of a traffic accident in Texas, his or her surviving family members may be able to recover compensation for their hospital bills, funeral costs, loss of financial support, and other harm caused by the crash.

To learn more about the process of pursuing compensation after a car crash in Texas, contact a veteran personal injury lawyer. An attorney with experience representing injured pedestrians and their families will review your case and help you decide whether to move forward with the process of seeking compensation.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New Oregon law mandates college workers to report child abuse

2013-05-10

New Oregon law mandates college workers to report child abuse Article provided by Hubert G. Duvall, Jr. Visit us at http://www.oregoncriminalattorney.com/ A new law recently took effect in Oregon that mandates college and university employees to report suspected child abuse if they know about it, see it or suspect it. This recent mandate bolsters laws already requiring health care workers, lawyers, clergy and teachers to tell the police or the state's Department of Human Services if they believe child abuse is occurring. According to data compiled by the DHS, nearly ...

More motorists accessing the Internet and social media sites while driving

2013-05-10

More motorists accessing the Internet and social media sites while driving Article provided by The Law Offices of John C. Manoog III Visit us at http://www.manooglaw.com As cellphones have become more advanced -- effectively replacing computers, in many cases -- the frequency with which they are used has rapidly increased. While cellphones were originally used solely for making and receiving phone calls, their capabilities now include sending text messages, playing games, updating social media websites and surfing the Internet. These many uses have led to these ...

The State of New Jersey paid millions in harassment claims in 2012

2013-05-10

The State of New Jersey paid millions in harassment claims in 2012 Article provided by Mark Law Firm, LLC Visit us at http://www.jmarklaw.com/ Information about the harm and illegality of sexual harassment in the workplace has never been clearer to employers and employees. Recent strides in employee training and awareness has made it known that sexual harassment in the workplace is not appropriate. Still, businesses across the state -- and state agencies themselves -- continue to pay out millions to settle harassment claims yearly. For example, the New Jersey ...

Industrial fatalities alarm the citizens of Los Angeles

2013-05-10

Industrial fatalities alarm the citizens of Los Angeles Article provided by Biren Katzman Trial Lawyers Visit us at http://www.ca-wrongfuldeathlawyers.com If recent industrial injuries and fatalities in workplaces around Los Angeles are any indication, punching in on the job is one of the riskiest activities imaginable. While workplace hazards are by no means a new phenomenon, the possibility of being seriously injured or even die on the job remains a 21st century reality in spite of state and federal regulation designed to mitigate the dangers of industrial work. Worker ...

Southern California bus accident shines light on lacking regulation

2013-05-10

Southern California bus accident shines light on lacking regulation Article provided by Day, Day & Brown Visit us at http://www.daydayandbrown.com/ Questions still linger after a commercial tour bus hit two vehicles and then crashed in Southern California in February. The bus was bringing its passengers home after a ski trip when that the brakes of the bus allegedly failed causing the driver to lose control and crash head on into an approaching truck. As a result, eight people died and many more suffered serious injury. According to USA Today, the tour bus ...

New car manufacturing guidelines take aim at distracted driving

2013-05-10

New car manufacturing guidelines take aim at distracted driving Article provided by Connell & Foresta Visit us at http://www.connellforestalaw.com/ Federal regulators have introduced a new set of voluntary guidelines for automakers, with the aim of minimizing the time drivers spend looking away from the road. The guidelines are hoped to help reduce car accidentscaused by distracted driving. In 2011, distracted driving contributed to approximately 3,000 fatalities and 387,000 injuries nationwide, according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Many such ...

Muslims and those perceived to be Muslims face discrimination

2013-05-10

Muslims and those perceived to be Muslims face discrimination Article provided by Hadsell, Stormer, Keeny, Richardson & Renick LLP Visit us at http://www.hskrr.com No one should ever have to feel the horrible sting of discrimination. Unfortunately, in a country that upholds equal rights for everyone, many still suffer from prejudice and racism. Today, statistics show that the rate of discrimination against Muslims and people perceived to be Muslims is higher than it was immediately following the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. From ...

Employment law evolves as more workers use social media

2013-05-10

Employment law evolves as more workers use social media Article provided by Cross Law Firm, S.C. Visit us at http://www.crosslawfirm.com/ The law continues to evolve with regard to what speech is a legally fireable offense and what speech is protected by law. This is especially the case when it comes to speech about work-related matters on social media websites like Twitter and Facebook. Indeed, this shifting legal gray area has even enabled some companies to fire employees for speaking negatively about their jobs online. Employment law related to speech is more ...

Oregon court narrows protections of LLCs in workers' compensation claim

2013-05-10

Oregon court narrows protections of LLCs in workers' compensation claim Article provided by Hansen Malagon Visit us at http://www.peterohansenlawyer.com In 2012, an Oregon appellate court addressed the issue of whether workers' compensation benefits were the exclusive remedy for an employee of a Limited Liability Company injured while working. Exclusive remedy provision Under Oregon law, workers' compensation offers the exclusive remedy for workers injured on the job. This means that a worker may not sue an employer for negligence if the employee is injured ...

Increased access to insurance may not prevent medical bankruptcy filings

2013-05-10

Increased access to insurance may not prevent medical bankruptcy filings Article provided by Eveland & Associates PLLC Visit us at http://www.evelandlawfirm.com The increase in medical costs has outstripped increases in wages for many years. Recently, the Obama administration released data on hospital prices that showed huge differences in prices that hospitals charge. For example, the uninsured official price for a procedure often far exceeds what an insurance company actually pays for the same care. With medical costs growing so quickly, medical bills have ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Greener and cleaner: Yeast-green algae mix improves water treatment

Acquired immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) associated with inactivated COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac

CIDEC as a novel player in abdominal aortic aneurysm formation

Artificial intelligence: a double-edged sword for the environment?

Current test accommodations for students with blindness do not fully address their needs

Wide-incident-angle wideband radio-wave absorbers boost 5G and beyond 5G applications

A graph transformer with boundary-aware attention for semantic segmentation

C-Path announces key leadership appointments in neurodegenerative disease research

First-of-its-kind analysis of U.S. national data reveals significant disparities in individual well-being as measured by lifespan, education, and income