A motorist, who was involved in a fatal drunk driving accident that killed two pedestrians in Galveston, has been charged in the accident.

According to reports, the victims, a 42-year-old man and his friend were walking a dog near the Galveston Seawall Boulevard, when they were hit by a car.  Witnesses at the scene said that the car veered out of control, and crashed into the pedestrians.

The two suffered serious injuries, and were declared dead.  The driver in this accident has now been charged with intoxication manslaughter.  The motorist and a passenger were also injured in the accident, and are currently recovering at the University Of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Summer is one of the riskiest times for drivers in Texas with high risks of drunk driving accidents.  Some areas of Texas already have a reputation for being some of the drunkest cities in the country.  In fact, Houston routinely features in lists of the most impaired cities in the country. The intoxicated driving problems that plague law enforcement officers in Texas can only be expected to worsen in the months of summer.

As a Galveston car accident lawyer, I cannot say this often enough – please do not drive under the influence of alcohol.

Vuk Vujasinovic is a Galveston car accident lawyer, helping injured victims of car and auto accidents in the Galveston region and across Texas recover compensation for their injuries.  If you have been injured in a car accident, speak to a Galveston personal injury lawyer at our firm.

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In the second dismissal of a Metro driver in just a couple of days, a bus driver was fired for his role in causing a chain reaction accident that injured nine people last week.  The driver, who has been employed at Metro for the last 10 years, was discharged from services after an investigation into the accident.

The accident injured nine people, including the driver, and six passengers on the bus.  At least two motorists were also injured in the accident.  Investigations considered video footage of the driver, and found that he had apparently slammed on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake, causing the accident.

That was the second dismissal of a Metro driver, with the first one occurring just one day earlier when a driver who was involved in a pedestrian accident last month was fired.  According to Metro, this investigation found that the driver, a veteran of the agency, could have done more to prevent the accident that killed a pedestrian.  Investigations found that the pedestrian walked into the oncoming bus, and the driver told police that there was nothing he could have done to prevent the accident.  Investigators however found that this was not true..

Drivers of commercial vehicles like Metro buses must be held to higher standards than regular motorists, because so many passengers’ lives and safety depend on these drivers.

If you have been injured in a Metro bus accident, speak to a Houston Metro bus accident lawyer at our firm.

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According to a new study, binge drinkers or persons who have consumed excessive amounts of alcohol, are likely to recover slowly from their injuries, compared to people who were not drunk at the time.

The studies are interesting, and also offer a lot of theories about why people who have excessive alcohol in their system, are much more likely to suffer burn injury complications, and have their recovery delayed, compared to persons who had not consumed any alcohol.

The findings of the study were presented at a recent conference of the American burn Association in Seattle The researchers compared patients who were admitted to burn units with alcohol above the legal intoxication limit, with patients who had no alcohol in their system.  They found that the alcohol seemed to increase the severity of burn injuries.

For instance, the patients who had drunk excessively before they were involved in an accident, and had a heavy amount of alcohol in their system, had the same rates of deadly infections like sepsis and pneumonia, as persons with more severe injuries who had not consumed alcohol.

The researchers believe that this is because alcohol suppresses the immune system in a person whose immune system is already susceptible because of the injury.  Further, persons who have drunk excessively and are involved in a fire, are less likely to escape of the fire in time, and therefore, may have much higher carbon monoxide levels in the blood.  Tests found that persons who had drunk an excess amount of alcohol had carbon monoxide levels in the system that were at least 4 times as high as for patients who had not drunk alcohol.

Vuk Vujasinovic is a Houston burn injury lawyer, helping injured persons who have suffered burn injuries in car accidents and workplace accidents, recover compensation for their injuries.

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Motorists in Sugarland, Texas may be at a much higher risk of accidents, not because of distracted drivers, but because of drivers who simply fail to use turn signals while they’re driving.

According to a new study, failure to use turn signals appropriately causes as many as 2 million accidents every year.  That’s right.  Two million accidents are caused when motorists fail to use turn signals, or fall to turn off signals after they’ve completed a lane change.

According to a new study, drivers do not make turn signals at least 48% of the time when they are changing lines, and 25% of the time when they were making a turn.  This seems to be a widespread problem, but law enforcement doesn’t seem to be bothered.

In fact, that is probably the reason why so many drivers feel emboldened to skip making turn signals altogether.  This isn’t always the result of forgetfulness or carelessness by drivers.  Very often, drivers are simple too lazy to use turn signals, or may not understand how important such signals are.

The researchers are recommending an alert system that would automatically turn the signals off, after the lane change or after a turn has been completed.  However, motorists must also be more aware of their responsibility as safe drivers.  As cars get safer, a motorist’s risk of being involved in accidents lowers, but that doesn’t mean that drivers discard their responsibility to drive safely.

If you have been involved in an accident in Sugarland, Texas, you may be eligible for compensation.  Speak with an experienced Sugarland car accident lawyer at our firm.

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In Texas City and across the state, more numbers of motorcyclists will dust off their helmets, and prepare to ride over the next few weeks.  Unfortunately, summer also comes with an increased risk of accidents for motorcyclists.  A motorcyclist is not safe at the best of times, and during summer, when he is competing for space with other motorists, those risks are even greater.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration marks the month of May as National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.  Motorcyclists can increase their chances of getting home safe after a ride, by always wearing a helmet while riding.  Avoid novelty helmets and fancy helmets.  These do not meet requirements established by the Department of Transportation.  Always wear helmets that are compliant with standards set by the DOT.

It’s not enough to only wear helmets.  You must also be kitted out for riding.  Motorcyclists who wear brightly-colored clothing or fluorescent clothing are much more likely to be seen in traffic.  That means that drivers have a much better chance of avoiding slamming into your motorcycle.

Wear reflective clothing, or stick a reflective tape on your motorcycle or your jacket to be more visible during nighttime.  If a driver can see you, he is much more likely to avoid you.  Unfortunately, motorcyclists are much easier to miss, especially a motorist who is not looking out for him, or is distracted or drunk.

Vuk Vujasinovic is a Texas City motorcycle accident lawyer, helping persons injured in motorcycle accidents recover compensation for their injuries.

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Over the next 3 months, there will be more teenagers on Texas City roads.  Unfortunately, they will be sharing those streets with an increased number of motorists, also out for the holidays.  Any Texas City car accident lawyer knows that a teenager’s risks of being involved in an accident is high during the best of times, and during summer, those risks are magnified.

This May, auto safety groups are also marking National Youth Traffic Safety Month, so that parents can be aware of the increased risk of accidents involving their teenage children during the season.

As a parent, you can make sure that your child is driving responsibly and safely by using cell phone blogging technologies so that he’s not distracted while driving.  You can also set strict conditions about driving at night time.  Most accidents involving teenagers occur at night, when visibility is poor.

Also, set strict conditions on your child driving with other teenagers.  Driving with peers always distracts a teenage motorist, and may increase the risk of being involved in an accident collision.  Teenagers must also respect speed limits this summer.

A word of advice for teenagers – Reduce your risk of being injured in an accident, by always buckling up while driving.  Make sure that all the other occupants of your car are also buckled up.  Try to avoid roads that see heavy traffic as much as possible, and look at alternate routes.

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The American workplace continues to be exceedingly dangerous for workers.  According to a new report by the AFL-CIO, the number of worker fatalities actually increased in 2010, compared to 2009.  The statistics were reported in the AFL-CIO’s report Death on the Job: the Toll of Neglect.

In 2010, there were total of 4,690 worker fatalities, compared to 4,551 fatalities in 2009.  Further, there were more than 50,000 people killed as a result of occupational diseases in 2010.

The death rate in 2010 works out to approximately 13 worker fatalities every day.  Also that year, approximately 3.8 million workers across the country sustained injuries or illnesses in the workplace.

Some states have an exceedingly poor record as far as workplace safety is concerned.  These include North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Alaska and Wyoming.  As any Texas City work accident lawyer knows, some types of workers seem to be at an unfairly higher risk of suffering injuries or fatalities in accidents.  According to the report, Latino workers have a higher rate of workplace fatalities compared to other workers.  Their rate of being involved in fatal accidents is approximately 8% higher.  The rate is especially high for those Latino workers who were born outside of the United States.

Texas City construction accident attorneys don’t find it so surprising that the construction sector saw the maximum number of fatal injuries in 2010, although this number was a decrease from the numbers in 2009.

It may be too early to celebrate, however.  The report attributes this decline in worker fatalities in the construction industry to the downturn in the industry, as a result of the recession.

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It’s time for the year’s most popular Mexican festival, and this year, Cinco de Mayo celebrations have been planned across Houston, Gonzales, San Marcos, San Antonio and other areas across Texas.  However, with the celebrations also comes an increase in the number of alcohol-related car accidents.

This year’s celebrations are expected to peak during the Cinco de Mayo holiday on May 5.  Unfortunately, too many motorists will have far too many shots of tequila, and decide to drive home on their own.  The risks of being involved in an accident are much higher on alcohol-heavy days like this particular holiday.

Texas law enforcement will be out in full force to pull drink motorists over, and prevent accidents, but there’s only so much they will be able to do to prevent impaired drivers from causing accidents.  Driving under the influence of alcohol causes a person to shed inhibitions, and drive recklessly.  Additionally, persons may also suffer from blurred vision, or a lack of judgment, which leads to driving errors.

Drink responsibly.  Designate a driver for the evening.  The driver must be someone who is responsible enough to remain sober throughout the evening.  Often, Gonzales car accident lawyers find that the designated driver ends up drinking just like everyone else, which defeats the purpose of having a sober driver. If you’ve consumed alcohol, look for public transportation options, or hire a taxi.

If you have been involved in a car accident in Gonzales, consult with an experienced Gonzales car accident attorney at our firm.

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People who are driving or operating machinery while sleepy are much more likely to be involved in accidents.  That’s a no-brainer.  However, the scary part is that more than 40 million Americans are believed to be sleep deprived.

That information comes from a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that more than 30% of Americans do not get the required 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.  These people are sleep deprived, drowsy and are simply in no condition to be operating a vehicle or operating equipment.

According to the study, some categories of workers are much more likely to be short of sleep.  For instance, night shift workers are more likely to be at risk of sleep deprivation than daytime shift workers.  Interestingly enough, people who are single, divorced, or have recently separated from a partner are more likely to suffer from sleep deprivation compared to those in relationships or married couples.

As a Texas City car accident lawyer, I also find that young motorists and teenagers are also much more likely to be driving under the influence of fatigue.  Teenagers may not understand the effect that lack of sleep can have a person’s driving abilities.

Fatigue clouds your judgment, blurs your vision, and may cause you to make serious driving errors.  Drowsy driving is also very often linked to wrong way driving when a motorist ends up in the wrong lane of a highway.

To prevent such accidents, make sure you get enough sleep before you begin driving.  If you’re planning a long journey, take a friend along, and take frequent breaks.  Caffeine can also be a short-term fix to keep drowsiness away.

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Any Crosby car accident attorney knows that teenagers are at a much higher risk of using cell phones while driving.  A new study shows just how widespread these destructive practices are in this category of drivers.  According to the study, approximately 78% of all college students text while driving on the freeway.

Just 12% of the college students said that they did not text while driving.  60% of the students texted while driving in busy traffic conditions.  Only 25% regularly used hands-free devices.  That however might not be much cause for comfort, because the use of hands-free devices is not believed to be much safer than the use of hand-held phones.

As a Crosby car accident attorney and a parent, I believe that the reason why cell phone use is so widespread among college students is because this category of drivers tends to be overconfident.  A recent study by Bridgestone found that teenagers have a high opinion of their own driving skills, but those views are not shared by their parents.

The recent Texas Distracted Driving Summit set the ball rolling as far as reducing the incidence of distracted driving in Texas is concerned.  The state continues to remain one of the few in the country that still has no blanket ban on texting while driving or the use of hand-held cell phones while driving.  As the survey shows, that attitude must change.

Vuk Vujasinovic is a Crosby car accident lawyer, representing persons injured in car accidents in the Crosby region and across Texas.

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