As Dallas injury attorneys, we know the dangers of distracted driving. Texting, eating, applying cosmetics - even talking to passengers can take your attention away from the road, resulting in disaster. Recently, news stories covered a woman who had an accident two years ago and is now speaking out about the dangers of texting and driving - 30 surgeries later.

Jamie Nash, now 29 years old, doesn't remember the text she was sending about two years ago when she lost control of her car, struck a culvert and flipped several times, eventually landing against a tree. She was pinned inside her car, which then caught fire. Nash was trapped in the burning car for more than 20 minutes, and suffered serious injuries. A patrol car which responded to the fiery scene captured Nash's screams on dashcam, which were filled with horror.

Nash says that she had been warned about the dangers of texting and driving, but like so many other motorists did it anyway, even when her children were in the car. According to Nash, she was the "ultimate multi-tasking mom." Her crash was nearly fatal; today, Nash is thankful that she didn't injure or kill anyone else in the crash.

Suffering 3rd and 4th degree burns over 70% of her body, Nash was not expected to survive. Thankfully she did and after 30 surgeries, is spreading the word about the dangers. Her simple message is, "Get off the phone, it can wait." Nash equates the dangers of texting and driving to those of drinking 4 beers and getting behind the wheel.

Today, Nash speaks of the dangers at businesses and schools and proudly displays her scars, an indication to others of what can happen when attention is taken away from the road.

Dallas personal injury lawyers know all too well what can happen when motorists engage in behaviors that can take the driver's attention away from what it should be focused on - safe driving. Thankfully in this situation, no others were injured, or even killed. If Nash had struck another vehicle or caused serious/fatal injuries to innocent victims, her life would likely have been very different today.

If you have suffered injuries because of the negligence of someone else, consult with a skilled Dallas personal injury attorney right away. You may be eligible for compensation of costs related to your injuries, including lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more.

As discussed in my prior post, Texas participated in Roadcheck 2011, which is a national effort to remove dangerous commercial vehicles and dangerous commercial drivers from our highways.  It was reported that this year Texas inspected nearly 8000 commercial trucks and buses, with 26.5% of the inspected vehicles being removed from service due to safety issues such as bad tires and brakes.  This is a positive step in keeping dangerous 18 wheelers, buses, and other dangerous large commercial vehicles from causing unnecessary injuries and wrongful deaths on our highways.  What is most telling about these statistics, however, is that despite the extensive regulations requiring constant inspections and maintenance of commercial trucks, trucking companies continue to routinely ignore these laws choosing instead to put their profits ahead of the safety of Texas families.  There is really no excuse why any truck should ever be put into service unless it meets the minimum safety requirements dictated by state and federal laws.  Bad brakes on an 18 wheeler in crowded rush hour traffic in Dallas or other cites all too often results in unnecessary injuries and deaths that could have been avoided. 

If you or a loved one has been injured in trucking accident, let the Texas trucking accident attorneys at Wilson Trosclair & Lovins work to protect your rights.  Call us today at 214-484-1930.

Texas State Troopers recently participated in Roadcheck, which is a nationwide effort over three days to inspect as many commercial trucks and buses as possible.  The goal of Roadcheck is to “raise the bar for safer trucks, buses, and drivers” and thereby make our roadways safer.  This is done by inspecting every major component of the 18-wheelers and buses as well as testing brakes, tires and lights.  Recognizing that truck driver fatigue and inattention is one of the major causes of trucking accidents in Texas and throughout the country (in fact it is estimated that truck drivers play a role in 9 out of every 10 trucking accidents), drivers were required to produce their log books to make sure they were in compliance with driving time regulations. While the results of this year’s inspection are not known, last year over 65,000 commercial trucks or buses were inspected, and this year inspections are expected to exceed 75,000.  In Texas alone, nearly 7000 trucks and buses were inspected last year with nearly 25 % of those trucks being removed from the roads due to serious safety violations, and an additional 160 drivers were removed from the roadways due to faulty log books or invalid driver’s licenses.  Roadcheck is clearly an important step to keeping our highways free of dangerous trucks, thereby reducing the number of injuries and fatalities that result for trucking accidents.

Three people died when a car and truck collided in a head-on crash in Canton, Texas.  The driver of the car was going North on Highway 19 when it went into the southbound lane and collided with a pickup truck, according to Van Zandt County authorities.  The car driver and both people in the truck were dead at the scene.  To read more about the accident, click here.

If you or a loved one was injured in an automobile accident, contact the attorneys at WTL at 214-484-1930 for a free consultation, and let us put our skills to work for you.