Among the most tragic cases a Dallas personal injury lawyer sees are those in which a young, healthy individual loses her life needlessly. When a child is left behind, the tragedy is all the more poignant.

A 20-year-old mother on the way to visit her sister was killed in an accident in Nacogdoches, Texas this past Sunday. She was driving her Ford Explorer northbound on University Avenue with an unidentified number of passengers, just blocks away from Stephen F. Austin State University, where her younger sister was a student. As she entered an intersection, a second vehicle, a Volkswagen Beetle, was attempting to turn and slammed into the Explorer.

The Explorer rolled twice, then slid before it came to a stop. The woman was thrown from the vehicle. She suffered a ruptured spleen and severe head injuries, and died shortly after at the scene.

The driver of the Volkswagen, a 16-year-old, was also injured and was taken to a nearby hospital, as was one of the passengers in the woman’s vehicle. There is some disagreement about whether the deceased was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.

If you have been injured in an accident due to the negligence or fault of another, you may wish to file a claim. Often it is useful to have a lawyer in your corner to help reach a settlement with insurers. Call Dallas personal injury lawyer Dean Malone for a review of your case at (214) 670-9989.

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Be prepared for many hours of questioning at your personal injury deposition. Among subjects that will be covered are those that relate to the scene of the accident. The following are issues about which defense lawyers may question you.

You will be asked whether you and/or others you know of visited the scene, when, and for what reason. Your Dallas personal injury lawyer, for instance, will have visited the scene, taken measurements and photographs, and generally tried to visualize precisely the events of the accident as they occurred.

Other people may also have visited the scene, such as a private investigator. If you are aware that an investigator was brought in to inspect the scene, you will be asked to share the date this occurred, and whether any significant details of the accident were brought to light as a result.

If maps or charts of the scene were made, you will be asked who prepared them. If other documentation of the scene was made, you will be asked to share who was involved in producing it, and what information was gleaned about your personal injury accident.

Finally, you will be asked how you think the scene, itself, may have contributed to your accident. If, for instance, you fell on a set of stairs at a restaurant, you will need to share whether an obstruction or, say, a loose board contributed to your fall.

Your Dallas personal injury lawyer will give you a more comprehensive list of things to remember as you prepare for your deposition. For a lawyer in the Dallas area, call Dean Malone at (214) 670-9989.

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There are over 3,000 traffic-related deaths in Texas each year (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). The number has been somewhat lower the past couple of years, but Wednesday brought one more unfortunate addition to the totals for 2011.

An 18-year-old Fort Worth resident was killed on Wednesday while driving his truck in evening traffic on Pecan Street. As he approached the intersection of East 2^nd Street a woman driving a Dodge pickup truck ran a stop sign, thereby colliding with the victim’s vehicle. The force of the impact caused the young male victim to be thrown from his truck. He was shortly thereafter pronounced dead at the scene from blunt trauma to his chest.

It appears that the cause of the accident was intoxication. The 28-year-old woman who allegedly hit the young man was arrested the following day and charged with intoxication manslaughter. She was also charged with possession of marijuana.

While news reports have indicated nothing about the family of the victim, this surely must be a terrible loss. Personal injury and death cases can leave families with emotional scars, as well as strap them with financial difficulties. This is why a Dallas personal injury lawyer can be very helpful in such circumstances. Even though the alleged perpetrator has been arrested, there are still civil remedies the family can pursue.

If you or a loved one is the victim of a personal injury due to the negligence of another, you need a good lawyer in your corner. In the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas area, call Dean Malone at (214) 670-9989.

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The “elements” of a lawsuit are those facts that your Dallas car accident attorney must prove in order for you to win your case. If you have been injured in a car accident, you may be eligible to receive financial compensation if the person who caused the accident was negligent. In order to prove negligence, your attorney will need to show four factors: duty, breach, causation, and damage.

Duty

Whenever a person drives a vehicle, he has a “duty of care.” This means that a driver must take reasonable care not to harm others.

Breach

When a driver fails to act with reasonable care, he has breached this duty. The general rule is that a driver must behave as a reasonably prudent person would do under similar circumstances.

Causation

The defendant’s breach of duty must have caused your injury. If your injury would have occurred whether or not the defendant failed to act with reasonable care, he will not be considered negligent, and you will not be able to receive compensation.

Damages

Finally, you must show that your Dallas car accident somehow caused you damage. Damages can take many forms, but the most common ones include medical expenses, loss of income, and pain and suffering.

The defendant in your lawsuit will typically argue that one or more of these factors was not met, arguing, for example, that you caused the accident, that you weren’t injured in the accident, or that your injury wasn’t caused by this accident, but by some previous incident.

An experienced Dallas car accident attorney will examine the facts of your specific case and the evidence available and will determine the best way to establish that all four of these elements have been met. Call Dean Malone at (214) 670-9989 to learn how he can help in your case.

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There are many ways that you could cover or pay for medical bills incurred due to a car accident. When you meet with your Dallas car accident attorney, be sure to mention what insurance coverage you may have available.

The following types of insurance policy might cover you if you are qualified:

• Health insurance coverage through an employer.
• Health policy that you purchased for yourself.
• Health insurance coverage through a spouse if you are married or through a parent if you are a student or under the age of 27 and living with your parents.
• Workers’ compensation insurance if your car accident happened while you were working and if the driving was part of your work.
• Your own automobile insurance policy if you have medical payments insurance coverage.
• The driver’s automobile insurance policy if you were a passenger in a vehicle that experienced an accident.

If you are uninsured and financially able to do so, you can pay your own medical bills as they are incurred.

All of the above payment methods would cover you as you are billed for medical services. If the person or company who caused your injuries is covered by liability insurance, your bills could be paid by them, but only after a settlement has been reached. Many doctors and hospitals are willing to wait for payment until resolution of your Dallas car accident case, but let them know in advance.

Car accidents can be incredibly stressful, especially if you have an injury. You must deal with insurance companies, answer phone calls, and figure out what you should do. If you have been injured, contact the law offices of Dallas car accident attorney Dean Malone to ensure that you receive fair treatment in your case. Call (214) 670-9989 for more information.

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If you get injured in an automobile accident, the insurance company for the person, persons, or company that caused the accident will be notified of your claim. This article will explain what the insurance company will do about your claim.

First, a file on you and your case is established. A claims manager or supervisor for the insurance company will assign an insurance claims adjuster to your file. The insurance claims adjuster will constantly be in contact with your Dallas car wreck lawyer. Aside from communicating with your lawyer, the adjuster will also launch an independent investigation of your claim in order to find out:

1. Who was at fault for the automobile accident;
2. Whether you are completely or partially at fault for your injuries (this is called comparative or contributory negligence);
3. Whether there are any witnesses to the accident;
4. Where and when the accident occurred; and
5. What the police reports, Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reports, and other investigative reports have to say about your case.

After making these initial inquiries, the insurance claims adjuster will ask for:

1. Medical and other reports detailing your injuries;
2. Documentation of time lost from work because of your injuries; and
3. Records of your medical bills, prescription bills, hospital bills, therapy bills, and all other actual expenses that arose from your injuries.

Because the insurance adjuster will scrutinize this information very carefully in order to assess your claim arising out of an automobile accident, it is very important for you and your Dallas car wreck lawyer to develop and maintain such records of expenses arising out of your injury. With years of experience successfully handling personal injury claims, Dallas car wreck lawyer Dean Malone can help. Click the “Contact Us” button at the top of this page.

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Before deciding to file a personal injury lawsuit, you will first want to meet with your Dallas car wreck attorney and discuss your case’s strengths and weaknesses. It is important in these early communications with your attorney that you truthfully divulge all the facts of your case, even those that could hurt your chances of a favorable outcome. If your attorney knows about negative facts ahead of time, he may be able to help you address the problems before filing suit or lessen their effects at trial.

One of the most common weaknesses attorneys see in Dallas car wreck cases is a pre-existing injury to the same part of the body that was injured in the car wreck. If you had a prior injury from which you had not completely recovered at the time of the accident, you may need to prove that the new injury was caused by the accident or that the new injury aggravated the old injury. Insurers will usually argue in such cases that your current injury is just a flare-up of the old injury that has nothing to do with the car wreck.

For example, imagine you were in an auto accident and injured your back, requiring doctor visits and physical therapy. Then, a couple years later, you have the misfortune of getting in another car wreck, this time sustaining a more serious back injury. A doctor diagnoses a herniated disc and you incur significant medical expenses as a result of the new injury.

The insurance company in this case is likely to make a low settlement offer on the assumption that the herniated disc is partly or wholly a result of the first accident. In cases like these, settlement may not be viable and you will need an attorney who is willing to take the case to trial.

If you have sustained an injury in an auto accident, Dallas car wreck attorney Dean Malone may be able to help you obtain compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Please call (214) 670-9989 for a free case evaluation.

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I have been riding motorcycles since I was young, and I am particularly sensitive to safety issues faced by those riding motorcycles.  Whenever I hear of a driver acting recklessly and thereby harming motorcycle riders, I cringe.

Recently, a group of eight motorcycle riders (including an off-duty fire department captain) were stopped at a red light.  They were stopped behind a pickup and a small SUV, when a dump truck plowed into the back of them.  Three riders were killed and six others were injured.  Here is a link to an article about the crash -

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9ELVLU80&show_article=1

Let’s be safe out there.  There is absolutely no excuse for such a horrible crash.

Many people are injured and killed in car and truck accidents every year.  Perhaps the most common occurrence of vehicle collisions is driver negligence (not acting as a reasonably prudent driver).  Other crashes are caused because people choose to drive drunk.  Still other collisions occur as a result of poor vehicle maintenance.

Vehicle defects can also lead to collisions themselves, as well as contribute to or cause injuries resulting from a collision.  We have all heard news reports about certain vehicles that can explode as a result of defectively-designed gas tanks, or about defective tires leading to roll-overs.  There have also been crashes in which a seat belt, if it had been working as it should, would have prevented injury or death.  There are numerous vehicle systems and components which, if defective, could result in otherwise avoidable injury and/or death.  Some are:

• Seat belts
• Air bags
• Tires
• Brakes
• Roofs
• General crashworthiness

It is impossible for consumers to protect themselves from all types of vehicle defects.  However, before buying a vehicle, check Consumer Reports.  Also, be sure to search the Internet for the vehicle you are considering.  There might be telling information available about past defects or current recalls.

I went to a store in a small shopping center in Dallas this morning.  I parked my car and began to walk toward the store.  As I got to within about seventy-five feet of the store, I noticed an older woman driving in my direction.  I made sure that she could make visual contact with me, and I began to walk across the lane of traffic parallel to the front of the store.  It was then that I realized that she apparently was not going to slow down and yield.  I hurried toward the store.  She must have finally seen me, because she abruptly slowed.

In the store, while I was talking to someone at the counter, the woman entered and asked one of the employees a question.  The woman left, and I finished my business in the store.

When I left the store, I noticed a couple of ambulances at the nearest parking lot exit.  There was apparently a car wreck.  I exited the parking lot at another exit and noticed, much to my dismay, that one of the cars involved in the crash was that of the older woman.  It appeared, based on the configuration of the vehicles and damage to her vehicle, that she might have pulled in front of another vehicle at the intersection.

I love to drive, and I do not look forward to the day when my vision or other physical issues will keep me from driving.  Driving is a form of freedom that we as Americans usually get to experience as early as our teen years.  I, like many others, began driving at the age of 16.  Driving allows me to have individual freedom and the ability to travel when needed – or when I simply want to go for a ride.  However, the day comes for many of us when driving should stop.  Due to physical issues, we become a source of danger to ourselves and others.  Hopefully, most of us will know when that day comes and be mature enough to admit that our driving days are over.  However, for some of us, it might take a friend or family member to nudge us toward the truth.  Let’s be responsible with the public trust given us through issuance of a driver’s license, and let’s help those closest to us to do the same.