Archive for August 2009
3 INJURED IN SUV ROLLOVER IN ELLIS COUNTY | Dallas, Texas Personal Injury Attorney Blog
3 INJURED IN SUV ROLLOVER IN ELLIS COUNTY
By Rachel E. Montes posted in Defective Products: Product Recalls on Monday, August 17, 2009
Ellis County Sheriff’s office has reported that three people were injured in a car crash off Interstate 45 early Sunday morning when a sport utility vehicle rolled over off the highway. The victims were airlifted to Parkland Hospital. Their condition was not immediately known.
While the details of this accident have not yet been released, rollover accidents are a common problem, especially when the vehicle involved is an SUV. When these rollover accidents occur, the risk of serious injury or death is extremely high, especially if the roof is crushed and the occupants sustain a head injury. However, there are ways that auto manufacturers can minimize the risk of roof crush when a car or SUV rolls over. The vehicles on the market today can and should be designed to withstand normal, foreseeable impacts such as those caused by auto rollover. Over the years, lawsuits have shown that some auto manufacturers are willing to gamble with the lives of their consumers. Some manufacturers have even performed studies to analyze the risk-benefit analysis and determined that a certain number of fatality accidents and the resulting settlements of those claims would be acceptable if certain safety measurers are not taken.
If you were seriously injured or if a loved one has suffered a serious injury such as a brain injury, paralysis or died when he or she was ejected from a vehicle or was injured a car roof caved in during an SUV rollover accident, contact Montes Law Group, P.C. to schedule a free initial consultation. Protect your legal rights.
Bicyclist's Body Found After Being Killed by Drunk Driver | Dallas, Texas Personal Injury Attorney Blog
The body of Ronnie Monroe Keller, 59, was found lodged in the back seat of a car, after being struck while on his bicycle in Grand Prairie. Police say that Mr. Keller was riding his bicycle along the 3400 block of East Main Street, Grand Prairie, Texas at approximately 9:00 P.M. when he was struck head-on. Police say Mr. Keller’s body hit the front windshield, bounced over the top of the car and then crashed through the back window and partially lodged through the back window and onto the backseat.
Police found Vincent Paul Riojas (27) hiding under a nearby parked car and arrested him for intoxication manslaughter, resisting arrest and failure to stop and to render aid. Mr. Riojas also had an outstanding felony warrant on unrelated charges. While police believe Riojas was intoxicated at the time of the crash, they are waiting on an official toxicology report to determine Riojas’ blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash. Mr. Riojas’ bond has been set at $150,000.00.
Police say that as Mr. Riojas headed east on Main Street, he drifted across the center lane and collided head-on with Mr. Keller’s bike. After the crash, Mr. Riojas hid his Cavalier near his Northeast 38th Street home, less than a mile from the scene of the accident, and then fled on foot. Although Riojas’ relatives called police after discovering the body, Mr. Keller was pronounced dead at the hospital.
This case continues to point to the need for tougher penalties against drunk drivers in order to discourage this conduct as the patterns are just too common. According to information from NHTSA and MADD, here are the sobering facts:
- Texas ranks #1 in the country for alcohol-related traffic fatalities (NHTSA, 2006 and 2007).
- Approximately 21% of all collisions that occur between the hours of 9 PM and midnight involved a driver with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed by a drunk driver, contact Rachel Montes at (214) 522-9401 for a free case evaluation if you have been injured in a wreck by a drunk driver. Our main office is located in Irving, Texas just a few miles from DFW Airport and Love Field. Visit our website at www.MontesLawGroup.com to learn more about our law firm and our attorney.
Little Tikes Recalls 1.6 Million Toys With Plastic Nails That Are a Choke Hazard | Dallas, Texas Personal Injury Attorney Blog
In a story released by the Los Angeles Times, it is reported that Little Tikes is recalling 1.6 million toy workshops and trucks after an 11 month-old child choked on a plastic nail included in in the Electronic Project Workshop. The voluntary recall covers five toy models sold by Little Tikes as far back as March 1994, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said. The problem involves the bright red and blue plastic nails that accompanied the Hudson, Ohio-based company’s:
- Electronic Project Workshop,
- The Little Handiworker Workhorse,
- The Home Improvements Two-sided Workshop,
- The Swirlin’ Sawdust Workshop and
- The Black Pickup Truck with Tools.
The toys were sold by major retailers including Toys R Us as well as online at www.littletikes.com and other websites. Consumers should immediately take the toy nails away from young children and contact Little Tikes for a free replacement.
Little Tikes has released a statement that the toys were intended for children ages 2 and older. The child who swallowed the toy part was an 11-month-old boy from Goose Creek, S.C. The plastic nail — about 3¼ inches long by 1¼ inch in diameter — “forcefully lodged” in the boy’s throat. He was hospitalized and has made a full recovery. Some of the products are no longer sold by the company. But the toys may have been handed down to new owners or sold at garage sales.
Contact Montes Law Group, P.C., if you believe your child has been harmed because of a dangerous product or toy.