String of Texas Trucking Accidents a Reminder of the Danger

A Texas trucking accident leaves a log-truck driver facing charges of texting while driving and failure to maintain a lane after he crashed last week.  The truck traveled off the west side of the road.  The driver overcorrected and then traveled across the roadway and into the east side ditch where the tractor-trailer flipped, according to Tech Zone 360. 

The driver was pinned inside his truck for about two hours.   He was reported to have been suffering from serious injuries after firefighters extricated him from the cab of the tractor-trailer, said Houston County sheriff's Cpl. Sean Alexander.

Our Houston truck accident attorneys understand that accidents involving trucks can result in serious damage.  We understand that a trucking accident can occur for a number of reason, drivers can oftentimes drive while distracted or drowsy, over-sized loads can increase risks of an accident and poorly trained drivers can put motorists in great danger.

A separate incident involving an 18-wheel tractor-trailer earlier this month took the big rig off the roadway, off a steep embankment and more than 100 yards through a pasture. The truck landed upside down on a hillside, according to the Houston Herald.  During the off-road adventure the truck plowed through a steel pipe fence and demolished a number of cedar trees.

The driver is not sure what caused the accident, but doesn't rule out that his truck may have clipped a guardrail at a bridge.


Yet another trucking accident dragged a man along the road for several hundred yards.  An 18-wheeler was heading southbound on Interstate 35 when it struck a 66-year-old man who was crossing the street last week, according to KWTX.  Police reports state that the pedestrian was trying to cross the interstate at nearly 6 a.m. when the 18-wheeler struck him and continued to drag him for several hundred yards.  The driver supposedly swerved last minute but couldn't avoid hitting the man.  The pedestrian was killed instantly.  No one else was injured.

The area in which the accident occurred is lighted, but police continue to suspect that darkness and speed were both likely factors in the accident.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a trucking accident in Houston or the surrounding areas, contact the Bus Accident Attorneys of The Stephens Law Firm at (713) 224-0000. 

Recent Fatal Trucking Accidents Stir Action from NTSB

A tractor-trailer trailer pulling up to a pileup of more than a dozen cars and trucks failed to slow and sent the truck barreling into the stopped cars at roughly 70 mph, according to the Associated Press.  The tractor-trailer plowed over three cars, dragging them under its wheels, and smashed a few others before finally coming to a stop.  Ten people were killed by the tractor-trailer in the deadly trucking accident.  Investigators determined that the driver was operating on only five hours of sleep from the previous night.  He had been on the road for roughly 10 hours.

Our Houston trucking accident lawyers recognize the unfortunate fact that drivers are working long, hard hours on very little sleep.  We also understand that fatigued driving greatly increases the risks for a serious trucking accident that can take the lives of innocent motorists.  It is common for these truck drivers to be found guilty of negligent driving and causing these serious accidents.

After this, and many other serious trucking accidents, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a two-day forum to allow federal regulators, safety experts and the truck and bus industries to chime in about what is, or can be, done to help prevent fatal accidents.  Many attending the forum questioned why past safety recommendations have yet to be enacted as these accidents continue.

"There has been a lot of progress, truck fatalities have come down, but there is still much work that needs to be done," says NTSB member Robert Sumwalt.

 Accident fatalities involving these big trucks has decreased significantly from 5,200 fatalities in 2005 to roughly 3,200 deaths in 2009, reported the Transportation Department.  Other fatal accident numbers have decreased too, as many credit the downturn in the economy for the downturn in fatality statistics, according to the Newser.  Safety advocates worry these rates will begin to climb as the economy improves.

And, regardless, thousands are killed and tens of thousands are injured each year in trucking accidents in Houston County and elsewhere.

"We must remind ourselves that each data point in these statistics represents a family member that will never come home to loved ones," says Sumwalt.

Many thing current standards for driving hours permit too much time on the road.  New rules aim to cut driving hours down to 10 a day.  Some believe that this cut could lead to problems like speeding and other unsafe driving habits to make up for lost time and money, according to CBS 47.

The NTSB has also been pushing for more advanced technologies in these trucks.  They want electronic stability control to prevent rollover incidents, adaptive cruise control to automatically adjust to traffic speed, warning systems that would alert drivers if their truck is drifting out of their lane and warning systems alerting drivers to an impeding collision.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident with a tractor trailer in the Houston area, contact the Houston Truck Accident Lawyers at The Stephens Law Firm at (713) 224-0055 to discuss your rights.

US DOT Drops Surprise Inspections on Bus Companies to Reduce Risks of Bus Accidents in Texas and Elsewhere

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and its state and local law enforcement partners  just finished conducting nearly 3,000 surprise passenger carrier safety inspections.  This nine-day inspection period resulted in nearly 300 drivers and unsafe buses being pulled off our roadways, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the unannounced inspections were used as part of FMCSA's ongoing efforts to strengthen passenger carrier safety nationwide.  Others would argue that these inspections started after a string of fatal bus accidents, like the recent New York City bus accident that took the lives of 14 passengers.

Our Houston bus accident lawyers urge passengers to be extra cautious when choosing which passenger carrier company to travel with.  Recent offering of low-fare bus rates have come with one main safety concern; low-fare safety standards.

"Safety is our number one priority," said Secretary LaHood. "We will continue to use every resource at our disposal to shut down unsafe passenger bus companies that place motorists at risk and remove drivers from our roads who put passengers in harm's way."

In additions to these surprise inspections, FMCSA and other state safety investigators initiated nearly 100 safety compliance reviews on busing companies.

"Working side-by-side with our state and local law enforcement partners, we can ensure that every passenger bus company and driver operates as safely as possible," said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "These strike force activities are one of the many effective tools we use year-round to raise the safety bar for commercial buses and drivers on our nation's roadways."

The number of these reviews may have directly affected the number of passenger fatalities as 2004 say nearly 60 passenger deaths while 2009 saw less than 50.  The five-year period presented a 19 percent decrease in fatal accident victims.

In an further efforts to reduce risks of fatal bus accidents, the Obama Administration fought to make long-needed improvements to motorcoach safety.  The administration proposed these improvements though a new Motorcoach Safety Action Plan. The U.S. Department of Transportation proposed new rules that require all buses to have electronic on-board recorders and seat belts.  These electronic on-board recorders are meant to replace easily falsified paper records that logged driver hours.  These often falsified documents lead to overworked and fatigued drivers, which even further increased the risks of fatal bus accidents.

DOT also enlisted a rule that would curb distracted driving incidents by banning commercial drivers from texting behind the wheel.

We would like to remind you that each bus company holds a responsibility to keep their passengers safe.  A complete list of the inspection, repair and maintenance for motor carriers of passengers  and the guidelines and driver qualifications be found on the FMCSA website.

If you or a loved on has been injured in a bus accident in Houston or the surrounding areas, contact the Bus Accident Attorneys of The Stephens Law Firm at (713) 224-0000.