Austin Personal Injury and Car Accident Law Blog

These days, most people carry a cellphone at all times. While many people understand the responsibility that comes with such a device, some still do not and sometimes use their phone in an unsafe manner, such as when they are driving. Recently, a Texas woman lost three of her children, as well as a family friend, in a fatal accident that may have been caused by cellphone distraction.

The crash happened on a recent Friday morning when the mother, siblings and a family friend were traveling to San Antonio to watch an older sibling in a dance competition. The mother, who was driving, stopped to make a turn, and another vehicle slammed into her from behind. According to preliminary reports and surveillance video, the driver of the second vehicle applied the brakes less than one second prior to impact. The Texas Department of Public Safety has said this fact may indicate cellphone distraction on the part of the driver.

Texas drivers of any type of vehicle may occasionally veer over the center line of a roadway, and this can happen for various reasons: driver fatigue or distraction, faulty vehicle mechanics or inappropriate use of drugs or alcohol. While investigation continues into a recent fatal accident in Tyler, police have released an accident report confirming that a pickup truck crossed the center line on a local roadway and crashed head-on into a charter bus. Reportedly, investigators are working with bus company officials to retrieve video footage taken from the front of the bus as they attempt to determine why this accident happened.

The accident occurred very early one morning recently. Reportedly, after the truck crossed the center line, it struck the bus, and both vehicles ended up on opposite sides of the road. The two young, male occupants of the pickup truck were pronounced dead at the scene. One man was partially ejected from the truck, and neither occupant was wearing a seat belt.

Many Texas residents enjoy hopping on a bicycle from time to time, and some people use these nonmotorized vehicles as their main form of transportation. However, in some urban areas, it seems bicyclists have had to contend with more potential dangers than ever before when sharing the roadways with larger, motorized vehicles, such as cars and trucks. Some drivers have difficulty navigating around cyclists, and unfortunately, a bicycle accident can occur at these times. On Houston roadways alone, according to statistics, 235 cyclists were killed in accidents with local drivers in the last 16 years.

In one such recent accident, a young man was killed when he was run over by the rear wheels of a school bus. The cyclist was traveling in a bike lane and apparently had the right of way. The school bus stopped at a stop sign, then continued into the intersection. Unfortunately, she went in front of the cyclist and ran over him, knocking his bicycle to one side. Sadly, the cyclist, thought to be in his early 20s, was killed almost instantly.

Most drivers have heard and fully understand the continual warnings in the media about the importance of refraining from drugs or alcohol before operating a motor vehicle of any kind. These people take this safety measure very seriously and will drive responsibly. Unfortunately, however, not all drivers do so, such as a Texas man who was recently involved in a car accident and now faces very serious charges.

The accident happened on a Sunday evening when a 20-year-old man in a pickup truck traveling north collided with a westbound car at an intersection in Lubbock. Both the driver and a passenger of the car were transported to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. The young man driving the pickup truck suffered minor injuries.