Accident & Injury Law in Texas

Posts Tagged ‘accident’

Safety experts have a new pet peeve related to distracted driving.

In addition to texting or talking on a cell phone while driving, lap dogs and other pets left unrestrained inside moving vehicles pose a major distraction that could be deadly, a study released Wednesday warns.

About two-thirds of dog owners surveyed by the AAA organization said they routinely drive while petting or playing with their dogs, sometimes even giving them food or water while maneuvering through traffic.

It’s frisky behavior for the driver and dangerous for the pets too.

An 80-pound dog unrestrained during a crash at 30 mph exerts 2,400 pounds of force in a vehicle, creating a danger for the dog and anyone in its path, according to Motivation Design LLC, a company that manufactures pet travel products, including restraint systems for pets.

Fifty-five percent of 1,000 dog-owning drivers polled by AAA said they have pet their dog while driving, and 21 percent said they held the dog in their lap. Seven percent said they have given food and water to their dog while driving, and 5 percent said they have played with their dog while behind the steering wheel.

While 80 percent of poll respondents said they take their dogs on a variety of car trips, only 17 percent said they use a pet-restraint system to limit distractions and protect their pet.

“As about 40 percent of Americans own dogs, we see this as an increasingly big problem,” said Beth Mosher, spokeswoman for AAA of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

A crash Sunday night near South Congress Avenue and Alpine Road left a motorcyclist dead.  He was recently identified as 53-year-old Donald Ingram Jr.

A 2005 Chevrolet pickup was pulling out of a private drive in the 3600 block of South Congress Avenue when it collided about 10 p.m. with the motorcycle being driven by Mr. Ingram who was going south on his Harley Davidson.

The Harley-Davidson motorcycle was traveling south and hit the driver’s side of the Chevrolet.

Mr. Ingram, who was not wearing a helmet, was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge where he died. The truck’s driver was not injured.  Police said it is unclear whether alcohol or speed was involved in the accident.

This is Austin’s 26th traffic fatality of the year, according to authorities.

A man riding a bicycle was struck and killed by a dump truck Monday Morning near Interstate 35 and Ben White Boulevard.

The truck had been at a stoplight on the northbound frontage road of Interstate 35, according to police. The accident happened at 9:41 a.m. as the driver turned east onto the Ben White Boulevard frontage road. The cyclist was traveling east on the Ben White frontage road, and the truck driver did not see him, officials said.

Police did not name the driver or the cyclist, who they described as a man in his 40s.

Officials said that no charges are expected but that the case is still under investigation. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call vehicular homicide detectives at 974-4724. This is the 25th traffic fatality in Austin this year, officials said. At this time in 2009, there were 38.

One person was killed and another seriously injured Monday in a one-car wreck on the Interstate 35 northbound frontage road at Riverside Drive.

A Chevrolet Camaro carrying two men was traveling west on Riverside when it left the road for unknown reasons and struck a signal light pole at 2:17 a.m., police said.

The 37-year-old passenger, Ramon Gutierrez Frias, was pronounced dead at University Medical Center Brackenridge, while the driver was taken into surgery after suffering serious injuries, police said.

Speed appears to be a factor, officials said. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call vehicular homicide detectives at 974-8164.

A man was killed ina three-vehicle wreck Monday afternoon on RM 2222.

He was driving a Honda S200 convertible, according to police, heading west on RM 2222 about 5:30 p.m. when he crossed the road for unknown reasons and hit tow cars going east.  The man was pronounced dead at the scene and the other two drivers, who were sole occupants of their vehicles, were taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge with injuries that were not life-threatening.

A 19-year-old Marble Falls man who was hospitalized Thursday after a wreck involving a school bus in Burnet County died Friday, a hospital official said.

Mark Fluty was severely injured Thursday when the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier he was riding in left the eastbound lanes of FM 1431 and crossed into oncoming traffic, colliding with a Marble Falls school district bus.

Fluty and the driver of the car, Mark Cooksey, who is in his 20s, were flown to University Medical Center Brackenridge. Cooksey was released that evening.
The school bus driver and the seven students on the bus, which was traveling from Marble Falls Elementary School, were not injured, said Ryder Warren, school district superintendant.

The collision occurred on FM 1431 near the entrance of Honeymoon Ranch Road at 3:55 p.m. Thursday. The accident remains under investigation by Granite Shoals police.

Two women were killed Saturday morning when a car careened out of control and struck them as they waited at a bus stop on South First Street just north of Stassney Lane.  The accident occurred about 7:80 a.m. at a Capital Metro bus stop near Emerald Wood Drive.

One woman died at the scene, Carpenter said, and the other was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge, where she died.

Carpenter said the car, a silver Toyota Celica, was traveling north on South First Street when the driver lost control and skidded into the bus stop, which is on the east side of the street. It appears that the driver may have been racing.

The driver of the Celica was also taken to Brackenridge with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Related Blogs

• Wednesday 10th February 2010
• Challenges…….

A 6-year-old girl who had been in critical condition at Dell Children’s Medical Center after a wreck in Bastrop County last weekend died Friday morning.

Angie Gonzalez of Houston was riding in a van with four other children and two adults last Sunday afternoon when the driver failed to yield to a pickup while turning onto Texas 21 from U.S. 290.

Three other children – Leah Gonzalez, 5, Noel Gonzalez, 8, and Paul Gonzalez, 9 – died at the scene.  Two adults were taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge and released shortly after.  Apolinar Saldana, 1, and Angie Gonzalez were taken to Dell Children’s as well. Saldana was released on Friday.

Apparently, only one person was wearing a seat belt and the 1-year-old was in a car seat.  I don’t know why the other children weren’t in boosters or seat belts.

A 64-year-old woman was killed Thursday night when she was hit by a vehicle while crossing a street in Northeast Austin.

The woman was crossing Cameron Road mid-block near St. Johns Avenue on Friday at 7:36 p.m. when she was struck by a 1999 GM pickup in the southbound right lane.  She was pronounced dead en route to the hospital.

Neither alcohol nor speed seemed to be factors in the incident and the pickup driver remained at the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call vehicular homicide unit detectives at (512) 974-4724.

A mother and an infant were injured Friday morning when their car and an Austin school district bus carrying 26 students collided along Slaughter Lane, authorities said.

No, students were hospitalized, said Warren Has-singer, spokesman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.

Police said the bus had a green light and was attempting to turn onto Texas Oaks Drive from Slaughter Lane but failed to yield to oncoming traffic. A KIA sedan slid into and under the bus, officials said.

Firefighters rescued the car’s driver, who was briefly pinned in.

She was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge and was conscious, police said. The infant was taken to Dell Children’s Medical Center for observation.

No citations were issued, police said.

Officials said the driver has worked for the district since 2007. She has been placed on paid administrative leave until an investigation is complete, officials said.

She has not been involved in any other collisions during her time with the school district, officials said.