With people staying home and driving less, you would hope that an unexpected benefit of the terrible pandemic is that car accidents decreased. They have — but not as much as you would have expected.
That’s because drunk and reckless drivers never take a break. They even seem to be out in even greater numbers, possibly now that the roads are emptier and they can drive faster.
Vehicle crashes are 100% preventable. If drivers followed basic traffic laws, they wouldn’t happen and people wouldn’t be rushed to ERs.
But just in the last few days, the media has reported on a number of fatal wrecks all over the DFW area.
1. Mesquite
Early Friday morning: a drunk driver took the lives of his two passengers. Abraham Gutierrez was speeding when he crashed into the vehicle in front of him, causing both to flip upside down. The other driver was seriously injured and was rushed to a hospital.
Gutierrez was arrested on two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one of intoxication assault. We hope he is sentenced to a long prison term, if for no other reason to send a message to other intoxicated drivers so they stay home and drink.
2. Dallas
Thursday evening: a hit-and-run killed a 61-year-old Dallas woman. De’Adrian King was speeding in the left lane of I-35 near Riverfront Boulevard, lost control, and crashed into the car driven by Angela Davis. Her car flew over the barrier and horrifically fell 30 feet. King ran away but eventually returned to the scene where he was arrested.
“Dee” Davis was the daughter of Priscilla Davis, who was shot by millionaire Cullen Davis. He went to trial three times for the murder of several people and the attempted murder of Priscilla in the most sensational murder trials in the history of Fort Worth.
3. Arlington
Monday morning: a Mansfield woman tragically died in an Arlington crash. Mary Pe, who was 82-years-old, was the passenger in a Toyota Camry. Her driver disregarded the red light and hit a Jeep at the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 at Sublett Road, according to an Arlington Police Department release.
Other recent deadly crashes here
We wrote about other wrecks. There have been far too many others in our North Texas area. These have to stop.
Latest hit-and-run in DFW heartbreaking
Fort Worth woman killed after truck crashes into hotel
Burleson drunk driving crash takes life of woman
We extend our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased.
Berenson Injury Law has represented the victims and families in far too many of these cases over the past 40 years.
Until they stop, all you can do is hope you are not involved in one.
If you unfortunately are, you should talk to a good personal injury lawyer who can explain how the complicated legal, insurance, and medical worlds and get the justice you deserve.
DWI-caused collisions
Every year Texas is on the top of the list for drunk driving deaths. In 2018, 3,639 people tragically lost their lives in these collisions in the Lone Star State.
North Texas is at the epicenter of the driving while intoxicated crisis. Dallas County has almost the highest number of DWI crashes in Texas, not far behind Harris County (Houston) with its much greater population. Almost 500 drunk driving crashes happened in Tarrant and Dallas Counties last year.
We have seen how these crashes are deadly or cause serious, permanent injuries and tremendous pain. That is because they are often high-speed and even head-on collisions where the drunk driver is often barreling down the road in an enormous pickup truck.
Hit-and-run crashes
These can be problematic. Usually the at-fault driver has liability insurance and we are able to force his or her insurance company to pay our clients for their damages. But when the driver hits-and-runs, it can obviously be difficult to find them.
We pursue them by talking to the police and eyewitnesses. We hunt for surveillance video and employ computer data bases and use other information to find them. We also file a claim on or sue uninsured motorist, health, and other insurance companies.
Road rage wrecks
A recent study show that 80% of drivers had exhibited extreme rage in the past year. This often escalates into violence. Road rage includes the following:
- Cutting off, blocking, and tailgating another driver;
- Yelling at, making obscene gestures and honking the horn;
- Hitting another vehicle; and
- Getting out of their vehicle to confront another driver.
Available damages
If you or someone you love are crashed into, you may be wondering who will pay your bills and how much money you can recover.
That is a complicated question that can’t be answered in a short blog, but generally you can get paid for the following damages:
- Medical bills and funeral expenses;
- Lost wages and benefits and damage to your earning capacity;
- Physical pain and emotional suffering;
- Scars;
- Disability;
- Impairment; and
- Punitive damages (on rare occasions)
Action we must take
We must figure out ways to end — or at least curtail — these five deadly behaviors that are just getting worse on our North Texas streets and highways:
- Speeding;
- Drunk and drugged driving;
- Road raging;
- Use of cell phones; and
- Red-light running
Every day for the past 20 years, at least one person has died on Texas roads.
And six Texas cities rank in the top 13 in the U.S. for the most traffic fatalities. The list is headed by Dallas.
Mr. Berenson has advocated for stronger laws and increased law enforcement for many years. He serves on the advisory board of directors for Mothers Against Drunk Driving in North Texas and highway safety committees to try to make our roads safer.
He has recovered damages for families and victims for over 40 years who were injured or died due to intoxicated, reckless, and negligent drivers. He only accepts collision cases.
Car wrecks may not seem quite as important now due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, but at least the virus can be avoided with social distancing and masks. These collisions can’t be avoided if you are driving down the road and a drunk or reckless motorist crashes into you.
Have you been injured in a car accident in North Texas? You should contact Berenson Injury Law today.
To learn the best way to proceed, please contact our Fort Worth personal injury lawyer by calling 817-885-8000 (toll-free at 1-885-801-8585 or by clicking on this link to schedule a free consultation. We will answer all of your questions and give you immediate solutions so that you can receive the compensation you deserve.
Related posts:
Representing family in fatal DWI crash
Texas road rage: Wild West on wheels?
Fatal car crashes by red light running at all time high