Each day 210 million drivers take the road in the United States, and each one of these drivers is putting their faith and trust in automobile manufacturers. As drivers we trust that not only are our vehicles safe, but also the vehicles of our fellow travelers are as well. We pack our family and belongings into our vehicles and hit the road and depend on the safety of these vehicle, but what if your car isn’t safe?

On May 30, 2010 Mohammed Aref was taking a trip with his friends and family in his 2003 Ford Expedition. When Mr. Aref got into his vehicle that morning the first thing that went through his head probably wasn’t worrying about the safety of the vehicle. This can be assumed because as consumers we demand a certain quality out of the products that we buy.

Unfortunately, during this trip Mr. Aref’s vehicle had a blowout and his left rear tire failed. Although many of us have had similar issues, what happened to him was not normal at all. The left rear tire catastrophically failed leading to a tire de-tread which caused the vehicle to yaw and roll over. Mr. Aref’s wife, Sandra Louise Smith, and friend, Rosemary Johnson, were ejected from the vehicle even though they were properly belted. Rosemary Johnson and Mr. Aref were badly injured while Sandra Louise Smith died at the scene.

Mr. Aref and Rosemary Johnson are currently filing a suit against Ford Motor Company accusing them of negligence for failing to design and manufacture a crashworthy vehicle with adequate rollover occupant protection systems. While no award that Mr. Aref receives can replace the void left by his wife’s death, what it does do is require Ford to take ownership for their faulty design, and understand that there is a steep penalty for destroying the trust that consumers put in them.

If you or a loved one has been injured or wrongfully killed in an auto accident in the DFW area due to the negligence of someone else contact Haire Law for a free evaluation to see how we can help.

If you’ve injured your spine before you probably know that all spinal cord injuries are not created equal.  Even so, if you’ve had one, you know that they can be quite debilitating no matter how minor the injury.  While spinal cord injuries can be caused by any number of incidents, most are caused by motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, falls or some other type of violence.  Since spinal cord injuries can vary in severity depending on any number of factors, knowing the types of spinal cord injuries out there is a great place to start when looking for a doctor or personal injury lawyer to help you.

Complete Spinal Cord Injury:

• Complete spinal cord injuries result in a total loss of sensation and movement below where the injury occurs and results in either complete paraplegia or complete quadriplegia and is permanent.
  • Complete paraplegia: A type of paralysis that causes permanent loss of motor and nerve function at or below the T1 vertebra which is below the neck.
  • Complete quadriplegia: A type of paralysis that causes permanent loss of hand and arm movement and some more serious quadriplegics need ventilator systems in order to breathe.

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury:

• Incomplete spinal cord injuries are characterized by some degree of sensation and movement loss below the point of injury and the true extent of the injury isn’t fully known until 6-8 weeks after the injury once spinal shock has subsided.
• Incomplete spinal injuries fall under five different classifications:
  • Central cord syndrome: Damage to the center of the spinal cord that results in a loss of function in the arms but some leg movement is possible. Some recovery is likely.
  • Anterior cord syndrome: Damage to the front of the spinal cord, resulting in a loss of motor function, temperature, and pain sensation below the injury. Some movement may later be recovered.
  • Posterior cord syndrome: Damage to the back of the spinal cord, resulting in poor coordination, but good muscle power, pain sensation, and temperature sensation remain intact. This condition is very rare.
  • Brown-Sequard syndrome: Damage to the lateral side of the spinal cord, resulting in loss of movement but preserved sensation on one side of the body, and preserved movement and loss of sensation on the other side of the body.
  • Cauda equina lesion: Injury to the nerves located between the L1 and L2 region of the spine, resulting in partial or complete loss of sensation. Nerves can regrow and function can be recovered sometimes.

NSCIA Statistics on Spinal Injuries:

• According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA), spinal cord injuries are caused in the United States by:
  • Motor vehicle accidents (44%)
  • Acts of violence (24%)
  • Falls (22%)
  • Sports (8%)
  • Other causes (2%)

While this isn’t article isn’t intended to help you make a diagnosis, it can be helpful for gaining information about what spinal cord injuries are out there.  If you or a loved one has suffered any one of these spinal cord injuries due to the negligence of someone else contact Haire Law for a free evaluation to see how we can help.

When it comes to cyclists and automobiles, sharing the road can sometimes be a daunting task. While cyclist fatalities aren’t that common, they do sometimes happen.  Such was the unfortunate case in Amarillo, Texas this past week when David and Anna Isom were both struck from behind by a motorist while on a late afternoon ride. Sadly, David was pronounced dead at the scene and Anna was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Both cyclists were wearing helmets and were practicing proper bicycle safety but that just wasn’t enough.  While sites such as bicyclesafe.com are excellent resources that offer plenty of helpful tips for cyclists regarding safety, they unfortunately can’t always prevent every accident from taking place due to driver’s negligence.

Currently, Anna Isom remains in critical condition and our thoughts and prayers are with the Isom family during these very difficult times.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a personal injury or wrongful death accident in the DFW area because the negligence of another contact the Haire Law Firm for a Free Case Evaluation to discuss your case.

Christmas is supposed to be a time for counting blessings, spending time with family, and giving to others, not a time for mourning.  But because of tragedy, the latter is what happened at Texas A&M, Jacksonville and all over Texas this year.

Last Thursday afternoon the Texas A&M football team lost one of its own in a tragic accident.  22 year old Joe Villavisencio was on his way home to visit his family for the holidays, when he swerved to avoid hitting a buzzard and had a head-on collision with an 18-wheeller just south of Normangee.  Villavisencio was driving north on F.M. 39, traveling towards his hometown of Jacksonville, Texas, when the accident occurred.  Officials pronounced him dead at the scene at 5pm.

While Villavisencio saw only limited action as a backup offensive lineman during his career with the Aggies, he touched many lives that were involved in the program and in the community.  On the day of his death, Villavisencio spent the earlier part of the day presenting gifts to underprivileged youngsters and families that were purchased by the Aggie football team.  Former coach Mike Sherman says everyone will remember him as a person “who would do anything for anybody.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Villavisencio family, and anyone who loses a loved during the holidays.

Have you ever hurt yourself by slipping and falling on someone else’s property?  If so, was it because of a temporary hazard on that property?  If not, was it because of carelessness, inattention, or poor conditions?  These are the questions you must ask yourself to help determine if you can take legal action because of a slip and fall, but none of these answers means anything if you don’t know what a slip and fall accident is.

A slip and fall accident as defined by Wikipedia is, “a claim or case based on a person slipping (or tripping) and falling.”  A slip and fall is an offense that is centered on a claim that the property owner was negligent in allowing some dangerous condition to exist that caused the slip or trip.  For your own knowledge, defined below are the different types of slip and fall accident that can occur at any time.

• Trip-and-fall accidents are accidents that occur because a foreign object in a walking path causes a person to trip and injure themself.
• Stump-and-fall accidents are accidents that occur because an object is dangerously jutting out of a walking surface, such as uneven concrete sidewalk, which causes a person to trip and injure themself.
• Step-and-fall accidents are accidents that occur because someone steps on a hidden hole or indentation, such as an open manhole, a broken stair, or a hole in a walkway covered by leaves, which causes a person to fall and injure themself.
• Slip-and-fall accidents are accidents that occur because a walkway or floor that is expected to be safe is left covered with slippery materials such as water, ice, snow or grease, which causes a person to slip and injure themself.

Now that you know what the definition of a slip and fall accident is, contacting a slip and fall attorney to determine if there is grounds for a case should be your next step.  If you or a loved one has been hurt because of a slip and fall on someone else’s property in the DFW area contact the Haire Law Firm for a Free Case Evaluation to discuss your case.

When trying to recover compensation for an injury that happened on someone else’s property, did you know that all states are not created equal? I’m not just saying this because I live in the best state of all, Texas; I say this because the hurdle that any plaintiff must face is dependent on the nature and extent of the property owner’s duty. This duty will vary depending on the facts and jurisdiction of the situation.  Listed below are two different methods that states use to determine if damages will be awarded to a plaintiff when the injury is sustained on someone else’s property.

Some states focus solely on whether an injured visitor on your property is an invitee, licensee, or trespasser.

• An invitee is someone who has been invited onto your property, such as a customer in a store. In this situation the owner of property is required to exercise reasonable care for the safety of the invitee.
• A licensee is someone who enters upon the land for his or her own purpose, and is present at the consent, but not the invitation, of the owner, much like a door-to-door salesman. The owner’s duty to a licensee is only to warn of hidden dangers.
• A trespasser is an individual who enters onto a property without the knowledge or consent of the owner.  The owner’s only duty is to not place traps and hazards on their property, and warn trespassers of any hazards that can cause serious injury or death like a dog.

Other states focus upon the condition of the property and the activities of both the visitor and owner, instead of considering only the status of the visitor.

• In these states there is a uniform standard that requires the property owner to exercise reasonable care to both invitees and Licensees when on a property.
• Trespassers are factored into these states are when you are dealing with foreseeable harm to a child.  A classic example of this is a property owner’s duty to fence, gate and lock a pool in a manner that keeps children out.  If the property owner fails to do so and a child is hurt, they are liable for damages.
• In these states it is the burden of the plaintiff to prove that reasonable care was not meet by the property owner.  To do this there must be an examination of the circumstance when entering the property, the use of the property, the foreseeability of the plaintiff’s injury, and the reasonableness of the care taken to place a warning or fix the condition.

While this article defines the different methods used by states to determine damages in accident’s which occur on another’s property, it has probably left more questions than answers.  If you don’t know the way your state determines damages you should contact an attorney to find out.  If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident in Texas that occurred on someone else’s property and need some guidance, contact Haire Law Firm for a free consultation to see how we can help.

First, an assault can be defined as a threat to use unlawful force to cause bodily injury to another. The threat, which the plaintiff must believe is imminent, must cause reasonable worry in the plaintiff. Therefore, when the defendant has threatened to use force, fear is then created in the plaintiff, and an assault has then occurred. The focus, for the purpose of determining whether a particular threat is an assault, must be upon how reasonable the plaintiff’s reaction is. So if the defendant’s threat looks like it’s about to be carried out, and the defendant appears capable and intent on carrying it out, the plaintiff will likely be able to successfully prove an assault occurred. But if the defendant threatens to use force against the plaintiff, but clearly states that force is not about to happen, but will instead happen in the future, the plaintiff cannot effectively claim assault. For example, a plaintiff may have difficulty proving an assault in cases where a former spouse threatens him or her over the phone, but is not present or capable of immediately carrying out the threat.

Next, battery can be defined as deliberate and unpermitted contact with another person. A battery, for practical purposes, is the end result of an assault. The plaintiff in a battery claim does not need to prove any actual injury, as long as the plaintiff proves unlawful and unwanted contact with themself or their property. For example, plaintiffs can successfully prove a battery if the defendant grabs onto the plaintiff’s coat. In addition, the contact doesn’t have to be with an object in the possession of the plaintiff or the plaintiff’s body. Any unpermitted contact with property of the plaintiff, located within the plaintiff’s proximity, may also constitute a battery.

Since many people don’t know the difference between assault and battery, but you do, take the next step and visit http://hrj-law.com/ for a free consultation and ask how we can help you with your case.  Haire law firm is a law firm in Denton, TX, primarily focuses on personal injury law, including car accident injuries, nursing home neglect, oil and gas rig accidents, aviation accidents, accidents caused by construction, etc.

Many truck accidents that occur on our highways happen due to the driver’s negligence and improper cargo loading and maintenance.  While it’s impossible to avoid all accidents, many can be avoided because there are federal and state regulations governing trucks.  Did you know that there are guidelines regarding lighting, signals, wiring, breaks, windows, fuel system, tires, emergency equipment and cargo security gear?  If something goes wrong with any of these, you could get hurt or even killed at no fault of your own.  It is important to be educated and know what evidence to look for will help your car accident lawyer determines if the failure to maintain a truck falls solely on the trucking company, trucker, mechanic, or all three in regards to your accident.   The list below is common evidence, an experienced truck accident lawyer will look for to establish fault.

1. Vehicle Inspection records
2. Repair and maintenance records
3. Pre-trip inspections of all equipment on truck
4. Properly loaded and secured cargo
5. Daily vehicle condition report
6. Records from the vehicle’s on-board computer

An experienced accident attorney will use this evidence to determine whose responsibility, the failure to properly maintain the truck falls on.  If you or a loved one has been hurt, or killed, due to the negligence of a trucking company, trucker or mechanics failure to maintain a truck, visit www.hrj-law.com to set up a free consultation to discuss your case.

Let’s face it; driving is a big responsibility.  Most people do not understand the fact that driving is considered a privilege by the states that issue our licenses.  The police and the driving laws they enforce can only protect us so much.  While driving a vehicle is hard enough to do with law abiding motorists, it is even harder to do with those who take this responsibility lightly.  In 2008 over 10.2 million car accidents were reported, of those. 33% resulted in a fatality.  While this number is relatively low, the numbers of fatalities from big rig accidents are much higher.  That same year, of the 123,918 accidents reported, a staggering 3.9% resulted in death.  With an estimated 15.5 million trucks licensed to drive in the U.S., our highways only seem to get more and more dangerous when traveling.  Because most vehicles are at a disadvantage if they get into an accident with a big rig, listed below are questions you should ask to know if you need a lawyer because of wrongful death.

Did the driver fall asleep?

• Sleep deprivation
• Log book violations for driving to many hours
• None stop driving with no breaks

Was the driver driving under the influence?

• Alcohol
• Drugs
• Prescriptions

Was the driver careless?

• disobeying traffic laws
• equipment violations
• Unsafe lanes changes

Was the Driver Distracted?

• Texting while driving
• Using a cellphone
• eating

Was there poor truck maintenance?

• No regular maintenance
• Bad breaks
• Bad tires

Was there improperly loaded cargo?

• Improperly packed load
• Unsecured cargo
• cargo overloaded

Unfortunately, 18 wheeler accidents often end in serious injuries and fatality.  If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed due to the negligence of a truck driver or answered yes to any of the questions above, visit www.hrj-law.com to set up a free consultation to discuss your case.