DWI LAWYER PERSONAL INJURY

At the Law Office of Jeremy S. Dishongh we are compassionate to your needs. We handle each case as if it was one of our families. We have a professional team of people that is hands on and very determined to get you what you deserve. 

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE DO:

How a Personal Injury Lawyer can help you...

A personal injury lawyer can help...

Assess your legal situation. An experienced personal injury attorney will help you understand the legal issues involved in your specific personal injury claim. Is the injury serious? Is it a permanent or temporary injury? Who was at fault? Was there an uninsured or underinsured motorist involved? Is there any third party responsibility? Do you have pain and suffering? Should you try to negotiate with the insurer yourself? Do you have to accept his settlement offer? Do you know what your case is worth (the insurance company does and won't tell you)? A good lawyer will tell you whether it makes sense to sue in small claims court, to sue for a larger amount in state court or to settle out of court.

Obtain additional evidence, information and reports. A good personal injury attorney will know what kinds of evidence to look for (i.e., medical and vocational evidence, police reports, etc.) and will investigate and interview potential witnesses for statements.

Provide legal coaching. If representing yourself works better for you, consider using an attorney as a legal coach to help you (1) understand the personal injury law that applies to your case; (2) find the evidence that best supports your case; (3) understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of your claim; (4) understand the litigation process and customs unique to your local courts; (5) draft or review paperwork; (6) identify opportunities for a settlement to your personal injury claim; or (7) represent you if at some point you feel you can no longer go it alone.

Negotiate. If there is an unresolved dispute, there will be negotiations with a claim adjuster who is a professional negotiator. You’d be wise to hire an attorney to negotiate on your behalf and to protect your interests.

Make a phone call or draft a lawyer’s letter. Your attorney can handle all communications with the other party, including phone calls. This reduces your exposure to the risks and unpleasantness of dealing with the other party on your own. Similarly, good lawyers often extend each other professional courtesies and may be able to obtain with a phone call what would otherwise take a battle. A letter from your lawyer helps to establish your claim and puts the other party on notice that you are taking the matter seriously and are represented by a professional.

Represent you in court. An experienced lawyer can help you file a personal injury lawsuit against the party with whom you have a dispute. If your opponent has a lawyer, then by all means, you need to get one too!

DRIVING STATISTICS

The State of Texas is facing a driving challenge. By the year 2030 our population will increase by 12 million people. Road use will increase by 214 percent. Highway freight traffic will increase by 77 percent. As the population increases it means the more cars, trucks and commercial vehicles on the Texas road ways.

REGISTERED VEHICLES IN THE U.S.
2005 – 230,112,001
2006 – 235,095,369

SEAT BELTS SAVE LIVES

In 2007, seat belt use in the United States increases among occupants 70 and older, but continued to lower among 16 to 24 year-olds.

In 2006 more than half (55%) of the passenger vehicle occupants were not seat belted in.

Almost two thirds (64%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed during the night were not seat belted in.

Motorcyclist Deaths are Rising

In 2006, motorcycle rider fatalities increased for the ninth straight year. Motorcycles are small and may be difficult for drivers of other vehicles to see. Motorcycles have a much smaller profile than other vehicles.  This can make it difficult to judge the speed and distance of an approaching motorcycle.

How Many Motorcycles Have YOU Seen Today?

……………….LOOK AGAIN!

With the gas prices as high as they are more and more people are driving motorcycles. Keep your eye out for them.

TEXAS and the UNITED STATES of AMERICA

UNITED STATES

2003
42,643 people died in the U.S.A.
25,203 people died on Rural Roads
16,825 people died on Urban Roads
19,460 people died were in Passenger Cars    
3,661 people died were Motor Cyclists
- The highest number of accidents were in zones posted at more than 55MPH
-40% of fatalities in highway crashes were alcohol related
-6,328,000 Car Accidents Reported in the U.S.A.
-2.9 Million Reported Injuries

2006
23,099 people died on Rural Roads
-  18,309 people died on Urban Roads

TEXAS

2003
- 42,643 people died in a Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash
- 25,203 were on rural roads 
- 16,825 were on urban roads, of these people killed
-19,460 were Occupants of a Passenger Car
-3,661 were Motorcyclists 

2005
- 3,536 people died in a Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash
- 1,672 total were Alcohol Related     
- That’s 47% of all Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash

2006
- 3,475 people died in a motor vehicle traffic crash
- 1,677 total were Alcohol Related  
- That’s 48% of all Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash

2008
- There are 152,054 total miles of traveled roads in Texas.
- 31,534 of those miles are Texas Highways

AUTO ACCIDENTS

IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT:

AUTO ACCIDENT INJURIES

Auto accident claims for damages resulting from injuries usually depend on medical records linking the auto accident to the injuries received. There are two different types of damages.
-Economic Damages, defined very generally as money damages intended to compensate an injured party for actual economic loss. (Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, Chapter 41: Damages, Section 41.001(4))
-Non-Economic Damages, may include (Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, Chapter 41: Damages, Section 41.001(12)):

* Physical Pain & Suffering
* Mental or Emotional Pain or Anguish
* Disfigurement
* Physical Impairment
* Loss of Companionship and Society
* Inconvenience
* Loss of Enjoyment of Life
* Injury to Reputation
* Loss of consortium, (Loss of Spousal Companionship and Services)

LARGE TRUCK ACCIDENTS

Large trucks-including tractor-trailers, single unit trucks, and certain heavy cargo vans with gross weight more than 10,000 pounds

One of the fastest growing transportation sectors is commercial traffic. Miles for commercial vehicles are increasing at a faster rate than personal vehicle miles of travel. As the number of both commercial and passenger vehicles on a state roads rises, so does the concern about potential conflicts between the two modes. These population increases mean more cars and trucks on Texas Roads.

“One out of nine (9) traffic fatalities in 2003 resulted from a collision involving a large truck.”

In the years 2000 – 2004 there were 1,865 crashes involving 2,004 heavy trucks and 2,325 fatalities that involved heavy trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 26,000 pound. The study found that the overwhelming majority of the heavy truck-involved crashes occurred under seemingly benign conditions -daylight hours; dry, straight roads; no adverse weather; no citable violations by the heavy-truck driver; no turning maneuver involved; no traffic control device involved; no work zone. However, they did occur most often on high-speed rural roads, and speeding was the most frequently cited driver-related factor for heavy-truck drivers. Non-heavy-truck occupants were about 6.5 times more likely to die in these crashes than heavy-truck occupants, and heavy-truck occupants were much more likely to have suffered no injury than non-heavy-truck occupants.

A loaded tractor-trailer requires 20-40 percent further stopping distance than a car.

ROLLOVER ACCIDENTS

Rollover crashes kill more than 10,000 occupants of passenger vehicles each year. Passenger cars, as a group, have the lowest rollover average and these have remained low. SUV’s have improved their rollover risk, especially after the year 2000. Where as the pickup trucks have remained the same. Minivans have showed considerable improvement since they were first introduced, and the full size vans showed a small but steady improvement.

A vehicle’s rollover resistance rating is an estimate of its risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash, not a prediction of the likelihood of a crash. As the chart below indicates, the lowest-rated vehicles
(1 star) are at least four times more likely to roll over than the highest-rated vehicles (5 stars) when involved in a single-vehicle crash.

 Has a risk of rollover of less than 10%
Has a risk of rollover between 10% and 20%
Has a risk of rollover between 20% and 30%
Has a risk of rollover between 30% and 40%
Has a risk of rollover greater than 40%

DON’T DRINK & DRIVE

In 2004 in Texas 1,642 motorists were killed in alcohol-related crashes, second to California by only a single death. Experts estimate that 70 Texans are injured or killed in alcohol-related crashes every day.

2004-TEXAS

*93,349 drunk drivers arrested
*303 young people between nine (9) and sixteen (16) were arrested for drinking and driving
*9,285 minors between 17 and 20 were arrested for driving under the influence
That means more than 11 percent of all the people arrested for drinking and driving were under 21- the legal age for alcohol in Texas.

2005-USA

*3,467 15-20 year olds died in alcohol related crashes

2006- TEXAS

*1,569 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes
*more than 63,500 people were injured in alcohol-related crashes

Sites and Resources

www.nhtsa.dot.gov
www.aaroads.com
www.bts.gov
www.accident-law.freeadvice.com
http://tti.tamu.edu
www.texasdwi.org
www.madd.org
www.txdot.gov
www.smartmotorist.com
www.txdps.state.tx.us
www.attorneypages.com

Disclaimer:  You are cautioned that electronic mail is not a secure form of communication and no attorney-client relationship exists until established by written contract with our firm.  This site is provided for information only and does not constitute legal advice.