Dallas Accident Lawyer & Attorney : Fears Nachawati Law Firm : Personal Injury, Wrongful Death : Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Texas

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Learn: More than 90% of riders involved in accidents had no formal training. Take a Motorcycle RiderCourse to develop good basic riding techniques.

Get Licensed: Nearly half of all motorcycle riders involved in accidents are unlicensed or improperly licensed.

Prepare:  Wear appropriate gear for comfort and protection.

Be Seen:  Stand out. Wear bright clothing and use retroreflective material.

Be Awake:  Fatigue and drowsiness can impair a motorcyclist's ability to react.

Plan:  When riding in a group, determine your route in advance and coordinate it with the other riders.

Inspect: Conduct a safety inspection of your motorcycle before each ride.

Ride Sober:  Alcohol and other drugs affect judgment and do not mix with motorcycling.

Obey the Law:  Don't speed; know the local traffic laws and rules of the road.

Be Courteous:  Be considerate on the road; show courtesy and respect to other drivers.

Improve: Take an Experienced RiderCourse® to sharpen your street-riding strategies and accident-avoidance skills.

Courtesy of the New York State Motorcycle Safety Program

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The lives of 22,000 patients could have been saved if U.S. regulators had been quicker to remove a Bayer AG drug used to stem bleeding during open heart surgery, according to a medical researcher interviewed by CBS Television's 60 Minutes program.

The drug Trasylol was withdrawn in November at the request of the FDA after an observational study linked the medicine to kidney failure requiring dialysis and increased death of those patients.

It had been given to as many as a third of all heart bypass patients in the United States at the height of its use over a period of many years, according to the report.

Dr. Dennis Mangano, the study's researcher, said during the program that 22,000 lives could have been saved if Trasylol had been taken off the market when he first published his study in January 2006, according to a CBS News report on its Web site ahead of a broadcast slated for next Sunday.

He said in the broadcast that Bayer failed to disclose to the FDA during an FDA advisory panel meeting in September 2006 -- at which Mangano's negative findings were discussed -- that the German drugmaker had conducted its own research which confirmed the same dangers established by his study.

The chairman of the FDA advisory panel, Dr. William Hiatt, told 60 Minutes he would have voted to remove Trasylol from the market had he been informed about Bayer's study, according to the CBS report.

Bayer spokeswoman Meredith Fischer said she could not comment about the broadcast until it is aired, including allegations that the drugmaker had failed to protect patients.

She said Bayer is facing a number of product-liability lawsuits filed by patients who had taken the medicine or their families, but said she not know how many lawsuits were filed.

Provided by Reuters.com

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The New England Journal of Medicine reports about the recent drug Trasylol.

September 30 is becoming a day of infamy for drug safety. On that date in 2004, Merck announced that rofecoxib (Vioxx) doubled the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, and the company withdrew the drug from the market after 5 years of use in more than 20 million patients. On September 30, 2006, a front-page article in the New York Times reported that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had issued a warning that the antifibrinolytic drug aprotinin, widely used to reduce perioperative bleeding in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, could cause renal failure, congestive heart failure, stroke, and death.

Some experts had been concerned about aprotinin (Trasylol) ever since its approval in 1993.1 As Hiatt explains in his Perspective article in this issue of the Journal (pages 2171–2173), one of two epidemiologic studies reported early this year provided support for this concern. In an observational study involving 4374 patients who underwent coronary revascularization,2 Mangano et al. found that patients who were given aprotinin had an incidence of postoperative renal failure requiring dialysis that was more than twice that among patients who received different agents. Among patients undergoing uncomplicated coronary-artery surgery, those given aprotinin had a 55% increase in the incidence of myocardial infarction or heart failure and a 181% increase in the incidence of stroke or encephalopathy. The authors advised against further use of the drug, since safer, cheaper alternatives are available.

After the study was published, the FDA moved to convene an advisory committee to reassess the drug's safety and assembled the relevant data. The committee met on September 21, reviewed the available evidence, and concluded that there was no need for additional warnings on the drug's official labeling.

What put aprotinin on the front page on September 30, however, was the revelation that its manufacturer, Bayer, had hired a private contract research organization to perform its own large observational study of postoperative complications in patients given the drug. The analysis, completed in time for the FDA meeting, reached conclusions similar to those of Mangano et al. It, too, adjusted for a wide variety of clinical characteristics and showed that patients who received aprotinin had higher mortality rates and substantially more renal damage than those given other treatments. But neither Bayer nor its contractor had provided the report to the FDA or even acknowledged its existence before the meeting.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved revised labeling for Trasylol (aprotinin injection) to strengthen its safety warnings and to limit its approved usage to specific situations. Trasylol is given to patients before heart surgery to reduce bleeding and the need for blood transfusions. Trasylol is marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Leverkusen, Germany.

"The purpose of the label change is to inform physicians and patients about the risks associated with Trasylol and to ensure they understand the new warnings and use the product as directed by the label," said Steven Galson, M.D., MPH, Director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

The new labeling specifies that Trasylol should only be given to patients who are at an increased risk for blood loss and blood transfusion in the setting of coronary bypass graft surgery (a procedure used to improve blood flow to the heart) when patients undergo cardiopulmonary bypass (a procedure that allows a machine to take over the heart's functions when it is stopped during surgery). The changes also include a warning that Trasylol increases the possible risk for kidney damage, and suggest ways to manage and reduce the patient's risk for hypersensitivity (exaggerated immune) reactions.

The labeling changes follow an FDA-conducted review of safety information that FDA became aware of after the product was introduced to the market. FDA began this safety review of Trasylol in January 2006. The review was triggered by the results of two published research studies. One study reported an increase in the possibility of kidney failure, heart attack and stroke in patients treated with Trasylol compared to those treated with other drugs. The other study reported an increase in the possibility of kidney damage compared to other drugs, but did not show an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. On February 8, 2006, FDA issued a Public Health Advisory regarding these new findings with Trasylol. On September 21, 2006, FDA held a public meeting of the Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee to discuss the safety and overall risk-benefit profile for Trasylol. At that meeting, the committee discussed the findings from the two published observational studies, a Bayer worldwide safety review, and the FDA review of its own post-marketing database, and made recommendations for labeling changes. The labeling changes for Trasylol are based upon the recommendations of that advisory committee.

FDA announced on September 29, 2006, that Bayer informed the agency of an additional safety study on September 27, 2006. The preliminary results from that study suggest that in addition to serous kidney damage, Trasylol may increase the chance for death, congestive heart failure (a weakening of the heart), and strokes. The FDA review of this additional Trasylol safety information is continuing and it may result in other actions, including additional changes to the labeling. For additional information about Trasylol, see www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/aprotinin/default.htm.

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According to the Austin American-Statesman, three teenagers died and five people were seriously injured in a two-vehicle collision Saturday afternoon on Texas 71 in western Travis County.

Austin High School student Audrey Ducote and Marble Falls High School student Randall H. Hibler, both 16, were killed in the wreck. Lauren Hoffman, 17, of Waco was also killed. Saturday's rainy weather was a factor in the collision, which occurred at 1:08 p.m. on Texas 71 at Bee Creek Road, Texas Department of Public Safety officials said.

Investigators say it appears that the collision occurred when Hibler's mother, Tammy Sue Goodman, failed to negotiate a turn in the 2003 Ford pickup she was driving.

Goodman was traveling east on Texas 71 with Hibler and his 7-year-old half-brother, Stephen Austin Goodman, when the truck hydroplaned and veered into the oncoming traffic.

The truck hit a 2006 four-door Acura being driven by Amy Catherine Wright, 43. In the car with Wright were Ducote and Hoffman, as well 17-year-olds Kathryn Elizabeth Powers and Katherine Ann Singleton.

Ducote and Hoffman were not wearing seat belts, Department of Public Safety spokesman Kevin Byers said.

Goodman is in stable condition at University Medical Center at Brackenridge in Austin and her younger son is in stable condition at Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin, Byers said. Both have head injuries.

Wright, Singleton and Powers are in critical condition at University Medical Center, hospital officials said.

Hibler and his mother were on their way to Cabela's sporting goods store in Buda at the time of wreck, said Hibler's father, Randy.

"They were going to get him new arrows for his bow," he said through tears. "He loves hunting and fishing and sports."

Hibler played football and baseball for Marble Falls High.

It's unclear how the teens in the other car and Wright knew one another. A family friend who answered the phone Saturday night at Ducote's home said he did not know their relationships but confirmed that Ducote was an Austin High student.

Over the past year, residents and elected officials have raised concerns about safety along the stretch of Texas 71 where Saturday's wreck occurred. There have been multiple fatal wrecks on the portion of the highway that winds from the Village of Bee Cave to the western edge of Travis County. A wreck last June killed three Round Rock educators.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is aware of a potential safety issue related to Avandia (rosiglitazone), a drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes. Safety data from controlled clinical trials have shown that there is a potentially significant increase in the risk of heart attack and heart-related deaths in patients taking Avandia. However, other published and unpublished data from long-term clinical trials of Avandia, including an interim analysis of data from the RECORD trial (a large, ongoing, randomized open label trial) and unpublished reanalyses of data from DREAM (a previously conducted placebo-controlled, randomized trial) provide contradictory evidence about the risks in patients treated with Avandia.

Patients who are taking Avandia, especially those who are known to have underlying heart disease or who are at high risk of heart attack should talk to their doctor about this new information as they evaluate the available treatment options for their type 2 diabetes.

FDA's analyses of all available data are ongoing. FDA has not confirmed the clinical significance of the reported increased risk in the context of other studies. Pending questions include whether the other approved treatment from the same class of drugs, pioglitazone, has less, the same or greater risks. Furthermore, there is inherent risk associated with switching patients with diabetes from one treatment to another even in the absence of specific risks associated with particular treatments. For these reasons, FDA is not asking GlaxoSmithKline, the drug's sponsor, to take any specific action at this time. FDA is providing this emerging information to prescribers so that they, and their patients, can make individualized treatment decisions.

"FDA remains committed to assuring that doctors and patients have the latest information available to make treatment and medication use decisions. In this case, FDA is carefully weighing several complex sources of data, some of which show conflicting results, related to the risk of heart attack and heart-related deaths in patients treated with Avandia," said Steven Galson, M.D., M.P.H., director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "We will complete our analyses and make the results available as soon as possible. FDA will take the issue of cardiovascular risk associated with Avandia and other drugs in this class to an Advisory Committee as soon as one can be convened."

Avandia was approved in 1999 for treatment of type 2 diabetes, a serious and life threatening disease that affects about 18 to 20 million Americans. Diabetes is a leading cause of coronary heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and limb amputation. Since the drug was approved, FDA has been monitoring several heart-related adverse events (e.g., fluid retention, edema and congestive heart failure) based on signals seen in previous controlled clinical trials of Avandia alone and in combination with other drugs, and from postmarketing reports. FDA has updated the product's labeling on several occasions to reflect these new data, most recently in 2006. The most recent labeling change for Avandia also included a new warning about a potential increase in heart attacks and heart-related chest pain in some individuals using Avandia. This new warning was based on the result of a controlled clinical trial in patients with existing congestive heart failure.

Recently, the manufacturer of Avandia provided FDA with a pooled analysis (meta analysis) of 42 randomized, controlled clinical trials in which Avandia was compared to either placebo or other anti-diabetic therapies in patients with type 2 diabetes. The pooled analysis suggested that patients receiving short-term (most studies were 6-months duration) treatment with Avandia may have a 30-40 percent greater risk of heart attack and other heart-related adverse events than patients treated with placebo or other anti-diabetic therapy. These data, if confirmed, would be of significant concern since patients with diabetes are already at an increased risk of heart disease.

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1. Stay alert and relaxed
 If you're tired, don't drive. If you've had a rough day at the office, chill out before you get on the road. Your car drives as you feel, so be nice and stay alert. Keep a firm and friendly grip on the wheel. Avoid clenching and choking; conversely, don't drape a wrist over the top and think you've got control. Most of all, make sure you're comfortable, and that all controls are within easy reach.

2. Use your senses
If you stare at the car in front, chances are good that you'll drive right into an accident. Look around; survey the road ahead so you know what's coming up, and keep an eye on the road behind. If you need to change lanes, try planning your move a few cars ahead so that you have plenty of time to merge. Listen for sirens, horns, or screeching tires. And most of all, use your sense: if you think a driver is going to cut you off, back off a little and let them in. If you see a car coming up fast in the rear view, avoid making sudden moves.

3. Stay put
People who change lanes get into more accidents. What's worse, they make accidents happen. So keep away from the lane fidgets, pick one and drive to your destination.

4. Drive a car, not a cell phone
If the keys are in the ignition, the phone should be powered off. If you're driving with children, keep in mind that kids don't normally disappear into thin air --- so it's okay if you stop looking at them and concentrate on the road instead. No matter what it is, avoid distraction and focus on the task in hand --- driving.

5. Share the road
The Golden Rule applies to driving -- in fact, it should be a law. When you share the road, you put everyone in a good mood, avoid accidents and arrive at your destination in a friendly frame of mind. Try it: the next time someone is attempting a last minute lane change, be courteous and let them into the lane. Not only have you avoided a fender-bender, but you've also done a good deed. 

Provided by: Autobytel.com

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As reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, three men died in a crash early Sunday when a car hit a parked 18-wheeler's trailer and burst into flames, police said.

The men were traveling north in a 2002 Subaru Impreza about 3:10 a.m. when the wreck occurred in the 2100 block of Grayson Drive, police spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Smith said. The Impreza was quickly engulfed in flames, she said. 
                         
"The first officer was on scene within a couple minutes," Smith said. "He broke the driver's window to try and get them out, but the car was so badly on fire."

All three men died at the scene. They were Justin Cartwright, 27, of Euless; Corey Pratt, 28, of Bedford; and Aubrey Amado, whose age was not available, of Grapevine, Smith said.

The area near Texas 121 and Mustang Drive has several commercial and industrial properties.

The truck, which was not occupied at the time of the crash, was parked legally, and no criminal charges are anticipated, Smith said.

"We're just getting in touch with the families and making sure they have any help they need," Smith said. 
         

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This afternoon, a wreck was reported near Airport Freeway by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The eastbound lanes of the Airport Freeway have been closed while emergency crews work a single-vehicle wreck that has left at least one person seriously injured.

The wreck, reported at 12:41 p.m., occurred in the 4700 block of Airport Freeway near Haltom Road.

A dispatcher said the wreck is reported to involve a vehicle that ran into a pole, ejecting one person.

Eastbound traffic on the freeway is being diverted onto the service road at Beach Street. 

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 This past weekend, the Dallas Morning News reported two different drunk driving accidents that killed a woman and a young child. 

The first drunken driver crushed a 5-year-old boy to death in his car seat early Sunday, Dallas police said.

They said the second caused a pickup to flip over, killing a 47-year-old woman and seriously injuring her husband.

"I can't recall the last time when we had two [such deaths] in one night," said Dallas police Senior Cpl. Kevin Janse. "To deal with a small child like this, it's traumatic even for a veteran police officer."

The crashes happened during a Super Bowl weekend when some area police departments were already on heightened alert for drunken drivers, although there was no indication that either suspect had been at a game-related party.

Police blamed the first crash on Adrian Childs, 28, who Dallas County records say has two convictions for drug dealing. Mr. Childs was driving a Hyundai Sonata at high speed when he rear-ended a Cadillac about 3:35 a.m. on State Highway 310 near Lamar Street in South Dallas, police said. The impact collapsed the Cadillac's trunk and caused the back seat to crush Xavier Williams, 5. His mother, whom police did not identify, was driving and survived, as did two of Xavier's siblings. Mr. Childs' car was then hit by a third vehicle, whose driver was not injured. Mr. Childs was taken to Baylor Medical Center in Dallas for treatment and later jailed on a charge of intoxication manslaughter.

Nearly two hours later and several miles away, Vernie Clark of Ennis was a passenger in a pickup driven by her husband on North Central Expressway at Walnut Hill Lane.

Police said a Toyota 4Runner driven by Patricio Barrios, 63, swerved in front of the Clarks, causing a collision. The pickup then flipped over, pinning the couple inside. Ms. Clark was taken to Presbyterian Hospital, where she died of her injuries. Authorities said her husband was hospitalized and underwent emergency surgery. They did not release his name or condition. Mr. Barrios was jailed on charges of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault.

Dallas police didn't increase their drunken driving enforcement during the weekend, but Cpl. Janse said police expected to make more DWI arrests than usual Sunday night.

"People don't make the right decisions and don't find other means of transportation," he said.

Other area cities took a more aggressive approach over the weekend, seeking search warrants to draw blood from suspected drunken drivers who refused to submit to breath or blood tests.

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According to the Fort Worth Texas, The City's Magazine, the Fears | Nachawati Law Firm is one that deserves the right to be talked about:

Fears | Nachawati Law Firm

UNIQUE APPROACH:  Founded on the principle of integrity, Fears | Nachawati Law Firm is comprised of distinguished personal injury and bankruptcy attorneys who take an unparalleled approach to the practice of law, as every case is prepared in anticipation of trial.  The founding attorneys of the firm, C. Bryan Fears, and Majed Nachawati, represent plaintiffs involved in wrongful death lawsuits, serious personal injury cases, and complex bankruptcy matters.

WHO WE ARE:  The attorneys of Fears | Nachawati bring considerable legal experience to the Fort Worth community.  Prior to entering private practice, Nachawati recieved the honor of serving as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Linda R. Yanez with the Thirteenth Court of Appeals.  Fears previously served as managing partner at one of the nation's largest bankruptcy law firms.  Scott M. York, managing attorney of the firm's bankruptcy practice, graduated from the Texas Tech University School of Law.

PHILOSOPHY: Committed to their community, the attorneys of Nears | Nachawati come from working class families and remain dedicated to representing plaintiffs.  Fears described their work philosophy as "taking an old-fashioned approach when it comes to representing our community--we are passionate about representing plaintiffs in their fights for justice, they are not just a number at our firm."

AGGRESSIVE REPRESENTATION:  Taking a hard line approach to each individual case, the firm's actions have invariably resulted in substantial recoveries for their clients.  "At the cornerstone of the firm's success is our lawyers' uncanny ability to ensure that each case is presented in the light most favorable to the client," Nachawati said.  The attorneys of Fears | Nachawati also attribute a great deal of the firm's success to their clients, the fairness of local judges and collegiality among members of the Tarrent County Bar.  Displaying passion, diligence, and conviction in every case they handle, Fears | Nachawati has an impressive record of accomplishment within the Fort Worth Community.