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

 Last week, a pair of oil field workers in Midland County, Texas were working on a rig when pipe fell, pinning Mariano Pruenda’s leg. As his co-worker, Ronnie Lynn May, worked to rescue him, another piece of the rig fell, crushing and killing May.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched an investigation into the accident and into the safety practices of May’s employer, Tulsa-based oil contractor, Helmrich and Payne.

Working in the oil fields is dangerous. However, oil rigs become inappropriately and unnecessarily dangerous when employers fail to adhere to worker safety regulations. If you or a loved one work in the oil field and think that the workplace is unsafe, it may be time to call the professionals at Fears | Nachawati. We can investigate your employer’s safety practices and, if necessary, defend your right to safe workplace! For a free consultation, call us at 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. 

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 Late last year a mentally ill teenager, Michael Keith Owens, died at the hands of Daystar, the residential treatment center where he was placed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS). TDFPS paid $650 per day for Owens’ care, however, that sum only purchased Owens a space in a double-wide trailer shared with six other teens and two adult staffers. Moreover, Owens’ death represents the fourth death of a patient at Daystar and one of only 250 confirmed incidents of abuse.

The mentally ill are incapable of protecting themselves and too often their caregivers fail to provide them with anything like the fiduciary care they deserve. If you or a loved one has been in a hospital or mental institution recently, it’s worth asking whether you received the care you deserved. If not, it may be time to bring those ‘caregivers’ to task. Entities like Daystar should not be permitted to harm the defenseless!

To speak with the best in personal injury law, contact the experts at Fears | Nachawati. For a free consultation, call 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. 

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 Zachary Pope, 6, is recovering steadily in a Lubbock, Texas hospital after sustaining serious burns to his face and upper body. Although his mother and brother were able to escape the house fire with only minor burns, Zachary suffered considerable injury before finally reaching safety. Over the last two weeks, he’s undergone skin grafts on his arms, thighs, chest and face.

Fires cause burn injuries to thousands of Texans every year. Tragically, in many cases these fires are preventable and would not occur but for the negligence of landlords. If you’re apartment has caught fire recently, you may have a cause of action against the owner of the facility for unsafe premises. To find out more about what your next steps should be, contact the personal injury professionals at Fears | Nachawati. Give us a call at 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. We can help you!

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 The Texas legislature is on the verge of passing legislation that would permit college students and professors to carry concealed handguns on campus. Texas’ 38 colleges and 500,000 students could soon be armed. Whether campuses will be more or less dangerous is the subject of considerable controversy.

Some say that shooting catastrophes like those at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois will be less likely as a result. State Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) explained, “It’s strictly a matter of self-defense.” Others argue that more handguns could lead to greater violence, not less. Confronting a similar proposal in his state, Oklahoma Chancellor of Higher Education Glen Johnson recently countered, saying, “There is no scenario where allowing concealed weapons on college campuses will do anything other than create a more dangerous environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors.”

Shootings are always tragic and usually the subject of criminal investigation. However, they are also frequently the subject of civil disputes as well. If you or a loved one has been involved in a shooting, you need a legal advisor who can address the complex legal issues related to gun activity. For the best in injury law, contact the experts at Fears | Nachawati. Call us at 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. 

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John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, Texas, seems to understand the Hypocratic Oath to mean, “First, do no harm, provided that the patient is a U.S. citizen.”

According to patient Maria Sanchez, her stay at John Sealy Hospital was terminated when her doctor told her to return to Mexico to have surgery on her growing spinal tumor. The hospital discharged her later that day, despite the fact that delaying her medical care would have probably permitted her medical condition to further deteriorate.

Just as health care is important for patients, medical liability is an important area of the law. If you’ve recently been released from a hospital and felt that the quality of your care was poor, you should contact the health law experts at Fears | Nachawati. We can help you find justice. Call 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com.
 

4925 Greenville Ave Suite 715, Dallas, TX 75206 (214) 890-0711
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 A natural gas plant operated by the Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners (EPD), a publicly traded company, erupted in an explosion last week, causing a fire that could be seen for more than a dozen miles away. While no injuries were reported or evacuations required, state highway 146 was shut down.

Natural gas plants and oil refineries are notoriously susceptible to explosions and fires. On many occasions, explosions and fires are the result of preventable risks. Too often, negligent companies fail to properly safeguard against their product’s combustibility. If you are injured during your work at a natural gas plant or oil refinery, call the injury experts at Fears | Nachawati. With years of experience, our expertise is courtroom tested! Give us a call at 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. 

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 Texas motorists are required to carry automobile insurance. Should the Texas legislature require dog owners to carry insurance against their pets, too?

Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D.-San Antonio) thinks so. In fact, McClendon has introduced a bill that would require any Texan who owns a male dog which weighs 20 pounds or more and is not neutered to have an insurance policy covering injuries or damage caused by that dog when it is off the leash or out of the dog’s yard.

Dog bites are more common than most Americans realize. Americans own 74.8 million dogs according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) and a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that roughly 2 percent of Americans, 4.7 million people, are bit annually. In fact, roughly 800,000 require medical attention and 368,000 send victims to the emergency room.

Perhaps most importantly, serious dog bites are on the rise. The Department of Health and Human Services reports that in the last 16 years the number of dog bites resulting in hospitalization have increased 86 percent, from 5,100 in 1993, to 9,500 in 2008. The average cost of treatment was more than $18,000 per patient and the majority of patients were under 5 or over 65. In fact, U.S. dog attack victims suffer more than $1 billion in monetary losses every year!

If you’ve sustained a dog bite, contact the injury experts at Fears | Nachawati. Our dog bite attorneys can help you understand your legal options. Call us at 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. We can help!

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 Close may count in horseshoes and hand grenades, but it certainly doesn’t count in medical diagnoses. Dr. Ede, the attending physician to the late Judy Gregory, is learning this lesson the hard way.

Despite abnormal EKG readings, Dr. Ede discharged Ms. Gregory from the hospital after a mere cursory diagnosis of arthritis and acute bronchitis, among other minor injuries. Tragically, within nine hours Ms. Gregory died of a fatal dissecting thoracic aneurysm. According to Ms. Gregory’s wrongful death lawsuit, Dr. Ede negligently failed to admit Ms. Gregory for continuous cardiac monitoring and proper diagnosis.

By definition, wrongful death lawsuits are the product of tragedy and loss. Fortunately, however, lawyers have the ability of fighting the injustices perpetrated against a decedent, just like Ms. Gregory. If your loved one suffered an untimely and unnecessary demise you should speak with the wrongful death lawyers at Fears | Nachawati. We can help you find justice. Call 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. 

4925 Greenville Ave Suite 715, Dallas, TX 75206 (214) 890-0711
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 Recovering at a Houston hospital, Rep. Gabrille Giffords has begun rehabilitation after what doctors describe as her “spectacular” recovery from a gunshot wound infamously sustained in a Tuscon, Arizona shooting. Nevertheless, as her doctors have explained, retraining the brain after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can take years and often includes intensive speech, occupational and physical therapy. Said Dr. Robert Stevens, an associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, “You can’t be in a hurry. This is a long, drawn-out process, and it can be extremely frustrating.”

Giffords ordeal shines a light on the costs and difficulties associated with TIBs. If you or a loved one has undergone a traumatic brain injury – caused by a fall, a gunshot wound or other kind of accident – you need a medical and legal team that can help you navigate the long and difficult days ahead. Fortunately, you can ask for no better than the experienced and expert attorneys at Fears | Nachawati. For your free consultation, give us a call at 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. 

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 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) withdrew a rule recently that required employers to record work-related musculoskeletal disorders – like carpel tunnel syndrome – on a separate column on injury logs. OSHA’s decision comes in spite of the fact that, as OSHA Administrator David Michaels himself explained, “Work-related musculoskeletal disorders remain the leading cause of workplace injury and illness in this country.”

OSHA’s rule retraction limits the available remedies to injured workers. However, other viable venues exist for a redress of grievance. If you’ve sustained a workplace injury contact the injury experts at Fears | Nachawati. We know how to secure the compensation you deserve. Call us at 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. 

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Should a judge grant a new trial to plaintiff whose damage award may have been impacted by jurors who allegedly “traded answers” about appropriate compensation? Judge Bob Wortham in Port Arthur, Texas, faces this question in Erika Arceneaux’s case against Tina Tran’s nail salon. According to Arceneaux (and the jury from the first trial), unsanitary conditions in Tran’s nail salon infected Arceneaux’s foot. Now, Arceneaux’s attorney has filed a motion for a new trial, arguing that the jury violated court orders when it negotiated between counts about the plaintiff’s proper relief.

Arceneaux’s claim is a unique one. If you’ve been injured, you need an attorney who not only knows the law, but also pursues compensation for your claim with vigor and innovation. You need the creativity, experience and expertise of the attorneys at Fears | Nachawati. For a free consultation, call 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. We’re ready to help you!

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On February 19, 2010, Bennie Abram, a walk-on football player at Ole Miss, died unexpectedly during conditioning drills. Although UM athletic director Pete Boone claims that “the well-being of our student-athletes has and always will be our highest priority,” Mr. Abram’s attorney argues that Abram’s workout at Ole Miss was “recklessly intense” and in violation of NCAA guidelines. Tragically, the deaths of student-athletes—and, in particular, student football players—has become an all-too-common phenomenon. Routinely, football coaches and teams overwork their players.

If your son plays football, he is at increased risk of a wide range of health issues. Should something happen, you need someone on your side who can help you sort through the medical and legal implications. For the best in student-athlete injury law, contact the experts at Fears | Nachawati. We’re capable of litigating in far-flung jurisdictions—wherever your child attends school. For your free consultation, give us a call at 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. We’re can help!

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