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

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According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, two women were killed early Saturday when a GMC truck that was fleeing a hit-and-run slammed into three other vehicles along a South Freeway service road, police said.

The accident killed the driver of a Cadillac, Cynthia Revilla, 24, and her passenger, Danielle Hooten, 18, both of Fort Worth. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Hooten's 20-month-old child was ejected from the Cadillac but was in stable condition at Cook Children's hospital, police said.

Alisia Padilla, 38, was arrested on two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault. In 2004, Padilla received a probated sentence for possession of a controlled substance, according to Tarrant County court records.

A mandatory blood draw was performed, but Padilla's blood-alcohol level will not be available for several days, said Lt. Paul Henderson, a Fort Worth police spokesman. Padilla's husband, who was a passenger in the truck, was listed in serious condition at John Peter Smith Hospital, police said.

The chain of events that led to the fatalities began at 12:11 a.m. when Padilla's truck struck a car in the parking lot of a bar in south Fort Worth, police said. The driver of the car began following Padilla's truck northbound toward Seminary Drive.

At the intersection, the truck hit a Dodge Neon, ran a red light and struck two more vehicles -- Revilla's Cadillac and a Ford Explorer, police said. A father and son in the Explorer were taken to John Peter Smith Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. The driver of the Neon was not injured.

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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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This morning, the Dallas Morning News reported a car accident that was caused by a drunk driver.

On Sept. 11, 2001, a family appointment kept Ms. Marilyn Gates from boarding Flight 11, one of her regular flights. After takeoff from Boston, the Los Angeles-bound plan was hijacked and flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

But the New Hampshire woman couldn't dodge fate – or tragedy – forever. Less than five years after escaping the nation's worst terrorist attack, the 52-year-old was killed when a drunken driver ran a red light and slammed into her car on a North Texas roadway. The crash injured two others.
The driver, Stephen David Mole, was sentenced this month to 30 years in prison for intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. The 54-year-old Keller man must serve at least half of his sentence because a Denton County jury found that he had used his car as a deadly weapon.

Ms. Gates' unexpected death sent shock waves through her close-knit family and those who came to feel close to her through the criminal investigation.

"She cheated death once but came down here and couldn't cheat it again," said Brent Robbins, an investigator for the Denton County district attorney's office who is credited with working tirelessly on the case.

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This afternoon, the Houston Chronicle reported that the car accident involving a police officer may be alcohol related. 

Prosecutors are awaiting blood test results before deciding whether to charge an off-duty Texas City police officer whose pickup slammed into a parked car last week, killing a La Marque woman.

Investigators need alcohol blood-level results, completion of an accident reconstruction and statements from witnesses on the whereabouts of Officer John L. White, 36, before the fatal accident, Galveston County District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk said today.

"The best guess is that we're probably at least two weeks away from having all we've asked for," Sistrunk said.

He said that if the evidence supported it, White could be charged with intoxication manslaughter, a felony carrying a punishment ranging from two to 20 years in prison and a maximum $10,000 fine.

Leticia L. Ortiz, 26, died after White's Ford F-150 pickup plowed into her Toyota Yaris, parked on the shoulder of the eastbound lane in the 9000 block of FM 1764, at 1:29 a.m. Friday, Department of Public Safety spokesman Ken Jones said.

Sistrunk said the DPS and the Texas City police were continuing their investigations.
Texas City Police Cpt. Brian Goetschius said White suffered a "few bumps and bruises" and will remain on duty during the investigation.

"Our office has assisted the DA's office and the DPS in whatever they have requested," Goetschius said. He referred all questions about the investigation to Sistrunk.

Sistrunk said in an e-mail that his office's on-call attorney was called to the scene by the Texas City police as is typical in all fatal accidents where intoxication is suspected to have played a role. The prosecutor worked with troopers and police to gather evidence at the scene and made requests for further information, Sistrunk said.

He said blood drawn from White was taken to the DPS laboratory for expedited analysis.

Records from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education show that White worked with the Port of Galveston Police Department from November 2001 to April 2004 before joining the Texas City Police Department.

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Today, the Houston Chronicle reported that a pregnant woman and her child were involved in a car accident with the Constable.                                          

A pregnant woman and a young child were taken to the hospital by Life Flight helicopter after a Harris County deputy constable patrol car struck their vehicle on the Sam Houston Tollway, authorities said. The accident happened about 11 a.m. at the North Loop 's westbound tollway plaza near Antoine, officials said.

A Precinct 4 deputy constable was was in the EZ tag lane when his cruiser struck the rear of a sedan carrying at least five people, officials said.

One of the passengers, a pregnant mother, and a child, believed to be 2-to-4 years old, were flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital in unknown condition, officials said.

A woman in the sedan was taken to the hospital by ambulance, officials said.

The deputy constable, who has not been identified, suffered cuts and bruises in the wreck and was taken to Houston Northwest Medical Center , officials said.

"He's going through some x-rays and CAT scans," said Harris County Precinct 4 Capt. Mark Herman.

Officials said two other people in the car weren't injured. Patrol deputies drove them to Memorial Hermann Hospital where the pregnant woman and the toddler were taken.

The accident remains under investigation. Officials said it wasn't yet known if the car suddenly stopped on the toll road just before it was struck by the patrol car.

"We're still looking into it. It's going to take us awhile," Herman said. "Our main concern right now is getting the injured some help and then getting the accident properly investigated."

The accident will be reviewed by the Harris County District Attorney's Office, Herman said.

This is another incident where legal issues may be involved. Lives may be at stake for reasons that may or may not be clear. By filing a personal injury lawsuit, the injured party can be compensated for the pain that never should have ocurred in the first place.

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Monday, November 26, 2007
08:26 AM

Early this morning, the Dallas Morning News covered an 18 wheeler wreck that resulted in two fatalities.   

"A driver and his passenger were killed when their car collided with an 18-wheeler late Sunday in Arlington.  The accident was reported just before midnight on eastbound Interstate 20 at Cooper Street.  Arlington police indentified the driver of the car as Abdelrahman Joudeh, 23, of Arlington.  The identity of the male passenger was not immediately available.  The driver of the tractor-trailer truck was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The cause of the accident was under investigation."

This tragic accident is another unfortunate example of the severity of any crash involving an 18 wheeler.  In my experience as a personal injury attorney focusing on 18 wheeler accidents, I always tell individuals involved to seek the advice of a skilled personal injury attorney as soon as possible, as there are many issues that come up when dealing with crashes of this magnitude.

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November 20, 2007 - 4:07 p.m. CST

Late this afternoon, a major trucking accident occurred in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex resulting in serious injury to the driver.  In 18 wheeler accidents, it is important that vital evidence is preserved, including the black box, data recorder, the tractor, driver logs, tires, and any other important evidence or information relating to the accident. The Dallas Morning News covered the trucking accident:

One injured, lanes closed after tanker overturns on Highway 183 in Bedford, Texas

Commuters traveling westbound on State Highway 183 near Bedford should find an alternate route home, officials said Tuesday afternoon.

A fuel tanker truck traveling westbound on State Highway 183 overturned Tuesday afternoon near the northbound State Highway 121 ramp, causing officials to close traffic lanes while the spilled fuel is cleared.

One of three traffic lanes on westbound State Highway 183 and the northbound ramp to State Highway 121 were closed as of early afternoon, Bedford police Lt. Kirk Roberts said.

It’s likely the wreckage won’t be removed until 7 p.m., Lt. Roberts said, because workers are cleaning the fuel spill before they remove the overturned truck

The truck driver was transported in serious condition to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, police said.