The week between 4 April and 10 April is being commemorated as National Work Zone Awareness Week.  Few states need more awareness about work zone safety as much as the state of Texas.  In 2009, 181 people died in accidents that occurred in work zones in Texas.  That was a decrease of 35% over the past two years.  However, the Texas Department of Transportation is taking Work Zone Awareness Week, especially seriously this year.

The Department of Transportation is calling on all motorists to exercise extra caution while traveling through a work zone, to prevent injuries to motorists and construction workers.  According to the Texas Department of Transportation, much of the decrease in work zone fatalities in Texas has been due to increased outreach efforts and better safety measures.  For instance, the Department of Transportation has tried to raise awareness about the need to drive safely through a work zone.  However, any Houston car accident attorney will tell you that there are too many people out there who fail to look out for warning signs posted at the beginning of a work zone.  These people speed through a work zone, increasing the risk of injury to the construction workers toiling on the road, and enhancing the potential for a crash inside the zone.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, worker fatalities every year would reduce further if people paid attention when they entered a work zone, and maintained low speeds as they traveled through the work zone.  Most work zones will have signs posted at the entrance, and motorists must drop speeds when they see these signs.  Avoid all distractions when you’re inside a zone, and look out not just for motorists and other construction workers, but also construction debris and equipment lying around.

As Houston car accident attorneys, we often come across patients who have suffered a brain injury in an accident or fall. Brain injuries are some of the most life altering injuries, because they have repercussions that go beyond the physical limitations. A person with a brain injury may have his powers of concentration affected. He may suffer from a much lower attention span. There may be behavioral changes. Sometimes, these changes may be dramatic. All of these can have a profound impact on a person’s emotional and mental well-being. A brain injury can cause behavioral changes, which if not treated properly, can lead to the development of antisocial behavior or susceptibility to criminal tendencies.

What the study does show is that brain injuries in children must be taken seriously. This is true even if the child has suffered a minor concussion, which leads to a momentary lapse of consciousness. A child with a brain injury must be given access to neuropsychiatric treatment, and must be monitored carefully over the next few years. Look for falling grades, disinterest in studies, or aggressiveness at school. These could be effects of the injury.

With Father’s Day just over, the Ramirez family continues to grieve their father’s unexpected death.  Victor Ramirez, 79, was killed as he rode his bicycle home from the store at the corner of 4th and 14th Street in Texas City, Texas on June 7, 2010.   The driver fled the scene of the accident.   A video camera located on the premises of the BP refinery did not capture the accident, but did see a dark colored car with blade rims on it.  Mr. Ramirez was a Korea War veteran.  If you can help this family locate the driver of the vehicle that killed their father, please contact Texas City police or the family at 409-945-8744.

The survey took several factors into consideration before compiling the list. These included DWI arrest rates in the cities, death rates from alcohol-related liver diseases, alcohol-related car accidents, rates of binge drinking over the past month and the severity of penalties for DUI.  Fresno, CA has the proud distinction of being the most sloshed city in the country, followed by Reno, Billings, Riverside, Austin,  St Louis, San Antonio, Lubbock, Tucson and Bakersfield.

Several other cities in Texas feature on the rest of the list. These include:

• El Paso at number 24
• Corpus Christi at number 25,
• Houston at number 47
• Arlington at number 50
• Fort Worth at number 55
• Dallas at number 77

Not everyone agrees with the list, and as DWI lawyers in Houston, we find it surprising that Austin, San Antonio and Lubbock beat out our very own Houston for the so-called honor. A couple of years ago, Mothers Against Drunk Driving estimated that the risk of being killed in an alcohol-related crash in Houston was four times higher than in Austin, and three times higher than in San Antonio.  Harris County in fact, has some of the highest DWI rates in the country, keeping DWI lawyers in Harris County very busy indeed.

Driving intoxicated is not just a major risk to your safety, but also to the safety of motorists around you.  To avoid the license suspensions and penalties that come with a DUI conviction, the number one piece of advice we would have, is to never drive after drinking.

If you get arrested in for DWI in the Greater Houston area (including Harris County, Galveston County, Brazoria County and Fort Bend County), contact the experienced DWI lawyers at the Kahn Law Firm today for a free consultation at 713-226-9900.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Department is confirming that neither driver had a license. It also appears that the two teenagers’ parents were possibly aware that their children were driving their cars.  Residents at Keith Harrow Boulevard and Barker’s Cypress where the accident occurred, say that such street racing is common at that location. Most of these races take place at night.  Last year, three people were killed during a race in North Harris County. As Houston auto accident lawyers and parents ourselves, we would encourage parents of teenagers to talk to their children about the importance of safe driving practices. Street racing is a complete no-no, and parents must step up to take away the car keys and place restrictions on children who may not be mature enough to practice safe driving.

Teen motorists are at a higher risk of an accident because of a number of factors.

• Lack of experience
• Recklessness
• Love of adventure and thrills
• Peer pressure
• Distractions by fellow teen passengers
• Love of thrills

Any of these factors can cause an accident, and a combination of one or more can be deadly, causing catastrophic injuries.  Some automakers have begun to recognize the safety issues that the parents of teen motorists struggle with. Ford has come up with MyKey, a key that allows parents to restrict car speeds and the volume of the music systems in their teenagers’ cars. The system can also be programmed to shut the car down if the driver or front seat passenger is not wearing a seatbelt. While these technologies are very welcome, and help parents keep tabs on their children’s driving, they are no substitutes for parental supervision and guidance.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact the lawyers at The Kahn Law Firm for a free, confidential consultation at 713-226-9900 or toll free 1-877-226-9940.

It is the first drowning death in Texas this year, and Texas personal injury lawyers will be concerned that this year too could see a continuation of our dismal child safety record from 2009. Last year, a staggering 112 children in Texas died in drowning accidents, including 32 children in the Houston area alone. Both were new records since Texas began keeping count of children’s drowning deaths in 2005.  There were 66 deaths in 2005, 70 deaths in 2006 and 63 deaths in 2007.

Those numbers were alarming enough for the Department of Family and Protective Services to warn about an unchecked increase in drowning deaths involving children last year. In fact, in our state, drowning is the second largest cause of unintentional death in children, with kids between 1 and 4 years of age accounting for almost half of all drowning deaths.

As parents ourselves, we find the silence over our state’s record in child safety, alarming. There just isn’t enough uproar and anger over the fact that so many children seem to die every year in Texas in some of the most preventable ways imaginable.

There is nothing to beat parental supervision to prevent drowning accidents. Remember, it takes only a couple of seconds for a child to fall into a pool, or wade over to the deep end.  As Houston personal injury attorneys, we are also concerned about the safety and security systems in place in pools in hotels, clubs, and recreational facilities. Property owners must make sure that there are designated lifeguards to watch over the pool. Even with the passing of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, we know that many public pools in Texas have still not installed safer drain covers that can prevent little children from being entrapped and drowned.

If your child has been the victim of a drowning or any other type of injury, contact the the attorneys at The Kahn Law Firm for a free consultation at 713-226-9900 or toll free 1-877-226-9940.

The end of the year is also one that keeps law enforcement authorities and state troopers extra busy, as they crack down on intoxicated drivers across Texas. The 2009 holiday drunk driving crackdown has already begun. Police departments across the state are enforcing DUI laws, and are urging motorists to plan ahead if they intend to drink.  Texas DWI lawyers would advise the following, to avoid driving while intoxicated.

• Call for a taxi.
• Ask a friend to drop you home.
• Several states now have professional designated driver services that, for a fee, will pick you up from the venue, and drop you back to your home. Look for these services in your area.
• If you are drinking at a friend or relative’s place, ask if you can sleep over.

Christmas is a week away and, we’re already seeing an increase in drunk driving accidents causing serious injuries. An Amarillo man, who was struck by an alleged intoxicated motorist over the weekend, continues to remain in a serious condition. Philip Don Glover was crossing the street when he was struck by a van driven by the alleged drunk driver.  It’s a terrible thing to happen during Christmas time, and our hearts go out to his family.

As both Texas personal injury lawyers and Texas DWI lawyers, we hope that everybody celebrates the season with a sense of responsibility for their own safety, and for the safety of other motorists around.

If you find yourself in need of a personal injury lawyer because you or a loved one was injured by a drunk driver, call the Texas personal injury lawyers at the Kahn Law Firm for a free consultation.  And likewise, if you get arrested for suspicion of drunk driving, call the Texas DWI lawyers at the Kahn Law Firm. We understand both sides of DWI accidents and can help.  For a free consultation, call us at 713-226-9900 or toll free 1-877-226-9940.