Harris County Drunk Driving Chronicle
Texas continues to be infamous for leading the country in drunk driving fatalities. Partly due to its size, but also due to a high rate of drunk driving, Harris County (primarily Houston) contributes more to that dubious distinction than any other jurisdiction in the state. In an ideal world, we would be able to analyze,...
Only In Houston: Two DUI Drivers Hit Disabled Car in Fatal Crashes
I've mentioned before that Houston ranks uncomfortably highly in matters of drunk driving. Not only does it have the most DUI-related deaths of any Texas city, but it consistently ranks in the top 5 cities throughout the entire U.S. Sometimes it seems like Houston actually wants to remind everybody who wears that tarnished crown in...
Kia, Hyundai Recall Over a Million Vehicles for Possible Electronic Airbag Defect
Injury Relief readers may notice a theme that often pops up in our blog: When it comes to automotive defects, the airbag seems to be a recurring culprit. That disturbing trend continues in a recall issued by Kia and Hyundai. According to the company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Kia Motors (and...
Reggie Bush’s Recent Success In Court Is a Lesson in Premises Liability Law
Recently a St. Louis jury awarded Reggie Bush, a former NFL running back, a total of $12.5 million in damages for a 2015 slip-and-fall that ended his performance in the season and likely contributed to his retirement in 2017. While I don't write too much about sports, I think in this case Mr. Bush is...
Fiat Chrysler Recalls Millions of Vehicles for Cruise Controls That Might Not Disengage
Fiat Chrysler is once again making headlines with a sizable and serious recall. While previous recalls involved everything from fire hazards to disabled seatbelt pretensioners, ranging in scope and severity, the newest recall apparently involves a software bug that could keep a vehicle's cruise control engaged even when the driver tries to cancel it. That's...
Harbor Freight Recalls Over A Million Chainsaws That Might Not Turn Off
Tool manufacturing giant Harbor Freight recently announced the recall of more than a million chainsaws because of a serious operational defect. Who Makes The Defective Product(s)? The chainsaws were actually manufactured in China then imported by Harbor Freight Tools in Camarillo, California. They were then sold under three other brand names: Portland, One Stop Gardens,...
Haeger Revisited: Faulty Goodyear Tires and the Statute of Repose
Recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation into the field performance of tire manufacturer Goodyear line of "G159" model tires. According to records that were ordered unsealed by a judge last year, the tires--often used on motor homes despite being unfit for the purpose--may have caused wrecks that injured or...
Bum Steer: Ford Recalls 1.4 Million Vehicles for Potential Detaching Steering Wheels
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Cars are complex machines, and they've only gotten more so with over a century of technological refinement. Having noted that a working vehicle is something of a mechanical marvel and that the layman might not fully understand its every working, it's also safe to say most...
Specialized Bicycle Components, Inc. Recalls Thousands of “Allez” Model Bikes for Faulty Forks
Product recalls happen far more often than I could relay even if that's all I wrote about. The truth is that manufacturers and sellers, from local artisans to multinational conglomerates, sometimes create and sell defective products. When I say "products," though, I should note that it's often a little more granular than that word might...
The Bigger They Are, The Slower They Stop: The Importance of Following and Braking Distance
It no secret that as more people more to Texas, our roads become increasingly crowded. One of the first casualties of crowded roadways is proper following distance between vehicles. An incident in Southeast Texas made me ponder this dangerous element of modern driving culture. Copperas Cove, TX: January 17, 2018 65-year-old Roseann Lucidi of Kempner...
Asbestos Continues to Wreak Havoc on Generations of Workers
Society has a complicated history with technological progress. It seems like many major developments in the industrial and consumer sectors were found to be pretty awful ideas after a generation or so of use. Just think about it: From the 1930's through the 50's, cigarettes were endorsed by doctors for the pep that a jolt...
Positive Train Control: What Use is an Inactive or Absent Safety Feature?
The past few months have certainly not been good for trains. Multiple high-profile wrecks--three in as many months--have brought the public's gimlet eye down upon Amtrak, one of the most recognizable names in train transportation. For those who don't follow the news (who could blame you these days?), here's a quick summary of the most...
Don’t Take Airbags For Granted. They Don’t Always Work As Intended.
One of the most recognizable developments in vehicle safety, since the first gas-powered carriages wobbled down dirt roads in the late 19th century, is the airbag. Since they were patented in 1951, airbags have gone into almost every vehicle that can carry one. Everyone's aware of them, but I believe many people take their effectiveness...
Some Dangerous Drivers are Following Unsafe Orders.
There are times when we should weigh the morality of a decision against its profitability. Occasionally in the name of progress people in charge make decisions that, while not necessarily illegal, are certainly questionable. This kind of "me first" thinking is often most obvious when looking at certain businesses' expectations of their workers. Trucking companies...
Who’s Going to Investigate A Semi Truck Crash? Maybe Not Who You Think.
When an accident happens, who's the proper authority to investigate? Check the comments sections of news articles about the wreck and you'll find no shortage of armchair authorities who think they know exactly "who you gonna call." Their ideas on that are often wrong, but they'll treat them as the gospel truth when discussing the...
Some Commercial Drivers Still Hit the Road Despite Being Unfit to Drive.
Some think of the law as a "gotcha" instrument that deals justice indiscriminately, punishing many who don't truly deserve it and ruining lives in the process. On the contrary, it's entirely capable of recognizing different circumstances. For instance, it deals with genuine accidents differently than it does foreseeable events, and it treats each accordingly. The...
Can We Just Assume That Every Wrong-Way Driver is Drunk?
Wrong-way drivers are scary. How does a driver even find himself on the wrong side of the road, let alone stay there long enough to crash into oncoming traffic? I have a theory about it, actually: Pretty much every wrong-way driver is a drunk driver. I hate to speculate and then be wrong, but when...
Polaris Industries Recalls RZR Vehicles AGAIN for Fatal Fire Hazard
A joint statement between Polaris and the U.S. Consumer Products and Safety Commission (CPSC) was recently added to a series of company recalls related to potential fire issues in some of the company's vehicles, and the circumstances of it are worth talking about. Which Products Are Affected? The company's most recent statement relates to a...
Why Aren’t Drunk Drivers Charged With Murder?
Drunk driving is a terrible crime. Unsuspecting victims are hurt and killed every day by this all-too-familiar pattern: Someone is over-served, stumbles out to his car to go home, and plows into another vehicle or pedestrian to dire effect. If a police investigation proves that the intoxicated driver was responsible for hurting someone, that driver...
From NutriBullet to NutriBomb: Multiple Plaintiffs File Suit Over Alleged Blender Explosions, Injuries
Fans of kitchen gadgets and doodads, prepare yourselves for bad news: A series of lawsuits have been filed against the makers of the high-powered infomercial-famous NutriBullet blender--sorry: "Nutrient Extractor." Dearly as I love a good extracted nutrient, the lawsuits make troubling claims that several of the products have seriously and harmfully malfunctioned during use. The...
