Austin Personal Injury Lawyers

Commercial fall protection rules extended to residential builders

Posted on December 6th, 2011 No Comments

Recently, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration extended fall protection regulations used in commercial construction projects to residential construction contractors and projects.

Fall protection measures include safety nets, guardrails, and personal fall arrest systems. Last year, OSHA issued the highest amount of safety citations to employers who committed fall protection violations.

Approximately 29 percent of fatal falls in construction accidents occur in residential projects. Of fatal falls in residential construction, 35 percent are falls from roofs.

The safety practices expected of the commercial construction industry now must also be upheld in residential construction projects involving workers working at heights of 6 feet or higher.

Contact the Austin construction injury lawyers of The Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C. by calling 877-948-4842, if you or someone you love has been injured while performing construction.

Subaru issues recall of several 2012 vehicles

Posted on December 1st, 2011 No Comments

Subaru of America issued a recall of their 2012 Impreza, Outback, and Legacy vehicles today. Currently, only about 3,000 of the vehicles have been bought.

The car manufacturer stopped the sale of these vehicles on November 25. “Some customers said the brakes didn’t feel right. The pedal travels farther than it should,” said a spokesperson for Subaru. Subaru received 130 complaints from drivers concerning the recalled vehicles’ brake pedal.

Officials found that the brake pedal in the recalled vehicles travel too far. While no accidents have been reported involving the brake pedal defect, the problem could potentially put drivers of these vehicles at a greater risk of being in an accident.

If you or someone you love has suffered injuries in an accident caused by a vehicle defect, contact the Austin defective vehicle lawyers of The Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C. at 877-948-4842 to discuss your situation with one of our attorneys today.

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Preacher and wife killed by wrong-way driver

Posted on November 30th, 2011 No Comments

Yesterday evening, a beloved preacher from Austin and his wife were tragically killed in an accident caused by a wrong-way driver.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the fatal car accident occurred at about 9:15 p.m. on U.S. 290 near Baxter Lane. The vehicle the couple was traveling in in the eastbound lanes of the highway was hit when a driver from the westbound lanes crossed over the center line. The two vehicles collided head-on.

The preacher and his wife, both 64-years old, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver in the other vehicle was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ family and friends.

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Lettuce packs recalled for possible E. coli contamination

Posted on November 22nd, 2011 No Comments

Last Thursday, a voluntary recall was issued for bagged romaine lettuce produced by Ready Pac Food Inc.. With a recommendation from the California Department of Public Health, Ready Pac issued the recall of 16 oz., 10.25 oz., 10 oz., 9.25 oz., and 9 oz. bags of their romaine lettuce products.

The recalled products were distributed to grocery stores in Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, and Hawaii. The bags of lettuce that could possibly be contaminated are sold under the brand names Ready Pac, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and Dining In Classic with November 18,2011 as the use-by date.

Officials from the USDA tested some of the products before the recall was issued. While investigators believe the products could be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, they have received no reports of illnesses linked to Ready Pac’s bagged romaine lettuce.

If you or a loved one has become ill after consuming a contaminated food product, contact the Austin toxic food product lawyers of The Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C. at 877-948-4842 to speak with one of our experienced personal injury attorneys today.

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TxDOT crew hit by car along I-35 in Round Rock

Posted on November 18th, 2011 No Comments

Yesterday, a crew of Texas Department of Transportation workers were hit by a car while picking up trash along the side of Interstate 35 in Round Rock. The workers were members of TxDOT’s Easter Seals Central Texas program.

According to the Round Rock Police Department, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred a little before 11 a.m. on Thursday when a vehicle left the roadway near Old Settler Boulevard and hit the 4 TxDOT workers.

The group was reported to be wearing orange safety vests to make them more visible. In addition, signs were put up in the area warning drivers of work crews along the side of the road. Officials do not believe alcohol or drugs played a role in the accident, but are currently investigating.

One worker, 50, was killed in the accident. Conditions of the other workers have not been reported.

Our utmost sympathies go out to the victim’s family and friends.

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OSHA releases list of top safety violations

Posted on November 16th, 2011 No Comments

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently released a list of the top 10 safety violations committed by employers in 2010.

First on the list were fall protection violations. Last year, OSHA investigators cited employers with 7,139 violations involving improper fall protections. Accidents involving fall protection are the leading cause of fatalities in the construction injury. In 2010, 260 workers in the U.S. died in falls.

Scaffolding violations followed behind fall protection on the list with 7,069 safety violations issued last year. Accidents involving scaffolding typically involve improper setup or placement.

The other most frequently occurring safety violations last year involved powered industrial trucks, ladders, machine guarding, electrical, wiring, hazard communication, respiratory protection, and lockout/tagout issues.

To speak with an attorney about what you can do after being injured in a construction accident, contact the Austin construction injury lawyers of The Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C. by calling 877-948-4842 today.

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1 killed, 1 injured in 3-vehicle Central Texas accident

Posted on November 10th, 2011 No Comments

Last week, a fatal car accident occurred in Grimes County on Texas Highway 105.

The accident occurred on Sunday at about 5 p.m. and involved three vehicles. The Texas Department of Public Safety reported that a Ford sedan traveling westbound on the highway caused the accident by crossing over the center lanes into oncoming traffic.

The sedan crashed head-on into a Fort pickup truck traveling eastbound. The truck was pushed into the westbound lanes of the highway and crashed into an SUV, which flipped.

The driver of the pickup truck, 56, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Paramedics took the 49-year old driver of the SUV to a hospital in Houston where he was listed as being in critical condition.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family and friends.

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Woman files suit against driver over injuries from car accident

Posted on November 8th, 2011 No Comments

Last month, a woman filed a lawsuit in Galveston County District Court against the driver who crashed into her vehicle in an accident in Texas City. The defendant in the case is accused of causing the car accident in which the plaintiff was injured.

According to court documents, the defendant’s vehicle struck the plaintiff’s vehicle as the defendant was attempting to turn from 28th Street onto Texas Avenue. The plaintiff was driving on the 2800 block of Texas Avenue when the accident occurred.

The lawsuit states, “[The defendant] was not paying attention, did not yield to traffic on Texas Avenue and pull directly into [the plaintiff's] lane of travel causing a violent collision with the plaintiff’s vehicle.” Both vehicles were significantly damaged.

The plaintiff is seeking $80,000 in damages for her injuries. The suit claims the driver is responsible for her injuries by speeding, failing to operate his vehicle in a safe manner, failing to yield, failing to avoid a collision, and driving with a suspended license.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident caused by another driver’s negligence, contact the Austin driver error lawyers of The Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C. at 877-948-4842 to discuss your case with one of our attorneys today.

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State to receive $50 million from BP for Texas City explosion

Posted on November 3rd, 2011 No Comments

State Attorney General Greg Abbott recently announced that the state was awarded $50 million in a lawsuit filed against BP Products North America Inc. in June 2009. The Attorney General’s Office filed the suit due to the numerous environmental protection laws the company violated when an explosion occurred at their refinery in Texas City in March 2005.

In the lawsuit, BP was found responsible for 72 illegal emissions of pollutants in the accident and in the years since. The majority of the settlement will be directly deposited into the Texas State Treasury.

While the lawsuit “reflects the State’s commitment to protecting air quality and holding polluters accountable for illegal emissions,” it does not resolve any claims regarding the victims of the explosion. The fire and explosion in Texas City in 2005 took the lives of 15 people and left more than 170 workers injured.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an explosion, contact the Austin explosion injury attorneys of The Law Offices of Vic Feazell, P.C. at 877-948-4842 to learn more about how we can help you receive compensation for your pain and suffering.

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Family files wrongful death suit over truck accident

Posted on October 25th, 2011 No Comments

A Texas family recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Acme Truck Line Inc. which accuses the company of negligence by not performing a proper background check on one of their truck drivers.

According to the lawsuit, a woman related to the family was killed in an accident with an Acme 18-wheeler truck in December 2010. The accident occurred on U.S. Highway 190 when the truck driver swerved into the left lanes in order to prepare for a right turn and blocked all of the highway’s northbound lanes.

The victim of the accident was traveling in a vehicle behind the truck. When the truck moved into the left lanes, the woman attempted to avoid colliding with the 18-wheeler, but was unable and crashed into the back of it.

The truck company is accused of not evaluating the truck driver’s experience and abilities, not performing a proper background check or criminal history check on the driver, and not tracking the driver’s operation of their 18-wheelers.

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