Dallas Boat Accident Lawyer News

A boat accident killed a 18-year-old Dallas high school student this June. Lisa Chung and her friends were in Cancun celebrating their graduation when the allegedly overloaded catamaran they were on began to sink. Shortly after, the boat capsized, roughly dumping the Dallas students and their fellow passengers into the water. Miss Chung nearly drowned in the boat accident, but tragically her heart, lungs and brain were so damaged by the accident that she died two days later.

With all the lakes in the Dallas metroplex, including the 22,745-acre Lake Ray Hubbard, your chances of being in a Dallas boat accident are greater than you might think. Although our example boat accident occurred in Mexico, boating accidents happen all over the world with distressing frequency. How do you avoid becoming a Dallas boat accident statistic?

Here are our Dallas boat accident safety tips:

• Don’t drink and drive, on land or sea. There are no lane markers or embankment railings on Dallas lakes, but that additional freedom means that a boat accident can come from any direction. Exposure to sun, wind, noise and vibration also can dull your senses as much as alcohol, so if you add alcohol to that equation, you can see how Dallas boat accidents happen.
• Wear a lifejacket.
• Don’t be caught unawares by the weather. Texas weather turns on a dime and is the source of many a Dallas boat accident or tragedy.
• Bring maps, flares and a medical kit.
• Let your friends know when you’ll be back. If you’re in a Dallas boat accident, they’ll know to call for help.
• Don’t sit on the gunwales or seatbacks where a sudden change in direction would toss you overboard.

If you or your loved ones have suffered because of a Dallas boat accident, you owe it to yourselves to contact the Dallas boat accident lawyers at Street & Ragsdale. Contact us today for an obligation-free Dallas boat accident consultation.

The Plane Crash Death of Adventurer Steve Fossett

The plane crash that killed Steve Fossett has received a lot of press coverage, some of it erroneous.

For example, many reporters took issue with the fact that Steve Fossett failed to file a “flight plan” before taking off from William Barron Hilton’s Flying-M Ranch in northern Nevada ranch on September 3, 2007. These writers seem to believe that a flight plan would’ve given authorities the exact coordinates of Fossett’s journey at every moment, and thus a simple path to travel to search for the plane crash. (The search for Steve Fossett’s plane crash, by the way, covered seventeen thousand square miles and was the most exhaustive search for a missing aircraft in U.S. record.)

The truth is, in fact, that a flight plan, especially a “VFR” (visual flight rules) flight plan for clear and sunny flight conditions, would have done nothing to aid searchers in finding Steve Fossett’s plane crash site. As Stephan Wilkinson writes at concierge.com, “Fossett had only a general idea of where he’d be flying… So give the guy a break. Failing to file a VFR flight plan is tantamount to failing to change the air in your tires before going for a drive.” Flight plans don’t detail every movement of a planned plane flight, so when a plane crash happens, flight plans are of little help. A pilot can take a plane up and wander around the skies, just like you can take your car and roam freely around your neighborhood. Steve Fossett’s failure to file a flight plan was not reckless, just expedient.

Steve Fossett’s plane crash happened in a Bellanca Super Decathlon, a tiny two-seat prop plane with little speed and good maneuverability. His choice of plane was appropriate. What other things could Fossett have done to survive his plane crash – and what could you do to avoid dying in a plane crash?

Count the number of rows to the nearest exits. If you can find the exit in the dark or smoke, you’re much likelier to survive a plane crash.

Brace yourself for the impact. If you get knocked out by the plane crash, you’re a lot less likely to live.

Don’t wear sandals. In a plane crash, good shoes and long sleeved garments will help protect you from sharp metal, glass fragments and flame.

Find water and follow it. If you walk away from a plane crash, head downhill and find a stream or river, and follow it. Water always leads to civilization.

Prepare your family for a plane crash. Make sure your kids understand what to do, and split the responsibility for children with your spouse so each of you know which kids to guide in the unlikely event of a plane crash.

If oxygen masks drop before the plane crash, put your mask on before your kids’. As the flight attendants will tell you, it’s better if you’re conscious so you can help your smaller companions.

Sit near the rear. Although the FAA argues that there is no safest seat in a plane crash, a comprehensive study by Popular Mechanics claims that passengers in the rear of a plane are 40 percent more likely to live through a plane crash than the folks in the front seats.

Move fast, stay calm and stay low immediately following a plane crash. Toxic smoke is a major killer in plane crashes; staying low keeps you breathing cleaner air. Time is a big factor in a plane crash, too; don’t delay because conditions in the plane cabin will only deteriorate from fire, smoke and possibly explosions.

If you’ve survived a plane crash, don’t hesitate to contact the plane crash lawyers at Street & Ragsdale. Our accident lawyers are experienced and highly successful experts who can help you obtain justice in your plane crash case.

Personal Injury Tips

No one wants to be injured in an accident, and no one wants to have to hire a lawyer to pursue a claim against the person who injured them. However, people are occasionally injured and have to pursue a claim. If this has happened to you, keep in mind the following tips.

Be Careful Whom You Talk To

As strange as it may sound, you have to be careful whom you talk to about your injuries. Of course, you are going to talk to family members and friends about what happened. Out of concern, many of them will offer you all kinds of advice about your medical care and legal matters. Although they are well-intentioned, your family and friends are not usually doctors or lawyers, and, even if they are, their advice may not be correct. Instead of relying on advice from nonexperts, rely on a doctor and a lawyer you trust to help you make medical or legal decisions.

When speaking with your doctor, keep the focus on your condition. There is no need to hide the truth–if your doctor asks if you have a lawyer, tell him you do. However, keep in mind that it is the doctor’s job to care for your body, and the lawyer’s job to handle your case. There is no need to volunteer more than you have been asked. Also, make sure that your doctor knows immediately about any change in your medical condition.

BE VERY CAREFUL when speaking with an insurance adjustor who works for the insurance company of the person who caused your injuries. No matter how friendly he seems or how much he says he wants to help, he works for your opponent and is trying to pay you as little as possible. The best tactic is to tell the adjustor to call your lawyer.
Keep Good Records

If you are being treated for injuries, you will generate a lot of paperwork, much of which is relevant to your case. If you can keep your records in good order, this will help your lawyer tremendously.

Of course, keep copies of medical records, especially your bills, from all of your doctors and other healthcare providers. Records from your health insurer are also important.

If you have missed time from work and are trying to recover for your lost wages, a pay stub showing how much you would have earned can be valuable, as is a statement from your employer telling how much time you have missed from work. Income tax returns from current and prior years are also helpful, allowing a comparison between what you earned before you were injured and what you earned afterwards.

In addition to this, keep any documents that you receive from an insurance company, whether your own or the insurer of the person who caused your injuries. If you receive anything in the mail that looks as if it is related to your case, hang onto it.

Help Your Lawyer to Help You

Finally, don’t overlook the obvious. Make sure that your attorney has your current address and phone number, and let him know if they change. Your lawyer will do everything possible to give you plenty of notice about things he or she may need, and you will have to meet any deadlines the court might impose.

If you need to speak with your lawyer, make an appointment. This ensures that your attorney will have time to speak with you and will be prepared to discuss your case. Lawyers have other clients and other commitments, and “dropping by” without notice may waste your time.

Keeping all of these things in mind will help your case go as smoothly as possible and help to ensure that you recover everything that you deserve.