A recent Dallas car accident left a woman critically injured, and now a police officer involved in the accident is being accused of being intoxicated at the time of the accident. According to the DallasNews.com article, this isn’t the first time he has been in trouble over an alcohol-related incident.

The article explains that the police officer is now on administrative leave, and he faces a felony charge of intoxication assault. The Dallas car accident happened when the police officer was driving near Midway Road and Bonham Street when he hit a car, leaving his passenger with serious personal injuries. At the time of the article, she was still in intensive care at a Dallas area hospital. Police who arrived at the scene of this Dallas car accident said the man “smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes, slurred his speech and was unsteady on his feet.”

As for the alcohol-related incident that happened before this one, the police officer had been off duty on his 28th birthday, riding in a vehicle that was involved in a car accident.

A Dallas Car Accident Can Wreck Lives

A Dallas car accident can be very dangerous, often resulting in very serious injuries for those involved. Catastrophic damage to vehicles and people, along with the possiblity of death, or wrongful death, is possible. A Dallas car accident victim may have their life changed forever.

When you’ve been injured in a Dallas car accident due to someone else’s negligence, it’s time to hire a personal injury attorney who will fight for your rights. A good Dallas car accident attorney will aggressively work to see that you get the compensation you deserve for your emotional and physical suffering.

If you’re looking for a Dallas car accident attorney, contact the law firm of Street and Ragsdale today to find out what steps to take next.

It is worth remembering that sometimes things do work out for the best if you do the right thing. This point was driven home by a recent case involving a Texas truck driver and an unsafe load.
The truck driver was fired because he refused to take to the highways driving a load of steel that was not properly secured and was therefore dangerous. The company’s president told him he could either drive the company’s truck or drive his own truck home. The trucker refused to take the unsafe load and was fired the same day.
The trucker sued, claiming that he was fired solely for refusing to perform an illegal act. At trial, the jury agreed. Contributing to its verdict were a number of facts, including the following:

•    This was not the first time the driver had complained about having to drive a dangerous load.
•    The company admitted that it knew next to nothing about the federal regulations governing trucks and their loads.
•    The driver had previously received a ticket for transporting an unsafe and illegal load, about which he had complained.
•    When another driver took the same unsafe load the trucker had refused to take, part of the load came loose and slammed into the driver’s cab.

The trucking company tried to discredit the trucker’s stance and to portray him as being in it for the money, but the jury credited his testimony that he had been trying to do the right thing and be a good role model for his kids. The jury awarded the trucker $267,000, even though he had suffered only $7,500 in lost wages. Those of us who drive on Texas highways can only hope that the trucking company got the message.

Although no one would argue that balancing your checkbook is a fun way to pass an evening, balancing it every month is important for several reasons.

Bouncing Checks Is Expensive

Banks make much of their profit on bounced check charges and overdraft fees, and these charges and fees keep going up. They can also have a negative effect on your credit rating, making borrowing for everything from a house to a car to a vacation more expensive. Balancing your checkbook every month (and keeping good records of ATM withdrawals, fund transfers, etc.) helps make sure you don’t write checks you can’t cover, saving money.

Mistakes Happen

Although not common, banks sometimes make mistakes on your statement. If you balance your checkbook every month, you can find these mistakes early, when they are easier to correct.

Stop the Bad Guys

Finally, as much as we hate to think about it, fraud and identity theft are on the rise. While rare, it is possible for others to siphon off funds from your bank account without your knowledge. If you go over your records every month, you can discover this kind of problem before you lose too much of your hard-earned money.

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.

We’re happy to bring you the Fall 2008 Texas Law Alert in this new blog format. This article and the following short blog entries are all part of this fall’s Alert. Each Alert brings you easy-to-read tips and articles on everyday legal topics.

Despite this modern age of marketing and advertising, the best source of our new business is word-of-mouth. We are grateful that many of our clients and friends feel confident in recommending our firm.

Unfortunately, when people need a good lawyer, they often do not know where to turn. If you or someone you know has been injured and needs legal help, contact us for a free case evaluation.

Automobile Insurance Essentials

Most of us who drive know we must have insurance on our automobiles, but not all of us know what this insurance does and does not cover.

After an Auto Accident

Simple, practical advice about what to do after you’re involved in a car wreck or auto accident.

Advice for the Injured

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.

Travel Safely on Airlines

While passengers in a plane can hardly prevent a crash, they can take some common-sense steps to make sure that they survive any crash that may occur.

Dog Owners Be Advised

Some dog owners believe they cannot be liable if their dog attacks someone, unless it has attacked someone else before and therefore the animal is known to be dangerous. The Texas Supreme Court has recently made clear that this is not accurate.

Dangerous Drugs

Although the majority of drugs are safe and effective, many are dangerous to certain users.

Visit our archive of past Texas Law Alerts.

Dallas Lawyers Share Knowledge

Dallas Lawyers Dan Street and David Ragsdale welcome you to their new blog. The new blog will be covering all areas of Dallas law that we find useful and informational to our current clients and our potential clients.

A History of Success in Legal Matters

The Dallas law firm of Street and Ragsdale brings to the table more than 50 years of handling personal injury and wrongful death cases with a 99.9% winning percentage. Very few personal injury lawyers or personal injury law firms can match that percentage of cases won.

Our Areas of Expertise in Dallas Law

The areas of expertise for these Dallas lawyers are airplane crashes, boating accidents, dangerous products, motorcycle accidents, sexual harassment, slip-and-fall, animal bites, bus accidents, hospital negligence, non-subscriber cases, trip-and-fall, truck accidents, bicycle accidents, car wrecks, medical malpractice, pedestrian accidents, train wrecks, and wrongful death.

Dallas Lawyers Who Provide Assistance

Dan Street and David Ragsdale are experts in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death and Texas law and they into to share their knowledge with you through interesting and timely blog posts. The blog posts may answer some of your questions regarding the law or they may cause you to realize that you need to retain a lawyer. These blogs will bring you insight into your rights, as well as insight into cases that you may find are similar to your own.

Our Lawyers Are Here for You

Come join the Dallas law firm of Street and Ragsdale as they begin their voyage into the world of blogging. And if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need a personal injury or wrongful death lawyer, please contact one of our personal injury lawyers today. They will be glad to help you in anyway they can; and the initial consultation is always free.