A thirty-one-year-old man died in San Antonio, Texas on September 15, 2020 after an 18-wheeler failed to stop at an access road intersection, plowing into the young man's Honda Civic and propelling it into oncoming traffic. The 18-wheeler driver later told investigators his brakes failed.
Posts tagged "vehicle crash"
Deadly San Antonio 18-Wheeler Crash Believed to Be Caused by Failing Brakes
Deteriorating and Damaged Roads Causing Car Accidents in Houston and Across Texas
The roads in Texas, specifically Houston, Texas, have deteriorated to the point of constituting a driving hazard to Texas drivers. According to a study by CoPilot, nearly one-third of Houston roads, 28.6 percent, are in poor condition. 28.6 percent is worse than the national average of 26.4 percent. Moreover, 7.9 percent of Houston's freeways and interstates are in poor condition, and 40.8 percent of Houston's arterial roadways are in poor condition. These statistics establish that Houston roads are some of the poorest maintained roads in America.
Tesla Sued After Airbags Malfunctioned
Kristian Edwards was driving her Model 3 Tesla when she was struck by another vehicle. It caused her to slam into the guardrail on the interstate highway. None of the Tesla's airbags deployed. Mrs. Edwards, a public health professor at George Washington University in Washington, suffered major injuries, including head trauma and brain damage. Mrs. Edwards was wearing her seat belt; her son was in the back seat and also sustained injuries. Suit was filed against Tesla. The family is seeking to be compensated for medical bills, Mrs. Edwards' loss of earning capacity, and her pain and suffering.
Tesla Airbags and Seatbelts Faulted for Brain Injuries Sustained During Crash
On June 25, 2020, a Maryland woman who suffered traumatic brain injuries in a 2019 accident sued Tesla Inc. in California alleging it manufactured an unsafe Model 3 vehicle with airbags that didn't properly deploy. The suit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court in California where Tesla's headquarters is located.
Self-Driving Cars Are Not the Answer to Safer Roads
Do self-driving cars really prevent accidents from occurring on the road? Most people would think they would due to the multiple technological advances such as the 360-degree sensors or the self-parking feature. But according to a study done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), autonomous vehicles are not the answer to eliminating vehicular accidents. The IIHS examined 5,000 crashes and determined that self-driving cars are only capable of preventing one third of automobile accidents. The Institute found certain driving mistakes such as misjudging speeds of other vehicles or high speeds on dangerous roads cannot be prevented from the current state of autonomous vehicles.
Traffic Deaths Not Significantly Lower During Virus Pandemic
Since COVID-19 has kept most of us home and off the roads, you would think a decrease in the amount of deaths on the roads would occur. Unfortunately, the numbers show there has been a small change in vehicle-related deaths. The total number of deaths on Texas roads in March went from 305 in 2019 to 241 in 2020, a number that shocked most state officials - because driving is down more than 50% in the state.
Toyota Adds Over One Million Vehicles to Recall for Fuel Pump Issues
Toyota recently announced that it is adding 1.2 million vehicles to a major recall due to possible fuel pump failures. In January, Toyota announced that they would recall nearly 700,000 U.S. vehicles due to defective fuel pumps. At that time, Toyota told the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator that they were aware of 66 field reports and 2,571 warranty claims related to fuel pump failures in the vehicles that were initially called. The addition of more vehicles brings the total recall to 1.8 million U.S. vehicles. In total, Toyota has recalled 3.2 million vehicles worldwide to address the issue. The recall came after Toyota launched an investigation in June 2019 into potential fuel pump issues.
Jury Awards $242 Million Verdict Against Toyota After Finding Defects Caused Children to Suffer Permanent Head and Brain Injuries
In August of 2018, a Dallas County jury awarded more than $242 million to a family after finding manufacturing defects in the family's Lexus vehicle had caused their children to suffer skull fractures and traumatic brain injuries after an otherwise minor collision.
Geico Refuses Its Insured's Claim Despite Underinsured Motorist Coverage
On August 5, 2019, a Texas resident filed a lawsuit in Harris County Civil Court against Geico County Mutual Insurance Company ("Geico"), alleging breach of contract and bad faith.
Self-Driving Uber Vehicle Kills Pedestrian
A $10 million lawsuit was filed against the city of Tempe, Arizona after a woman was killed by an autonomous Uber vehicle. The suit states that the Arizona suburb created a dangerous situation by installing a brick pathway across the median where people were not allowed to cross the road. Essentially, city officials paved a walkway for jaywalkers. The suit seeks $5 million in damages each for the surviving husband and daughter of the 49-year-old woman killed in the collision. While the city's spokesperson could not comment directly on the case, she has stated that the suburb has since landscaped the median in place of the walkway.
