Why Does Angelina County’s Most Dangerous Intersection Continue Causing Accidents?

Angelina County’s most dangerous intersection recently caused another serious car accident, this time involving a 22-year-old woman and a 2-year-old child. The intersection at U.S. Highway 69 and FM 326 is well known in our county for causing accidents. Nearby residents interviewed by KTRE claim they frequently see serious wrecks occur. One of the residents claimed they had seen four car accidents occur at the intersection in the last month and a half. Why is the intersection a significant cause of accidents? Motorists turning onto Highway 69 from FM 326 cannot see oncoming traffic coming from over a hill to the left. Some vehicles on Highway 69 may be speeding, making this intersection even more dangerous. Fortunately, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is taking complaints about the intersection seriously. TxDOT will be conducting a signal analysis study at the intersection this week. Data collected from the study will determine whether further action is warranted. If necessary, TxDOT could make the Highway 69 and FM 326 intersection signalized by installing traffic lights.

How Can You Avoid Accidents at Angelina County’s Most Dangerous Intersection?

The best way to avoid an accident at Highway 69 and FM 326 is to avoid the intersection by taking alternative routes. People turning right or left can take Pee Wee Smith Rd to Highway 69, as there is no hill obstructing oncoming traffic. Visibility is much better for traffic coming from either direction. Alternative routes may not be an option for everyone. Until TxDOT makes its decision, there are other ways you can reduce the chances of being involved in an accident at Lufkin’s most dangerous intersection.

• Turn off music: Highway 69 and FM 326 are a blind intersection, so it is crucial to rely on your other senses to detect approaching traffic. You may have an easier time hearing other vehicles approaching if you turn off the radio or stereo.

• Scrutinize the intersection: Look both ways, but do so quickly. It does not take long for traffic coming up over the hill to reach the intersection.

• Avoid this intersection at night: It's hard to see traffic approaching from the left. This is even more the case at night on a poorly lit highway. If you are going to turn onto Highway 69 at night, it may be best to use one of those alternative routes.

• Avoid any distractions: Eating, texting, or grooming can be fatal at this intersection. Highway 69 and FM 326 require your full attention.

It could take TxDOT a while to fix this dangerous intersection. In the meantime, we need to stay vigilant or find alternate routes. The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC, encourage you to drive safely.

Should Large Vehicles Use Speed Limiting Devices?

East Texas has experienced several truck accidents in recent weeks. Last week, a log truck rollover in Nacogdoches shut down part of Highway 7. In August, a tractor-trailer and two passenger vehicles were involved in a collision in Lufkin. Two people lost their lives. Recent news is a reminder that commercial vehicles can cause more destruction than passenger vehicles. Commercial drivers need to avoid speeding and other dangerous driving habits. However, commercial drivers are human beings, and therefore not immune to making mistakes. For this reason, federal regulators are emphasizing the use of new technologies to prevent these harmful behaviors. Speed-limiting devices might be one way to accomplish this goal.

Why The FMCSA and NHTSA Want Speed Limiting Devices

A proposed Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rule would require speed-limiting devices on commercial and multipurpose vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds. This would include tractor-trailers, school buses, passenger buses, and other large vehicles. At the moment, the rule under consideration uses devices to cap maximum speeds at 60, 65, or 68 mph.

The FMCSA’s and NHTSA’s rule has been submitted to the Federal Register and will now be open to public comment until November 7th. Critics and proponents of the rule have already voiced their opinions through multiple press releases. We can learn quite a bit from what they are saying. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx claims that speed-limiting devices on large vehicles could serve an essential purpose. He claims it would save lives. NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind echoed these sentiments, saying that decreasing speed would reduce the impact force from collisions.

According to both Department of Transportation agencies, speed-limiting devices on vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds could save 27 to 498 lives every year. Both arguments also suggest that many people could be spared the hardships of living with disabilities from catastrophic injuries. Opposing the rule is the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). According to OOIDA, the new rule would jeopardize the safety of all motorists by leading to speed differentials and road rage. The association claims that highways are safer when all vehicles are driving close to the same speed.

Where Do You Stand On This Issue?

Both sides make some interesting points. We know that speeding commercial trucks are more likely to experience rollovers, jackknifing, have less time to stop, and are much more likely to cause fatal collisions due to the massive impact force. On the other hand, road rage is dangerous and can cause accidents. People in a fit of road rage are much more likely to engage in dangerous maneuvers, such as leaving the highway to pass other vehicles or speeding. If it were up to you, would you want to implement a rule requiring speed-limiting devices on vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds? Keep up with the Texas truck accident attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC on Facebook and share your thoughts.

Why Do Overloaded Trucks Cause Accidents?

Any commercial truck on the road poses increased danger to other motorists, but an overloaded truck presents additional hazards. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) imposes weight limits on trucking companies to prevent as many weight-related truck accidents as possible. According to the FMCSA, the weight limit for a commercial motor vehicle is a gross weight (truck and cargo) of no more than 80,000 pounds. Some trucking companies have been caught ignoring the rule in an attempt to boost productivity. In 2014, the Texas Department of Public Safety cited 61,184 drivers for operating overweight trucks. Overloaded trucks are responsible for hundreds of accidents on Texas roads every year. In 2011, 1,137 accidents on Texas highways were caused by overloaded trucks, in which four drivers died and another 30 were injured.

What Risks Do Overloaded Trucks Pose?

A commercial truck can easily weigh 20 or 30 times more than an average vehicle. That means that they cause significantly more damage upon impact. Other dangers associated with overloading include:

• Difficulty stopping – The increased weight means more mass to overcome. More mass means more momentum. More momentum means it could take much longer for an overweight truck to stop; too long to prevent a fatal car accident.

• Risk of breaking axles – The axles on a truck are rated to carry a certain weight. If the axles are overloaded, they could break. If the axle on a 100,000-pound rolling object breaks while it’s traveling 60 mph, that’s going to do some damage to any vehicles nearby.

• Instability and tip overs – Overweight trailers could also cause the truck and its cargo to fall over, potentially crushing cars passing by.

• Increased risk of dropping cargo – Falling debris is also a serious concern with overloaded trucks. When trucks are overloaded, it’s hard to ensure cargo is securely strapped.

What Can I Do If I’m Injured in an Overloaded Truck Accident?

If a trucking company asks its drivers to exceed regulations on weight, it may cause a serious accident. Truck drivers and companies have a responsibility to follow the rules and keep other people on the road safe. The vehicles they are driving are deadly and should be handled with caution. Depending on the circumstances of an accident, truckers and commercial carriers can be held liable when other drivers are injured or killed. Profits should never take precedence over other people's lives. Suppose you were injured because a trucking company valued productivity and profit over your safety. In that case, you should contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible to discuss your legal options.

Road Etiquette: How Driving Politely Can Improve Your Safety

Driving etiquette is not only polite, but it may also save lives. If you follow some of the behaviors listed below, you may reduce your risk of being involved in a car accident. Getting somewhere a few seconds faster is not worth your life or the lives of others. Use your turn signal: Neglecting it is a safety risk for apparent reasons. According to research by the Society of Automotive Engineers, failure to use turn signals causes 2 million accidents each year. The study claims drivers neglect to use their turn signals 48 percent of the time. Please, don’t be one of these people. Be careful using your high beams: High beams can improve your personal safety while endangering others.

The truth is, there is a right and wrong way to use high beams. Switch off your high beams to standard lighting when you see an approaching vehicle. Also, do not use high beams while driving directly behind another driver. Avoid distracted driving: Centers for Disease Control statistics show distracted driving kills eight and injures 1,161 drivers daily. Texting while driving is not the only form of distracted driving. Eating while driving, talking to other passengers, or reaching for nearby items can also cause distractions. Your only focus should be on driving. Let other drivers merge: Never speed up to keep other drivers from merging, as you may cause a collision. Don’t tailgate other drivers: If the driver in front of you is going too slowly, attempt to switch lanes and pass them. Tailgating is extremely risky because it does not provide you with enough stopping room if the driver unexpectedly hits the brakes. Yield the right of way: If you are at a stop sign or intersection and believe another driver may have the right of way, let them pass first. Attempting to run through the intersection is likely to cause a collision. Don’t slow down to look at roadside accidents: Slowing down to gawk at roadside accidents is known as ‘rubbernecking’. Rubbernecking is an annoyance for other drivers because it causes traffic jams. It can also increase your risk of an accident by taking your eyes off the road.

Why You Should Practice Driving Etiquette

Developing these habits will take repetition. Like all good habits, practicing driving etiquette can take time. According to researchers at the University of College London, new habits take an average of 66 days before they become automatic. If you feel you could be a ‘politer’ driver, give these techniques a try over the next two to three months and see if they stick. The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC, encourage you to practice safe driving habits.

18-Wheeler Crash on Highway 59 North Takes Two Lives

Mechanical failure and, potentially, driver error on the part of the truck driver resulted in a fatality crash involving an 18-wheeler and two other vehicles on August 10th just outside of Lufkin.  Thaddeus Warden, of Lufkin, was tragically killed in the crash.  Mr. Warden was driving a 2013 Dodge southbound on Highway 59 when the 18-wheeler lost control, crossed the median, and crashed into Mr. Warden’s truck and a 2016 Jeep driven by Bria Jones of Houston.  According to reports, Ms. Jones was also injured and transported to a Lufkin hospital.  A passenger in the 18-wheeler, Brenda Ramon, of Laredo, was also killed in the crash.

According to DPS reports, the 18-wheeler suffered a blowout immediately before the driver lost control of his truck.  At this time, it’s not known whether the blowout theory is based on information from the driver or evidence obtained from the scene.  However, these types of crashes are all too common on our nation’s roadways.  Many assume that a tire “blowout” is some freak accident that just ‘happens’ and can’t be prevented.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Crashes caused by tire “blowouts”,  just like crashes caused by wheels suddenly “coming off” 18-wheeler trailers, are almost always preventable and usually the result of negligent maintenance, driver error, or both. Today’s tires are manufactured to exacting standards and don’t “blow out” unless something is badly wrong.  Remember the Ford Explorers and Firestone Tires that kept exploding and causing crashes?  Remember all the lawsuits?  That’s because tires are not supposed to blow out.  There were lawsuits because the Firestone tires were defective and dangerous. 

Now, think of all the pieces of 18-wheeler tires you see on the side of the road.  Have you ever heard of a big wave of 18-wheeler tire lawsuits?  You can bet that if the tires were defective, there would be lawsuits all over the place. The truth is, 18-wheeler tires are manufactured to significantly higher standards than passenger cars.  The average passenger car tire weighs about 20 pounds, while the average big truck tire weighs between 100 and 110 pounds.  However, as you can imagine, truck tires are also under tremendous pressure and stress.  Big trucks are allowed to carry 20,000 pounds of weight on each axle.  The most common cause of “blowouts” is driving on worn and damaged tires

or driving on under-inflated tires.  Big truck tires are designed to run on 95-115 pounds of air pressure (as opposed to the 32 pounds required for a passenger car).  When a trucking company decides to cut corners and squeeze ‘a few thousand more miles’ out of worn and damaged tires, it puts everyone else on the road at risk.  Likewise, low air pressure and worn and damaged tires are easily detected by even the most inexperienced driver if he or she takes the time to look.  When truck drivers get in a hurry and skip the pre-trip inspection required by law before every trip, the results can be absolutely tragic. 

Mike Love practices law in Lufkin, Texas, and is the founding partner with the law firm of Mike Love & Associates, LLC.  Much of Mike Love’s practice involves representing the victims of 18-wheeler crashes. He regularly speaks at legal seminars, providing continuing education to other attorneys relating to car and big truck crash litigation through the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the Texas State Bar. If you are injured in a wreck with a commercial vehicle or 18-wheeler, contact Mike Love & Associates, LLC. We can help.