KXAN | SEONewsWire.net

Another Central Texas Wrong Way Driver Wreck

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 15:33:38 +0000

Early this morning, a driver driving the wrong way on IH 35 near Kyle (where I grew up) caused a wreck that killed four people and injured two others.

In this instance, the wrong way driver was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of IH 35 at the Kyle Parkway exit. Unfortunately, the car hit a minivan, killing four occupants of the minivan and injuring two other children in the minivan. A third vehicle was also involved in the wreck. KXAN has a story on the wreck that I’m embedding below.

Wrong Way Driver Wrecks Happen More Often Than You Think

I feel like a broken record saying that it seems like these types of wrecks should never occur, but unfortunately, they’re all too frequent. I’ve been writing about these types of wrecks in the Austin area for years. I’m linking prior posts below that talk about ten or so of these wrecks in the last few years.

What Causes Wrong Way Driver Wrecks?

These types of wrecks often share a few common characteristics: they almost always occur at night and they almost always involve the use of alcohol and/or drugs.

Another factor in daytime wrong way driver wrecks is the age of the driver. Daytime wrecks are much more likely to be caused young drivers (those without much driving experience) and elderly drivers (who might be confused by complicated on-ramp designs).

What Can Be Done To Prevent Wrong Way Driver Wrecks?

One of the reasons that these wrecks are so tragic is that there is often very little that the victim driver can do. Obviously, if you see someone driving the wrong way, the safest thing to do is pull all the way over. But frequently, there isn’t enough warning to do that.

From a road design standpoint, road designers can help by better on-ramp design. A common factor in these wrecks is that impaired drivers get on the highway at confusing on-ramps.

A second thing that road designers can do is to lower the “wrong way” signs on the ramps. Studies have shown that lowering the signs to eye level for most drivers is an effective way to help reduce these wrecks.

Additional Information On Wrong Way Driver Wrecks

For more information, refer to some of my many other posts on wrong way driver wrecks.

The post Another Central Texas Wrong Way Driver Wreck first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.

Concussions — IMPACT Testing For Kids

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 15:58:24 +0000

My son sustained a concussion last spring while playing baseball. During that process, my son took a test called an IMPACT test to help diagnose the concussion and to help figure out when he had recovered sufficiently to return to normal activities. But our problem was that we didn’t have a baseline. The IMPACT test works best if the kids have taken a pre-injury test (required by many school athletics departments) to be compared to the post-injury tests. Since the pre-injury test only costs around $20, I’ve become a big proponent of encouraging kids to take the tests.

Recently, local news station KXAN ran a good story about the tests. If you have kids, especially those participating in sports, I urge you to watch the story and to have the kids take the test. You can watch the story below.

The post Concussions — IMPACT Testing For Kids first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.

Austin Bans Use of Hand-Held Cell Phones While Driving

admin — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 21:07:54 +0000

Yesterday, the Austin City Council adopted a ban on drivers using hand held electronic devices, including cell phones. The ban, to go into effect on January 1, 2015, doe contain exceptions for hands-free devices and for 911 or other emergency calls. You can read more about the ban in this article by KXAN.

I have some mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I see these problems daily, and I preach about the dangers of distracted driving, including the curse of texting while driving, and, overall, I’m in favor of the ban. On the other hand, I’m a bit concerned that this might be overreaching. Talking on cell phones has become accepted, and it’s hard to legislate away such accepted conduct.

I hope the biggest effect of the ban is that we don’t have to see so many people texting while driving. Police officers think the overall ban will make it easier to enforce existing texting while driving bans, and I certainly think that’s a good idea.

The post Austin Bans Use of Hand-Held Cell Phones While Driving first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.

Will Austin Ban Use of Cell Phones While Driving?

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 16:27:50 +0000

A lot of momentum seems to be developing for the idea that Austin will ban drivers from using hand-held devices while driving. In February, the Austin City Council appointed a Distracted Driving Study Group to look at the problem of distracted driving. On Monday, the study group released a memo recommending that the city council outlaw the use of handheld devices while driving. There seem to be two main reasons for this. One, using a hand held cell phone while driving can be distracting and dangerous. Two, making it illegal to use hand held devices would make it easier to enforce the ban on texting whiile driving (now it’s difficult to tell is someone is texting or dialing a phone number).

I’ll keep you posted on the story as details emerge. In the meantime, KXAN has done a nice story on the issue. You can watch it below.

The post Will Austin Ban Use of Cell Phones While Driving? first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.

Is Your Insurance Company Paying Fairly?

admin — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 16:06:56 +0000

Last week, local news station KXAN ran a great story on the problems that consumers encounter trying to get insurance companies to pay their claims. Unfortunately, I see this on a daily basis. When you’re hurt or injured, insurance companies seem to employ the old deny, defend and delay tactics to try and minimize what you’re paid.

The person in this story was lucky. After a battle, he thinks he received a fair payout without having to hire an attorney. But most people who try to handle their own claims aren’t that lucky. As lawyers, we know the tactics the insurance companies are trying to use against you, and we know the ways you can mess up your claim. That’s why it’s reported that even insurance companies studies prove that claimants who have lawyers who can help guide you through the process end up with much higher recoveries, on average.

I urge you to watch the story below:

The post Is Your Insurance Company Paying Fairly? first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.

What is your insurer’s track record in paying claims?

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 20:30:11 +0000

Austin television station KXAN has uncovered information about insurance companies in Texas that would shock many consumers. According to their investigation, more than $27 million was paid out to consumers in 2013 after they filed complaints with the Texas Department of Insurance. Among auto insurers, the largest amount, more than $4.9 million, was paid by State Farm Mutual Auto after 761 consumers filed complaints between 2009 and 2013. State Farm Lloyd’s is at the top of the list of home insurance carriers with 419 consumer claims and more than $6.1 million in claims paid that were initially denied. United Healthcare tops the list for health insurers with 1,518 claims and $7.2 million in payments. For life insurance claims, American General tops the list with 39 claims and nearly $2.7 million in payments. For full details of the KXAN investigation and a chart of complaints and pay backs listed by insurance company, read the full story here.

By Richard LaGarde

The post What is your insurer’s track record in paying claims? first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.