Houston Personal Injury Law Blog

Some truck crashes involve small or mid-sized pickup trucks, while others involve semi-trucks and other types of large trucks. The consequences of these accidents will vary from one crash to the next, some resulting in the loss of life and others leaving nobody harmed. In this blog post, we will examine some of the challenges associated with neck injuries, a serious problem that has shattered the lives of many truck crash victims.

Neck injuries can be especially devastating for various reasons. Unlike a broken arm, for example, someone with an injured neck may be unable to move around due to the seriousness of their injury. Some victims may experience neck pain after an accident, thinking that they are okay but not knowing that their neck was injured. Others may be immobilized due to a neck injury and unable to work because of their condition. This can give way to a series of challenges, such as emotional pain (missing work and activities that one enjoys) or financial problems (losing wages, struggling with medical costs).

Sometimes, people experience motion sickness while they are behind the wheel. This can be especially problematic for those who spend a long amount of time in the car, or those who find themselves making many turns or driving around sharp corners. When some people are not feeling well, their driving abilities may be affected in various ways. Aside from feeling nauseous and even vomiting, some drivers may be more likely to cause a motor vehicle collision. On the road, you should be mindful of these issues if you experience motion sickness, feel dizzy or have any other problem that could impact your ability to operate your vehicle.

However, some drivers disregard these concerns and drive anyway. Whether someone has to get to work at a certain time or they simply do not want to take the time to pull off the road, some people push through and drive even though they are not feeling well. If you were struck by someone who may have had motion sickness, this can be difficult to determine. But if another driver causes a crash and they say that they were not feeling well at the time of the accident, you should take note of this as it may be important to bring up in court.

For many in Houston, the years of experience behind the wheel may have them feeling like driving is such a second-nature activity that they can do it in almost any conditions. Yet in some cases, it may not be the road conditions that make it difficult for one to operate a vehicle, but rather their own physical condition. There is reason behind a doctor asking a patient if they have someone to drive them home, or if one who is sick is advised to have another run errands for them. When people are not at their best both physically and mentally, then they may not be able to perform well behind the wheel, either. 

Medical issues may have been the cause of a recent crash that occurred on Grand Parkway. The driver of a pickup truck crossed into oncoming traffic and struck four other vehicles, injuring himself and four others (two other accident victims were killed in the collision). The man driving the pickup truck was cooperative with authorities, and did not appear to be impaired at the time of the accident. Despite some bizarre background details that linked him to a criminal history, no indicators were present to help investigators determine what might make him lose control of his vehicle. 

Driving drunk and taking illegal drugs before getting behind the wheel is not only dangerous but against the law as well. However, some drivers do not realize that other types of behaviors may increase the probability of a motor vehicle collision also. For example, someone may be more likely to cause a car accident if they are smoking a cigarette while they are driving. Even though this may not seem like something that would cause a crash, there are various concerns associated with this behavior.

According to information published by the National Institutes of Health, the results of one study showed that smokers were more likely to be involved in a traffic crash than those who did not smoke. The author brought up a number of possible explanations for these results, such as the toxicity of carbon monoxide and the possibility that smoking behind the wheel distracts people from driving.