UPDATE!
The blog entry below was originally posted immediately after one of the worst 18-wheeler accidents to take take place in downtown Dallas. Initially the specifics of the accident were somewhat sketchy from the local news media. The following day new information had become available and I felt it was necessary to update this blog entry not simply as a means of providing more accurate information but to honor the memory of Ashley Parra the young girl who perished in the accident.
While on her way to work Ashley Parra was killed when her vehicle was crushed under the weight of an 18-wheeler that careened off of an overpass. Ashley was descirbed by her friends and loved ones as being very dependable and when she did not show up for work her grandmother who had rasied her since the age of nine feared the worst.
Ashley was a student and The University of North Texas studying to be a teacher. She was a member of her schools equestrian team and prior to transfering to UNT she studied law at Southern Methodist University.
Numerous people spoke of her with great fondness and one of her friends who contacted me regarding our original blog post left me with the impression that she was truly a good person and someone that will be missed by many. It truly is tragic that this accient robbed her of the chance to live a long and happy life.
Month: October 2010
Northbound travelers were forced to seek an alternatre route on the morning of February 4 2008 after a series of chain reaction accidents closed Interstate 35 in Waco Texas. It appears the first accident occured at mile marker 338 near the boundary between Waco and Bellmead. Once the traffic was backed up initially as many as five additional accidents occured. One accident resulted in a man being trapped under a truck for some period of time.
7-year-old Shalia Montryce Glenn of Kileen TX was airlifted to White Hospital in Temple TX following an automobile accident at the intersection of Stan Schlueter Loop and Fort Hood St.
In early February Shalia was riding with four others in a Kia Spectra when it collided with a Dodge Ram pickup truck. Shalia spent 19 days in the hospital before succumbing to her injuries. At 3:00 P.M. on January 29 2007 she was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace G.W. Ivey.
Richard Snelson and Kermit Brown of Bellmead TX. were walking down Waco Dr. when a truck jumped the median and ran the two pedestrians down. Police closed the wetbound lanes so rescue crews could treat the victims. The two pedestrians and Marvin Earl Ross the driver of the truck were transported to Hillcrest Medical Center. Police issued Ross a citation for driving without an operators license.
A houston area contruction worker was taken to Herman Texas Medical Center after falling 20 feet into a hole associated with a lift station for sewer pumps. Houston firefighters had trouble reaching the man with heavy resuce equipment due to the condition of the nearby soil as a result of the ongoing construction efforts. Firefighters were able to successfully rescue the man using more conventional methods. Rescuers say it appears the man suffered multiple bruises and fractures.
A note from E. Michael Grossman:
Most people would probably be shocked to know the shear volume of work place related injuries and deaths that result from employers not providing their employees with the proper safety equipment. An employer has an obligation to provide a safe working environment for its employees. No employee should ever have to work in conditions where his health ability to provide an income or even his life are at risk. I feel very privaleged to be able to fight for employees whos rights to a safe working environment are denied just as we did for Jorge Sanchez.
An 18 year old Amarillo man is in critical condition after a skateboarding accident. A witness reported that he was being pulled behind a car while riding on his skateboard. An emergency call was placed around 2 p.m. on Monday Feb 18 2008 informing officials that a young was was found lying on the street in a state of unconsciousness. The driver of the car was a 16 year old Amarillo resident. The Amarillo police are still investigating the accident.
Buildings miles away were shaken by an explosion at the Alon Oil refinery in Big Springs Texas that left at least four injured employees in its wake. One of the injured employees was rushed to the local hospitals burn unit. Buildings up to a mile away were violently shaken by the blast. Our walls shook. It jolted your bed. It was like an earthquake. commented Laura McEwen wife of Big Springs mayor Russ McEwen. Local schools were evacuated and numerous roads were closed while local fire and rescue crews contended with the fire.
A note from E. Michael Grossman:
This seems to be an all too common theme amongst industrial facilities in the state of Texas. This example conjures up memories the recent BP refinery accidents such as the fateful event featured here and other tragic workplace related injuries in the State of Texas.
In events such as these it is important to remember that these workers and their families will have much to overcome to get their lives back on track and it is in times like this that I am reminded of why I became an attorney. I wish them all the best and I hope that we can learn from the mistakes made in this and other Texas work related injuries to make tomorrow a bit safer for all of us.
On December 19 2007 In Amarillo TX a teenage girl was struck by a Range Rover SUV. The accident occured when the 17 year old driver of the SUV made an abrupt maneuver to avoid another vehicle causing her to drive off of the roadway on the 4400 block of S. Bell and strike the pedestrian in the grassy area next to the road. The pedestrian was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The second vehicle that caused the SUV driver to take evasive action fled the scene.
Ann Scholl Blair and her sister Jamie Scholl Fry were taken to a local hopsital after their Toyota Corrolla was struck by a pickup truck shortly after Christmas. The driver Ann Scholl Blair was pronounced dead at the hospital. The driver of the Dodge truck was not injured. The Traffic Investigation Division is reviewing the accident.
60 year old Abilene TX resident Susan Sibley died as a result of a three car collision on the morning of January 31 2008. Sibley was driving south on Arnold Boulevard when according to witnesses she failed to obey a stop sign. Her car entered the west bound traffics on Highway 80 and was struck by two vehicles.
According to local citizens the intersection has an unconventional design featuring a stop sign that is less than abvious. Many believe this to be the cause of the accident. After numerous serious accidents have resulted at this intersection over the years the Texas Department of Transportation has decided to construct an overpass to remedy the problem.
The drivers of the other two vehicles 74 year old Robert Saldana of Tye and 62 year old David Acker of Abilene as well as Kathy Villa Sibleys passenger were taken to Hendrick Medical Center where they recieved treatment for their injuries. Sibley was pronounced dead at the scene.
