Safety Tips from over 27 years of Practicing Personal Injury Law

Personal Injury LawyersBuyer Beware see a lot of death, pain, suffering and horrible injuries.  The immediate goal is to obtain redress for our clients.  The ultimate goal, however, for every lawyer, should be to reduce the number of accidents, injuries and deaths so that others may avoid what our clients have suffered.

In this regard, I am sharing my list of things I’ve learned over the years to help keep me and my family  safer:

  • Keep your eyes on the road;
  • Driving while intoxicated is just plain stupid and can ruin your life and the lives of others;
  • Driving while using a smart phone to text, surf the internet, or use social media may be as bad as driving while intoxicated;
  • Do not drive or fly if you are fatigued;
  • Slow down;
  • Maintain sufficient space between your vehicle and others;
  • Before purchasing a vehicle, look at the safety data; (see Crashworthiness – Protect Yourself)
  • Wear your seatbelt;
  • Nothing good happens after midnight;
  • Use nose plugs when submerging you head in warm fresh water;
  • Use distilled water in products that force water up your nose;
  • If you drop a tire off the road, slow down before you try to correct back onto the road;
  • Vehicles are not designed for aggressive turns;
  • Read and follow the instructions, especially the warning labels;
  • Never fly into weather;
  • Always do a preflight check;
  • Never remove safety guards from equipment;
  • Read your safety manual, and follow it;
  • If you are concerned that someone doesn’t understand, they probably don’t;
  • Keep the car doors locked while driving;
  • If it can happen, assume it will;
  • Never point a gun in a direction where it is not safe to fire;
  • Never drive a vehicle in a direction in you cannot see;
  • Never rely on backup alarms alone;
  • Use lockout tagout;
  • Wear your safety equipment – hard hat, steel toe shoes, safety glasses, etc…
  • Use fall protection;
  • Better done safely than done quickly;
  • Any risk of serious injury or death that can be reduced or eliminated using means that are technologically and economically available is an unreasonable risk.

NFPA offers free safety tip sheets on a variety of fire and life safety topics.  OSHA has a number of publications that are specific to a variety of situations.

Please feel free to comment with your suggested additions to this list.

We have experience with many types of accidents, and if you have been seriously injured or have lost a loved one and need a Texas accident attorney, please do not hesitate to give East Texas Attorney, Chris Jones, Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Law, a call at 903-236-4990 for a free initial consultation or send us a message at Contact Us.

Automobile Insurance Made Easy

The Texas Department of Insurance has a great page entitled Automobile Insurance Made Easy where they describe the 8 automobile insurance basic coverages.   It is important to understand these coverages after an accident;

1.  Liability  (Basic liability coverage meets the state’s financial responsibility requirement.)

2.  Collision (damage to your car)

3.  Comprehensive (physical damage other than collision)

4.  Medical Payments

5.  Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

An insurance company must offer you $2,500 in PIP, but you can buy more. If you don’t want PIP, you must reject it in writing.

6.  Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM UIM)

There are two types of UM UIM coverage:

  • Bodily injury UM/UIM pays for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, disfigurement, and permanent or partial disability. There is not a deductible with this type.
  • Property damage UM/UIM pays for auto repairs, a rental car, and damage to items in your car.

Insurance companies must offer UM/UIM coverage. If you don’t want it, you must reject it in writing.

7. Towing and Labor

8.  Rental Reimbursement

It may be even more important to understand what the coverages you are receiving when purchasing your automobile insurance.  You do not want to learn after an accident that you would be able to recover you losses if you would have purchased one of the above coverages.  We recommend purchasing coverage beyond the state mandated Liability coverage.  Personal Injury Protection and Uninsured Underinsured Motorist Coverages are both important coverages to have to help protect yourself and your family.  Again, you must reject both of these coverages in writing.  Please have your insurance agent explain all of the coverages in detail, but understand the benefits of Personal Injury Protection and Uninsured Underinsured Motorist Coverage before rejecting them.  If you are involved in a car accident, there is a good chance that you will wish you had not rejected these coverages.

Please also refer to our personal injury blog and our posts, East Texas Auto Accident Lawyer, Truck Accident LawyerMotorcycle Accident LawyerDocumenting Personal Injury Damages and Motor Vehicle Crash, Now What?

I you have been involved in a car accident and need a Texas attorney, please do not hesitate to give East Texas Attorney, Chris JonesBoard Certified Personal Injury Trial Law, a call at 903-236-4990 for a free initial consultation or send us a message at Contact Us.

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