San Antonio Legal Blog

If you have a work-related disability in Texas that affects how you are able to perform your job, there are certain requirements your employer must follow to help you get back to work. Employers must provide accommodations for physical and mental disabilities as long as they do not cause undue hardship on the company.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the Americans with Disabilities Act defines accommodation as a modification to the position, work environment or hiring process to allow someone with a disability equal opportunities to both get a job and successfully perform that job. An employer must make the necessary modifications as long as they do not majorly impact the company's productivity level or profit. The changes can include physical changes, communication devices, assistive technologies and policy modification. Examples of these may include:

• Adding a wheelchair ramp to the entrance of the building
• Modifying the work desk to be more ergonomically friendly
• Providing interpreters or readers
• Using videophones
• Changing the policy manual to allow service animals 

A recent crash involving an out-of-control semi-truck that killed four and injured others is a reminder of how dangerous large trucks can be. If you live in Texas, you may wonder who is liable for an accident of that magnitude. It may be the driver, the trucking company or both, considering the factors involved.

According to 9News.com, the accident occurred just outside of Denver, and the driver of the truck is facing four counts of vehicular homicide, although official charges are not currently pending. Perhaps the reason for this is because investigations may show that it was not the driver's fault the truck lost control and slammed into backed-up traffic. The driver has a current commercial license and has a clear traffic record.

Working in healthcare can be an extremely satisfying career choice. Like other healthcare professionals in Texas, you probably take great joy from caring for your patients. You already understand some of the associated risks of working in a medical setting, but those risks are often worth it. However, did you know that you could be at a higher than average risk for workplace violence?

While violence against healthcare workers sometimes takes the form of verbal abuse from patients and their family members, it often manifests as physical violence. Victims of these acts often suffer physical and emotional wounds and are forced to time off of work to recover.

When people in San Antonio hear that action is being taken against one who caused a car accident, it may be easy to assume that those bringing such action are simply doing so out of a sense of vindictiveness. The thought may be that no legal action can reverse what is done, so why would people even pursue it? Yet in reality, the plaintiffs in personal injury cases (in which car accidents are included) are typically not trying to punish those that caused their accidents. Rather, they may need the compensation that can come from such action to handle the losses that they suffered. 

Often those losses are catastrophic. Take the case of a recent car crash that occurred in Odessa. A pickup carrying two young men through an intersection was violently struck by another vehicle after the driver of the truck drove a stop sign. Investigators are still trying to determine what might have prompted the other truck driver to operate his vehicle in such a reckless manner, yet thus far no conclusions have been made. Complicating the investigation is that fact that the driver of that vehicle is currently in the hospital battling life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash. Sadly, the driver of the other truck was killed, while his passenger also sustained injuries.