San Antonio Legal Blog

Workers' compensation insurance is a form of protection available to Texas workers who suffer injuries at work or become ill as a result of work conditions. If you became ill or find yourself dealing with serious injuries, you may be unsure of where to start or what you can expect from your claim. It can be helpful to know what types of benefits are available to you through your employer's insurance coverage. 

The specific benefits you will be able to receive through your claim depend on your injuries, how long you will be away from work and other factors. Even with a valid claim, it is not always easy to secure benefits. You will find it beneficial to seek help as you work on your claim in order to pursue the full and fair benefits to which you have a rightful claim.

One might think of a car traveling down the road in San Antonio as a complex system of components that all need to work in concert in order to both function properly and keep its occupants safe. If that is the case with a car, one might imagine how much more complex the proper operation of a semi-truck or tractor-trailer must be. A failure of any of the components needed to for such a vehicle to function can often produce catastrophic results and create a nightmarish scenario for other drivers on the road. 

This fact was on full display in a devastating accident that recently occurred in New Mexico. A simple blowout of a tire on a semi-truck caused its driver to lose control of the entire vehicle. The semi ran off its section of highway and went across the median into oncoming traffic, where it collided with an approaching Greyhound bus carrying 50 people (including the driver). The damage to both vehicles was extensive, with the truck ending up overturned across the highway (its contents strewn all across the road) and the entire front end of the bus being obliterated. 7 people were killed in the accident, and many other sustained serious injuries. 

More often than not, the car accidents that occur in San Antonio may be just that: accidents. There may be no malice or ill-will involved on the part of those who cause them, and certainly no intent to harm others. Yet the outcomes of such incidents are often the same despite the intentions of the responsible parties. Accident victims may be left with extensive damage to their vehicles or properties, significant injuries to themselves and/or their passenger, or even having to deal with the tragic loss of a loved one. 

Sadly, that was the outcome of a recent crash that occurred outside of an elementary school in El Paso. A woman and three of the school's students were hit by a speeding car in the school's parking lot. The car apparently began speeding towards the students, which prompted the woman to throw herself in front of them in order to protect them. As a result, she took the brunt of the impact and ending up dying at the scene. The students still sustained injuries in the collision, yet after being rushed to local hospitals, are reported to be in stable condition. 

Should one mention the term "car accident," most in San Antonio will likely immediately begin to conjure up images of collisions occurring between vehicles traveling at high speeds on a roadway. Yet car accidents need not involve high speeds to produce devastating results, and some may actually occur off the roads. While most might have difficult conceptualizing it, car accident injuries and fatalities can easily occur in driveways or parking lots when drivers inadvertently back their vehicles over pedestrians.

Many may not appreciate the devastating or crushing force that a slow-moving vehicle can produce, yet backover injuries can often end in catastrophe (particularly when they involve young children or the elderly). Indeed, most often associate backover accidents with these particular demographics, yet almost anyone can suffer them. Crowded parking venues and busy worksites can often cause drivers to become disoriented or confused as to who and what is around them. Information shared by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reinforces this fact; its data shows that there were as many as 70 fatal "on-the-job" backover accidents in 2011 alone.