On October 6, 2009, at 5:55 am, a horrible accident occurred in the 7800 block of Beltway 8 resulting in the injury of one man and the untimely death of his son. The man’s automobile had stalled on a section of the Beltway that did not have a shoulder lane. The two men were attempting to push the disabled vehicle in a traffic lane when they were suddenly struck from behind by another car. The driver of that car simply failed to see the two men and their automobile until it was too late. The disabled car even had its emergency hazard lights on at the time of the accident.
Devastating accidents like this happen all too often. The most important thing is to learn from the tragic mistakes of others so that the same type of incident does not happen again. If you are unfortunate enough to have your vehicle break down in the middle of a freeway, there are several things you should do, along with other things that you should not do. First, do not exit the vehicle unless it is safe to do so. You are much better protected from unforeseen accidents when you remain inside the car. Second, if you have a cell phone, contact the appropriate authorities for assistance. Otherwise, wait for a tow truck or police cruiser to arrive before stepping out onto the pavement. Also, do everything you can to make your car visible. Steer your car to the safest possible area of the freeway and turn on your hazard lights. While emergency hazard flashers are a good tool, as you saw in the above accident, they were not enough to alert the driver to the disabled car in her lane. The most important lesson to learn from this horrible accident is to avoid exiting your vehicle until it is safe to do so. Your vehicle can be replaced. You cannot be.
If you or someone you love has been injured in an automobile accident, contact the experienced car wreck lawyers at Fitts Zehl, LLP by phone at (713) 491-6064.
