San Antonio Truck Accident Lawyer Jorge Herrera of The Herrera Law Firm Comments On Series of News Articles About Increase In Commercial Truck Accidents In Texas
San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) October 11, 2014 -- Commercial truck accident fatalities in Texas have increased by 51 percent since 2009 due to increased drilling and fracking statewide, according to a joint investigative news story that highlights The Herrera Law Firm’s involvement in a legal case involving the family of a tractor-trailer driver killed in an accident caused by an untrained truck driver operating a vehicle with poorly maintained tires.
The news investigation was conducted by The Houston Chronicle and Houston Public Media News 88.7.*
“The dramatic rise in the number of fatal accidents involving commercial trucks in Texas in recent years is a disturbing trend,” said Herrera, an experienced San Antonio truck accident attorney. “Each year, many people die in Texas in these horrific wrecks. Our law firm has taken an active role in litigating many of these cases for the families of the victims. We know firsthand the pain and suffering families endure because of these wrecks. That’s why we work so hard on these cases. We strongly believe that trucking companies and the drivers they hire need to held accountable. And we applaud the Houston Chronicle and Houston Public Media for publicizing the plight of these victims and the work we do on their behalf.”
Both articles focused on Herrera’s involvement in a case involving the death of truck driver Guadalupe Quintanilla, 45, of Cameron County, Texas, in December 2010.** In particular, the Houston Public Media article included a verbal exchange between attorney Herrera and Ernesto Guiterrez, former CEO of Turn Around Trucking, the trucking company that employed Guadalupe Garcia, the driver of the other vehicle involved in the fatal truck accident involving Quintanilla. Houston Public Media included video taken from the deposition.
Under questioning from Jorge Herrera, Guiterrez admitted during his deposition that the company did not maintain its vehicles or provide drivers with federally mandated safety training, according to the Houston Public Media story. The article quotes a section of Herrera’s questioning of Guiterrez during the civil trial:
Herrera: “We’re going to sit here all day until you answer the question.”
Gutierrez: “Go ahead, man.”
Herrera: “You’re the one that said he had someplace to go, not me.”
Gutierrez: “I do.”
Herrera: “OK. Again, did Turn Around Trucking train its drivers — so I guess that’s a no?”
Gutierrez: “I guess.”
Herrera: “Is that a yes or no, sir?”
Gutierrez: “No.”
In Texas, the number of fatal truck accidents increased by 51 percent, from 352 fatalities in 2009 to 532 fatalities in 2013, according to the Houston Chronicle. Even among all fatal accidents statewide, the number of traffic fatalities increased by 8 percent from 3,122 in 2009 to 3,378 in 2013, according to the Houston Chronicle article. In contrast, the number of fatal traffic accidents nationwide decreased during the same time period.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Texas has led all states in motor vehicle deaths consistently “since the state's oil drilling and fracking boom began in 2008.”
But such statistics only begin to tell the story of the toll trucking accidents have taken on the lives of families in Texas in recent years, according to San Antonio truck accident attorney Frank Herrera Jr., founder of the Herrera Law Firm.
“Our family takes these cases very seriously because we know these statistics are more than just numbers,” Frank Herrera Jr. said. “Every single truck wreck fatality represents a family that has lost a loved one forever. Every single figure matters. Mr. Quintanilla’s widow, Rebecca, visits her husband’s gravesite every week. As she explained in the Houston Chronicle article, she still talks to him every day.”
"We still cry. We still laugh," Rebecca Quintanilla told The Houston Chronicle. "To me he's irreplaceable."
“Those words resonate with us,” Jorge Herrera said. “That’s why we take these cases so seriously at our law firm. When someone loses a loved one who’s irreplaceable, there’s no limit to how hard we will work on their behalf. There’s nothing we will not do to make sure each family receives the attention they rightfully deserve. These cases are about more than just money. They’re about justice, about honoring the memories of the people tragically killed in these accidents.”
For more information about truck accidents in Texas and the legal options available to injury victims and their families, call (210) 224-1054 or go to: http://www.herreralaw.com/contact/
*Sources
The Houston Chronicle article cited is “Fatal truck accidents have spiked during Texas’ ongoing fracking and drilling boom,” Sept. 11, 2014.
The Houston Public Media article cited is “Deadly Accidents Involving Trucks Tied to Fracking Operations Surge,” Sept. 14, 2014.
**Case
Case No. CC-10-173; District Court, 229th Judicial District, Jim Hogg County, Texas; Teodoro Quintanilla, Jr., and Concepcion Quintanilla, Individually and for the Estate of Guadalupe Quintanilla, Deceased vs. Guadalupe Garcia, III, and Turn Around Trucking, Inc.
About The Herrera Law Firm
Founded in 1983, The Herrera Law Firm has successfully represented thousands of individuals and families who have been dealt catastrophic blows due to personal injuries from nursing home abuse and neglect, oil field accidents, car accidents, tractor-trailer truck accidents, construction accidents, workplace injuries, dangerous drugs and defective medical device injuries. The law firm’s mission is to rectify the wrongs committed against its clients so that they can regain their dignity, rebuild their lives, and reclaim financial stability. The Herrera Law Firm is located at 111 Soledad St, Suite 1900, San Antonio, TX 78205. If you or a loved one was injured, or you lost a loved one in an accident and need legal help, call (210) 224-1054 or visit http://www.herreralaw.com.
Jacob M Del Hagen, Big Voodoo Interactive, http://www.bigvoodoo.com, +1 (413) 650-0593, [email protected]
Share this article