Fear rippled through the construction workers at the World Trade Center construction site when a crane cable snapped and thousands of pounds of steel flew down 40 stories onto a flatbed truck. It almost crushed the crane operator to death, but miraculously he was left unhurt.

The entire building shook and there was chaos as the workers ran around trying to see what happened, and if they could help. Some had flashbacks to the Sept. 11 terror attacks. One worker was checked out by medical workers and released.

The truck the steel landed on was flattened to a pancake. The workers estimate the steel weighed between 30,000 and 40,000 pounds.

After the accident, the site was closed down as investigators with the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration began an investigation. It is not clear when construction will resume.

The site is slated to rise to 72 stories. The WTC site’s cranes are inspected every day.  But there have been other faulty crane issues in the past. In April 2009, city inspectors discovered a tower crane was not being erected according to plan. Then in October 2010, a crane cable wire was rubbing against a bolt and a new cable had to be installed.

Since the year 2000 there have been over 1125 tower crane accidents worldwide that have resulted in over 780 deaths and countless injuries. If you or your loved one has been harmed by a crane or a construction accident, contact W.T. Johnson today to get the justice you deserve.

An Albuquerque father dove into 10-feet of sewage to save his 5-year-old son who had fallen into an uncovered manhole in the middle of a construction zone.

While the family was taking an evening walk, the metal cover that should have been on the manhole was gone. The boy had run ahead and fell in. The father jumped into the sewage and his wife pulled them above ground. The son was very shaken up, but unharmed. The father went to the emergency room because of bacteria he might have picked up from the sewage.

One week after the accident, no changes were implemented to the construction site. The father demanded that the City of Albuquerque improve public safety.

He thinks the steel plate covering the manhole is not adequate protection since anyone can easily take it off. But the city can’t change the covers because if it was heavier it would be hard to get off if there was an accident. The city says increased patrol went up in the construction area.

There are 150,000 construction site accident injuries each year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported in 2005 that 1,224 construction workers died on the job over the course of one year, making the construction industry the most dangerous in the world.

If you as a passer-by have been harmed by construction, or as a worker have been injured, contact W.T. Johnson today to see how our personal injury lawyers can help you get the justice you deserve. 

The U.S. National Institutes of Health conducted an assessment of teen driving by tracking 42 teen drivers and their parents in Virginia during the first 18 months of their license. The vehicles had cameras, and a system that collected data on acceleration, mileage and GPS positioning.

The teens were involved in 37 accidents, and the parents only had two. Near-crash statistics were 242 for the teens and 32 for the parents. Teens were five more times likely to engage in risky behavior than adults. Teens took corners 25 to 30 times more sharply than the parents did. Not only did teens enjoy reckless driving, but also loved texting or talking on their cell phones while driving.

Even after their accidents, teens still took chances while driving. Their driving improved over time not because the teenagers drove safer, but they learned to control the car more during dangerous driving.

When a parent was in the car, the study found that accident rates dropped dramatically to levels of the parent group.

New drivers are 12 times more likely to be involved in an accident during the first month of driving than they will be a year later. Auto accidents are the leading cause of death of 15-20 year olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Even though teens represent only 14 percent of drivers, they account for 30 percent of all accidents.

If you have been the victim of a teen car accident, we can help you with the representation you deserve. Contact W.T. Johnson today. 

An accident that seriously injured an avid cyclist from Oak Cliff has pushed the need for bike lanes to the front of the Dallas community’s radar.

The accident happened on the Jefferson Boulevard Bridge, which is marked for upgrades. But the improvement discussions were put on hold last month after the City of Dallas learned it would need $16 million to re-stripe the 840 miles of pavement for bike lanes.

If the bike lanes and markings had been in place on the bridge, the 32-year-old victim might not have been seriously injured. The victim was hospitalized after a car slammed into him when riding his bike  on the Jefferson Boulevard viaduct south of downtown Dallas.

The victim was on his daily 40-mile ride when the accident sent him into a windshield, breaking his neck in three places.

Community leaders presented a $25,000 check to the City of Dallas to pay for 2.5 miles of bike lanes along Fort Worth Ave., west of downtown. The city stated the lanes will be marked by July. More fundraising efforts will continue to help add bike lanes to the bridge where the victim was hit.

About 85 million American adults ride a bike at least occasionally. In 2009, 630 bicyclists were killed and 51,000 injured during accidents.

WT Johnson has experience representing bicyclists who have been hit by motorists.  If you are in need legal representation, get the compensation you deserve by contacting WT Johnson today. 

It was supposed to be a feel-good segment on a local TV newscast until the dog bit the news anchorwoman in the face. The piece was about a dog that had been rescued from ice by a heroic firefighter.

The 3-year-old Argentine Mastiff, Gladiator Maximus, attacked the anchorwoman at NBC’s KUSA Denver affiliate during a live, in-studio segment. The anchor was kneeling on the floor, trying to get closer to the dog when the 85-pound creature bit her in the face. The paramedics rushed her to a Denver hospital where she had reconstructive surgery overnight. Gladiator is being quarantined in a Denver animal shelter.

The anchorwoman’s surgery was successful, and she will be back to work in a few weeks. The owner of the dog has been cited by Denver Animal Control for a leash-law violation since the dog was not controlled at all times, for allowing the bite to occur and for not having the dog properly vaccinated.

Some animal experts say she put her face too close to the dog, and he felt threatened so he bit her.

Each day about 1,000 U.S. citizens require emergency care treatment for dog bite injuries. The insurance agency pays more than $1 billion in dog-bite claims each year. If you have been bit by a dog, make sure you get the defense you deserve by contacting W.T. Johnson today. 

A man who used his pit bull as a weapon was arrested by Nassau Bay police last week. According to police, he had his pit bull attack his two neighbors.

The neighbors were arguing with the man when he told his dogs to attack them. One victim was bitten in the ankle and needed six stitches, and the 16-year-old victim was bitten on his arm.

Police believe the attack was intentional. The dog’s owner and his wife were reported saying, “Go get them!” to their dog.  But some residents say they never heard them tell the dog to attack.

The owner of the pit bull is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon---with the dog considered the weapon. Nassau Bay Animal Control officers took the pit bull away to be quarantined.

4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year, and almost one in five of those require medical attention. In 2010 there were 34 fatal dog attacks in the U.S. But only 16,000 dog bite victims receive insurance payments from homeowners and renters insurance policies purchased by dog owners per year.

If you or your loved one has been the victim of a dog bite, contact WT Johnson today for a consultation.

Street-racing is a popular past-time with teens, but with two deaths from street-racing in Dallas during the past months, the fun is over. A 43-year-old father was killed over New Year's when his pickup was struck by a Suburban that police say was racing another car. The Dallas resident was rushed to the hospital, but died of his injuries after the Sunday afternoon accident.

He was on his way home from DFW Airport, where he worked as a janitor. He was just minutes from home, where he was going to spend New Year's Day with his family. Police say the victim was making a left turn in the 4600 block of Westmoreland near Chalk Hill Road when the speeding Suburban crashed into him. The driver of the SUV was taken to the hospital, but not seriously hurt.Witnesses say the second vehicle that was racing the SUV took off.

In the November 2011 street-racing incident on Northwest Highway both 16-year old racers were in BMWs. And one was killed. Dallas police are urging parents to not give their children high performance cars, but instead a simple, safe vehicle.

The Insurance Institute of Highway states that "problem speeders" average 60% more crashes a year. An average of 135 people in the US die each year in street drag racing accidents -- and 51 out of every 1000 racers get hurt.

Tracking illegal street racing is complex since many cases are prosecuted under reckless driving or speeding statutes.  This also makes finding appropriate restraints tricky since a citation for many racers is seen as just another part of the game.

If you have been affected by a street racing incident, contact WT Johnson today.

This year, a federal law went into effect that bans big rig drivers from using handheld telephones while driving. The intent of the law is to prevent car accidents caused by distracted driving, an issue that is especially dangerous for large vehicles like commercial trucks.

The law bans text messaging, taking telephone calls without a headset, and even holding a cell phone while behind the wheel of a truck. Truck drivers can use Bluetooth and other hands-free devices to take calls, but even push-to-talk forms of call receiving are banned. If a driver is pulled over for using a cell phone, he or she could face up to a $2750 fine, and the company could be fined $11,000. The new law follows the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recommendation that all cell phone use while driving should be banned.

The combination of distracted driving and long, heavy vehicles can result in devastating car accidents. If you have been affected by a truck accident, contact the Law Office of W.T. Johnson today.

Recently, Dallas County DWI Task Force created a new website, in order to reach out to the public about drunk driving. The Task Force is a group of several local organizations and government agencies that lead initiatives to prevent incidences of drunk driving. 

The group's new website encourages Dallas citizens to reach out and share their experiences with drunk driving. Additionally, the website promotes becoming a members of the Task Force and volunteering with them. Dallas residents regularly help the Task Force educate the community about the hazards of drunk driving. County Commissioner Elba Garcia, chairperson of the DWI Task Force, also includes a message to citizens in the Dallas area, asking for their input on ways to improve the area's DWI prevention education.

If you have been injured by an accident involving alcohol, we can help you pursue your case. Contact The Law Office of W. T. Johnson today.

In Insurance.com’s annual evaluation of the top cities in America with the most DWIs per capita, Fort Worth was listed at number eight–a significant jump from 2010, when it was ranked 14th. Austin, Dallas, and Houston appear in the 11th, 12th, and 13th spot.

San Diego, Los Angeles, and Indianapolis ranked as the top three cities with the most reported alcohol-related violations per capita. The report also explained that the number of DWIs may not necessarily correspond to instances of drinking and driving. A lack of public transportation or a particularly effective police department could factor into the number of DWIs an area sees.

Unfortunately, Texas consistently ranks poorly in reports on drinking and driving. DWI policies that exist in several other states struggle in Texas legislature. If you or someone you know has been injured by a drunk driver, contact W. T. Johnson today.