ICE, ICE, BABY ICE, 7 Safety Tips for Dallas Icy weather!!!!

What to do tonight!!!

   1.If you do not have a garage, dry your windshields and get some cardboard and put them on top of your windshield. Secure it with your windshield wipers.  

  2.  Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels.

  3.  Get some warm chocolate and find a good movie to watch.  

Tomorrow Morning!!!

4.  Stay HOME Hero!!!
      Best way to prevent a collision is not to go out in the ice.  However, if you have to leave the house because the world is about to end, wait until the conditions improve.  Do not leave early in the morning, wait until the sun melts some of the ice or the city sprays sand(salt) on the ground. 

5.  How to leave home!!!
     15 minutes before you leave turn your vehicle on and turn on the heater and the window defroster (if your vehicle is in the garage make sure to leave part of the garage door open).  Check your tailpipes make sure they are free of ice.  Scrape the melted ice from your windshields.  Clear the roof of the car from any melted ice. When you are ready to hit the road, shovel around your wheels and under the front and rear bumpers to clear away any ice or snow.

6.  Slow Down Turbo!!!
     Now that you have to leave home and didn't listen to our first advice, at least slow down.  Driving in other people's tracks slowly prevents you from hitting new ice.  Slow down on the bridge, turns, private road, roads less traveled, and while you are getting out of the garage.

7.  Good Driving habits in Ice!!!
     Do not slam on the brakes, it will lock your brakes, try tapping it really slow.  Watch out for black ice. Wear your seat belt. Do not accelerate of the line or while turning.  Do not jerk your steering wheel.  If you slide turn the wheel in the direction that the rear of your car is sliding.  Do not do any sudden lane changes.  Keep your distance from all vehicles.   Be on the look out for other vehicles sliding into you. Did I mention stay home!!!

In Case of a Collision!!!

Told you Stay Home...

  1. Put your hazard lights on immediately.   Check yourself for injuries and call 911.
  2. If safe take pictures of the scene of the collision and the vehicles involved in the accident.  Then immediately move your car to a safe spot. (It's important to move to a safe spot so you do not get hit by other people, as it is hard for others to stop in ice.)
  3. Exchange insurance information, Driver License, and contact information until the officers show up.
  4. Make sure the officers report the collision and give you a report number. 
  5.  If no officers shows up to the scene of the collision, ask the other person write down what happened and sign it.
  6. If you are injured have your vehicle towed and leave with the EMT.
  7. If you are driving yourself home make sure to check if the vehicle is safe to drive.

Dallas car accident attorney Sean Chalaki is here to assist and answer any questions that you may have. Stay off the ice and I hope you have a great holiday.  Visit www.injurylawyerofdallas.com for additional information.

Please do note that the material here should not be relied on to prevent a collision.   The material here is general information and an opinion of the individual and does not guarantee any results or outcome. The material here is not legal advice and does not create any attorney-client relationship.  

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What is Negligent Entrustment?

Negligent Entrustment

It is possible you can be held liable for injuries in a vehicle accident even when you are nowhere near the accident when it occurs. Protect yourself by understanding the legal doctrine called “negligent entrustment”.

If you allow another person to drive your vehicle when you know or should have known they are incompetent of driving. For example, if you allow a 15-year-old unlicensed driver to drive your vehicle and they cause an accident. Then most likely you will be responsible for the damages due to negligent entrustment.

To establish a vehicle owner’s liability under negligent entrustment, the injured person must prove the following:

1.      The owner entrusted the vehicle to the driver

2.      The driver was unlicensed, incompetent or reckless.

3.      The owner knew or should have known the driver was unlicensed, incompetent or reckless

4.      The driver was negligent in the accident in question

5.      The driver’s negligence proximately caused the accident.

One example is a case called Bedford vs. Moore in Texas in 2005. The court upheld a negligent entrustment verdict against the owner of the gravel company because the company failed to perform a driving history on the drive. If the company had looked into the driving history, the company would have seen several transgressions on the driving report.

Furthermore, the driver showed up that morning with a bandage on her head after spending all night in the emergency room which could have also made her driving questionable that day. Therefore, the company’s owner was held liable for the accident that the employee caused because of negligent entrustment.

If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident and you need to know who is legally responsible, Dallas accident attorney Sean Chalaki can help. Contact him at the Law Office of Sean Chalaki at 1-877-9DFWLAW or 972-793-8500. For more information, visit http://www.dfwlegaladvice.com/car-accidents.html .

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