Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Teenager Killed During High-Speed Police Chase
An HPD officer apparently ignored the department’s no-chase policy and pursued a nonviolent offender at speeds of over 100mph, until the chase ended tragically. The chase began when officers witnessed two vehicles street racing on I-45 near Gulf Bank Road. The suspect, who was driving a Kia, apparently saw the officer and accelerated down… Read More »
Obtaining Compensation After a Wrongful Death
Financial issues worsen the emotional losses that a wrongful death creates. As survivors struggle to deal with a wrongful death and move on emotionally, financial concerns, mostly unpaid bills, hold them back. Texas’ wrongful death statute. Along with general negligence law principles, governs fatal injuries, like falls and motor vehicle collisions. A Sugar Land… Read More »
Obstacles to Settlements in Bicycle Crash Claims
Since 1997, the average medical bill in a bicycle collision matter has increased 137 percent. These wrecks also cause other economic damages, mostly lost wages and lost future earning power. Additionally, bicycle accidents cause a tremendous amount of emotional distress. Unfortunately, even though these costs are staggering, a settlement is not guaranteed. Several defenses… Read More »
Three Major Sources of Evidence in Car Crash Claims
To obtain compensation in a car crash or other injury case, the victim must prove negligence, or a lack of care, by a preponderance of the evidence, or more likely than not. That’s one of the lowest standards of proof in Texas law. So, a minimal amount of evidence could prove negligence. However, as… Read More »
What to Expect in a Motorcycle Accident Claim
Almost all motorcycle crash victims can expect a settlement. Over 95 percent of injury claims eventually settle out of court. However, “eventually” could be a very long time, usually several months. Initially, most insurance companies make low-ball settlement offers that, in many cases, don’t even cover medical expenses. They only make better settlement offers,… Read More »
High-Speed Wreck Kills Six People
Four ex-University of Houston standout football players were among the fatalities in an early-morning crash in downtown Houston. The wreck involved a Chrysler 300, which went through a red light at a high rate of speed, and an Acura SUV. Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and four others were taken to… Read More »
Liability Issues in Truck Crash Claims
The number of fatal truck crashes has increased a startling 47 percent since 2011. An uncertain regulatory environment has contributed to many of these wrecks. The regulatory changes, mostly HOS (hours of service) relaxation, began before the pandemic. The HOS rollbacks began very slowly, and then accelerated during and after 2020. Bureaucrats decided that… Read More »
What are the Leading Causes of Wrongful Death in Texas?
In 2020 and 2021, for the first time in decades, the U.S. life expectancy rate dropped two years in a row. This decline was the largest multi-year drop since 1921-1923, when the Spanish Flu, which killed millions of people, raged across America. This time, another deadly flu, coronavirus, was partially responsible for the drop…. Read More »
Your Legal Options Following a Bicycle Accident
This title is misleading. Most bicycle collisions aren’t “accidents.” Instead, driver negligence, or a lack of care, causes most bicycle collisions. For this reason, the New York Times and other publishers don’t use the A-word to describe these incidents. After all, ships sink, planes crash, and trains derail. Writers should use the same approach… Read More »
Obstacles to Maximum Compensation in Pedestrian Accident Claims
Law enforcement investigators rarely assign fault in pedestrian accident cases, even if the victim dies. So, insurance company investigators are free to assign fault to the non-policyholder, whether s/he was the victim or the driver. Don’t put much stock into this determination. There’s a big difference between fault and liability. Fault is like a… Read More »