Corpus Christi Law Blog

When a Texas individual finds that he or she is no longer able to work because of a disabling medical condition, it can signal financial struggles for the entire family. If you are a person who is no longer able to work regularly or earn a sufficient income to support yourself, you may know there are legal options available that could allow you secure financial support.

Through a disability claim with the Social Security Administration, you may be able to obtain benefits through Social Security Disability Insurance. Simply having a serious medical condition is not enough to qualify for these benefits. It involves a complex application process, and the SSA has strict requirements for what qualifies as a disabling medical condition.

Texas motorists may be interested to learn that fatal accidents involving large trucks increased by 3 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to a report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. While the raw number went up, fatal crashes involving trucks stayed at the same rate when calculated on a per mile basis. The report, titled Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts, also showed that 73 percent of fatal incidents were started by an object, person, animal or other vehicle encroaching into the truck's lane.

Rural areas were the most common location for fatal truck crashes during the report's analysis period. More than one in four occurred on the nation's interstate highway system. In addition to accidents that resulted in fatalities, more than 100,000 large truck crashes caused injuries in 2016, a significantly higher rate than in 2015. The vast majority of these incidents occurred at daytime during a weekday.

With an ambitious goal of bringing traffic deaths down to zero by the year 2050, an organization called the Road to Zero Coalition is pressing a number of initiatives aimed at improving road safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2016, more than 34,000 died in motor vehicle accidents. Of those deaths, more than 4,700 involved large trucks.

One of the coalition's initiatives is bringing seat belt use to 100 percent. It is already at 90 percent, but half of the fatalities were not wearing seat belts. Another is shifting the culture away from speeding, distracted driving and driving under the influence and toward a focus on safety first. The coalition also aims to improve safety technology in vehicles.

Texas residents may have read media reports concerning a pedestrian in Arizona who was struck and killed by an SUV that was being used to test autonomous vehicle technology by the ride-sharing company Uber. The accident serves as a reminder that drivers should remain vigilant at all times even if their vehicles are equipped with the latest electronic safety systems, and a startup technology company is developing software designed to ensure that they do.

Boston-based Affectiva develops software that scrutinizes facial expressions and can be installed in the driver-facing cameras already fitted to vehicles with autonomous systems. This software monitors eye and head movements and can alert drivers who may have become distracted, and major auto manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz are reportedly interested in adding it to their vehicles.