November 2020 – Ezequiel Reyna Law Office

What to Do After Being Injured in a Hit and Run Crash

Posted on November 24, 2020December 18, 2025 by Zreyna Law

Being in any kind of car accident can be a very stressful and traumatic experience, but when the person who hit you leaves the scene it can leave you wondering what to do and who will be responsible for helping you recover from this horrible event. Typically in a car accident, the collision happens and both cars pull over to the side of the road to exchange information. The instant the other driver chooses to drive away and not take responsibility for their actions, this accident becomes a hit and run. Texas ranks amongst the top ten worst states for hit and run accidents. If you are injured in a hit and run accident, it is critical to find an experienced injury lawyer to help guide you through the process of claiming the compensation you are owed.

In Texas, all drivers involved in a car accident are legally required to move their vehicles to a safe location if able to do so with the damage caused by the accident. This is to keep all drivers involved safe from other drivers on the road after the accident happens. All persons involved should check for any type of injury that may require immediate medical attention. If there were any pedestrians involved in the crash, they need to be checked on as well. Emergency services and the police should be called to report the accident right away – even if it does not look like anyone was injured seriously as they could be in shock. Serious injuries can happen and not present themselves right away. All drivers involved should exchange information including identification (driver’s license), and contact and insurance information.

If a driver involved in the car accident speeds away and does not exchange information with you, it is crucial that you attempt to gather any identifying information about them as quickly as possible. What kind of car hit you? What was their license plate number? What was the make and model of the car? Was the driver male or female? Old or young? What direction did they drive off in? Can you snap a picture of the car quickly before they drive away? Do you have a dash camera that recorded the accident? All of this information will be important and you will need to let the police officer writing the accident report know everything you remember.

While you may be tempted to drive after the other car, staying at the scene of the accident is important because you are still legally responsible for remaining at the crash scene. There are legal consequences that come from leaving the scene of a Texas car accident. The resulting criminal offense can range from a misdemeanor to a felony depending on the severity of injuries and car damage involved. The police can charge the driver who ran if they are able to link a particular vehicle to the crash, which is why it is so important to try to remember as many details as you can about the car that hit you. The sooner the police are made aware of the accident, the sooner they can start tracking down the driver that hurt you.

After talking with the police, make sure to get a copy of the police report and take pictures and video of your vehicle as evidence. Write down as much as you can remember as soon as possible so that you have an accurate picture of what happened during the accident. If there are any witnesses to the accident, speak to them and ask if they have any identifying information about the other driver. Ask for their name and contact information for your insurance company and attorney.

While the accident may not have been your fault, you will still need to call your car insurance company to report it. The insurance adjuster will be experienced with hit and run accidents and will open an insurance claim for damages. Make sure to give them copies of all of the information obtained about the accident. You will also want to hire an attorney right away. While insurance companies are there to help their policyholders, they may not want to compensate you fairly. Having an attorney on your side will help keep the process fair.

It may take time for injuries to appear after being in a hit and run accident. Seek medical attention immediately if you start to get severe headaches, feel dizzy or nauseous, have back, neck, or shoulder pain, or just do not feel well in general. After the accident, your body may be in shock and it could take 24 hours to a week for injuries to appear. Make sure to update your insurance company and your attorney about any medical conditions you are treated for as a result of the hit and run accident.

South Texas Hit and Run Attorneys

If you or your family have been involved in a hit and run accident, you may be left not knowing what to do. Victims do not have to handle this process alone. By selecting quality legal representation, the injured won’t have to worry as much about their next steps because they will have the guidance and support of an experienced hit and run accident attorney. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car accident, contact the Weslaco car accident lawyers at Ezequiel Reyna, Jr. Law Office today to discuss your case. There is limited time to act following a motor vehicle accident in Texas, so don’t delay.

Children in Cars Least Safe in Rural Areas

Posted on November 18, 2020December 18, 2025 by Zreyna Law

For many years, people have decided to move out to the country to escape the dangers of living in a big city; but research has now shown that driving in rural areas is not as safe for children riding in cars. Go Safe Labs has released a new national traffic study which concluded that children are more likely to be involved in a car accident in rural areas versus urban areas. The study also revealed the top ten least safe states for car accidents involving children, which included Texas.

By using publicly available data from government resources, Go Safe Labs was able to look at over 300,000 fatal car accidents and found that the top 10 states with the highest numbers of child injuries or fatalities were Texas, California, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Alabama, Illinois, Arizona, and Ohio. The data also showed that more children were injured or killed in rural car accidents (57%) when compared to urban car accidents (43%). Rural car accidents involving children also had more severe injuries across the nation when compared to urban accidents. Sadly, nearly two-thirds of children involved in a car accident in a rural area were severely injured.

This data should remind parents to always take appropriate precautions and use properly fitted car seats for their children each and every time they put their children in the car. Families in rural areas have decreased access to in-person child seat safety checks. While virtual child seat checks are becoming more available during COVID-19, parents must take the initiative to get their car seats properly checked for safety before using them.

Causes of Texas Rural Car Accidents

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the top causes of car accidents in rural areas include:

Driver Inattention
Failure to Control Speed
Speeding
Failed to Drive in a Single Lane
Driving Under the Influence
An Animal On the Road

Keeping Children in Cars Safe in Rural Areas

Keeping children safe while driving is a priority for all parents. To ensure that every child is safe in both rural and urban areas, parents should do the following:

Make sure to have an age and size appropriate car seat for each child in the car.
Have each car seat checked for appropriate installation and fit for each child.
Buckle each child into their car seat every time they are in the car, even if the ride is very short.
Drive without distractions. Staying focused on the road will make it easier to react to any sudden changes that could cause a collision.
Drive the speed limit – even on an empty, country road. Many rural car accidents happen at high speeds, which means the crash damage can be much more severe.
Never drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Watch out for animals when on the road. Wild animals are commonly seen in rural areas and a deer or raccoon running across the road can easily cause a car accident when driving with your children.

South Texas Car Accident Lawyers

Being in an accident with your child in the car can be very scary and stressful, but you don’t have to handle it all on your own. By selecting quality legal representation, the injured won’t have to worry as much about their next steps because they will have the guidance and support of an experienced personal injury attorney. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car accident, contact the Weslaco car accident lawyers at Ezequiel Reyna, Jr. Law Office today to discuss your case. There is limited time to act following a car accident in Texas, so don’t delay.

Speeding and Driver Inattention Lead to Energy Producing Area Crashes

Posted on November 10, 2020December 18, 2025 by Zreyna Law

Increasing development of energy resources in Texas significantly contributes to the economies of many of our local communities and to our state as a whole. Energy companies provide employment to thousands of Texans and are vital sources of jobs in areas that may be economically disadvantaged. There are specific counties in Texas known as the Texas Energy Sector, where energy companies tend to group and work alongside each other. These counties include large parts of West Texas, South Texas, and even extend into cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, and El Paso. There are challenges, though, in these areas where oil and gas drilling activities occur, as there are increased numbers of workers and travelers driving through these areas of Texas along roads not always designed or equipped to support them.

In 2019, there were more than 205,000 car accidents in the Texas Energy Sector. These car accidents, which increased by 3% from 2018, sadly involved 1,638 crash fatalities in the state’s Barnett Shale, Eagle Ford Shale, Granite Wash, Haynesville/Bossier Shale, and Permian Basin. The roads in the Energy Sector can be long, lonely, and have long stretches with high speed limits. It may be tempting to speed along a dark highway or get distracted by messaging someone with your cell phone. Unfortunately, speeding and driver inattention contributed to an increase in Energy Sector car crashes in 2019. “Heavy trucks and work crews on state and county roads continue to create a challenging driving environment. That’s why we’re urging every motorist to slow down, drive smart and obey traffic laws to prevent crashes,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. Drivers speeding by or not paying attention while driving are dangerous in general, but with the added dangers of slow-moving construction vehicles, work caravans, and/or large cargo trucks on the road, it can be deadly.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is doing its best to make drivers more aware of the dangers of speeding and driving while distracted. Texas drivers can expect to see a variety of safety reminders on billboards, social media, TV, and even at gas pumps. TxDOT’s campaign “Be Safe. Drive Smart” is specifically targeting the state’s energy-producing counties to help decrease the number of accidents each year. The campaign specifically asks drivers to:

Drive a safe speed and take into account all traffic, road conditions, and weather ahead.
Focus on driving 100% of the time. Put the phone away and do not talk or text while behind the wheel.
Give large trucks and construction vehicles a good amount of space. Be patient with these vehicles and only pass when it is safe and legal to do so.
Obey all traffic signals, stop signs, and traffic laws.
Never drive while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
Always buckle up, including the driver and all passengers, day and night. It is Texas law.

The production of energy from oil, natural gas, and wind has had a significant impact on the transportation infrastructure in the Energy Sector. Many roads were not designed for the amount of larger vehicles and construction machinery that are traveling across the state. Over time, this increased volume of heavy truck traffic has caused damage to the roads and bridges in the area. Drivers must drive at a safe speed, remain alert and attentive, and be able to spot any issues in the road ahead to avoid getting into a dangerous car crash.

Energy Sector Car Accident Lawyers

Car accidents caused by speeding or driver inattention can be absolutely devastating, but victims don’t have to handle them by themselves. By selecting knowledgeable legal representation, the injured won’t have to worry as much about their next steps. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car crash, contact the South Texas car accident lawyers at Ezequiel Reyna, Jr. Law Office today to discuss your case. There is limited time to act following a motor vehicle accident in Texas, so don’t delay.

Texas Has the Country’s Drowsiest Drivers

Posted on November 3, 2020December 18, 2025 by Zreyna Law

Whether working long hours or staying out late with friends, getting enough sleep does not seem to be a high priority for many adult drivers in Texas. Driving while drowsy has become a serious problem in Texas, as we lead the country in the number of drowsy drivers nationwide. When looking at almost a decade of nationwide data, from 2010 – 2018, Texas is responsible for almost 24% of the deaths involving a driver who was drowsy. These deaths were completely preventable if the drivers had just gotten a few more hours of sleep.

Drowsy driving has claimed lives in every state over the past 10 years, with more of these crashes happening on state highways. Certain professions are more susceptible to driving drowsy, including commercial drivers, long-distance drivers, those who have diagnosed sleeping disorders, night shift workers, and senior drivers.

Warning signs that indicate a driver is too tired to drive include:

Difficulty Focusing – If you find that your mind can’t focus on driving and that it is difficult to tell what is happening on the road ahead of you, you are likely too tired to drive.
Daydreaming – When your mind wanders, you may not be able to pay attention to the road. If you find that you are daydreaming while driving, you may want to find a good place to stop and take a nap.
Increased Frequency of Blinking – If you find you are blinking more often while driving, your body may be too tired to focus and drive. It only takes one blink lasting too long for a driver to fall asleep at the wheel.
Repeated Yawning – Yawning is one of the most obvious signs of fatigue. If you are frequently yawning, it may be time to find a safe place to pull over and take a break from driving.
Swerving on the Road – If you find that you are unable to control your vehicle, and you are swerving in and out of your lane on the road, you may be too tired to drive and should pull over.

Once you notice yourself displaying any of these signs, it is time to pull over and take a nap until you have enough energy to drive safely to your destination. If driving overnight and you need to stop, there are many roadside hotels and motels available to book so that you have a bed to sleep in for the night. Risking your life and the lives of other drivers just to arrive at a destination by a certain time is not worth it.

There are many ways to help prevent drowsy driving and to stay active while driving. Getting enough sleep, consistently, is the best way to start. Keep a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up around the same time each day. If your schedule or responsibilities do not allow for this, attempt to sleep for the same amount of time each night. A good rule of thumb is to get about eight hours of sleep each night to be well rested for the next day. When driving long distances, either for work or on a road trip, it is a great idea to have others drive with you. They can keep you awake by having a conversation, helping keep an eye on the road, and taking turns while driving. Another great idea is to listen to energetic music or an exciting podcast or audiobook while driving long distances.

Weslaco Car Accident Attorneys

If you sustain an injury in an accident that was caused by a drowsy driver, know that you are not alone. By selecting knowledgeable legal representation, you won’t have to worry as much about your next steps. Contact the South Texas car accident lawyers at Ezequiel Reyna, Jr. Law Office today to discuss your case. There is limited time to act following a motor vehicle accident in Texas, so don’t delay.