San Antonio Injury Lawyer Blog

San Antonio injury lawyers support Congress in its efforts to take dangerous cars off our roads more quickly. Congress is considering legislation that would help the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) quickly order recalls if it finds an imminent hazard of death or serious bodily injury. Currently, if an automaker contests the need for a safety recall, NHTSA must hold public hearings and develop a case, which can take months and cost lives.

Also being considered for the legislation are requirements that autos be equipped with brake overides, black boxes and added penalties if car companies fail to promptly report safety defects.

Texas personal injury lawyers have known for a long time that corporations are driven to maximize profits; therefore, they can and often will make a calculated decision to not repair or to deny a defect if the penalties for nondisclosure are less than the cost of repair. Personal injury damages can be delayed or avoided by denying defects. It is often years before the defect is uncovered and many of the injured will be denied compensation because of individual state laws regarding the statute of limitations.

Hopefully Congress will pass a bill with sufficient penalties for nondisclosure of defects that corporations will be compelled to do the right thing for Texas injury claimants.

Are San Antonio teenage girls more likely to get in car accidents than teenage boys? In a recent survey of teenage drivers more girls said that they are likely to speed as compared to the boys in the survey. The data about teen driving comes from online interviews with over 1000 teens.

San Antonio injury lawyers have long known that teenagers cause a disproportionate share of auto accidents. Auto accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers and traditionally, boys have accounted for about two-thirds of the deaths.

The survey, which indicated that girls are taking more risks while driving, coincides with the shifting accident and death rates for teenagers. Fatalities for boy drivers have declined faster than girls and the difference in insurance rates for boys and girls have narrowed. Boys are still charged higher premiums but the gap between girls and boys have narrowed.

Texas auto accident injury lawyers will normally see many more teenage boys causing accidents than teenage girls. However, if this study is correct we will see an increase in accidents caused by teenage girls.

San Antonio medical malpractice injury lawyers are taking more inquiries from individuals injured in surgical procedures performed with surgical robots. The surgical robots can make surgery less invasive. Surgeons can operate through small holes in the patient instead of through a large incision. The robot with up to four remote-controlled arms and a sophisticated camera allows the physician to perform a variety of surgical procedures without cutting open a patient’s abdomen.

However, the surgical robots have long learning curves and some surgeons have said that it takes at least 200 surgeries to become proficient and to reduce the risks of surgical complications. Others have suggested that it takes 250-700 cases to master the robot.

One area of concern for potential patients and an area to be investigated by Texas injury lawyers is whether the physician had sufficient training in the use of the surgical robot. Some physicians have been given as little as two days training which included operating on pig and human cadavers. Obviously, as a patient you should inquire as to your physician’s experience with the surgical robot. There are many advantages to using a surgical robot if it is controlled and operated by an experienced surgeon. However, because of the long learning curve, an invasive procedure with a surgical robot should only be done by a surgeon properly experienced in the procedure.

Many have expressed concern that the surgical robots are being installed at hospitals and surgery centers as part of a marketing strategy. One of the manufacturers of a surgical robot openly markets the device to surgical centers as a way for them to increase their revenues. The price of the machines can run from approximately 1 million dollars to over 2 million dollars. With the high upfront costs many surgeons will feel pressured to use the device to justify its cost – whether they are ready to do so or not.