Bus Accident Attorney Rob Ammons and Jarod Bonine of the Ammons Law Firm Investigate Bus Rollover

November 15, 2011 Houston, Tx.: On November 4th an Abilene Christian University-owned bus veered off a Texas Highway and overturned, killing one passenger and critically injuring four others. The ElDorado National-manufactured bus was carrying 12 students and 4 faculty members to do mission work at a children’s home.

The bus driver lost control as the vehicle entered a bend near the town of Ballinger, 50 miles southwest of Abilene. The bus hit a concrete culvert and did a complete roll, ejecting several passengers before coming to rest upright on the shoulder of the highway.

“My client was ejected from the bus during the rollover and was seriously injured,” says bus accident attorney Rob Ammons . “We are actively involved in an investigation to determine the causes and events related to this rollover. We are engaging experts to determine whether defects in the bus’ safety system caused the serious injuries suffered by many of the passengers and the death of one young lady.”

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers, bus rollovers, and workplace negligence.

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Attorney Rob Ammons Files Lawsuit Against Wenzel Downhole Tools, U.S., Inc., and Driver For Causing Rollover

The Ammons Law Firm has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Texas man who was injured when his Suburban was rear-ended with such force that it rolled over . The bullet vehicle was a drilling tool company truck being operated by Wenzel Downhole Tools, U.S., Inc.

In the lawsuit, Rob Ammons claims the company’s driver was inattentive and reckless and that the collision occurred when he negligently changed lanes unsafely and at an excessive speed. The driver was on the job at the time of the collision, making the drilling company legally responsible for his negligence.

“We have to get the problem with commercial vehicle drivers causing major crashes on our roads under control. This is a public safety issue. Too many lives are being ruined because of this type of carelessness,” says Ammons.

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm’s practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers and workplace negligence.

In a lawsuit brought on behalf of the widower and four young children of a California woman, Rob Ammons blames defects in the family’s 1993 Chevrolet Suburban for her fatal injuries.

In a lawsuit brought on behalf of the widower and four young children of a California woman, Rob Ammons blames defects in the family’s 1993 Chevrolet Suburban for her fatal injuries.

The Suburban was traveling on an Arizona highway. After contacting the shoulder and then steering the vehicle back onto the main lanes, the Suburban rolled over. The Suburban came to rest on its roof, which had collapsed on top of the woman, killing her.

The lawsuit claims the Suburban was defective and not crashworthy because its roof was weak and easily crushed in rollovers. As the Suburban rolled, the roof collapsed over the young wife and mother, severely compromising her occupant survival space. According to the lawsuit, the woman died of head and neck injuries.

The victim’s husband and children were also in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Included in the lawsuit was a claim for the emotional distress inflicted on these family members as they witnessed the fatal injuries sustained by their wife and mother.

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm’s practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers and workplace negligence.

Rollover Attorney Rob Ammons Files Suit Against Honda After Rollover

On behalf of the surviving wife and parents of a 24-year-old Arizona architect, Rob Ammons has filed suit against Honda and an automobile dealership.

The young man was a belted rear seat passenger in a 2002 Acura MDX that rolled over when its driver lost control of the SUV after a tire failure. His wife was seated next to him. As the Acura rolled, the man’s seat belt became detached from its anchor point, resulting in the man being thrown from the vehicle. Blunt force head and torso injuries led to his death.

In the lawsuit, Rob Ammons claims the Acura had been involved in a previous accident and required extensive repairs. A dealership performed the repair work which included removal and re-installation of seats and seat belts. According to Mr. Ammons, the seat belt restraint for the position occupied by the young man was not properly secured to the vehicle when it was reinstalled.

It is also alleged in the lawsuit that Honda’s design and manufacture of the Acura were deficient. Specifically, it is claimed that the vehicle handles poorly in the event of a tire disablement and that its rollover protection system fails to provide proper containment and injury prevention benefits to occupants in rollover crashes .

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm’s practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers and workplace negligence.

Rollover Attorney Rob Ammons Files Lawsuit After Fatal Rollover

 

On behalf of the surviving parents and children of a 39-year-old Texas man, Rob Ammons has filed suit against Ford as well as a commercial truck driver and his employer whose conduct contributed to causing a rollover accident. The lawsuit cites defects in an F250 pickup for the man’s death and for injuries to another of the vehicle’s occupants, a co-worker of the man who died.

The F250 work truck was returning from a job and was headed southbound on a Texas highway when a northbound commercial truck crossed the center stripe of that highway. When the F250′s driver steered to avoid a head-on collision with the big rig, the F250 became uncontrollable, skidded and rolled over .

In the lawsuit, it is claimed that the pickup should have been equipped with a safety feature called electronic stability control (ESC).

In the lawsuit, it is alleged that the F250 did not provide adequate protection to its occupants in rollover crashes, that the roof was weak, that one of the doors opened, and there was no side curtain air bag to help contain the occupants within the vehicle.

The lawsuit cites inattention, recklessness and failure to maintain a single lane on the part of the commercial truck driver for causing the evasive action that led to the fatal crash. Ammons claims the big rig driver’s employer is responsible for his conduct but also that the company’s training and monitoring of its drivers’ habits was lacking. “In Texas, we value public safety. When companies don’t train or supervise their commercial truck drivers, they needlessly endanger the public. Because these companies did not do their job, a Texas
jury will have a job to do,” says Rob Ammons.

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm’s practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post- collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers and workplace negligence.

Truck Accident Attorney Rob Ammons Files Lawsuit After 18-Wheeler Slams into Wrecker Driver Fixing Flat

A Houston wrecker driver had pulled onto a highway shoulder in Harris County, Texas to assist a motorist with a flat tire. As he was standing by the disabled vehicle, the driver of a Borden milk tractor-trailer approaching that area of the highway stopped looking at the road and reached for something to eat in his cab. The 18-wheeler left the main lanes and plowed into the wrecker driver, critically injuring him. He was life-flighted to the hospital.

In the lawsuit filed by Rob Ammons on behalf of the 29-year-old injured wrecker driver, it is alleged that the operator of the 18-wheeler was inattentive, failed to drive in a single lane and operated the truck in a reckless manner. It is also claimed that the operator’s employer and the owner of the 18-wheeler are responsible for the truck driver’s negligence and are also guilty of failing to properly train, instruct and supervise their driver.

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm’s practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers and workplace negligence.

Crash Tests Indicate Jeep Fire Risk

Safety groups warn millions of Jeep Grand Cherokees from the 1993 through 2004 model years are particularly susceptible to fires when struck from behind and should be recalled.Three independently conducted crash tests including one performed last month indicated the risk.

The Center for Auto Safety, a nonprofit safety advocacy group founded in 1970 by Ralph Nader, says the Grand Cherokee’s fuel system is clearly more dangerous in a rear-impact collision than those of competing vehicles, like the Ford Explorer, produced in the same era.

About three million Grand Cherokees with similar fuel systems were built by Chrysler over 12 years; some 2.2 million of those sport utilities are still registered, according to Experian Automotive. The center’s recall request is specifically for the Grand Cherokee, not the Cherokee, a different model.

Clarence Ditlow, the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, based in Washington, says that rear-impact crash tests of 1995, 1996 and 1999 Grand Cherokees showed, in each case, significant leaks of gasoline, posing a danger not only to the Jeeps’ occupants but those of the striking vehicle. In two of the tests, commissioned by the safety group, a Ford Taurus hit the Jeep’s rear at about 50 m.p.h. In the third the Taurus struck at about 40 m.p.h. For a comparison, the center said a 1995 Ford Explorer struck by a Taurus at 70 m.p.h. maintained an intact fuel system.

“The 1995 Ford Explorer showed vastly better fuel system integrity than its contemporary peer 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee,” the center said last month in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The tests were conducted by Karco Engineering of Adelanto, Calif., which also does testing for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory, based in McLean, Va.

The federal safety agency began a preliminary investigation of the 1993-2004 Grand Cherokees last August, granting a request made by the center almost a year earlier. In its request the Center for Auto Safety said it found “172 fatal fire crashes ” resulting in 254 deaths during 1992-2008 in Grand Cherokees.

In at least one case the driver of the vehicle that struck a Jeep died in a fire. Jose Sierra died of burns in 1999 a day after his Toyota MR2 struck the rear of a Grand Cherokee on Long Island. Two sisters riding in the Grand Cherokee were seriously burned.

Once a vehicle is 10 years old an automaker may not be required to pay, although it does have to notify the owner, said Mr. Kam, the former N.H.T.S.A. official. But, he said, automakers have typically concluded it would be extremely bad public relations to notify an owner of a safety problem and then decline to fix it.

Karen Aldana, an N.H.T.S.A. spokeswoman, said that the safety agency was aware of the results of the center’s tests. She declined to comment other than to note that the agency’s investigation continues.

National Tire Safety Week Reminds Drivers Even After Firestone Recall Your Tires Are at Risk

This week is the tenth annual National Tire Safety Week , but chances are good it isn’t marked on your calendar. Chances are also good that almost eleven years after the hype and hysteria over Ford Explorers fitted with Firestone tires, your tires may well be the most widely ignored component on your car or truck. That’s the purpose of National Tire Safety Week, which reminds motorists to play their PART:

· Pressure – tire pressure should be checked and set to the automaker’s recommendations on a regular basis
· Alignment - tires should be checked for uneven wear, indicating a potential alignment problem
· Rotation – tires should be rotated, per the instructions in your car’s owners manual
· Tread – tire tread should be inspected for wear on a regular basis, and replaced when tire wear indicators are visible

National Tire Safety Week began in the wake of the Ford Explorer / Firestone tire safety recall of 2000. On August 3, 2000, the NHTSA launched an investigation into delamination of Firestone tires after receiving some 193 complaints, most relating to the Ford Explorer. Ford simultaneously announced a separate investigation into the safety of Firestone tires on Ford vehicles. On August 9, Firestone announced the recall of some 6.5 million tires , kicking off the second-largest tire recall in U.S. history. The resulting hysteria crashed Firestone’s website almost immediately, and Firestone retailers soon encountered shortages of replacement tires. By August 12th, Ford had authorized their dealers to replace Firestone tires with other brands, citing availability problems with replacement Firestone tires. For both Firestone and Ford, things would get worse long before they got better.

By August 15th, the NHTSA revealed that there had been 62 fatalities in accidents involving the recalled tires . A subsequent government investigation found that both Ford and Firestone had prior knowledge of Firestone tire failures on Ford Explorer models sold in Venezuela, dating back to 1998. By 2001, with both manufacturers mired in lawsuits and pointing blame at each other, the 100-year relationship between Ford and Firestone was officially terminated by John T. Lampe, then CEO of Bridgestone / Firestone, who announced that the company would no longer enter into supply agreements with Ford Motor Company.

Ten years later, it’s still not clear where the bulk of the blame lies. The original Explorer had a relatively narrow track and a high center of gravity, which made the SUV more prone to rollover than a contemporary sedan or station wagon. The Firestone tires in question did suffer from a higher incidence of delamination, especially when underinflated. Rather that point fingers and place blame, it’s important to look at how vehicles have improved in the years since.

Beginning with the 2007 model year, manufacturers began incorporating tire pressure monitoring systems into new vehicles. These TPMS readouts give warning when tire pressures drop below an acceptable threshold, advising drivers of a potentially dangerous situation almost as soon as it occurs. Modern vehicles have improved standards for both rollover protection and occupant safety, and today’s Ford Explorer is lower and wider than earlier counterparts, making it less prone to rollover even in extreme situations. Electronic aids, such as vehicle stability control, also help to ensure that drivers don’t get in over their heads in a sudden avoidance maneuver or tire blowout.
Celebrate this year’s National Tire Safety Week by taking a look at your own tires. Check your tire pressure (while your tires are cold, of course), look for uneven treadwear and rotate your tires as necessary, because we all learned the hard way what happens when you ignore your tires.

Tire Defect Attorney Rob Ammons Files Lawsuit Against Ford Motor Company and Michelin North America After Tire Failure Deadly Accident

An accident that took the life of a husband and father is being blamed on a faulty Michelin tire and dangerous Ford Explorer, according to a lawsuit recently filed by tire defect attorney Rob Ammons.

The lawsuit is the result of an accident in New Mexico when the driver lost control of his Ford Explorer. The lawsuit filed on behalf of the passenger’s wife and daughter claims the car left the roadway and began to overturn after the left rear tire of the Explorer suffered a tread separation . During the rollover, the Explorer’s roof deformed over the passenger’s head. The lawsuit claims the passenger’s head was caught between the roadway and the Explorer, causing his death.

“This is yet another needless tragedy caused by the deadly combination of defective tires and the Ford Explorer,” says attorney Rob Ammons .

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm, is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers and workplace negligence.

Rollover Attorney Rob Ammons Files Lawsuit Against Michelin and General Motors After Tire Failure and Rollover Kills Driver

The driver was operating the vehicle outside of Nogales, Arizona with her mother and infant son. Suddenly the tread of the tire separated and the tire suffered a catastrophic failure resulting in the Chevrolet Trailblazer running off the road and overturning three times.

“We will show the tire was defectively designed , manufactured, assembled, marketed and sold by Michelin North America, Inc.,” says Rob Ammons in the lawsuit. “The defendant made the product unreasonably dangerous and was the producing cause of the incident and Plaintiff’s death and injuries to her mother and infant son.”

Rob Ammons is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, in addition to being Board Certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Rob Ammons’ law practice, The Ammons Law Firm , is located in Houston, Texas.

The Ammons Law Firm practice is exclusively personal injury law, handling such cases as: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers and workplace negligence.