San Antonio Injury Attorney Blog

In San Antonio and throughout the State of Texas, millions of children undergo potentially dangerous vaccinations and immunizations. While the majority of children and adults are not harmed by these drugs, some Texas residents can experience severe side effects, including seizures, retardation, encephalopathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and death.

In 1986, Congress established the National Childhood Vaccine Compensation Act to prevent infectious disease while providing compensation to those suffering vaccine-related injuries. Part of the motivation of Congress in establishing this act was to keep the price of vaccines low while giving families the opportunity to obtain compensation quickly without a potentially lengthy lawsuit. A person then has the option of declining any award under the program and pursuing a lawsuit in Texas state court.

If you suspect you or a loved one such as a child has suffered a vaccine-related injury, you must act quickly. Under the Vaccine Program, there are Limitations of Action provisions. If you do not file a timely petition with the Vaccine Court, you may be barred later for seeking compensation from a harmful reaction to a vaccine in a lawsuit in Texas state court.

The Vaccine Program has strict time limitations as follows.
1) A vaccine-related injury must be brought within three (3) years of the date of administration of the vaccine OR three (3) years of the first manifestation of injury from a vaccine, or in a death case two (2) years from the date of administration of the vaccine.

Seek the advice of a Texas products liability attorney if you have been the victim of a vaccine-related injury. If you do not meet the time deadlines above, you will have no way of obtaining compensation under the program and you will forfeit your right to pursue a lawsuit in state or federal court.

In Texas, tire failures can result in severe injury or death. Many drivers in San Antonio can avoid catastrophe by following the tire manufacturer's instructions and conducting proper maintenance. However, in some cases, manufacturing and design defects are behind a number of incidents of sudden loss of control resulting in vehicle rollover or crash. The tire and the rim can separate creating a deadly projectile, commonly known as "widow makers", seriously injuring or killing pedestrians and drivers.

In the late 1990s a series of crashes involving Firestone tires on Ford Explorers raised public awareness of tread separations and rollovers. The tire tread and belt separates from the remaining belts of the tire causing the vehicle to become unstable and difficult to control.

Manufacturers use chemicals to bond the steel belts to the rubber tread. The tread belt separates when there is a breakdown in the adhesion between the steel belts and the rubber tread. Improper chemicals and contamination during manufacturing can cause cracks to form between the belts and treads.

A Texas product liability attorney can explore design and manufacturing defects resulting in tread separation failures. Lawsuits on design defects can focus on claims that the tire failed to contain protective measures such as belt-edge strips. Manufacturing defects claims focus on deficiencies in the manufacturing process, improper construction, poor quality control, or contamination.

Tire manufacturers usually blame the consumer by claiming the vehicle was operating with chronically under-inflated and overloaded tires. Heat and aged tires are also blamed. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration recently issued a Consumer Advisory, recommending people replace tires more than six (6) years old.

A Texas personal injury attorney will have the know how to spend the time and money to properly evaluate tire defect injuries. A former tire company employee with experience in tire failure analysis is usually used to determine the true cause of failure. Know your rights and do not hesitate to protect them.

With greater oversight from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) , you would expect benzene exposure injuries in Texas to be a thing of the past. But unfortunately, in 2007 alone, more than 200,000 Americans were exposed to some type of benzene in the workplace. A range of blood cancers, including anemia and leukemia, result often from exposure to benzene thirty (30) years prior.

Benzene is a colorless, sweet smelling and flammable chemical that was once used as a solvent, but today is primarily found in motor fuels, plastics, rubber, and gasoline. Typically, refinery workers, leather workers, aircraft and auto mechanics, petrochemical workers, and people in industries using solvents and printers are among the classes of workers exposed to the most benzene usually via inhalation or skin exposure.

Recently, the National Cancer Institute , has determined an increase in leukemia in those exposed to as little as 10 parts per million (ppm) of benzene. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) , has classified benzene as a "known carcinogen". The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) , rates benzene as being the most carcinogenic.

If you have developed a blood cancer such as leukemia, you should evaluate your work history to determine benzene exposure as early as 35-40 years prior to your diagnosis. A Texas benzene exposure attorney , will look to determine if the benzene manufacturer and/or supplier can be identified. If there are multiple exposures to benzene from many different sources, an attorney will use experts including toxicologists, epidemiologists, and industrial hygienists. The litigation can be complex, time-consuming, and expensive, but a Texas product liability attorney , will guide you to helping you recover in cases of serious injury.