Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

January 1, 2009

Fort Worth Man Mauled by Pit Bull

FORT WORTH — A man had walked his southeast Fort Worth neighborhood for years without any problems from dogs. Until Tuesday morning.

A pit bull terrier mauled the 61-year-old man in a vacant field as he strolled home from a neighborhood convenience store.

“He charged straight at me,” the man said Wednesday afternoon from home, where he was nursing his injured hand and leg. “If there had been a rock or something, I could have done something.”

But a 76-year-old man, whom police described as a good Samaritan, came to victim’s rescue. The man heard the attack and managed to pull the dog off victim’s left arm.

The injured was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth with injuries to his left hand and right leg. He was released shortly after the incident.

December 30, 2008

Texas Wrongful Death Suit Blames Sawmill’s Safety Violations

by Dr. Shezad Malik

MARSHALL TEXAS- The family of a man killed while working at a Texas sawmill is suing the company for alleged safety violations.

According to the complaint filed Dec. 28 in the Marshall Division of the Eastern District of Texas, the man was employed at Southern Hardwood Co. on Jan. 20, 2007, when he died.

The man was making wooden boards for pallets using a board edger, when the Crosby board edger “shot back” a board into his chest.

The man was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead and the cause of death determined to be from a blunt force trauma to the chest.

December 27, 2008

Texas Medical Board Update

by Dr. Shezad Malik

The Texas Medical Board (TMB) is charged with licensing physicians and enforcing the Texas Medical Practices Act. During the 2007 session and interim, TMB has been under intense legislative scrutiny for administrative, enforcement, and licensure issues. Last session, lawmakers increased the agency’s appropriation by $3.4 million — to $18.4 million for the biennium — so it can better manage the backlog of license applications. In exchange, the board was directed to cut the average processing time for a new license to 51 days. TMB reports it has met this goal and initiated an online application process to further speed up licensure.

December 26, 2008

Texas Medical Board Falling Behind On Complaints

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Medical malpractice reform enacted five years ago succeeded in cutting the number of lawsuits against doctors and increasing the number of physicians working in Texas.

But state medical board investigators say it also left them with an unbearable workload.

While the Texas Medical Board’s staffing increased 28 percent from 112 employees in fiscal 2002 to 143 in fiscal 2008, physician and patient settlements through the board have increased 202 percent, according to the board’s statistics.

In next year’s legislative session, the TMB will be asking for 11 additional full-time workers to help with investigating and resolving complaints against doctors.

December 25, 2008

Ambulance And Car Accident in Leonard, North of Dallas

by Dr. Shezad Malik

LEONARD TEXAS— An ambulance collided with a car at a rural North Texas intersection, killing all three people inside the sedan.

Police in Leonard say the ambulance driver failed to see the Chevrolet Malibu before turning onto U.S. Highway 69. The car slammed into the ambulance, sending both vehicles off the road and leaving the ambulance on its side in a ditch.

December 24, 2008

Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Exam

by Dr. Shezad Malik

There are 50 items on the nursing jurisprudence examination (NJE). You must correctly answer 75% of the questions to pass the NJE. You will have two (2) hours to complete the NJE. Displayed in the upper right hand corner of the computer screen will be a digital clock and the question number so you can monitor your progress throughout the NJE.

You are permitted to access the Board of Nursing (BON) website and other resource material throughout the exam to locate the answers to questions. The NJE will run in another window, thereby leaving this window open to access reference materials on the BON website.

A Passing Result will be posted and recorded to the BON system when all 50 questions are answered and a minimum of 38 questions are answered correctly. A certificate will be available for printing at the end of the examination process. Once a passing result is recorded, Board Staff will be notified and the jurisprudence exam requirement will be updated as completed in your BON file. Keep the certificate for your records. Do not mail the certificate to the BON.

December 23, 2008

Dallas To Start Towing More Uninsured Motorists

by Dr. Shezad Malik

DALLAS, TX.- The Dallas Police Department will begin enforcing the Uninsured Motorist Ordinance with the start of the new year.

Approved by the Dallas City Council on May 28, the new law says that drivers who are stopped for a traffic violation and cannot provide proof of the state-required auto insurance will have their vehicle towed at the owner’s expense.

Currently, uninsured drivers in Dallas are only towed in the event of a traffic accident. The new ordinance extends towing to any traffic violations.

December 22, 2008

Texas Medical Board Implements New Rules

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Rule Changes Adopted
The board adopted the following rule changes that were published in the Texas Register:

Chapter 163, Licensure, amendments to §163.5, Licensure Documentation.

Chapter 165, Medical Records, amendments to §165.1, Medical Records; §165.5, Transfer and Disposal of Medical Records.

Chapter 166, Physician Registration, amendments to§166.2, Continuing Medical Education; and §166.6, Exemption from Registration Fee for Retired Physician Providing Voluntary Charity Care.

December 21, 2008

Texas Medical Board Disciplines 59 Doctors and Issues 479 Physician Licenses

by Dr. Shezad Malik

Since its last board meeting, the Texas Medical Board took disciplinary action against 59 licensed physicians. The actions included 13 violations based on quality of care; two actions based on unprofessional conduct; three actions based on violations of probation or prior orders; three actions based on other states’ actions; six actions based on inadequate medical records; four actions based on impairment due to alcohol or drugs or mental/physical condition; two actions based on nontherapeutic prescribing; two actions based on failure to properly supervise or delegate; one action based on a criminal conviction; three voluntary surrenders; two violations of failure to obtain required continuing medical education; two administrative agreed orders; and 12 licensees agreed to enter into administrative orders with the board for minimal statutory violations.

December 20, 2008

Texas Roadway Hazards From Trucks Leaving Gas Well Sites

by Dr. Shezad Malik

TEXAS-Johnson County officials are concerned about “mud” spills, the mess that some companies leave behind when waste is hauled away from drilling sites.

When trucks loaded with the mud used in the gas drilling process travel too fast along county roads, some of it spills out, and county officials are sometimes left to clean up the mess.

The Johnson County’s emergency management coordinator, said cleanup costs are mounting, and the problem is also plaguing other counties in the Barnett Shale.

The mud contains lubricants and toxic chemicals used to make the drill bit turn more easily. When mud spills onto roadways, it is like ice, sometimes leading to serious accidents.