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GAINESVILLE, Texas - Noted truck accident attorney Steve Laird of Fort Worth's The Law Offices of Steven C. Laird is announcing a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and other defendants following a deadly tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 35 near Gainesville, Texas.

Mr. Laird represents Melissa Hinkle following the death of her only son, Casey, 13, and her father, Gervious Dale Hinkle, 63, on July 5 when their Ford Explorer was struck from behind by a tractor trailer owned by Tulsa, Okla.-based Refrigerated Delivery Services Inc.

Ms. Hinkle suffered severe injuries in the crash, and is attempting to recover physically and emotionally with the help of family and loved ones. Burial services for Jay and Casey Hinkle were held on July 12 in Granbury.

In addition to TXDOT and Refrigerated Delivery, also named as defendants are Randy Crume, the tractor-trailer driver, and Texarkana, Ark.-based KKM Construction Inc., whose work on an interstate bridge created a traffic jam that backed up for miles prior to the collision. A Texas state trooper told reporters that Mr. Crume failed to control the truck's speed before crashing into the Hinkle's vehicle and several others. Three more people were killed near the same site on August 3, when another tractor-trailer slammed into vehicles sitting in a traffic jam caused by the same contractor.

"Ms. Hinkle is filing this lawsuit with the hope that it will bring change and prevent something like this tragedy from happening to another family," says Mr. Laird. "Every defendant in this case had a hand in these unnecessary deaths, and we intend to make sure they are held accountable. This has to stop before more innocent people are killed."

Mr. Laird has handled numerous cases involving serious injuries and deaths related to traffic accidents caused by tractor-trailers and other heavy trucks. The Dallas Morning News called on Mr. Laird for his expertise in a five-part series on the dangers of heavy trucks on Texas roadways, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram highlighted his work in a story about three separate cases where Mr. Laird represented families whose loved ones were killed in tractor-trailer crashes. Mr. Laird has been selected as one of the Top 100 attorneys in Texas for the past five years in the Texas Super Lawyers list published in Texas Monthly magazine.

This latest case was filed in Cooke County's 235th District Court in Gainesville the morning of Aug. 6 as Melissa J. Hinkle, et al. v. Randy Crume, et al., No. 09-00364. Mr. Laird has requested a jury trial to determine the defendants' liability.

The Law Offices of Steven C. Laird, P.C., is a Fort Worth, Texas law firm whose lawyers and staff members are committed to finding justice in every case we handle. For almost 30 years, we have worked responsibly and diligently in representing individuals and families in personal injury cases where corporate and individual negligence has resulted in significant personal injury and wrongful death.

For more information on the lawsuit, please contact Bruce Vincent at 214-559-4630 or bruce@androvett.com.