It's a Dangerous Job

At 5:30 AM this past Saturday morning while most of us were sleeping and comfortable in our warm beds, Metro police officer Brent Hoadley and dozens of his colleagues were out on the street of Nashville keeping us safe. I have often Blogged about these brave men and women who put their lives on the line for us every single day of their working lives.

Brent Hoadley was doing just that when he responded to an automobile accident in Hermitage. He did just what he was supposed to be doing, securing the scene, making sure that traffic was directed around the scene to protect the emergency responders, and then it happened. A driver who claimed to have suffered some sort of medical emergency and was allowed to leave the scene without any charges. The investigation continues.

The latest on Officer Hoadly’s condition is positive according to reports by local media outlets, and for this the lawyers and staff of Phillip Miller & Associates are so grateful. Our prayers go out to this fine man and his family and friends.

When looking at this accident from the point of view of an experienced Nashville auto accident lawyer I must say I’m somewhat confused  by the other drivers inability to see a crash scene, with several emergency vehicles, their emergency lights flashing and Officer Hoadley wearing a bright yellow reflective police vest. More investigation is needed on this situation and I promise to keep my readers up-to-date.

In Tennessee we have what we call the “Move Over Law”, which requires motorists to switch lanes and make extra room for emergency vehicles, including utility vehicles.

For this and other information on Tennessee highway safety issues contact the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, and answer all your questions. Call 615-356-2000.

Pedestrians Should Avoid Distractions

Nashville traffic investigators are busy this morning with two pedestrian accidents. A pedestrian was struck and critically injured near the intersection of Firestone Parkway and Heil Quaker Boulevard near the Davidson-Rutherford county line early this morning. Local media reports had no other information at the time this is posted, other then to say that the victim was transported with critical injuries, according to police.

Another pedestrian, a 40-year-old man was struck in East Nashville on Fatherland Street, and rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. According to sketchy local media reports the driver told police she never saw the man before he was struck.

According to a recent study of pedestrian accidents, in the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. More than 43,000 Americans – including 3,906 children under 16 have been killed this decade alone. This is the equivalent of a jumbo jet going down roughly every month, yet it receives nothing like the kind of attention that would surely follow such a disaster.

Children, the elderly, and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in this figure, but people of all ages and all walks of life have been struck down in the simple act of walking. These deaths typically are labeled “accidents,” and attributed to error on the part of motorist or pedestrian. In fact, however, an overwhelming proportion share a similar factor: They occurred along roadways that were dangerous by design, streets that were engineered for speeding cars and made little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs or on a bicycle.

As a Tennessee driver we have a duty to keep a lookout for pedestrians and other vehicles and should be positioned to react to avoid these types of collisions. If you or a loved one are injured or killed by a negligent Nashville driver you should contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates at 615-356-2000, and take advantage of a free consultation.

Practice Parking Lot Safety

The other day I stopped off at a local mall to purchase a Christmas gift and I observed a young mother with a couple of children in the three to four-year-old range. As she got one child out of her car seat and went around to the other side of her SUV to get the other one, she warned the kids to use parking lot manners.

I assumed she had instructed them to stay by her side and look out for cars until she got the car locked and was holding each of their hands. I thought of this woman and “parking lot manners” when I read about a 72-year-old pedestrian accident in a parking lot in Clarksville Tennessee.

Wherever there are cars one has to keep a look out and be ready to respond to an emergency to avoid being run over. A 72-year-old man was pinned between a car and a building Monday in the parking lot of a Madison Street business.

A local media outlet said that a 77-year-old driver of a Ford 500 car was backing out of a parking spot when a vehicle crossed behind her and sounded their horn. The driver then began to pull forward into the parking spot and the accelerator stuck, lunged forward, and struck the 72-year-old man standing in front of the building, pinning him between the vehicle and the building. The man was seriously injured and was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center.

The lawyers and staff at Phillip Miller & Associates want to take this opportunity to remind you that during this busy holiday season to practice “parking lot manners”, at all times. If you are injured you ought to contact the experienced Nashville auto accident attorneys and find out about your rights and remedies. Call 615-356-2000.

Pedestrians Should Avoid Distractions

In the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. Children, the elderly and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in this figure, but people of all ages and all walks of life have been struck down in the simple act of walking.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) a pedestrian is defined as any person not in or upon a motor vehicle or other  vehicle. This past year, 4,654 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States, a  decrease of 13 percent from the 5,321 pedestrians killed in 1997.

On average, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash every 113 minutes and injured in a traffic crash every 8 minutes.  There were 70,000 pedestrians injured in traffic crashes last year. A pedestrian in downtown Nashville was hurt after police say he stepped out in front of a police officer’s car.

The circumstances of the accident tell us a whole lot about the facts. The accident happened at one o’clock Sunday morning near 3rd Avenue and Commerce Street, an area that is populated with late night drinking establishments. According to local media reports, witnesses say the pedestrian looked like he was intoxicated when he stepped off the curb and in front of an unmarked police car.

If you, or a loved one, are seriously injured or killed in a Nashville pedestrian accident, contact the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation. Call 615-356-2000.

Hit & Run Drivers Are The Worst Kind Of People

White House, Tennessee police are looking for the driver of a red Chevy Silverado pickup truck, in relation to a Hit & Run of a 12-year-old boy. From the limited facts in the local media report this is a driver that needs to get got. The driver, either intentionally or because he was impaired, drove off the road and struck the young man.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer, Hit & Run drivers are, in my consideration, the worst kind of human being. Most H&R drivers are under the influence of alcohol, others have already run afoul of the law and have lost their driving privileges, yet they continue to get behind the wheel and ignore the rules.

Many H&R drivers are trying to avoid detection because they don’t have insurance and they don’t want to face the responsibility for their actions. No matter which category they fall into they are the very worst type of person, someone who will leave an injured or dying pedestrian lying in the street. Every time I read about a Hit & Run fatality my blood boils thinking about what kind of persons leaves another human being lying in the street to die alone.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our car accident attorneys today for a free consultation. When you hire an auto accident attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting a qualified and dedicated lawyer. Details about our attorneys and staff can be found by viewing our website at www.seriousinjury.com where you can get to know the men and women who will be looking out for your best interest.

Practice Christmas Season Driving Safety

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, I approach the Christmas holiday season with mixed emotions. It’s a time for family and friends, a time of hope and joy, the ending of another year, and on the other hand it’s the high season for drunk drivers. This morning I thought I might make a list of drunk driving facts to show you how this problem manifests itself.

* Most drunk drivers are males but statistics show that the number of women driving under the influence is definitely on the rise. Between 2004 and 2008 in Tennessee, impaired women drivers involved in fatal crashes increased by 4.7 percent.

* The group most likely to be involved in an alcohol related fatal crash will be men and women in the 21-24-year-old range. During the 2006 holiday season, alcohol was a factor in almost 37 percent of the fatal crashes with drivers this age. Compare that to drivers 44-54, where 20 percent of the fatal accidents involved alcohol

* While drivers 21-24 constituted 11 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2007, they made up 18 percent of all alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes.

* In 2008, about one-third of all fatal crashes involved alcohol-impaired drivers.

* Nationwide in 2008 there were 37,261 total highway fatalities with 11,773 of them involved alcohol-impaired drivers.

* In Tennessee there were 1035 fatalities during this same period with 327 involving alcohol-impaired drivers

December is National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, with assistance from other agencies, will staff more than 100 sobriety and driver’s license checkpoints through New Year’s Day. Don’t be a statistic, if you drive, don’t drink and if you drink don’t drive. If you see a or suspect a driver of being under the influence take action and call the police, you may save a life. In an urban are dial 911 and in a rural area dial *847 for the State Troopers.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our car accident attorneys today for a free consultation. When you hire an auto accident attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting a qualified and dedicated lawyer. Details about our attorneys and staff can be found by viewing our website at www.seriousinjury.com where you can get to know the men and women who will be looking out for your best interest. Call 615-356-2000.

Photo courtesy of the AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety

Who Is Responsible for Roadway Safety?

Injured Child Pedestrian

Everyone. We all are responsible for driving, walking, and biking safely on our Nation’s roads. The engineers and planners have the responsibility to make sure that roads are designed and operating properly — with safety for all road users in mind.

Drivers and pedestrians have the responsibility to always be alert and obey the traffic rules. Passengers should always buckle up and act responsibly. The police and the courts have the responsibility to make sure that the traffic and pedestrian laws are enforced.

Public safety agencies have the responsibility of responding to and securing crash locations and enforcing traffic laws. Local communities and county and state governments need to allocate funding for safe roads and increase public awareness about road safety. Everyone should take responsibility for roadway safety.

These are fine ideals for adults and they most assuredly apply to adults responsibility to take care of our children. Each of us, as drivers, are responsible to keep a lookout when children are present. Parents have the responsibility to see that their children are trained in road safety issues, such as, crossing at marked crosswalks, following the traffic lights and avoid running into the street from between parked cars. And most importantly the parents are responsible to supervising their children when they are playing near the street.

A four-year-old south Nashville child has been taken to the hospital after being struck by a car, after running out into the street from between parked cars on Natchez Court this past Saturday. The child was taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Although the driver would not have been responsible, he/she fled the scene leaving the injured child lying in the street. What a lowlife, someone who hits a child and doesn’t stop to render aid.

Hit & Run drivers are, in my consideration, the worst kind of human being. Most H&R drivers are under the influence of alcohol, others have already run afoul of the law and have lost their driving privileges, yet they continue to get behind the wheel and ignore the rules.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our car accident attorneys today for a free consultation. When you hire an auto accident attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting a qualified and dedicated lawyer. Details about our attorneys and staff can be found by viewing our website at www.seriousinjury.com where you can get to know the men and women who will be looking out for your best interest.

Motorcycle Accident

Wednesday evening turned into a hectic time for local emergency responders on the streets of Nashville.  First on the agenda was a serious motorcycle crash on Vietnam Veterans Parkway. Information about the cause of the accident are not in yet but it appears the the biker left the road at speed and hit the median guardrail.

Minutes later the call went out to respond to a very serious pedestrian accident at the intersection Nolensville Pike and Harding Place. The latest on the pedestrian’s condition is unknown at this time but we will keep you filled in as facts come to light. According to local media reports it appears that the driver involved will not be cited.

Later that evening, another pedestrian was seriously injured as she walked along a drak section of road without a sidewalk on Wilson Pike. She is now at Vanderbilt in critical condition. Our prayers go out to all three victims for a speedy and complete recovery.

Keep up with issues related to Tennessee traffic related situations by visiting this Blog and our website at Phillip Miller & Associates. Call 615-356-2000.

Tennessee Teen Driver

Under the Tennessee Graduated Drivers License law a fifteen year old can get a Learner Permit but driving is restricted. Anyone under the age of 18 who has a learner permit will be prohibited from driving between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. When driving, permit holders must have a licensed driver age 21 or older in the vehicle with them. Seatbelt use is mandatory for everyone in the vehicle under the age of 18 (passengers age 3 and under must be in an approved child restraint device).

The parents of a 15-year-old Cookeville Tennessee teen are in some serious trouble. The Teen driver faces charges of driving without a permit and failure to have insurance after she dropped of several children at Avery Trace Middle School, and struck a school crossing guard.

The 55-year-old guard was transported to a local hospital and local media reports say her injuries are minor. Is situation creates an interesting set of circumstances that require to assistance of an experienced Tennessee personal injury attorney.

The first thing that I would focus on would be the claim of the Guard for benefits under the Tennessee Workers Compensation law. There is no cause of action against the juvenile driver but there is a strong cause of action against the parents or owner of the vehicle she was driving if they are not the same.

If you or a loved one are injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by an under aged teen der a number of legal issues come in to play and the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates can help you sort them out so that you can obtain the very best result to cover your damages. Call 615-356-2000

National Safety Council Launches Video Series to Educate Public
About Dangers of Cell Phone Use While Driving

Itasca, IL – The National Safety Council today released a series of short videos, “Understanding Distracted Driving,” to address the most frequently asked questions about cell phone use while driving. The videos, featuring NSC Senior Director of Transportation Initiatives David Teater, are free to download or are available to businesses and the public via YouTube.

Cell Phone Use And Driving Don't Mix

In short, two- to three-minute clips, Teater answers 12 questions, including why cell phones are a particularly dangerous distraction, and explains the science behind cognitive distraction. The videos also address how employers can protect their employees with workplace policies.

Teater’s 12-year-old son Joe was killed in a motor vehicle collision in 2004. The driver who caused the crash was distracted by a cell phone. Prior to joining NSC, Teater’s 30-year business career included serving as CEO of a research and strategy firm that provided consulting services to most auto manufacturers. He is a frequent speaker on the topic of distracted driving, has testified before the U.S. Congress and has appeared before several state legislatures to advocate for restrictions on cell phone use while driving.

“Cell phone use and driving are a dangerous, and oftentimes deadly, combination,” Teater said. “The resources NSC has developed explain why this behavior is so dangerous and provide solutions on how to go about changing behaviors to make our roadways safer.”

The videos are part of a larger strategy developed by NSC to end cell phone distracted driving. NSC is helping U.S. organizations of all sizes implement and strengthen corporate cell phone policies, and has made available a cell phone policy kit, which is free on the NSC website. Additionally, “Understanding the Distracted Brain,” an NSC white paper, shares research about why a cell phone conversation causes such an intense mental distraction to drivers.

In 2009, NSC was the first national organization to call for a total ban on cell phone use while driving. Since then, NSC has worked with the public, business leaders and elected officials to stop cell phone use behind the wheel, a dangerous behavior that contributes to thousands of deaths each year.

For this and other important Tennessee Highway Safety information visit the website of Phillip Miller & Associates or call 615-356-2000.