I-75

As an experienced Nashville tractor-trailer accident attorney I regularly keep up with Tennessee media reports about trucking accidents on Tennessee highways. My reading leads me to one conclusion and that is that Interstate 75 is one of the most dangerous roadways in the United States of America.

Where is I-75 and why is it so dangerous? I-75 is the major north-south artery of the Eastern U.S. running from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Miami, Florida, covering 1,785 miles of roadway which makes it the longest interstate highway in the U.S.  Traffic accidents on I-75 are common in busy urban areas like Tampa, Lexington, Knoxville, Detroit, Toledo and the Lima-Findlay area of Ohio. At any giving time there are over a million vehicles on I-75.

I have some advice that I would like to share with the families of those who are injured or killed in Tennessee by a negligent tractor-trailer driver. For a trucking company whose vehicles travel millions of miles per year, accidents are an everyday occurrence. Trucking companies have gotten this process down to a science and in many cases have specialized accident investigators at the scene of an accident interviewing the truck driver even before he/she talks to the police investigation.

What does this mean to you if you or a family member are the victim of a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident and suffer a serious or life threatening injury?  It means that the trucking company has a huge advantage in investigating the cause of the accident and developing a strategy for its defense to any claim that arises. During one of these situations evidence can disappear and negligent drivers can be coached on what to say to police investigators. The trucking company has the benefit of an expert that was actually at the accident scene. This may not be possible for the victim since injuries are usually severe in nature. Needless to say it is important to act quickly so that an expert can examine the evidence on your behalf.

Time is of the essence in these type of cases. Although most cases can be reconstructed at a later time it is important to have someone looking out for your best interests as soon as possible. That’s why it’s important to contact an experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident lawyer like those you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates. If you or a loved one is injured in a car tractor-trailer accident act quickly and take advantage of a no-cost no-obligation consultation and learn about your rights and put our crack team of lawyers and investigators on the case.

Get A Lawyer Now

I read this morning on a Memphis media web site about the death of a skateboarder who died after being run over by a garbage truck. This is one of the text-book cases that bring home my point that an accident victim or their family needs to immediately contact an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer like the ones you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates in Nashville Tennessee.

The facts, simply stated, are that local skateboarders regularly use a church parking lot to get their thrills. The Pastor of the church was aware that the boarders regularly used the lot to skateboard, and according to the media report, was so concerned about the safety issue that he had planned have a youth summit to discuss the hazards of skateboarding. This can be an important issue for a trained personal injury lawyer. The church had knowledge of the danger and did nothing to prevent it from happening.

A quick review of the facts shows that each party to this tragedy, the boarder, the property owner, the garbage truck driver and his company bear some measure of responsibility for the death. To get to the bottom of this situation and collect damages an experienced Nashville automobile accident needs to be in on the case as soon as possible.

Contact the experienced Nashville auto accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

All one has to do these days is pick up a newspaper, go online or catch the evening news on TV, and see a report on another in what has become an epidemic of roadway departure crashes. If these deaths were caused by a virus or bacteria or active prion disease the public health departments and the political leaders of our state would be scrambling for a solution. But it seems that fatal roadway departure crashes don’t get the attention.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney we know that these crashes are referred to as “Roadway Departure Crashes” (RDCs). The Federal Highway Administration defines a RDC as a non-intersection crash that occurs when a vehicle crosses an edge line or a centerline, or otherwise leaves the traveled way. According to the Federal Highway Administration roadway departure crashes are frequently severe and account for the majority of highway fatalities.

The latest, but not the only RDC happened when a 61-year-old Kingsport man was killed when his Cadillac crossed the centerline and hit a tractor-trailer head-on. The man was killed at the scene and unlike many of these crashes both men were wearing their seat belts.

The main culprit here was probably some distraction that caused the man to take his eyes off of the road. It only takes a second and you are out of your lane. The lesson here is that our political leadership needs to step up to the plate and engage in an intense public education program to remind an increasingly disengaged public to pay attention and arrive alive.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by a distracted driver, you owe it to your self to contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Rash Of Interstate Tractor-Trailer Accidents

As an experienced Tennessee personal injury lawyer, I monitor highway traffic accidents across the state, and I am seeing a serious number of tractor-trailer accidents on and off the interstate highways. One thing I noticed about the recent articles in local media sources is that the age of the truck drivers in a number of these wrecks exceeds 68 years of age. Now don’t get me wrong, I think that a person ought to be able to work as long as they want but when it comes to piloting an 80,00 lb. rocket down a busy interstate highway, it’s an issue we ought to scrutinize.

I’m wondering out loud whether the sour economy is forcing drivers to continue to work when they are past the age of safety. As we age we lose some of our physical and mental skills that might have served us well in our younger years. Another problem is medication, that may affect the drivers ability to go for long hours without becoming drowsy.

Reference a recent accident in Dooley County Georgia, just south of the Tennessee in which a Tennessee man driving a converted school bus along I-75 around 4 AM was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer causing to to depart the highway where it crashed head-on into a tree killing the driver.

The truck driver was 71-years-old and he told the highway patrol that he just came up on the school bus quicker than he predicted. An experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer lawyer would investigate the 12 hours leading up to this tragic collision. How long had the truck driver been on the road, was he taking medication, what was his medical history, and driving record.

As I’ve said many times, when you are involved in an accident with a trucking company vehicle time is of the essence and you ought to get an experienced tractor trailer lawyer on the case as soon as possible. The trucking company will have it’s investigators on the scene within an hour or so of the collision.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident you owe it to your self to contact the experienced Board Certified civil trial lawyers like you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates and put them to work for you.

Drunk, Speeding, Raging

The article in the local paper was short and did not name the deceased man. The facts are simple but confusing. A man under the influence of alcohol, following shortly on the heels of a heated domestic dispute with his soon to be ex-wife, is speeding along a 2-lane country road, not wearing his seatbelt and when he reaches an intersection of the country road and a US Highway, he runs the stop sign and is hit by a tractor-trailer.

His vehicle ends of badly damaged in the ditch and the drunk, presumably angry driver is ejected from the pickup and killed. In the words of Mark Twain, “Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.” The truth is that if you drive when you are in a drunken rage you are most likely going to be in no condition to be behind the wheel.

What is there to say? Is there a lesson to be learned from this story? What do you think?

When you hire an attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting the whole package.  You don’t just get an extremely qualified and dedicated lawyer, you also get a loyal Tennessee resident who cares about the quality of life in their community and who puts their time and money into standing up for causes and charities they believe in.  You can read about some of the causes we support on our home page, along with a summary of our professional qualifications.  Additional details about our attorneys and staff can be found by viewing our personal profiles, where you can get to know the men and women who will be looking out for your best interest.

Please contact Phillip Miller & Associates today and take your first step forward towards putting the frustration and horror of your Tennessee auto accident experience behind you.

Tennessee Roadway Departure Crash

A Memphis family and their friends buried a young woman yesterday, she was only 20-years-old and had her whole life in front of her. Media reports say she was driving west on I-40 when she left the roadway, crossed the median and hit an oncoming tractor-trailer. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver was uninjured.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer I’m regularly investigating the causes of accidents and I always start with the question how. How does a young woman in the prime of her life, presumably with five years of driving experience simply drive off of the roadway? The usual answer to this question is that she was somehow distracted and took her eyes off of the road. Once you are off of the road at interstate speeds it’s virtually impossible to regain control of your vehicle.

In my experience as a Nashville auto accident lawyer, the answer to this question is that the driver became distracted by someone or some thing. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event. Primary causes of driver inattention are distracting activities, such as cell phone use, and drowsiness.

As part of the accident investigation officers will review this young woman’s cell phone records to determine whether she was using her cell phone or was texting. No matter what the answer, the parents of this young woman won’t take any comfort, they have lost their child, but for those of us who take to the road everyday her death is a wake-up call to remind us to avoid distractions and put down the cell phones while behind the wheel.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville auto accident caused by the negligence of another you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

A tragic tractor-trailer fatality occurred yesterday morning near Caryville Tennessee when the trucker was unable to bring his truck to a stop as he encountered traffic stopped for another accident. The tractor-trailer clipped a pickup truck, ran through a guardrail and plunged 1000 feet over a cliff. The driver was ejected even though he had on his seat belt.

In Tennessee a driver must always be on the defensive, always thinking about what other drivers might do and be prepared to respond with proper reactions. Drivers must know and understand safe and proper braking procedures for the vehicles they drive. This includes the principles of adequate following distances.

Tennessee law states: “The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway.” When another driver makes a mistake, you need time to react. Give yourself this time by keeping a “space cushion” around your vehicle. This space cushion will give you room to brake and avoid hazards when needed.

Good drivers keep this safe following distance or space cushion to have a better view of the road. The more space you allow between your car and the car ahead, the more time you will have to see and react to traffic hazards or crashes down the road.

I have only read the media reports of this accident but under most circumstances a trucker should be able to see far enough ahead to see the problems ahead, unless he was distracted by something. Cell phones and texting are the number one offenders when it comes to distracted driving. Investigators will most probably find phone records that will indicate that he was on the phone when he should have been keeping a lookout ahead.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile tractor-trailer accident accident caused by a negligent Trucker, contact the experienced Nashville tractor-trailer accident attorneys at the Nashville law firm of Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Tailgating-Two Dead

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I can tell you that if you are distracted in any way as you drive on the highways and byways of Tennessee things can get hinky in just a second or two. Reference an article from the website of the Lexington, Kentucky Herald-Leader about a four vehicle crash on I-75 in East Tennessee.

According to the facts in the article automobiles had stopped on the highway because of an accident ahead. A tractor-trailer driven by a 63-year-old Tennessee truck driver, failed to keep his vehicle under control and rammed into the rear-end of a car carrying five passengers on their way to a religious convocation. The crash killed a 52-year-old woman and a 3-year-old little girl, and injured the others.

Tennessee law states: “The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway.” When another driver makes a mistake, you need time to react. Give yourself this time by keeping a “space cushion” around your vehicle. This space cushion will give you room to brake and avoid hazards when needed.

Good drivers keep this safe following distance or space cushion to have a better view of the road. The more space you allow between your car and the car ahead, the more time you will have to see and react to traffic hazards or crashes down the road. Many drivers don’t see as well as they should because they follow too closely (tailgating). The vehicle ahead of them blocks their view of traffic and road conditions. Rear-end crashes are very common and most of these crashes are caused by drivers who are “tailgating.”

What does this mean to you if you or a family member are the victim of a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident and suffer a serious or life threatening injury?  It means that the trucking company has a huge advantage in investigating the cause of the accident and developing a strategy for its defense to any claim that arises. During one of these situations evidence can disappear and negligent drivers can be coached on what to say to police investigators. The trucking company has the benefit of an expert that was actually at the accident scene. This may not be possible for the victim since injuries are usually severe in nature. Needless to say it is important to act quickly so that an expert can examine the evidence on your behalf.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident caused by a driver who is distracted or following too close, you owe it to yourself to immediately contact the experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates.

Passing Can Be Deadly

As an experienced Nashville motorcycle tractor-trailer accident lawyer I have been noticing a number of Tennessee highway accidents involving improper passing. Passing another vehicle is a normal part of driving, but it can be very dangerous. Collisions resulting from improper passing are often fatal, since the impact is greater in this type of crash. Before you attempt a pass, be sure you have enough room to complete the maneuver.

If you have to cut back to your lane too soon, you risk sideswiping the vehicle you are passing. If you do not cut back to your lane soon enough, you risk a head-on collision. It is equally important to know when NOT to pass, as well as when to pass. The decision of whether or not to pass is influenced by the knowledge, judgment, attitude and behavior of the driver. BE PATIENT.

This is exactly what happened the other day on I-40 in Jefferson County Tennessee when a 33-year-old Tennessee man riding his Harley-Davidson passed a tractor-trailer and as he pulled back into the lane his rear wheel clipped the bumper of the tractor-trailer causing him the lose control and hit the pavement at high speed. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this unfortunate man.

The lesson here for the rest of us is that we have to be totally focused on the task at hand and when we are passing we have to pay extra special attention to this event. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee motorcycle tractor-trailer accident you owe it to your self and your family to contact the experienced Tennessee motorcycle tractor-trailer attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

He Didn't Have A Chance

Why did the driver of a tractor-trailer hauling garbage have to swerve to avoid a slower vehicle, cross the centerline of the highway and smash into an oncoming pickup truck killing the Tennessee driver?  The facts set forth in the article on the web site of the Lexington Herald-Leader are slim but it appears that the offending driver was not keeping a lookout ahead of him and was not able to slow down in time to avoid colliding with a slower truck.

To share the road safely, stay a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. Nationally, safety agencies and driver education programs have tried to define a safe following distance for drivers to maintain. This has ranged from a two to four second following distance. As the car ahead of you passes a stationary point on the road (a sign post, driveway, utility pole, etc.), count the seconds it takes you to reach the same spot. Count to yourself  “one-thousand and one, one thousand and two,” etc. You should NOT reach the same point on the road before you finish counting to at least “one-thousand two.” If you do, you are following too closely.

Be alert and know when you will have to stop well ahead of time. Stopping suddenly is dangerous and usually indicates that a driver was not paying attention, was speeding or was not allowing a safe following distance. Try to avoid panic stops by seeing events well in advance. By slowing down or changing lanes, you may not have to stop at all, and if you do, it can be a more gradual and safer stop. As a rule, it is best to never stop on the road, unless necessary for safety or to obey a law (stop sign, etc.).

If you or a loved one is injured in a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident caused by a driver who is distracted or following too close, you owe it to yourself to immediately contact the experienced Nashville tractor-trailer attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates. What does this mean to you if you or a family member are the victim of a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident and suffer a serious or life threatening injury?  It means that the trucking company has a huge advantage in investigating the cause of the accident and developing a strategy for its defense to any claim that arises. During one of these situations evidence can disappear and negligent drivers can be coached on what to say to police investigators. The trucking company has the benefit of an expert that was actually at the accident scene. This may not be possible for the victim since injuries are usually severe in nature. Needless to say it is important to act quickly so that an expert can examine the evidence on your behalf.

Time is of the essence in these kind of  cases. Although most cases can be reconstructed at a later time it is important to have someone looking out for your best interests as soon as possible. That’s why it’s important to contact an experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident lawyer like those you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a car tractor-trailer accident act quickly and take advantage of a no-cost no-obligation consultation and learn about your rights and put our crack team of lawyers and investigators on the case.