Roadway Departure Crash Takes Man's Life

Talk about a rough way to end the year for two Maryland men. Man One is sitting at home minding your own business, growing 20 or so large pots of marijuana when Driver Two, a 20-year-old driver, loses control of his vehicle, leaves the road and slams into his house and catches fire.

Firefighters found the pot, the police got a search warrant and busted Man One. Man Two died in the crash. Unfortunately, the local media didn’t mention the cause of the roadway departure crash. Usually these types of crashes are caused by drivers going in excess of the posted speed limit. Other causes include, distractions, medical emergencies or drugs or alcohol.

Distraction from the primary task of driving could present a serious and potentially deadly danger. In 2008, 5,870 people lost their lives and an estimated 515,000 people were injured in police-reported crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported on the crash report. While these numbers are signi!cant, they may not state the true size of the problem, since the identification of distraction and its role in the crash by law enforcement can be very difficult.

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.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash by a distracted driver or a case like the present one that will require an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I think it’s important during the holiday season to remind my readers and clients of a potentially dangerous situation that awaits holiday shoppers, and that is the parking lots at large malls.

The folks here at Phillip Miller & Associates wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season. We thank you for visiting our web site and urge you to take a look at the following items.

Parking Lot Safety

1. DO NOT carry your purse or other bulky items. Put your ID, purchase source (Cash or Card) in your pocket.

2. DO NOT Stop and put your purse in your trunk at the store. (Several models of cars can have the window broken and then the trunk release will work even with no key).

3. Walk against traffic to and from your car.

4. Walk in the middle of the traffic lane (watching out for cars)

5. Keep purchases in your trunk, not in your car where they are visible.

6. DO NOT leave valuables visible in your vehicle

7. Park in well-lit areas.

8. Park near the entrance if possible.

9. Shop/walk with a friend in parking lots.

10. Ask for a security guard to walk you to your car if it is dark and you have a long way to walk.

11. Do not accept “help” from strangers.

12. Have your keys ready to use

13.  Expect travel/traffic delays and crowded parking lots.

Most all, keep your eyes open and stay alert.

Motorcyle Fatality

A Chattanooga man is charged with vehicular homicide for a crash that killed a biker, in September. Already facing charges of driving under the influence and on a suspended license, the man is looking at some serious jail time. Police reports say that the man was driving his SUV on Hixson Pike when he crossed the centerline and hit a motorcycle head-on, killing a 51-year-old Perry Maddox who was dead at the scene. Investigators say that alcohol played a major role in the fatal accident.

As my goal with this blog is to educate my readers in the hope that you all will practice safe driving and instill in your family and friends the need to do the same. On average a human being loses their life at the hands of a drunk driver every 45 minutes. In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving related crashes, a decline of 9.8 percent from the 13,041 drunk driving related fatalities of 2007.

About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. Over 1.46 million drivers were arrested in 2006 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in the United States.

In 2001, more than half a million people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present an average of one person injured almost every minute.

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 motorcycle accident experience behind you.

Motorcycle Collision

More crashes happen at intersections than at any other place. Intersections constitute a very small part of rural and urban street/highway systems, yet they are implicated in 31.9 percent of all motor vehicle crashes and 15.5 percent of all fatal crashes (2004 NHTSA data). Be very careful when approaching any intersection or driveway. Never assume another driver will yield the right-of-way to you. Always be prepared to stop.  Never assume another driver will yield the right-of-way to you. .

In Tennessee the driver of a motorcycle, motorized bicycle or motor-driven cycle and any passenger thereon shall be required to wear a crash helmet of a type approved by the commissioner of safety.

Reference a near fatal collision this past weekend in Chattanooga Tennessee, at the intersection of Walden Ave. and Wilburforce, in which a motorcyclist who was not wearing a helmet, ignored a stop sign, entered crossing traffic and T-boned a car. The motorcyclist is hospitalized with severe brain trauma and is in critical condition.

It’s hard to say whether a helmet would have altered the outcome of this Tennessee motorcycle crash, but studies show that they do prevent traumatic brain injury in situations like this one. Our prayers go out to the injured young man for a speedy and complete recovery.

Many questions remain, especially what distracted the motorcyclist from noticing and responding to the stop sign.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee auto/motorcycle crash contact the experienced Nashville automobile/motorcycle accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation.

Distracted Teen Driver

The good news about this Tennessee automobile accident is that the teen driver who crossed the centerline and hit an oncoming vehicle is recovering as are the four people in the other car.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group. The basic reasons behind this statistic are obvious, teen drivers have no experience with the myriad issues faced by drivers with experience, furthermore, they are immature and often takes risks, most often speeding, and are easily distracted which contribute to the increased death rate.

Among experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), it is generally agreed that teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group. Per mile, the crash rate for 16 year-old drivers is 10 times the rate for drivers between 30 and 59.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident contact the Certified Civil Trial Lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

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.

Too Young To Die

A pair of fatal Tennessee roadway departure crashes this week have left family and friends of the victims in shock. As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney we define an 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. In 2008, there were 19,794 fatal roadway departure crashes resulting in 22,080 fatalities, which was 53 percent of the fatal crashes in the United States.

In Sumner County, Tennessee two teen boys were killed when the vehicle in which they were riding failed to negotiate a curve in the road, crossed the centerline and crashed into an oncoming vehicle. A 25-year-old Union City man crossed the centerline and over corrected, sending his pickup rolling into a ditch. The man was not wearing his seatbelt and was partially ejected and was dead at the scene. My prayers go out to the family and friends of these young men.

The lessons to be learned from these accidents are simple, but often not learned. The first crash was obviously due to an inexperienced driver going well in excess of the speed limit. The second was caused by inattention to the task at hand. The driver was somehow distracted and failed to stay in his lane. Speed could well have been a cause in this accident also.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a serious Tennessee car accident due to somebody else’s negligence, then you may be feeling angry, frightened, or even alone in your suffering.

There is no reason for you to bear your burden alone.  The experience of a Tennessee auto accident is traumatic enough and your recovery will bring its own challenges.  You don’t need the added stress of worrying about who will pay for the medical care you need, how your car will be repaired, and if the individuals responsible for your suffering will be brought to justice.  This is the time to call Phillip Miller & Associates, the law firm of local Tennessee attorneys and staff who for the past 25 years have dedicated their lives to protecting the rights of injured men, women, and children in Tennessee.

Buckle Your Seat Belt And Arrive Alive

A few inches can make the difference between life and death. The Tennessee gravel truck driver’s right-side wheels were only inches off the right side of the roadway but inches were all that mattered when you are driving a loaded gravel truck. The few seconds it takes to secure your seatbelt can mean the difference between life and death. The Tennessee gravel truck driver didn’t have his seatbelt secured and when the truck rolled down an embankment and ejected him, crushing him, you have to know he wished he had those seconds and inches back for a do-over.

In life there are no do-overs. The cause of this man’s death is no mystery he was crushed by a fully loaded dump truck because he was ejected after leaving the roadway, because he didn’t have his seat belt on. The lesson here is patently obvious, take a second and put your seat belt on and live.

For more information about highway safety and some good Tennessee accident prevention tips go to my website at www.seriousinjury.com. If you need further information and or the advice of a group of experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers call Phillip Miller & Associates for the answers.

Buckle Up Or Die

So, what do you think was going on when a 28-year-old woman who is driving along a US Highway when she left the road, sideswiped a guardrail, crossed to the other side of the roadway, hit another guardrail, flipped and rolled down a steep embankment? Another question her family and friends are going to be asking themselves is why didn’t she take a moment and secure her seat belt? She was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said that an autopsy will be performed but the didn’t think that alcohol was a factor.

Distraction from the primary task of driving could present a serious and potentially deadly danger. In 2008, 5,870 people lost their lives and an estimated 515,000 people were injured in police-reported crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported on the crash report.

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. In 2008, there were 19,794 fatal roadway departure crashes resulting in 22,080 fatalities, which was 53 percent of the fatal crashes in the United States.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash by a distracted driver or a case like the present one that will require an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Distracted By A Bee

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.

Some distractions can be unavoidable, such as that with a recent tractor-trailer accident in Johnson City Tennessee. The driver was heading east on US Highway 11A when he was distracted by a bee in the cab of his truck. He attempted to swat the bee, lost control, left the road and rolled over in a ditch.

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. In 2008, there were 19,794 fatal roadway departure crashes resulting in 22,080 fatalities, which was 53 percent of the fatal crashes in the United States.

The lesson here for Nashville drivers is that you must keep all of your attention on the acting of driving and avoid distractions. You never know when another driver is going to fall asleep, have a medical emergency or get distracted and leave their lane and initiate a deadly collision.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash by a distracted driver or a case like the present one that will require and experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.