Rainy Conditions Require Caution

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $51 billion. In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. In 2007, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That’s less than one percent of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.

When police investigators find alcoholic beverages in the aftermath of a car accident and the facts indicate that the driver suddenly and unexpectedly left the highway and crossed into the oncoming lane, it might be safe to conclude that the wreck was alcohol related. Reference a situation reported on the website of the Johnson City-Press about a fatal collision on I-26 in which Jamin M. Dodd, 19, an underage driver died after his car veered from the road and hit the vehicle driven by Katie A. Flannery, 28, head on leaving her with serious but not life-threatening injuries. Investigators mentioned in the report that it was raining and Mr. Dodd might have hydroplaned.

In Tennessee possession of alcohol is limited to persons over the age of 21 and open containers are illegal for any driver no matter the age. Investigators are withholding a final report as to the cause of this accident until they complete the toxicology tests.

The CDC study went on to state that over the past 20 years, alcohol-related fatal crash rates have decreased by 60 percent for drivers ages 16 to 17 years and 55 percent for drivers ages 18 to 20 years, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, this progress has stalled in the past few years. To further decrease alcohol-related fatal crashes among young drivers, communities need to implement and enforce strategies that are known to be effective, such as minimum legal drinking age laws and “zero tolerance” laws for drivers under 21 years of age. It’s also important for parents to be involved and set a good example for young drivers.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident involving a drunk driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced the Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation so you can learn about your rights and remedies.

Booze It Lose It

Good people can and do make bad decisions. We see it every day when someone who has had too much to drink and they get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and kill themselves or some other innocent person. To make my point I reference an article written by Richie Whitt, a Dallas based sports writer in his blog, last week. He tells the story of a good guy, professional athlete and Assistant Coach of the Dallas Maverick’s Popeye Jones.

Apparently Mr. Jones was celebrating a series of away from home victories and had a little too much to drink. Motorists started calling local 911 operators to report a dangerous, erratic driver. Police stopped his vehicle and then, according to the blog, the fun started. Mr. Jones refused to take a breathalyzer, refused orders by the police to put his hands behind his back to be cuffed and then struggled briefly with police before he was forcefully taken to the ground where he suffered facial abrasions. Not surprisingly he was arrested for DUI.

What causes a normally friendly, by all accounts, good guy, make such a series of stupid decisions? The answer, “alcohol.” That’s right ole John Barleycorn himself. Alcohol intoxication is described as is a physiological state occurring when an organism has a high level of ethanol in its bloodstream, or when ethanol otherwise causes a physiological effect. In humans, common symptoms may include slurred speech, impaired balance, poor coordination, flushed face, reddened eyes, reduced inhibition, and erratic behavior. Drunkenness can cause decreased motor response, coma, or in severe cases, death.

Every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $51 billion. But there are effective measures that can help prevent injuries and deaths from alcohol-impaired driving.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville automobile accident by a drunk driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your right. We offer free consultations to victims and their families. Don’t take on the insurance adjusters on your own. You owe it to yourself and your family to sit down for a free consultation.

Alcohol And SUVs - A Deadly Combination

A Clarksville man died yesterday at Vanderbilt Medical Center after being injured in a one-car accident on Monday on I-24 just outside the Clarksville city limits. The Leaf-Chronicle, relying on a report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, said that Thomas John Hennessey IV, 31 was a passenger in an SUV driven by Michelle LaLonde, 41. The accident took place at 2 A.M. when the vehicle left the road and initially hit the guardrail slid along the rail for over one hundred feet and then flipped again sliding on the rood before it hit a tree and rolled again.

According to the article, alcohol was likely a factor, based on evidence of alcohol beverage debris found on the road and in the median, The Highway Patrol report noted that Lalonde had a strong smell of alcohol and the investigating Trooper said it appeared Lalonde fell asleep before hitting the guardrail. Both occupants were wearing seat belts. On behalf of the staff at Phillip Miller & Associates our condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Hennessey.

According to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than 51 billion dollars. In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.

There are effective measures that can help prevent injuries and deaths from alcohol-impaired driving. Effective measures include:

* Aggressively enforcing existing 0.08% BAC laws, minimum legal drinking age laws, and zero tolerance laws for drivers younger than 21 years old in all states.

* Promptly revoking the driver’s licenses of people who drive while intoxicated.10

* Utilizing sobriety checkpoints.

* Implementing health promotion efforts that use an ecological framework to influence economic, organizational, policy, and school/community action.

* Using multi-faceted community-based approaches to alcohol control and DUI prevention.

* Requiring mandatory substance abuse assessment and treatment for driving-under-the-influence offenders.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville automobile accident involving a drunk driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out everything you need to know to make informed decisions about how to proceed.

Michael James Price 37-years of age of Clarksville, Tennessee was no stranger to trouble with the police, but his run of trouble took a fatal turn yesterday morning. According to the Nashville Tennessean at about 12:10 a.m. Price left the scene of a single-vehicle wreck where the vehicle he was driving had run into a ditch on Park Lane.

It appears that Price walked to Fort Campbell Boulevard and at 12:20 a.m. as he crossed the street he stepped into the path of a southbound 1989 Honda Civic, was struck and went into the windshield and died at the scene. The driver of the Honda, 72-year-old Geraldine Benne was unhurt but according to Clarksville Police, was badly shaken-up. Our sympathies go out to the family of this troubled man and also to the innocent driver who collided with him

At the time of his death Price was on bond on charges related to a recent arrest during which he was charged with evading police, driving under the influence of alcohol, assault on a police officer and various other charges following his arrest. While he was being field tested for DUI he spit on a police officer, not always a good idea, and when in the police cruiser he had to be Tazered and hobbled when he tried to kick out the window of the patrol car.

According to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention, every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $51 billion dollars. In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.

If you or a family member is injured in an alcohol related automobile accident in Tennessee contact our experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.