Multiple Child Fatalities

A terrible tragedy occurred yesterday as a Harriman, Tennessee mother and her three children were killed in a collision with a tractor-trailer truck. Our prayers go to the family and friends of the deceased and to the driver of the truck who was injured in the crash.

Local media sources report that for some unknown reason, the SUV driven by the woman crossed the centerline and crashed head-on into an oncoming tractor-trailer. Both vehicles caught fire and burned. Investigators will be trying to figure out what so distracted the woman from paying attention to the road ahead that she drifted into another lane.

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.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a distracted driver, you owe it to your family to contact the experienced Nashville car crash lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates. Call 615-356-2000.

Buckle Those Babies

Every day in the United States, an average of 4 children age 14 and younger were killed and 529 are injured in motor vehicle crashes. In the 14-and-younger age group, males accounted for 60 percent of the fatalities and 48 percent of those injured in motor vehicle crashes during this same period

In 2008, there were 61 million children age 14 and younger in the United States. This age group made up 20 percent of the total U.S. resident population. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for ages 3 to 14.

Even though it’s the law, far too often we see a young child riding in a vehicle without a safety seat or, if there is a safety seat, the child is not properly restrained. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administrationchild safety seats (NHTSA) which studies all manner of highway safety issues says that using safety seats, properly installed, reduces the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars. Placing children in age- and size-appropriate car seats and booster seats also reduces serious injuries by more than half.

It is a shameful fact that but true, Tennessee continues to have one of the lowest child safety seat usage rates in the nation and one of the highest child traffic death rates. In every county in Tennessee there are centers where parents can go to find out about properly securing their children. The people at these center are trained and will inspect the child safety seats in your vehicle and make sure you are doing everything you can to protect your children. To find one near to you call the Department of Safety at 615- 251-5166.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee highway automobile accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident law firm of Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies

Roadway Departure Crash

Something distracted a 20-year-old driver from Madisonville, Tennessee as she drove along Highway 68 just outside of Sweetwater and the result was fatal to her and her fetus and her 25-year-old passenger, and two children aged one and two.

Whatever distracted her caused her to cross the centerline and slam into an oncoming tractor-trailer. Neither adult was wearing a seatbelt and the two children were in child safety seats but the seats were not secured by safety belts. This situation was a recipe for disaster. My prayers go out to the family and friends of these victims.

This was a preventable accident and could have and should have been avoided if the driver would have exercised due care and taken a minute to do a couple of simple things. The first thing that would have prevented this collision is to have avoided whatever it was that caused her to take her eyes and her mind off of the road ahead.

The second is to have properly secured the children’s safety seats including her own as well as her passengers. A Trooper at the scene said that this was the worst wreck he had seen in his 15 years on the job.

The lesson for all Tennesseans is clear. Buckle up and keep your eyes and your mind on the road ahead. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a negligent driver, contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Need Help Installing Child Safety Seats?

As a Nashville automobile accident attorney I try to focus my Blog on issues of importance to Tennessee drivers. This morning I read an interesting and important op-ed piece in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal regarding children’s safety seats. Tennessee was the first state in the country to pass a Child Passenger Protection Law requiring children to be restrained in child safety seats (car seats and booster seats).

Even though it’s the law far too often we see a young child riding in a vehicle without a safety seat or, if there is a safety seat, the child is not properly restrained.

The article points out some less than comfortable statistics. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 14. Every day during 2007 in the United States an average of five children age 14 and younger were killed and another 548 injured in such accidents.

She goes on to state, “Today in Shelby County, the child seat misuse rate, or rate of children incorrectly seated, is a staggering 84 percent.” The Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office has been focused on educating the public about the need to properly restrain our children when we set out on the highways and byways of Tennessee.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which studies all manner of highway safety issues says that using child safety seats reduces the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars. Placing children in age- and size-appropriate car seats and booster seats also reduces serious injuries by more than half.

It is a shameful fact that but true, Tennessee continues to have one of the lowest child safety seat usage rates in the nation and one of the highest traffic death rates. In every county in Tennessee there are centers where parents can go to find out about properly securing their children. The people at these centers are trained and will inspect the child safety seats in your vehicle and make sure you are doing everything you can to protect your children. To find one near to you call the Department of Safety at 615- 251-5166. In Shelby County call 385-4223.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee highway automobile accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident law firm of Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies

Watch Out For Children During Winter Weather

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I regularly find that it is important when talking about highway safety to restate the obvious. With freezing temperatures comes a host of new problems for Tennessee drivers. In another Blog I’ll address ice and snow issues, but today I would like to discuss child safety. Schools are in recess all over Tennessee and kids are out playing in the snow, and just doing what kids do when they are outside. Please be on the look out for kids playing and especially sledding.

Reference an article on the website of WBIR-TV in Knoxville about a 14-year-old who was sledding on a trash bag in a residential neighborhood at dusk when he slid into the road into the path of a pick-up truck. The street was a sheet of ice and the driver attempted to stop but to no avail. The teen was dragged for a short distance. At the time of the article there was no word on his condition.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008, there were nearly 61 million children age 14 and younger in the United States. This age group made up 20 percent of the total U.S. resident population in 2008. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for ages 3 to 14. In 2008, there were a total of 37,261 traffic fatalities in the United States.

Every day in the United States, an average of 4 children age 14 and younger were killed and 529 were injured in motor vehicle accidents during 2008. There were a total of 4,378 pedestrian fatalities in 2008, of which the 14-and- younger age group made up 18.8%.

In a time of hazardous weather it is even more important for Tennessee drivers to avoid distractions and stay off the roads unless it’s absolutely necessary. If you or a child in your family is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident in hazardous weather contact the experienced Tennessee accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.