Child Dies

Terrible news this weekend from Shelbyville, Tennessee. A 4-month-old child was killed and two of her siblings were critically injured in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of State Route 437 (the Shelbyville bypass) and Railroad Avenue east of Shelbyville.

A witness told police investigators that the children’s father was driving westbound on Railroad Avenue and ran a stop sign, pulling into the path of a southbound full-size Ford pickup truck driven by a 28-year-old woman, of Murfreesboro. Her husband and daughter were uninjured and was taken to Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro.

The 4-month-old and the other two children were all ejected through the rear window of a small Volkswagen Jetta. The other children, ages 7 and 2, are in the critical care unit at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. The 7-year-old was on life support. All the children had been in child safety seats, but the seats were improperly attached.

Child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) in passenger cars. Young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained.

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).

A.  A child under one year old, or any child weighing less than 20 pounds, must be in a child passenger restraint system (car seat) that is facing the rear of the car.

B. Children who are one through three years old, and who weigh more than 20 pounds, must be in a child passenger restraint system that is facing forward.

C. Children who are four through eight years old and whose height is under four feet, nine inches, must be in a belt positioning booster seat system (child booster car seat) and wearing a seatbelt.

These seats should be in the rear seat of the car, if possible. The children can’t make the decision to protect themselves, this is the legal responsibility of the parents. It is also the responsibility of the parents to teach by example.  If you are driving and witness a parent driving without having their child properly restrained it is your duty to notify the authorities. Call 911 is you are in an urban area and *847 in a rural area. Make the call and save a child’s life.

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.

Teaching Highway Safety With Chuggington

Over the years I have blogged about Tennessee highway traffic safety issues I have often written about teaching children how to be safe around motor vehicles. Recently I read a press release from the National Highway Traffic Administration and I thought I would share it with you.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and popular animated series Chuggington today announced a new partnership to teach children how to be safe in and around cars. The nationwide traffic safety campaign is geared specifically towards children from the ages of 2 to 7 and includes a public service announcement featuring characters from the show, a kid-focused safety pledge and downloadable tips and activities for parents and caregivers to use with children.

“This exciting partnership with Chuggington will help us bring our traffic safety message to young children and parents alike,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Educating children at an early age about the importance of wearing bicycle helmets, looking both ways when crossing the street and buckling up leads to a lifetime of good traffic safety habits.”

Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for children, with 1,314 fatalities and 179,000 injuries to those 14 and younger in 2009. In 2007, an estimated 262 fatalities and 115,000 injuries to children 14 and younger occurred from pedestrian incidents involving children playing in or around motor vehicles. The new partnership unveiled today combines NHTSA’s safety guidelines for pedestrians, school buses, bikes and car seat use with Chuggington’s characters to reach parents and children.

“Chuggington’s characters learn important life lessons in every episode of the show and often earn badges as rewards for appropriate behavior,” said Dick Rothkopf, chairman of Ludorum, the creators of the show. “The ‘Think Safe, Ride Safe, Be Safe!’ traffic safety pledge and badge is based on this concept. We hope that children will be excited to learn the rules of the road while they interact with Chuggington’s characters and earn their ‘official’ Chuggington Traffic Safety badges.”

Today’s announcement at Harriet Tubman Elementary School coincides with National Child Passenger Safety Week and comes on the heels of a recent survey by Safe Kids USA showing there’s still room for improvement for parents installing child safety seats. Earlier this year, NHTSA released revised guidelines encouraging parents to keep their children in rear-facing child seats as long as possible up to the height and weight specifications of the seat.

“We already know that child seats save lives and help keep our kids safe, but parents and caregivers need to know how to properly install and use them,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “That’s why, together with our safety partners, we encourage parents to choose the right seat for their child’s size and weight and to have it checked at one of the thousands of free safety seat inspection stations set up across the country for National Seat Check Saturday.”

It is the responsibility of parents to teach their children how to live a safe and happy life, and that instruction covers of whole lot of ground. When dealing with a crash involving children and cars, the children never come out on top. Use every opportunity to teach your children all sort of traffic safety rules, and the best way to do that is to practice safe driving techniques at all times.

If you need further information on this or any other highway safety issues visit my website at Phillip Miller & Associates, or call 615-356-2000.

Watch Carefully For Child Pedestrians

As an experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyer, I regularly write about child safety. The main topics are usually child safety seats and school zone safety. 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.

It is a parent’s responsibility to teach children safety on the streets. Many children are injured trying to cross streets and these accidents are always preventable. Telling your child how to practice safety is one thing but it’s important to take the initiative and get to the corners and walk your child through the steps.

Reference an accident in Bristol Tennessee in which an eleven year-old boy who had crossed the street from his bus stop to visit a convenience store, something he was specifically told not to do by his parents. As he crossed back, according to witnesses, he dashed out in front of a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old young woman, and was struck down.

He was briefly hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. A dangerous situation has a good ending. Hopefully this young man will learn his lesson and be able to share his experience with his classmates.

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. Call 615-356-2000.

Photo thanks to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Child Safety

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney it occurs to me that of all the types of fatal crashes the most devastating is when a negligent parent causes the death of one of their children. Negligent parents that fail to safely secure their children in child safety seats, parents that drive drunk or under the influence of drugs, parents who leave their children to die in sweltering cars are but some of the kinds of accidents I’ve seen.

Reference a recent case in Johnson City, Tennessee in which a 2-year-old was run over by his 26-year-old mother. The mother failed to observe the child behind her van and she backed over him. There are so many questions for investigators, the number one question is, what was a 2-year-old unsupervised  child doing in the parking lot of an apartment complex.

You place your children’s safety at the top of your priority list. You shopped for the safest car when you started a family. You read up on car seats for kids and figured out which one worked best for you and your family. You even took your car and car seat to a seat-checking station to let an expert check and approve of your handiwork.

Many children are killed or seriously injured in back-over incidents. A back-over incident typically occurs when a car coming out of a driveway or parking space backs over a child because the driver did not see him/her.

Prevention Tips:

• Teach children not to play in or around cars

• Supervise children carefully when in and around vehicles

• Always walk around your vehicle and check the area around it before backing up.

• Be aware of small children-the smaller a child, the more likely it is you will not see them.

• Teach children to move away from a vehicle when a driver gets in it or if the car is started.

• Have children in the area stand to the side of the driveway or sidewalk so you can see them as you are backing out of a driveway or parking space.

• Make sure to look behind you while backing up slowly in case a child dashes behind your vehicle unexpectedly.

• Take extra care if you drive a large vehicle because they are likely to have bigger blind zones. Roll down your windows while backing out of your driveway or parking space so that you’ll be able to hear what is happening outside of your vehicle.

• Teach your children to keep their toys and bikes out of the driveway.

• Because kids can move unpredictably, you should actively check your mirrors while backing up.

• Many cars are equipped with detection devices like backup cameras or warning sounds, but they cannot take the place of you actively walking around your car to make sure your children are safely out of the way. Do not rely solely on these devices to detect what’s behind your vehicle.

For these and other important safety information visit the website of the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, or call 615-356-2000.

Child Safety Seats Save Lives

A 20-year-old Maury County woman took the time to buckle her seat belt but didn’t bother to secure the 6-year-old boy with her. For some unknown reason she ran off of the road, overcorrected and returned to the roadway and rolled ejecting the child and rolled again before coming to a rest. The Trooper who investigated stated in the report that had the child been properly restrained there would have been a different outcome for this unfortunate child.

Child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) in passenger cars. Young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained.

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).

A.  A child under one year old, or any child weighing less than 20 pounds, must be in a child passenger restraint system (car seat) that is facing the rear of the car.

B. Children who are one through three years old, and who weigh more than 20 pounds, must be in a child passenger restraint system that is facing forward.

C. Children who are four through eight years old and whose height is under four feet, nine inches, must be in a belt positioning booster seat system (child booster car seat) and wearing a seatbelt.

These seats should be in the rear seat of the car, if possible. The children can’t make the decision to protect themselves, this is the legal responsibility of the parents. It is also the responsibility of the parents to teach by example.  If you are driving and witness a parent driving without having their child properly restrained it is your duty to notify the authorities. Call 911 is you are in an urban area and *847 in a rural area. Make the call and save a child’s life.

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

Drunk Tennessee Driver With Unsecured Children In Vehicle

A rear-end crash in South Memphis, Tennessee ends with the arrest of a 49-year-old Olive Branch, Mississippi man who is charged with two counts of driving under the influence, child endangerment, violation of child restraint law, and violation of financial law for driving without insurance. A breathalyzer test determined his blood-alcohol content to be more than three times the legal limit.

The suspect rammed into the rear-end of a stopped vehicle and had two children, a 5-year-old and a 10-year-old, unrestrained, in the backseat of his vehicle. This guy ought to lose his driver’s license and driving privilege for a long period of time. To get his attention the court needs to add some jail time followed by strict, pee in the cup, probation.

Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In Tennessee in 2008, 327 people were killed in crashes where the driver or motorcyclist had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.

Child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) in passenger cars. Young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained.

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.

Practice Driver safety

The Centers for Disease Control, a federal agency aimed at addressing public health concerns, released a report Wednesday revealing tragically high figures with respect to nationwide car accident injuries and fatalities. Despite a commitment to improvement on state roadways, California tops the list as being the largest contributor to nationwide vehicle fatality and injury statistics.

For starters, vehicle crashes cost the U.S. $41 billion annually in medical and work loss costs. Out of all fifty states, ten states account for half of this figure. In other words, 20% of U.S. states account for 50% of the loss. Of these top losers, California is accompanied by Florida, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York, Illinois, Ohio and Tennessee.

California reportedly lost or expended $4.6 billion dollars in 2005 for medical injuries, fatalities and lost work time due to traffic accidents. The CDC reiterates that nearly all traffic fatalities are preventable and urges all Americans to adamantly insist upon seat-belt use for them and their families 100% of the time. Up-to-date child safety seats and nationwide motorcycle helmet use could also reduce the injurious impact of vehicle accidents as well.

The United Nations has actually dubbed 2011-2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety. The CDC’s report is in cooperation with the global initiative to dramatically lessen fatalities and injuries and keep costs down at the same time. The CDC strongly encourages states the maintain or enact graduated driver licensing laws to ease teens into the responsibilities and duties of becoming a driver. Many states still allow teens on the roadway will full drivers’ licenses after just weeks with a learner’s permit. The CDC urges that granting driving privileges in stages as opposed to all at once gives teens just the right amount of responsibility congruent with a lowered amount of risk as many graduated licensing programs do not permit driving after dark or after certain nighttime hours.

“We think any added safety measures or precautions that will prevent traffic fatalities and roadway injuries are great and should be implemented in California” stated attorney Emery Brett Ledger of Ledger Law and Associates. Ledger Law is an Orange County personal injury firm dedicated to advocating for accident victims and their families.

4,478 Californians lost their lives in 2005 from fatal car accidents. This staggering number is the direct result of increased driver distraction and the influx of handheld devices controlling drivers’ every thought and turning their eyes and attention away from the roadways. Ledger Law urges drivers to never utilize a cell phone while driving. No text message or phone call is worth your life.

At Phillip Miller & Associates, our experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers encourage each and every one of you to avoid distractions while you are behind the wheel. If you someone driving while distracted get the identity, license number and description of the driver and pull ove and call police.

Children Can't Protect Themselves

Friends and neighbors say the family is devastated by the death of a 4-year-old. For some reason her 36-year-old mother put her in the car and failed to secure her in a child safety seat. For some other unknown reason the mother was driving in such a manner that caused her to loose control and roll the vehicle.

I suspect that she was either distracted or was speeding. The Trooper who investigated the crash stated in the report that had the child been properly restrained there would have been a different outcome for this unfortunate child.

Child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) in passenger cars. Young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained.

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).

A.  A child under one year old, or any child weighing less than 20 pounds, must be in a child passenger restraint system (car seat) that is facing the rear of the car.

B. Children who are one through three years old, and who weigh more than 20 pounds, must be in a child passenger restraint system that is facing forward.

C. Children who are four through eight years old and whose height is under four feet, nine inches, must be in a belt positioning booster seat system (child booster car seat) and wearing a seatbelt.

The children can’t make the decision to protect themselves, this is the legal responsibility of the parents. It is also the responsibility of the parents to teach by example.  If you are driving and witness a parent driving without having their child properly restrained it is your duty to notify the authorities. Call 911 is you are in an urban area and *847 in a rural area. Make the call and save a child’s life.

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.

Innocent Child Dies

An innocent child and another driver were killed last week in a South Nashville, 5-car collision. According to local media sources the 32-year-old mother of the child was driving south on Nolensville Road when she suddenly swerved into the oncoming lane, clipped two cars and then slammed head-on into another vehicle.

She died at the scene. Neither the deceased driver, nor the child, were wearing their safety restraints. Investigators believe that alcohol was a factor since they found alcohol in her vehicle. The Trooper in charge of the investigation told reporters that there is no doubt in his mind that had they been wearing safety restraint, they would not have been killed.

We will never know what the woman was doing in the seconds before she crossed the centerline. Whatever distracted her caused her death and the death of an innocent child. The lesson her for Tennessee drivers is that you can’t drink and get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. The other lessons are equally clear, take a second to buckle your seat belt, buckle your children in approved child safety seats and avoid distractions.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident by a negligent drinking driver, you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates. Call 615-356-2000 for a free consultation.

Child Safety Seats Save Lives

As an experienced automobile accident and safety attorney part of my goal with this Blog is to keep drivers up to date about Tennessee highway safety issues. I often write about issues involving children and child safety seats and today’s Blog is about new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

New guidelines for parents say children should ride in rear-facing car seats longer, until they are 2 years old instead of 1.  And some kids should ride in booster seats until age 12.

Both organizations say older children who’ve outgrown front-facing car seats should ride in child booster seats until the lap-shoulder belt fits them. Booster seat or not, children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat. The advice is based on evidence from crashes. For older children, poorly fitting seat belts can cause abdominal and spine injuries in a crash.

Child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) in passenger cars. Young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained.

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).

A.  A child under one year old, or any child weighing less than 20 pounds, must be in a child passenger restraint system (car seat) that is facing the rear of the car.

B. Children who are one through three years old, and who weigh more than 20 pounds, must be in a child passenger restraint system that is facing forward.

C. Children who are four through eight years old and whose height is under four feet, nine inches, must be in a belt positioning booster seat system (child booster car seat) and wearing a seatbelt.

These seats should be in the rear seat of the car, if possible. The children can’t make the decision to protect themselves, this is the legal responsibility of the parents. It is also the responsibility of the parents to teach by example.  If you are driving and witness a parent driving without having their child properly restrained it is your duty to notify the authorities. Call 911 is you are in an urban area and *847 in a rural area. Make the call and save a child’s life.

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