Head-On Collision

In a largely rural state like Tennessee, a driver is likely to find themselves on 2-lane highways with narrow shoulders. The reason why I am constantly harping on avoiding distractions is directly related highways like this. These secondary roads are very unforgiving.

Unforgiving is right. If you are distracted or driving too fast, it takes only a second or two and you are face to face with a tree, a whole bunch of trees or a ditch, or in the case of a Lincoln County, Tennessee man, a tractor-trailer truck. Rural roads are hazardous, they are narrow, windy and for the most part, without a shoulder.

The accident took place this past Friday on Highway 110. According to local media reports, an SUV and a tractor-trailer collided head-on in a curve. The SUV driver was killed. The media reports didn’t say who was at fault but observing the speed limit, paying attention to the road conditions and signs and avoiding any kind of distraction is the key to arriving alive. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the victim of this tragic Tennessee head-on collision.

The lesson here is that no matter where you are, the interstate highway or the rural roads that wind through this beautiful state of ours, you have to be alert and mindful of your task. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash, whether on a highway or a byway, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and let us help you recover damages for your injuries and loss.

Head On Crash Takes Two Lives

A tragic late night roadway departure crash claims two lives in Scott County Tennessee this past weekend. Local media, citing a Tennessee Highway Patrol accident report, says just before 10:30 on Sunday, a 27-year-old Huntsville man, was driving a Ford Fusion north on Highway 27 in Helenwood. The report goes on to say that the man crossed the center lane- smashing into a Mercury Cougar being driven by an 18-year-old driver who was heading south. Such a tragic loss of life.

Investigators and grieving family and friends will probably never know what so distracted the first driver and caused him to cross the centerline. Our prayers go out to all of the people involved in the lives of these two young men.

It seems to me, that distracted drivers cause most Tennessee car accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.

In studies by the NHTSA the most common distraction for drivers is the use of cell phones.  However, the number of crashes and near-crashes attributable to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening.  Dialing is more dangerous but occurs less often than talking or listening.

Reaching for a moving object increased the risk of a crash or near-crash by 9 times; looking at an external object by 3.7 times; reading by 3 times; applying makeup by 3 times; dialing a hand-held device (typically a cell phone) by almost 3 times; and talking or listening on a hand-held device by 1.3 times. Drivers who engage frequently in distracting activities are more likely to be involved in an inattention-related crash or near crash.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident by a distracted driver contact the experienced Tennessee car crash lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Distracted Drivers Die

A 24-year-old Adamsville, Tennessee woman was killed in a roadway departure crash the other day, another in a growing epidemic. Her car went off of Michie Pebble Hill Road in Michie and collided with a tree, according to a report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this young woman.

A local media report said the woman was headed south on Michie Pebble Hill Road when her car slid off the roadway while attempting to negotiate a curve. No one else was injured in the one-vehicle crash.

Traffic investigators will have a hard time trying to determine what caused the woman to lose control. Speed may be the culprit or it might have been that she was somehow distracted from the task at hand.

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 are involved in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a distracted driver you are going to need an experienced and sophisticated Nashville auto accident attorney like those you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates

Deputy Dies In Roadway Departure Crash

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer I regularly mention in my Blog my gratitude for the brave men and women who patrol our highways and byways. Last week I wrote about a serious crash involving a Union County, Tennessee deputy. I am very sorry to report to you that the deputy passed away over the weekend. My prayers go out to his family and friends.

Deputy Derrick Whittle was responding to a domestic call when his patrol car left the highway and slammed into a tree. Local media reports don’t mention the circumstances that led to the wreck. The lesson for all Tennessee drivers is that no matter who we are or what we are doing, we must remain alert, avoid distractions and more speed than the road can handle.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville motorcycle accident or auto accident as a result of distracted driving or other negligent driving?  If so, you should call the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, a Nashville motorcycle accident lawyer from our law firm will fight to help you win. We will treat you with the utmost compassion and respect. Call us today and speak with an experienced Nashville personal injury lawyer to discuss the details of your case. Call (615) 356-2000.

Means Stop

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer I can tell you that one driver runs a stop sign or a red light at a busy intersection only a huge amount of luck can help them. This past week lady luck didn’t show up for a Nashville man who ran a stop sign and hit another car, and that car hit a motorcycle.

The first driver wasn’t through with bad luck, as he returned to his car he stopped to light a cigarette and was hit by a van. According to a local media report a witness said, “He went 15, 16 feet in the air, come down on his hand, landed right on his head, you can still see the blood on the street where he landed.”

An octagon shaped red sign always means stop. This sign is the only eight-sided sign on the highway. It always means that there is danger. It will always be red with white lettering. It tells you that you are approaching an important street or highway and that you must bring your car to a complete stop, not going beyond the crosswalk. IF you cannot see, then proceed cautiously to a point where you can see, and then go only if you can do so safely.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee red light running crash, you owe it to yourself and your family to contact an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer like those that you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates. Call for a free consultation so that you can learn about your rights and remedies.

Distractions and Speed

A Dunlap, Tennessee woman was killed in a single-car crash on Highway 111 Saturday afternoon in Sequatchie County. The 22-year-old woman, for as yet to be determined reasons, lost control of her 2005 Honda Civic while traveling southbound. The car left the roadway, flipped, and ejected the woman.

Initial media and police reports indicate that the investigators don’t believe that drugs or alcohol were the cause of the accident. One possibility is that the driver was somehow distracted. Phone records will inform investigators whether she was talking or texting on her cell phone at, or about, the time of the collision.

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.

Another possible cause would be speeding. Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. Investigators will look at the skid marks to determine if speed was a factor.

As an experienced Tennessee auto accident attorney another thing caught my eye as a scanned the media reports. Her ejection from the vehicle indicates to me that she was not wearing her seat belt. Seat belts save lives only if you put them on.

If you or a loved is seriously injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident by a negligent driver you ought to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

Why Wasn't This Driver Paying Attention?

It seems rather intuitive that a driver has to keep a look out for things in his path as he drives along the highways and byways of Tennessee. Unfortunately, so many drivers don’t complete this simple task.

There are myriad reasons why they can’t keep their eyes on the road, texting, dialing and talking on their cell phones, talking to passengers, reaching for items (cigarettes, cell phones) and simply daydreaming as they drive. No matter what the distraction, nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.

Reference a fatal accident on I-40 this past weekend. A 58-year-old Middleton, Tennessee woman was driving along I-40 and slowed for accident traffic in front of her. Her vehicle was hit from behind by a 1997 Ford Taurus driven by Christopher Kovach, 26, of Gilmere, Texas.

The woman died as the result of the collision. Her vehicle hit a motorcyclist in from of her. The Texas driver and his passenger were injured, as was the motorcycle rider. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this unfortunate woman. Investigators will try to determine why the driver didn’t see the traffic in front of him slowing.

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 are involved in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a distracted driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Keep Your Eyes And Mind On Your Driving

In the decades I have practiced Tennessee personal injury law the cases that have often left me wondering what the driver causing the accident could have been thinking, are cases where a stopped vehicle simply pulls out into traffic directly into the path of anoncoming and clearly visible vehicle.

When we investigate the accident we observe that the view of the driver was not impaired, there is a vehicle in full view coming down the road, and yet, the vehicle pulls right into it’s path. The other day I notice a fatal accident in McMinnville, Tennessee, in which this exact sequence of events occurred. Police and local media reports said that a vehicle with a 75-year-old passenger simply pulled directly into the path of an SUV, which slammed, broadside, into the vehicle killing the passenger.

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, drowsiness, and, as in this case, simply not paying attention..

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.

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

Distracted Truck Driver

In heavy traffic, one act of negligence can turn into a chain reaction collision that might well have fatal consequences. That was the case this past week when two people were badly injured in a rear-end collision that began when cars began to slow for an upcoming construction project zone.

Somewhere back in the line was a tractor-trailer that failed to slow down and slammed into the vehicle ahead of it, and on and on, to the vehicle ahead of it. Fortunately no one was killed but a number of vehicle were wrecked and their drivers and passengers injured.

When questioned by police, the truck driver told them he was adjusting his mirrors and when he looked ahead it was too late to stop. As an experienced Tennessee accident attorney, I would remind this truck driver and all Tennessee drivers that the time to adjust your mirrors is before you put your vehicle on the road.

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. Investigators will most probably review his cell phone records and find that he was engaged in a conversation with someone and concocted the mirror story to avoid getting fired.

This accident brings to mind some advice that I would like to share for 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. Call 615-356-2000.

Motorcycle Wreck

A fellow Tennessean and his wife were hospitalized in Kansas. The two were riding a Harley with on U.S. 56 west of Satanta just before 7:20 Sunday evening. Investigators say the driver drifted off the road into a ditch causing both riders to be thrown. The driver is in critical condition and the wife’s condition is unknown.

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.

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 are involved in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a distracted motorcycle driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies. Call 615-356-2000.