Sleeping Driver

A thirty-year-old Chattanooga man got off of work on the late shift and pitched in to help his sister by picking up her four kids who were out of school for Fall break. He planned to spend the day with them. On his way to their grandmother’s house he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed head-on into another vehicle.

The driver died at the scene and the six-year-old was seriously injured with a fractured skull and the other children were released after being treated at the hospital.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving “is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.” But among all the major factors that cause or contribute to crashes, like speeding, alcohol use, and weather situations, drowsiness is the most difficult for police and other crash investigators to detect and quantify.

Sleepiness and driving is a dangerous combination. Most people are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving but don’t realize that drowsy driving can be just as fatal. Like alcohol, sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, impairs judgment and increases your risk of crashing.

There are many underlying causes of sleepiness, fatigue and drowsy driving. Including sleep loss from restriction or too little sleep, interruption or fragmented sleep; chronic sleep debt; circadian factors associated with driving patterns or work schedules; undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorders; time spent on a task; the use of sedating medications; and the consumption of alcohol when already tired.

If you or a loved one are injured or killed in a Tennessee vehiclular accident caused by a drowsy or sleeping driver contact the experienced Nashville accident and injury attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Child Safety Seats Work

The Kingsport Times-News reported that a fast moving sedan slammed into the rear end of a parked van containing five small children and three adults. Miraculously none of the children were hurt, but the van’s driver and two other passengers were transported to the hospital. The sedan driver was uninjured but was cited failure to yield and failure to have automobile insurance.

The report went on to say that, “Rescue workers severed the middle post connected to the passenger door panel while getting one hurt passenger out of the van. The authorities did not release the names of any of the victims. According to the reporter, the children were crying and as they were being ushered to the side of the road, one little girl yelled, “I love you, Daddy” while one passenger was placed on a stretcher.

The staff here at Phillip Miller & Associates sends our deepest condolences to the family along with our great relief that none of the children were injured. It appears that the thoughtful parents had these kids safely secured in their car seats.

Driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes, according to a landmark research report released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). 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.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I look at this situation and ask myself why it is that a fast moving car rams into the rear-end of a van parked along a city street at 9:30 in the morning. It’s improbable that the car driver intended to ram the van so there must have been either a medical emergency or another type of distraction that caused the driver to take his eyes off the road. In that the driver was ticketed at the scene and not taken for medical treatment, nor was he arrested for driving under the influence it appears that the investigating authorities will focus on what distracted the driver. A good starting point is to examine the driver’s cell phone and determine whether he was making or taking a call. I will follow this accident and let you know what the investigators find out.

If you or a loved one is injured by a distracted motorist contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates immediately to find out about your rights and remedies.

Driving While Distracted Kills

where a man was entering I-24 from I-440 when he lost control of his vehicle and fell over the overpass and landed in it’s top in the middle of I-24. The Chattanooga Times-Free Press reported on a one car accident on I-40 in Henderson County where a vehicle left the roadway, over-corrected and crossed the median rolled over several times ejecting the driver and two passengers, who were not wearing seatbelts, before coming to a stop in the eastbound lane. Two people were killed and two others were seriously injured. Only one of the injured was wearing a seatbelt.

The Knoxville News-Sentinel reported on a rear-end collision near Sevierville that started a chain reaction and left 18 people injured. It appears that the errant driver was distracted and ran into the vehicle in front of him. He immediately left the scene and tried to hide out in the woods but was apprehended. As an experienced Nashville car accident attorney I immediately notice a common thread running through all of these Tennessee highway accidents. The drivers in each of these accidents were somehow distracted and failed to keep a lookout ahead of them as they drove along.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes. Nearly 80 percent of car 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. Each of these accidents had the potential to have taken numerous other lives but somehow that didn’t happen.

As a Nashville automobile accident attorney I beg of you to pay attention to what you are doing at all times as you drive along the highways and side streets of our state. Pay attention and save lives. If you or a loved on is injured in a Tennessee car accident call our experienced Tennessee car accident lawyers and find out about your rights and possible remedies.