Rash Of Interstate Tractor-Trailer Accidents

As an experienced Tennessee personal injury lawyer, I monitor highway traffic accidents across the state, and I am seeing a serious number of tractor-trailer accidents on and off the interstate highways. One thing I noticed about the recent articles in local media sources is that the age of the truck drivers in a number of these wrecks exceeds 68 years of age. Now don’t get me wrong, I think that a person ought to be able to work as long as they want but when it comes to piloting an 80,00 lb. rocket down a busy interstate highway, it’s an issue we ought to scrutinize.

I’m wondering out loud whether the sour economy is forcing drivers to continue to work when they are past the age of safety. As we age we lose some of our physical and mental skills that might have served us well in our younger years. Another problem is medication, that may affect the drivers ability to go for long hours without becoming drowsy.

Reference a recent accident in Dooley County Georgia, just south of the Tennessee in which a Tennessee man driving a converted school bus along I-75 around 4 AM was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer causing to to depart the highway where it crashed head-on into a tree killing the driver.

The truck driver was 71-years-old and he told the highway patrol that he just came up on the school bus quicker than he predicted. An experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer lawyer would investigate the 12 hours leading up to this tragic collision. How long had the truck driver been on the road, was he taking medication, what was his medical history, and driving record.

As I’ve said many times, when you are involved in an accident with a trucking company vehicle time is of the essence and you ought to get an experienced tractor trailer lawyer on the case as soon as possible. The trucking company will have it’s investigators on the scene within an hour or so of the collision.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident you owe it to your self to contact the experienced Board Certified civil trial lawyers like you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates and put them to work for you.

Asleep at the Wheel

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.

Less than half of Americans say they get a good night’s sleep every night. Combine excessive sleepiness with an automobile, a long drive, and the one of the heaviest travel weekends of the year, and our risk for a fall-asleep crash increases significantly. In fact, 28% of American drivers have admitted to falling asleep at the wheel, according to a recent National Sleep Foundation poll, and more than half (54%) said they have driven while drowsy.

These types of accidents can be avoided if one pays attention to the signs and responds appropriately.  If you start to do the following, it’s time to get off the road:

* Have problems focusing, blink frequently and/or have heavy eyelids;

* Drift from your lane, swerve, tailgate and/or hit rumble strips;

* Have trouble remembering the last few miles driven;

* Miss exits or traffic signs;

* Have trouble keeping your head up;

* Yawn repeatedly;

* Or finding yourself rolling down the windows or turning up the radio.

Stay awake and stay alive. If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Tennessee car accident, please contact Nashville injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here.

Drowsy Driving

As an experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident lawyer I am regularly called upon to look at the facts surrounding truck accidents in and around the Volunteer state. To actually determine the cause of an accident many factors have to be studied. There are some things that can be inferred from the circumstances leading up to a crash. Reference a recent Tennessee interstate highway accident involving two tractor-trailers.

Two trucks are traveling west on I-40 in Roane County in east Tennessee when the following truck simply rams into the rear-end of the leading truck. The following truck burst into flames and the driver was killed. The leading truck was damaged and it’s driver was injured. Her condition is not known at this time.

The first question the investigators will have to answer is, what was the following driver doing moments before and at the time of the collision? My experience tells me that the following driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, or had suffered some sort of medical emergency. An autopsy will possibly be able to tell whether the driver suffered a heart attack or stoke.

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.

It’s nearly impossible to determine with certainty the cause of a fatal crash where drowsy driving is suspected. However, there are a number of clues at a crash scene that tell investigators that the person fell asleep at the wheel.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a serious Tennessee highway accident due to someone’s negligence, then you may be feeling angry, frightened, or even alone in your suffering.

There is no reason for you to bear your burden alone.  The experience of a Tennessee highway accident is traumatic enough and your recovery will bring its own challenges.  You don’t need the added stress of worrying about who will pay for the medical care you need, how your car will be repaired, and if the individuals responsible for your suffering will be brought to justice.  This is the time to call Phillip Miller & Associates, the law firm of local Tennessee attorneys and staff who for the past 25 years have dedicated their lives to protecting the rights of injured men, women, and children in Tennessee.

Roadway Departure Crash

Without knowing more about the facts, but as an experienced Nashville auto accident attorney, I can tell you that when a roadway departure crash occurs at 3AM one of two things is going on. Either the driver was sleeping at the wheel or she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Reference an accident last night in which a 29-year-old woman was driving along on Murfreesboro Road in South Nashville near the airport when, for no apparent reason, her car left the road and hit a telephone poll and split her car in half. The driver was wearing her seat belt but for some reason she was ejected from the vehicle and was dead at the scene.

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. In 2008, there were 19,794 fatal roadway departure crashes resulting in 22,080 fatalities, which was 53 percent of the fatal crashes in the United States.

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 & Associatesw and find out about your rights and remedies.

Drowsy Driving Fatality

Alcoa Tennessee police believe that a one vehicle fatal crash yesterday was caused by the driver falling to sleep. It certainly didn’t help his survivability to be asleep without a seatbelt.

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.

It’s nearly impossible to determine with certainty the cause of a fatal crash where drowsy driving is suspected. However, there are a number of clues at a crash scene that tell investigators that the person fell asleep at the wheel. For example, drowsy driving accidents usually involve only one vehicle where the driver is alone and the injuries tend to be serious or fatal. Also, skid marks or evidence of other evasive maneuvers are usually absent from the drowsy driving crash scene.

Unlike alcohol-related crashes, no blood, breath, or other objective test for sleepiness behind the wheel currently exists that investigators could give to a driver at the scene of a crash. This makes police training in identifying drowsiness as a crash factor very difficult.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a serious Tennessee car accident due to somebody else’s negligence, then you may be feeling angry, frightened, or even alone in your suffering.

There is no reason for you to bear your burden alone.  The experience of a Tennessee auto accident is traumatic enough and your recovery will bring its own challenges.  You don’t need the added stress of worrying about who will pay for the medical care you need, how your car will be repaired, and if the individuals responsible for your suffering will be brought to justice.  This is the time to call Phillip Miller & Associates, the law firm of local Tennessee attorneys and staff who for the past 25 years have dedicated their lives to protecting the rights of injured men, women, and children in Tennessee.

I noticed an interesting roadway departure crash (RDCs) in Nashville that occurred at 5 AM last Saturday. A Metro police cruiser was traveling east on I-40 near Donelson Pike when it drifted from the road, hit a guardrail, and flipped into a ditch. The officer was hospitalized and released with stitches.

Lately, in my blog, “The Tennessee Auto Accident Attorney “ I have commented that I am seeing a lot of these RDCs all across Tennessee. The articles in the local media are thin on facts and the police investigation is not completed, but for experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys we know that there are several types of things that cause these types of traffic events.

Driver Inattention

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. With all of the electronic devices in a modern police cruiser investigators will look into the officers activities in the moments just prior to the accident to determine whether the officer was distracted.

Drowsiness

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. It’s nearly impossible to determine with certainty the cause of a fatal crash where drowsy driving is suspected. However, there are a number of clues at a crash scene that tell investigators that the person fell asleep at the wheel.  Unlike alcohol-related crashes, no blood, breath, or other objective test for sleepiness behind the wheel currently exists that investigators could give to a driver at the scene of a crash. This makes police training in identifying drowsiness as a crash factor very difficult.

Medical Emergency

Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by their medical emergencies while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities. Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

The lesson here for Tennessee drivers is that you must keep all of your attention on the act of driving and avoid distractions. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and learn about your rights and remedies.

Sleeping Drivers Kill

As the economy begins it’s recovery, one of the first signs will be the increasing numbers of tractor-trailers on the highways and byways of Tennessee.  As an experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident attorney , I have handled dozens of cases involving tractor-trailer wrecks on Interstate highways and when investigating these accidents, drowsiness or drivers falling asleep as a cause, are the hardest to prove, unless the driver survives.

However, there are a number of clues at a crash scene that tell investigators that the person fell asleep at the wheel. For example, drowsy driving accidents usually involve only one vehicle where the driver is alone and the injuries tend to be serious or fatal. Also, skid marks or evidence of other evasive maneuvers are usually absent from the drowsy driving crash scene.

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.

Reference an article on the website of Knoxville TV station WVLT which reports on two men injured in an early morning tractor trailer accident in East Knox County. In this case the driver and his driving partner survived the crash and he told investigators that he had fallen asleep and as he veered off the road he awoke and over-corrected causing the trailer to overturn. Thankfully no one was killed or seriously injured.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile tractor-trailer collision you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

Roadway Departure Crash

Two Tennessee automobile accidents this past week caught my attention and brought to mind a subject I have been wanting to write about. The Jackson Sun from Jackson Tennessee reported on these accidents. They are both single car accidents, the first one involved a driver on US 412 who, according to witnesses, simply drove off of the right shoulder of the road, rolled over down an embankment. The driver was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown free of the vehicle and was killed.

The second accident happened on I-40 when the vehicle simply drove off the North side of the Westbound lane traveling 350 feet before hitting a tree, killing the driver.

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. In 2008, there were 19,794 fatal roadway departure crashes resulting in 22,080 fatalities, which was 53 percent of the fatal crashes in the United States. FHWA uses the Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to compute statistics on roadway departure crashes.

What causes a driver to simply drive off of the road and crash their vehicle? The two main causes are drowsy and distracted driving. 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.

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 drowsy or distracted Tennessee driver you owe it to your self to contact the experienced Nashville accident and injury lawyers at Philip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

Tennessee Car Crash

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I have learned that the most difficult Tennessee automobile accident case to investigate is one caused by a drowsy driver who has fallen asleep at the wheel. Reference an article this past week in the Northwest Tennessee Today newspaper reporting the highway death of a Martin Tennessee resident whose car crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with the rear of a tractor-trailer hauling farm equipment. Although the accident investigation is ongoing, friends said that the deceased had gone hunting that day and that fatigue may have played a role in the collision.

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.

It’s nearly impossible to determine with certainty the cause of a fatal crash where drowsy driving is suspected. However, there are a number of clues at a crash scene that tell investigators that the person fell asleep at the wheel. Unlike alcohol-related crashes, no blood, breath, or other objective test for sleepiness behind the wheel currently exists that investigators could give to a driver at the scene of a crash. This makes police training in identifying drowsiness as a crash factor very difficult.

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

Alcohol & Medical Conditions

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney it’s essential that I keep up with all sorts of information relating to medical conditions that can lead to automobile accidents. On December 9, 2009, I wrote about elderly drivers and how medications may have a negative effect on their ability to maintain control of their motor vehicle. A recent article From The Sleep Foundation reports on a study about how people who suffer from sleep apnea may be in danger when they drive.

Drinking and driving is always dangerous. Add a life-threatening sleep disorder and you have a recipe for disaster. According to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, patients with obstructive sleep apnea are more vulnerable than healthy people to the effects of alcohol while driving. The study, conducted by researchers at the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health in Australia, followed 38 untreated patients with sleep apnea and 20 control participants. Without getting into the particulars the study found that patients with sleep apnea experienced a 40 percent increase in steering deviation compared with the control group. Patients with sleep apnea also crashed more frequently than control participants after normal sleep and even more after restricted sleep or alcohol consumption compared with the control group. If left untreated, symptoms of sleep apnea can include disturbed sleep and excessive sleepiness during the day.

If you suffer from sleep apnea or have the symptoms, disturbed sleep and sleepiness during the day you ought to check with your doctor. If diagnosed you should be very careful about drinking any alcohol when you are going to operate a motor vehicle.

Situations like this make clear the importance of having a skilled Nashville automobile accident lawyer on your team. If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville car crash involving a drunk or impaired driver contact the attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free cpnsultation to learn about your rights and remedies