Avoid Distractions

A late night motorcycle crash will pose some interesting questions for the Tennessee State Trooper investigating the crash. According to local media reports, a 42-year-old Bristol, VA man driving a 2007 Harley Davidson, was traveling north on US Hwy. 421 when it crossed over the southbound lane of traffic and left the road.  The motorcycle then struck wooden guard posts.

What events could cause a driver to cross and leave the road and strike guardrails? As an experienced Nashville motorcycle accident attorney, my guess is that the man might have fallen asleep as he drove. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any of the facts at the case, but I have seen crashes like this one and drowsy driving was the casue.

The lesson here for Nashville drivers is that we all must avoid distractions when we are driving on the highways and byways of Tennessee. If you are taking medication of any kind, pay particular attention to the instructions and remind yourselves to keep an eye on your driving

Injured is a motor vehicle accident? If so you owe it to your family and friends to call for a free consultation with the motorcycle accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, and find out about yourrights and remedies. Call 615-356-2000.

Stay Awake at the Wheel

The Sullivan County, Tennessee Sheriff’s investigators will have an interesting task in determining just what caused a driver to slam into the rear-end of a tractor-trailer on I-81 last night. As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, based on the fact that the accident occurred around 3 AM,  I would opine that the driver fell aseep at the wheel. A police report noted that the man was not wearing his seat belt.

It is well established that driving while drowsy or fatigued increases one’s risk of being involved in a motor vehicle crash. However, estimates of the prevalence of drowsy drivers on the road and of the proportion of motor vehicle crashes that involve drowsy driving as a contributing factor vary widely.

A survey in the year 2002 found that more than one in three drivers admitted having fallen asleep while driving at some point in their lives; more than one in ten reported doing so in the past year. The most frequently cited statistics suggest that drowsy driving might contribute to roughly 1 to 4 percent of crashes; however, research using more sophisticated methodology suggests that the true prevalence may be much higher.

If you are having trouble staying awake, please pull over and allow another person to drive. If you are alone, get outside and get yourself awake by walking, jumping and other physical activity. If necessary, pull to safety and take a brief nap.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a drowsy driveontact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates to find out about your rights.

A 26-year-old man from Clarksville, Tennessee was injured in a one-vehicle crash, and his 18-year-old passenger suffered a broken neck on the Western Parkway in Grayson County, Kentucky. According to local media reports the driver fell asleep and his pickup drifted into the median and partially into the westbound lanes. The driver over-corrected , and his pickup swerved back into the median and struck a concrete culvert. The pickup rotated clockwise and overturned several times before stopping in the median.

Drowsy Driving Accident

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.

Drowsy driving puts the driver, passengers and others on the road at risk and should be avoided as much as possible. Experts recommend drivers get at least six hours of sleep before a long trip, travel at times they are normally awake and schedule a break every two hours.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville traffic accident caused by a sleeping driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates.

Asleep At The Wheel

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.

Saturday night the driver of a tractor-trailer, a 61-year-old woman, fell asleep at the wheel as she motored down I-75. According to local media reports she drove off the east side of the roadway, down an embankment and into the woods. It happened around 8 o’clock p.m. Her driving partner a 56-year-old man was sleeping in the back of the semi at the time of the crash. Both were transported by helicopter to Erlanger hospital with unknown injuries.

Stay awake and stay alive. If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle 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.

Asleep At The Wheel

Five Tennessee college men are in the hospital after a single vehicle crash on Interstate 81, in Virginia. Local media reports, quoting police reports, said the 19-year-olds were heading home to Chattanooga, Tennessee after attending a fraternity event in Washington, D.C. The police report says that the driver fell asleep at the wheel and ran off the road.

One occupant, who police say was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the car. Two men were airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital. The others were transported there in an ambulance. At the time of this writing, their conditions are unknown.

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.

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.

Beware of Tractor-Trialers

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 a recent tractor-trailer crash on I-81 in Green County Tennessee. The driver of the semi admitted to the Tennessee Highway Patrol that he fell asleep behind the wheels. Even though a sharpened part of a steel guardrail pierced the Sleeper cabin, neither the driver nor his passenger was seriously injured.

Imagine, a tractor-trailer topping out over a hundred thousand pounds driving along an interstate highway at 60 plus MPH all by itself. We are so fortunate that no other people sharing the roadway were killed or injured.

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.

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. Take a minute and call the experienced Nashville tractor-trailer accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights. For a number of reasons tractor-trailer accidents require the injured party to act swiftly. Call 615-356-2000.

A 25-year-old Johnson City, Tennessee woman is free on bond while waiting to face charges for her role in a 2009 fatal accident. According to local media reports the woman was charged with vehicular homicide by reckless operation of a motor vehicle. According to police reports the woman fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the centerline and slammed, head-on, into a vehicle coming the other way and killing the female passenger and injuring the driver and a child onboard.

It appears that denial had taken over as the operating thought pattern for the Johnson City woman. At her first court date she had not hired an attorney and the case was reset for this past Monday when she was to show up for trial, with an attorney. She didn’t. According to local media reports she failed to appear, her bond was revoked and the court issued a capias (warrant) for her arrest.

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

Drowsy Driving Kills

and find out about your rights and remedies.

Sleepiness and Driving A Dangerous Mix

A roadway departure crash caused by a Dickson County Sheriff’s deputy on Beasley Dr., in Dickson, Tennessee, resulted in a fatality this past Thursday morning.

The Deputy was off-duty when he crossed the center line driving west on Beasley, hit the rear fender of a Nissan Maxima and crashed into a Jeep Wrangler driven by a 23-year-old man. Local media reports indicate that the driver either feel asleep or blacked out at the wheel. The 23-year-old man died of trauma to his head and chest. The child passenger of the deputy both had minor cuts from a shattered windshield.

The deputy hadn’t been on duty overnight but the local media report said the police were investigating whether the man had been working another job. There was no mention of any medical condition that would have caused him to blackout and there was no mention of a drug/alcohol test.

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 a loved one are injured or killed by a drowsy driver, you owe it to yourself to contact the law firm of Phillip Miller & Associates and consult with a certified Civil Trial Specialist. Call 615-356-2000

Asleep At The Wheel

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney when I see a report of a teen driver crossing the centerline and slamming into another vehicle, my first thought goes to the question of distraction by cell phone use. First of all, 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. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.

In the case of a Macon County, Tennessee teen involved in exactly this kind of double  fatality collision, the police believe that the cause of the wreck was that the teen fell 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.

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.

Drowsy Driving

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.

Reference a recent case near Clarksville Tennessee that doesn’t have this problem. The driver survived to tell his story and it was a classic case of drowsy driving. A 51-year-old man traveled all night from Memphis and went directly to work. He was experiencing extreme fatigue and his boss sent him home.

On the way home in his 1999 Ford Taurus, he fell asleep near the River Run subdivision at about 12:55 p.m. He veered off the road, hit the utility pole and overturned into a ditch. Power lines landed on his car, causing it to catch fire. Firefighters from Clarksville Fire Rescue responded and had to put out the fire twice. The driver managed to climb out and was not seriously injured, according to responders at the 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.

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 Nashville personal injury 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.