I’m sure the 21-year-old Clarksville Tennessee man who crossed the centerline, almost hit a marked police car and slammed head-on into a pickup truck following directly behind the police car, will spend time thinking about whatever he was doing besides driving for many years to come. The driver of the pickup truck who died will never have a chance to consider anything ever again. Alcohol use has not yet been ruled out but if the trend holds, this driver was distracted by someone or something, as he drove down the street.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) distraction is anything that diverts the driver’s attention from the primary tasks of navigating the vehicle and responding to critical events. To put it another way, a distraction is anything that takes your eyes off the road (visual distraction), your mind off the road (cognitive distraction), or your hands off the wheel (manual distraction). So when you think about tasks that can be a driving distraction, you can see that they often fit into more than one category: eating is visual and manual, whereas using a navigation system is all three.

There are two basic components of the distraction safety problem: The attentional demands of the distracting task and the frequency with which drivers choose to multitask.  Task demands relate to the amount of resources (visual, cognitive, manual) required to perform the task.  The other issue is exposure, which is how often drivers engage in the task.  Putting those two concepts together, even an easy task can be a bigger safety problem if the person does the task 50% of their driving time.

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. Call 615-356-2000.

Avoid Distractions

Drunk Drivers - Let's Take Them Off Tennessee's Roads

Tennessee auto accidents are often caused by “casual” or “social” drinkers, as well as drivers who drink and drive all the time. Those who drink and drive regularly and cause a Tennessee car accident, may spend some time in jail, and then the driver is back on the road. Not a good situation.

If you are victimized by a DUI driver and you would like to learn about your rights come to our website and get a copy of our book, “Victims of DUI Drivers – What you should know before you settle.” Victims of DUI Drivers – What you should know before you settle.”

The alternative? Let us sue the drunk driver who cause your car accident in Nashville or anywhere in Tennessee. A lawsuit can take away the means of a drunk driver to ever afford a car, and convince those around him/her that loaning a car will be bad news for them if a Tennessee car accident occurs.

If you or anyone you know has been killed or suffered a personal injury in Nashville, please contact Nashville injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Nashville personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here. No matter what you do, before you settle your case with an insurance adjuster, read our materials on dealing with insurance adjusters first!

Drive Drunk Drive Stupid

When it comes to criminals, stupid is as stupid does. I wrote about this topic this past week but it appears that we have an epidemic of criminals who will do anything to keep from being caught and that includes fleeing the police at high speed. For whatever reason, they somehow think they can successfully flee the police.

Metro Nashville police arrested a drunk driver early Wednesday morning after he crashed his car and ran into a wooded area. The accident happened around 1 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 near the Stewarts Ferry Pike exit in Hermitage.

Police received reports of a crash and when officers arrived, a man standing outside the car took off running. When officers managed to track down the man, he briefly attempted to fight them. After his arrest he then told police he had been hunting. Police charged the driver with DUI, evading arrest and other misdemeanor charges.

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. That is down from 377 people killed in 2007 with a BAC of .08 or higher.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident by a drunk driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation so that you can get a complete picture of your rights and remedies. Call 615-356-2000.

Don't Drink and Drive

Whenever you read about a drunk driver crashing and being arrested it seems to me that they always tell the police they only had one beer. I wonder what that’s about. Reference a recent report that Metro Nashville police charged a Nashville maid with driving under the influence after she crashed her car into another vehicle and her breathalyzer registered more than four times the legal limit.

The breathalyzer proved she was lying and, in addition to the scientific evidence, her cleaning partner told police that the woman had been getting into a client’s liquor cabinet and been drinking hard liquor. Neither the driver nor her passenger were seriously injured, but the driver is cooling her heals in the Metro jail on a $2000.00 bond.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I can tell you for a certainty that when it comes to drinking and driving  that stupid is as stupid does. First of all, for people who haven’t been paying attention, it’s really stupid to get behind the wheel when you have been consuming alcohol.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our car accident attorneys today for a free consultation. When you hire an auto accident attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting a qualified and dedicated lawyer. Details about our attorneys and staff can be found by viewing our website at www.seriousinjury.com where you can get to know the men and women who will be looking out for your best interest. Call 615-356-2000.

They Don't Mix

Lebanon Tennessee police believe that speeding and alcohol were the cause of a terrible wreck the other day that took the life of a man and his 4-year-old grandson. According to police and media reports, a drunk female in a pickup truck was driving at a high rate of speed inside city limits when she lost control and slammed into several other vehicles leading to injury and death for the drivers and passengers.

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. That is down from 377 people killed in 2007 with a BAC of .08 or higher. Over the 2008 Labor Day holiday, 12 people were killed in 10 fatal crashes on Tennessee roadways, down from 17 people killed on Tennessee roadways in 2007.

Alcohol was a factor in 10,839 highway deaths in 2009. In the past two decades, it accounted for 268,442 deaths. And 10 percent of people in the United States recently admitted to being drunk behind the wheel in the past year, a poll found.

For this and other Tennessee automobile safety tips visit the web site of the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find lot’s of good information to help you remain a safe driver.

Drunk Tennessee Driver

As an experienced Nashville auto accident attorney, I often see or read about accidents that happen on the highways and byways of Tennessee that make me stop and wonder how no one lost their lives.

I just read about such and accident on I-24 in East Ridge, Tennessee. According to local media sources a police officer witnessed a man driving on I-24 in the wrong direction. The vehicle slammed head-on into an oncoming vehicle and another car following that vehicle was unable to avoid hitting it. Through the grace of God, no one was killed.

It was fortunate that the officer was on the scene so quickly because the male driver was trying to flee the scene on foot. Police were unable to identify the man because he had two sets of identification with different names. The man has been charged with DUI, four counts of vehicular assault, six counts of reckless endangerment, violating the implied consent law and driving without a license.

This incident shows that, as we drive the highways we can never take anything for granted. We must always keep focused on the road and other vehicle around us. In a situation like this there is very little time to react and very few moves to make.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a drunk driver, contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation. Call 615-356-2000.

Don't Serve A Drunk

States, Tennessee included, across the country have enacted dram shop laws, sometimes called liquor sale liability laws, for the purpose of protecting people from negligent alcohol sales to intoxicated people. Usually drivers or potential drivers who are visibly intoxicated, who then go on to injure or kill others on the highways and byways of Tennessee. Those laws place a duty of due care on bar owners and alcohol servers.

Liquor liability laws place restrictions on the sale of alcohol to people who are obviously intoxicated. When violated, servers of alcohol and business establishments that sell alcohol may be subject to a civil lawsuit for damages that occur as a result of their negligence.

While bars and restaurants are probably the most frequent establishments subject to an alcohol related lawsuit, any business that sells alcohol may be subject to liability if their negligence is the cause of another person’s injury or death.

In Tennessee, the legislature saw fit to raise the burden of proof from negligence to clear and convincing evidence. This essentially means that instead of a 51% burden the plaintiff must prove a two-thirds burden to get a judgment. Good work on behalf of the Tennessee Restaurant Association. Bad news for the family of someone seriously injured or killed by a drunk driver.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a drunk driver who got drunk at a bar or restaurant, contact the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation. Call 615-356-2000.

Stay Alert

Experienced Tennessee auto accident attorney’s and other highway safety professionals always advise motorists not to swerve to avoid hitting a deer, because swerving to miss the animal often causes vehicles to go off the road. Frequently, those vehicles then hit trees or power poles. Instead, professionals say, motorists should hit the deer.

Reference a recent near fatal accident in Chattanooga Tennessee in which a 37-year-old woman swerved to avoid hitting a deer, left the roadway, and hit a guardrail causing her vehicle to erupt in flames. When police arrived at the scene they found two other motorists tending to the woman’s burns. Upon investigation they found that one man, David Cruz had put himself in harms way and pulled the victim from the burning wreckage.

The police report said that the fast and brave action by Mr. Cruz saved the woman’s life. My prayers go out to the victim for a complete and speedy recovery and my hat is off to Mr. Cruz for his actions on behalf of another motorist.

I often write in my Blog how we are all involved in this driving thing and how we are all responsible for each other when we take to the highways and byways of Tennessee. You don’t have to necessarily go to the extreme lengths that Mr. Cruz did here, we can take a second and call the police when we see a drunk or dangerous driver, or a child who is improperly secured in a vehicle.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville auto accident caused by a negligent driver, contact the experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates at 615-356-2000.

Photo thanks to the USFWS

Tennessee Child Pedestrian Killed

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I think I have found the Tennessee driver who has exemplified the type of driver that ought to serve an extremely long time in the state penitentiary and when and if he is released from prison should be electronically monitored to assure society that he never gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle again.

David Higgins, age 21, was driving drunk on an already suspended license, without car insurance. Witnesses say he was driving in a reckless manner, speeding along Winchester Blvd. when he made a sharp turn, at high speed, onto Outland Dr. where he ran over and killed a child. This lowlife tried to flee the scene but family members of the child subdued him until police arrived.

As an experienced Nashville car accident lawyer I want to remind you that driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in every state. If you follow my blog you will see that in Tennessee we continue to see a tragic number of people with debilitating injuries and deaths as a result of impaired driving. This careless disregard for human life must stop.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a drunk driver and you hope to recover all of the damages the law allows you need to consult with an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney like those at Phillip Miller & Associates. We offer a free consultation so that you can gain the information you will need to face this odyssey through the legal system.

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.