Beware The Blind Spot

Yesterday, I blogged about a woman who tried to cross an Interstate median and was killed when she was hit head-on by a fast moving tractor-trailer. The theme of the article was that there are things you should and should not do when traveling on an Interstate highway.

A recent article on the website of the Herald-Citizen tells of a tragic automobile tractor-trailer accident on I-40 near Monterrey that brings the focus on another driving error that we must avoid. An inevitable fact of life is that we have to share the highways of this wonderful country with commercial vehicles of all sizes. We have to understand the dynamics of these 80,000 lb giants and act accordingly.

According to the article an 18-year old woman, Lindsey Toft, was fatally injured and three other teens were injured in the collision. It appears that the SUV they were riding in was being driven by Matthew Harris, 18, and was driving in the right lane in a blind spot of the tractor-trailer that was passing on the left. The Tractor-trailer gave a right turn signal and attempted to enter the right lane, Harris blew his horn and swerved to avoid being hit, lost control, hit the guard rail and then went back onto the roadway where his vehicle was hit by another tractor-trailer. Ms. Toft was not wearing her seatbelt and was ejected fro the SUV.

The Tennessee Rules of the Road specifically warn us not to drive in the blind spot of other drivers, especially tractor-trailers. Traveling in a position where the driver ahead of you cannot see your vehicle can be dangerous as evidenced by this accident. Either stay behind or go around. If the vehicle begins to enter your lane immediately slow down and yield the right of way. Do NOT follow to the side and do not expect the other driver to hear your horn.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Tennessee car/tractor-trailer accident contact the experienced Tennessee accident and injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Rural Roads Are Deadly

As an experienced Nashville car accident attorney I can assure you that high speed, alcohol, a winding 30 mph rural road and add a dash of no seatbelt and the end result is definitely going to add up to a dead driver. According to the Kingsport Times-News that’s just what happened to a Church Hill man injured in a single-vehicle accident Friday evening who died Saturday from the injuries. The article quoted Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Billy Collier as saying “extremely high speed and alcohol were the main contributors to the accident.”

Wesley W. Mabe, 22, was driving under the influence of alcohol at a high rate of speed when he was unable to negotiate and curve in the rural road. According to the Trooper he left the road “struck a tree, a fence and another tree before coming to a final rest.” The Trooper said he was not wearing a seatbelt but that since there was no intrusions on the driver’s side of the car, a seatbelt might well have saved his life.

Rural road safety is a particular concern, because the majority of highway fatalities take place on rural roads. According to the Federal Highway Administration rural roads account for approximately 40 percent of the vehicle miles traveled in the U.S., but almost 57 percent of fatalities, even though just 23% of the US population live in rural areas. According to the latest data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the fatality rate for rural crashes is more than twice the fatality rate in urban crashes. In 2007, 23,260 people were killed in rural motor vehicle crashes, accounting for 57 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Tennessee automobile accident contact our experienced Tennessee accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies. Don’t try to take on the other persons insurance company on your own.