Don't Mess With A Tractor-Trailer

I-24 on the north side of Nashville is a busy interstate highway that forms a crossroad of I-65 and I-40. Early morning rush hour is an interesting mix of local and national travelers, but no matter what category they fall into, the speeds are high and the Aggressive driving is just part of everyday business.

This interstate was backed up for thirty miles following a fiery crash between an SUV and a tractor-trailer, that left the SUV driver dead. Local media reports said a 36-year-old man from Benton, Kentucky was killed around 2:30 p.m. Monday. The crash occurred at mile marker 35, just before the Whites Creek Pike exit.

Media reports said the man was driving eastbound down I-24 when he lost control of his vehicle, traveled off the road and became stuck on the mud facing the westbound lanes. As the man attempted to free his car from the mud, he entered oncoming traffic and collided with a tractor-trailer. Following the crash both vehicles caught fire. The truck driver was not injured in the crash.

Police investigators found evidence of alcohol in the man’s car and toxicology tests will be conducted to determine whether alcohol played a role in this fatal crash. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this unfortunate man.

Busy interstates are dangerous places, and I’m familiar with the area around this exit. The lesson we can learn from this crash are twofold; If the police are correct about the alcohol this is just another incident that reinforces the idea that alcohol consumption clouds our judgment and a bad decision can end our lives. Secondly, we earn that when you breakdown on an interstate, especially when we are mired in mud and have no traction, we should rely on emergency responders to help us.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed by a negligent Tennessee driver, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation.

Stay Alert

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer, I’m always amazed when I read of a driver going the wrong way on the interstate and crashing into another innocent victim. Is the driver simply to drunk to know where he is going? I often wonder whether the driver intends to commit suicide. If that is the case, it appears to be a particularly selfish way to end one’s life.

Reference a recent incident on Interstate 75 Southbound at the Bradley-Hamilton county line in which a pick-up driven by a Scottsboro, Alabama man, struck a tractor-trailer head-on around 4:00 am. To top it off, the man wasn’t wearing his seat belt. Fortunately the truck driver was not injured.

This situation makes clear that while you are driving along the highways and byways of Tennessee you must stay alert for all possible dangers. If you see headlights coming your way on an interstate, immediately slow down and pull as far off the roadway as safely possible. You don’t know whether you are coming upon a drunk, drugged or suicidal driver. Stay alert and arrive alive.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville interstate accident as a result of negligent driving?  If so, you should call the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, a Nashville personal injury accident lawyer from our law firm will fight to help you win. We will treat you with the utmost compassion and respect. Call us today and speak with an experienced Nashville personal injury lawyer to discuss the details of your case. Call (615) 356-2000.

The scenario was simple, and it goes on all too frequently in Tennessee these days.  A driver is going along the highway and loses control of his vehicle, leaves the road and crashes into something, or someone, and the driver, and sometimes other innocents die.

The other evening, along a section of I-40 west bound in Knoxville, Tennessee, the driver of a Miata sports car lost control, hit the concrete median wall, overturned and died. A Miata is the last vehicle that one needs to be driving when it flips over, the small size and low cockpit offer little or no protection to the driver and passenger.

So what was it that caused the driver to lose control? As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney, my guess is it was, one or the other of two things, maybe both combined, speed and/or distraction.

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.

Speeding is one of the other most prevalent factor contributing to traffic crashes. The lesson of this incident for all Nashville drivers is obvious, respect the streets and the other drivers. Speeding is a dangerous game and can end in death for the speeder, the driver and passengers of the other vehicles and for innocent pedestrians

The lesson here for Nashville drivers is that you must keep all of your attention on the acting of driving and avoid distractions. You never know when another driver is going to fall asleep, have a medical emergency or get distracted and leave their lane and initiate a deadly collision.

If you or a loved is seriously injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident by a speeding driver you ought to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates

Speeding and Driver Distraction

and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

Interstate Entry Accident

When entering an interstate highway you must keep alert. In most driving situations, you slow down or stop before you enter a busy road, but when entering an interstate, you do the opposite. You must use the merging or acceleration lane to speed up and merge with fast-moving traffic already on the interstate.

Good judgment and good timing are necessary to merge smoothly with fast-moving traffic. Upon entering the interstate on-ramp, stay to the right and increase your speed in the acceleration lane/entrance ramp. Use the ramp to reach interstate speed so you can merge smoothly into the travel lane when the way is clear. Be sure to give the proper left turn signal to indicate your need to enter the traffic lane. Drivers already on the interstate should, for their own safety, make allowance for vehicles attempting to enter. It is your responsibility to yield the right-of-way to other cars already on the interstate.

Reference an accident in Loudon County Tennessee reported on the website of WBIR TV in Chattanooga in which a car entering the interstate casued a vehicle already on the interstate to swerve to the left and go out of control killing the driver and injuring her three passengers. Although the vehicle did not touch it appears that the van entering the highway was at fault. Investigators say that the investigation is ongoing but that they expect to file charges in the death.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a serious Tennessee interstate collision contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Nashville Roadway Departure Crash

The other day there was a fatal accident on I-40 in Nashville. From accident reconstruction it appears that the 57-year-old woman was driving on I-40 in downtown Nashville when for some reason her vehicle swerved to the left, ran off the road and smashed into a guardrail. Unfortunately for her, she chose not to wear her seatbelt and she died 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.

Metro Nashville Police think that there was a second vehicle involved and are asking any citizen with information about this crash to call Metro Traffic.

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.

Roadway Departure Crashes

A tragic Tennessee one-car accident on I-75 took the life of a respected Cleveland Tennessee minister on New Years Day. According to an article on the website of Chattanooga TV station WRCB, 81-year-old Rev. Franklln Hyberger was a passenger in a car driven by his wife when she lost control of the vehicle, left the road and struck a tree. Like many of his friends and family in Cleveland, my prayers go out to Mrs. Hyberger and her family.

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,  drowsiness ot maybe, in the case of an elderly driver, a medical emergency. We will probably never know what lead to the driver losing control in this situation.

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 an 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.

A recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, shows that older drivers face a substantially elevated risk of being involved in and responsible for crashes in which they themselves die, and they pose more risk to other road users than the lowest-risk drivers do; however, the degree to which older drivers’ risk to other road users is elevated depends strongly upon whether risk is being measured on a per-driver, per-trip, or per-mile basis.

For example, the results of this study suggest that if a randomly-selected driver in his or thirties and a randomly-selected driver aged 85 or older were to drive equal numbers of miles, the older driver would be over 1500% more likely than the younger driver to be responsible for and die as a result of a crash, and about 220% more likely than the younger driver to kill an occupant of another vehicle or a non-motorist.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident involving an elderly driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee car accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Tragic Holiday Crash

In my morning blog, The Tennessee Auto Accident Attorney I wrote about the good news from this year’s holiday driving season. Traffic fatalities in Tennessee were down for the season and they seem to be trending down for the whole year. Now. for the bad news, statistics are one thing but the specifics of individual Tennessee automobile accidents bring nothing but pain and sadness to the families and friends of the deceased.

The owner of a popular Cincinnati restaurant and his toddler daughter, were both killed in a head-on car crash. Howard Zuelfe, and his 20 month-old daughter, Harper, were passengers in a car that was hit by another vehicle on I-75, near Athens, Tennessee. The driver of the other car was also killed. Tennessee Highway Patrol investigators said that Brent McKinney was driving the wrong way on the wrong side of the interstate and rammed head-on into the Zuefle car driven by 19-year-old Howard Jr. Neither Mr. Zuefle, nor the child, were wearing safety restraints.

We will probably never know the why of how this tragic Tennessee car accident occurred. Why does a person get on the wrong side of the interstate and drive head-on into an oncoming car? Autopsy reports on Mr. McKinney may reveal the cause of his obvious impairment. My sympathy and prayers go out to the family, indeed the entire City of Cincinnati for their terrible loss.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee interstate highway accident you owe it to your family to contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies. If you can’t come to us, we’ll come to you.

Dangerous Conditions

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident caused by a person who was driving to fast for the highway conditions you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Even though a driver may be cruising at the marked speed limit certain conditions may exist that make that speed dangerous. Wet pavement can be as treacherous as ice or snow. To drive safely under these conditions:

• Slow down: The pavement is particularly treacherous when it first begins to rain.  Dirt and oil accumulations make a greasy film on the roadway, and it takes several minutes for it to wash away.

• Avoid hydroplaning: Alot of water standing on the road during a heavy rain causes tires to lose all contact with the road, even if driving under 50 m.p.h. If the vehicle starts to hydroplane, slow down by letting up on the gas.  Never suddenly apply the brakes.

• Improve your vision: (a) keep windshield wipers in good condition, (b) wait a few minutes after the rain starts so the rain/wipers can remove dust and grime,  (c) use the defroster/air conditioner to keep windows/mirrors clear.  Most Important:  Use headlights on low beam so the light will be on the road where needed.

• Avoid fog if possible: But if you must drive—never put your headlights on high beam because the light will be reflected into your eyes.

According to information in an article published on the website of the Nashville Tennessean a 25-year-old Nashville woman died from injuries sustained after she lost control of her vehicle on I-24 in rainy conditions. She spun out and hit another vehicle and continued off the road and hit head on into a tree.

As an experienced Nashville car crash lawyer I remind you to pay attention to weather and road conditions as you motor the highways and byways of Tennessee.

Distracted Driver

One of the main jobs of an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer is to determine exactly what caused a collision. The focus of this investigation is to determine liability (fault) so that a case can proceed to a remedy. For the most part an investigation can find the cause but other times the question why families lost members can never be answered.

Reference and article on the website of Memphis Tennessee TV station My Eyewitness News. In an unexplainable fatal interstate collision a Memphis family suffers the tragic loss of 3 members. According to the article the accident occurred near Steele Missouri on I-55 when an unidentified Illinois man crossed the median and hit the car of Howard and Vontina Gilliland head-on, killing them and one other passenger. Two children ages 5 and 7 were not seriously injured. My prayers go out to the friends and family of the Gilliland’s.

What causes a driver to leave the highway, cross the median and slam into another car. I don’t have any independent information about this accident other than what I read in the article but as an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I am familiar with a number of reasons that a fatal interstate collision like this one could happen.

Distraction from the primary task of driving could present a serious and potentially deadly danger. There has been increased attention on the danger of distracted driving recently, specifically on the dangers of cell phone use and texting while driving. Other secondary task involvement includes eating, drinking, conversing with passengers, as well as interaction with invehicle technologies and portable electronic devices. Less obvious forms of cognitive distractions such as daydreaming or dealing with strong emotions also present potentially dangerous situations for drivers. Last, but not least, the driver may have experienced some sort of medical emergency that caused him to lose control and crash. An autopsy may shine some light on this option.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash by a distracted driver or a case like the present one that will require and experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Fatal Tractor-Trailer Car Crash

As an experienced Nashville auto accident attorney I cannot for the life of me picture the moments preceding a fatal accident between a speeding tractor-trailer and a mini-van occupied by a Pittsburgh family. An article on the website of WSB-TV in Atlanta Georgia reports that a tractor-trailer driven by Willie Hill of Jacksonville Florida was traveling at a high rate of speed moments before it rammed into the rear-end of a 2007 Toyota Siena and forced it off the road and into trees lining the interstate.

According to the article a three-year-old boy was killed, his mother is in critical condition and another child is in serious condition. The article goes on the report that charges are pending against the truck driver. My sympathy goes out to the family and friends of this innocent family whose lives are transformed by this thoughtless tragedy.

So many things go through the mind of an experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer car crash attorney in an accident like this. What could have caused the truck driver to ignore the slower moving vehicle directly in front of him? The first thing that comes to my mind would be to check his driving log and determine whether he had been driving for too long and had become drowsy and had fallen asleep at the wheel. The next thing I would do is determine whether he had any medical conditions that might have prevented him from controlling his vehicle.

Other avenues of inquiry would be to determine from investigative toxicology tests whether the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. And finally I would subpoena his cell phone records and determine whether he was distracted by texting at or near the time of collision. The United States Department of Transportation recently announced new measures that restrict the use of cell phones and banning texting by operators of commercial motor vehicles. 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 roadway collision caused by a negligent tractor-trailer driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.