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.

Tennessee Car-Tractor-Trailer Fatality

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, when I read about a traffic accident I try, in my mind’s eye, to visualize the crash and the moments leading up to it. Reference an article on the website of WSMV-TV of Nashville which describes a Tennessee car tractor-trailer collision on I-24 near Pleasant View, Tennessee. According to the article a 19-year-old woman rammed right into the rear of a tractor-trailer traveling in the same lane directly in front of her. My sympathies and prayers go out the family and friends of this young lady. I hope they find the answers to the questions they have.

It’s difficult for this Tennessee car crash lawyer to see how this could have happened unless the teen driver was distracted, drowsy or under the influence of alcohol. I don’t have enough information to make a determination as to the cause of this accident, I’m simply relying on the information in the article, but something had to be going on moments before, and at the time of the collision, to cause the young lady to take her eyes and her mind off of her driving and ram the rear end of a tractor-trailer truck.

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 interstate highway collision caused by a distracted teen driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Fatalities from crashes involving young drivers have accounted for one-fifth of all fatalities on the Nation’s roads. This population of young drivers has specific characteristics that set them apart from older drivers as well as a specific set of laws pertaining to their ability to drive. Previous research has shown that young drivers lack the experience behind the wheel that most older drivers have, do not have the same maturity level as older drivers, and are more prone to risk-taking behavior

Medical Emergency or Texing?

Back on October 12, 2009, in my blog The Tennessee Auto Accident Attorney I wrote about a fatal Nashville interstate accident involving an ambulance and a TDOT road safety truck. For some unknown reason the ambulance rammed into the rear-end of the TDOT truck. In my blog I asked the question, “How does an accident like this happen?” In an accident report released yesterday we still aren’t sure, but investigators have boiled it down to one of two reasons, texting or a medical emergency.

An article on the website of WKRN TV in Nashville reports that a medical emergency may have been the cause. It appears that the deceased ambulance driver suffered from narcolepsy and epilepsy and had a history of seizures. In fact, the report says that he had a similar accident ten years ago when he suffered a seizure and swerved off the road and struck a utility pole. At the time his license to drive was suspended but it was later reinstated.

Toxicology reports showed an increased level of amphetamines in his system from his anti-narcolepsy medication but showed none of the traces of his epilepsy medication.

Telephone records also show that the driver was sending and receiving text messages at the time of the accident. As an experienced Nashville automobile accident/personal injury attorney I’m somewhat astounded by the medical findings. How in the world could a man suffering from these conditions be considered for employment as an ambulance driver in the first place? I don’t represent the victims, Ms. Sue Bly, or TDOT worker Mr. Robert Green, who recently underwent brain surgery as the result of this accident, but if I did, I would certainly be asking the employer to answer that question.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville, Tennessee automobile accident caused by a driver with a serious medical condition or one who was texting while driving you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Dangers of Interstate Driving

Traffic on interstates usually moves more safely and efficiently because access is controlled.  There are no stop signs, no railroad crossings and no traffic lights.  Interstates usually have few steep hills or sharp curves to limit the view of the road ahead.  Limited access or controlled access means that drivers enter or leave the roadway only at entrances and exits, called interchanges, without ever crossing the path of other traffic. Interstates and divided highways have largely removed the chance of head-on collisions. Interstate driving requires good skills and habits so you can safely get where you are going. Safe use of the interstates demands a complete awareness of a higher speed type of driving and constant alertness by the driver.

A recent article on the web site of Chattanooga TV station WRBC recounts a horrible accident on I-75 that caused the death of a 24-year-old man. According to the article the man was driving North on I-75 when for some unexplained reason he hit a guard rail. We are not aware of the circumstances that caused him to hit the guardrail, whether he had a medical emergency, was under the influence or was distracted by something inside his vehicle, all of which cause what are known as RORs (Run Off Road) accidents. Fortunately the collision with the guardrail did not force his vehicle to rollover or careen back into the traffic. He stopped his vehicle to inspect it for damage and as he walked around to the highway side he stepped into on-coming traffic and was hit by a tractor-trailer and then thrown into the path of two other vehicles.

According to the Tennessee Rules of the Road, if you have vehicle trouble on an Interstate Highway, move to the right shoulder or emergency stopping area as soon as you can.  Turn on your emergency flashers to warn other traffic.  If you need help, raise your hood and tie a white cloth to the hood or radio antenna.  If possible, it is better to stay in or near your vehicle on the side away from traffic.  Walking along the interstate is dangerous.  Keep children away from traffic.

If you stay with your vehicle, a police patrol will stop to help you when they drive by, if they are not on another call.  If you are within one of the major metropolitan areas of Tennessee (Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga or Knoxville), you may also receive assistance from one of the yellow Tennessee Department of Transportation Incident Response Units (HELP Truck).  HELP operators have the authority to “remove or cause to be removed” any vehicle that is an “obstruction or hazard to traffic”.  HELP operators are trained to deal with incident scenes.  You should follow their instructions just as you would those of other police or traffic control personnel. During this dangerous event you should never put yourself into or near the lane of oncoming traffic.

If you or a loved on is injured or killed in an automobile accident on a Tennessee Interstate Highway you owe it to your family to 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.