Teen Driver Dies

According to local news reports an 18-year-old Cookeville teenager was killed in a traffic crash on the Gainesboro Grade in Jackson County on Wednesday afternoon. Three passengers, a 39-year-old woman, an 80-year-old man, and a 57-year-old woman, all of Gainesboro, Tennessee were injured.

The facts of the accident are confusing, at best. It appears that the teen driver was driving westbound in the eastbound lane and crashed head-on into an oncoming van. The driver was not wearing his seatbelt. The three people in the van were all injured but the report doesn’t describe their injuries.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, I’ll have to say, I’m confused and have lots of questions. The main question is why was the young driver in the wrong lane, followed by why he was not wearing his seatbelt. I’ll keep up with this story and try to gather more facts. Was he passing another car? Was he somehow incapacitated by a medical problem? Was he distracted in some way?

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

Ten Year Old Killed

According to local media reports a medical emergency was the cause of a crash that claimed the life of two people, one of them a 10-year-old girl.

The reports said that a man and two children were driving in a Ford Expedition when they were struck by on the passenger side by a Honda Accord. Apparently, the Honda driver didn’t have a history of medical problems but something caused him to lose consciousness. The report went on to say that the man had just spoken to his wife by cell phone and told her he wasn’t feeling well.

After passing out, his car accelerated through the parking lot of a market, and according to several witnesses went airborne before slamming into the SUV. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the deceased and the two other passenger who were injured.

Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by medical emergencies while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities. Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

Patient education by health care providers on early warning signs of a health crisis, such as warning signs before seizure attacks, diabetic or hypoglycemic comas and potential side effects of medications are recommended as the most effective countermeasure.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile traffic accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.

Elderly Drivers

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney, I try to keep my readers up on important issues. The other day I wrote about having “The Conversation” with our elderly parents. Studies have shown that older drivers have high death rates and lower rates of involvement in crashes that kill others. Relative to other age groups, drivers aged 85 and older face the highest risk of their own death, whereas teens pose the greatest risk to passengers, occupants of other vehicles, and non-motorists.

Reference a recent auto accident in which an 84-year-old woman drove her vehicle into a thrift store and ran over toddlers. Witnesses pulled the toddlers out from under the vehicle and they are both going to survive this ordeal. The woman refused to say what caused the accident.

In hindsight there were probably a number of signs that her family might have noticed that might have warned them that it was time to consider the possibility that she might need to relinquish her car keys. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this lady and the two children..

The lesson here is that families need to be proactive and avoid the inclination to bring up the topic with the ones we love. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by an elderly driver contact the experienced Nashville auto accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Tractor-Trailer Fatality

According to local media reports, a Tennessee State Trooper suggested that had the tractor-trailer truck driver been wearing his seat belt he might not have died in a serious roadway departure crash. The media report said that the 61-year-old truck driver lost control of his rig hit both sides of a bridge before leaving the road and crashing into an embankment.

The crash occurred on Dixie Highway (U.S. Highway 25E) near the intersection with Bullen Valley Road, and the truck ended up on an embankment alongside the Clinch River. We will probably never know what caused the driver to lose control. If he had a medical emergency an autopsy might help, if he was distracted by a cell phone or other electronic device a review of his phone log might be helpful, tire marks on the highway and witness statements might show if he was speeding.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I find it hard to believe that people still get into an automobile and fail to secure their safety seat belts. I mean this isn’t rocket science and it’s not like they don’t know that it’s a deadly mistake.

Tennessee law requires the use of seat belts. An overwhelming number of studies show that seat belts, when used correctly, save lives. In 2009, 388 people in passenger vehicles died in motor vehicle crashes in Tennessee between the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly two-thirds (64%) of those killed in traffic crashes at night nationwide were not wearing their seat belts, compared to less than half (45%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed during the daytime hours of 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.

According to NHTSA, when worn correctly, seat belts have been proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent, and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident contact the experienced Nashville tractor-trailer  accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and learn about your rights and remedies.

Elderly Drivers

As our population ages we might expect to see more Tennessee automobile accidents caused by drivers who suffer medical emergencies while they are driving. Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by their medical emergencies while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities.

Older Tennessee drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

Reference a recent fatal one-car accident near Chattanooga Tennessee the other day. A vehicle was driving along the roadway when for some reason it ran a red light, crossed an intersection left the roadway and into a bank parking lot at which time it crashed in a parked vehicle. The driver was pulled from his vehicle almost immediately but he was already dead.

An autopsy will probably be able to determine whether the driver died behind the wheel and then crashed the car, or whether he was killed by the collision. As with most driving problems, education is the key to preventing fatal crashes. Patient education by health care providers on early warning signs of a health crisis, such as warning signs before seizure attacks, diabetic or hypoglycemic comas and potential side effects of medications are recommended as the most effective countermeasure.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile traffic accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.

Only As Safe As The Driver

The first question that came to mind when I read the local media report describing the rear-end wreck on the New York Thruway involving a tractor-trailer that was struck from behind by a Trailways commercial bus, was what in the world was the commercial bus driver doing that prevented him from seeing the truck in front of him.

Since the bus company didn’t return calls to the media outlet and share their side of the story (probably a wise move) we don’t know whether the driver was distracted, had some sort of a medical emergency or fell asleep at the wheel. Fortunately for the passengers, the driver, the trucker and the bus company, no one was seriously injured but the passenger did have to be extricated from the bus with power tools.

I have some advice that I would like to share with the families of those who are injured or killed in Tennessee by a negligent commercial bus driver. For a bus company whose vehicles travel millions of miles per year, accidents are an everyday occurrence. Commercial transportation companies have gotten this process down to a science and in many cases have specialized accident investigators at the scene of an accident interviewing the bus driver even before he/she talks to the police investigation.

What does this mean to you if you or a family member are the victim of a Tennessee commercial transportation accident and suffer a serious or life threatening injury?  It means that the bus company has a huge advantage in investigating the cause of the accident and developing a strategy for its defense to any claim that arises. During one of these situations evidence can disappear and negligent drivers can be coached on what to say to police investigators. The bus company has the benefit of an expert that was actually at the accident scene. This may not be possible for the victim since injuries are usually severe in nature. Needless to say it is important to act quickly so that an expert can examine the evidence on your behalf.

Time is of the essence in these types of cases. Although most cases can be reconstructed at a later time it is important to have someone looking out for your best interests as soon as possible. That’s why it’s important to contact an experienced Tennessee bus accident lawyer like those you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates. If you or a loved one is injured in a car/bus accident act quickly and take advantage of a no-cost no-obligation consultation and learn about your rights and put our crack team of lawyers and investigators on the case.

Medical Emergencies Often Prove Fatal

A 72-year-old Lawrence County, Tennessee man died in a one-vehicle crash at the intersection of Tennessee 20 and Railroad Bed Pike–an area near Summertown this past Saturday afternoon. According to local media reports a witness saw the man slumped over his steering wheel, before his vehicle hit a tree. Our prayers go out the the family and friends of this poor man.

Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by medical emergencies as the victim is driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities. Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

Patient education by health care providers on early warning signs of a health crisis, such as warning signs before seizure attacks, diabetic or hypoglycemic comas and potential side effects of medications are recommended as the most effective countermeasure.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile traffic accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies. Call 615-356-2000

Tennessee Truck Fatality

A Tennessee man was killed early Tuesday morning after his tractor trailer overturned in Marysville, Ohio. According to local media reports the Lobelville, Tennessee man was driving a tractor-trailer along U.S. Highway 33 near milepost 18 when his vehicle drove off the North side of the road, went through a fence before rolling over in a ditch. He ws dead at the scene. My prayers go out to his family and friends.

Local police investigators don’t believe that alcohol was a factor in the crash, but what could have caused such an accident? At first several things come to mind; the man could have fallen asleep at the wheel. Investigators will surely look to hi log book and other electronic device to determine how long he had been driving.

He might have had a medical emergency and this would be determined by an autopsy, but the most probable reason is that the tractor-trailer driver was somehow distracted in the moments before he left the road. Driver distraction comes in all forms, cell phones, radios, CDs, MP3 players, eating etc. I am aware of dozens of distracted driver accidents caused by women drivers applying their makeup while driving down the interstate at 55 MPH.

Distraction from the primary task of driving could present a serious and potentially deadly danger. In 2008, 5,870 people lost their lives and an estimated 515,000 people were injured in police-reported crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported on the crash report. The lesson for Tennessee drivers is to remember that when you are behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, especially on the interstate highways, you are piloting a deadly weapon.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville tractor-trailer accident caused by a distracted driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Nashville tractor-trailer accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies. Call 615-356-2000.

Medical Emergency

A medical emergency for a 62-year-old Mt. Juliet, Tennessee woman lead to an interstate highway accident involving an unmarked Wilson County Sheriff’s Car.

According to local media reports the woman was traveling east on Interstate 40 at about 2:30 p.m. in her 2001 Buick Sentry beside an unmarked 1998 Ford Crown Victoria driven by a Deputy from the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office when she began having problems with her blood sugar due to diabetes.

According to the report she drifted into the Deputy’s lane, causing him to drift into the median. He then lost control of the car, traveled back across both lanes of the interstate sideways and ran off into a tree line. The deputy, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was injured in the accident and taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The woman and a passenger were both wearing seatbelts and were not injured.

Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by their medical emergencies are rare. While they are driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities. Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

Patient education by health care providers on early warning signs of a health crisis, such as warning signs before seizure attacks, diabetic or hypoglycemic comas and potential side effects of medications are recommended as the most effective countermeasure.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile traffic accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.

A Lenoir City woman drove her car through the front windows of the Lenoir City Eye Center has sent two women to a hospital with minor injuries. The driver told police that there was some problem with the accelerator. The car went through the glass and 15 feet into the store. The driver was unhurt.

Local media reports fail to identify the woman or anything about her, such as age, medical condition or driving records.  Age and medical condition are important to determine what might have caused the problem.

The good news is that seniors are among the safest drivers on the road and many limit their driving to compensate for age related health and functional changes.

Confused Driving

The bad news is that seniors are more likely to be seriously injured or killed when involved in a crash. With advancing age come changes in medical health and function that impact on the ability to drive safely.

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