Motorcycle Fatality

A Tazewell, Tennessee man was killed in a motorcycle accident Sunday afternoon when he lost control of the bike hitting a guardrail. According to a local media report, witnesses stated to police that the man passed several vehicles at a high rate of speed in the northbound lane. As he approached a curve near Barren Creek Road, he lost control of the motorcycle and hit the guardrail on the right side of the road.

As an experienced Tennessee motorcycle accident attorney, I am concerned that while all other types of fatal crashes involving cars, trucks and pedestrians are on the decrease, motorcycle fatalities continue to rise. What lies at the cause of this phenomenon? Several things come to mind.

First of all manufacturers continue to make motorcycles bigger and faster. Sometimes known as “crotch rockets” these high-powered bikes require more skill and unfortunately anybody with the money or credit can buy one and without any specialized training, take to the highway.

As is the case here, motorcycles are more likely to be involved in a fatal collision with a fixed object than are other vehicles. In 2007, 25 percent of the motorcycles involved in fatal crashes collided with fixed objects, compared to 18 percent for passenger cars, 13 percent for light trucks, and 3 percent for large trucks.

Motorcycles made up nearly 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States in 2006 and accounted for only 0.4 percent of all vehicle miles traveled. Per vehicle mile traveled in 2006, motorcyclists were about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and 8 times more likely to be injured.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee motorcycle accident, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Motorycle Fatality

Witnesses say the 58-year-old motorcyclist was driving erratically in the moments leading up to his losing control on I-65 and leaving the road before hitting a Tennessee Department of Transportation sign. This unfortunate man was dead at the scene. Our prayers go out to his family and friends.

The investigation into the cause of the roadway departure crash will certainly focus on the results of an autopsy and a toxicology screen, to determine whether the man was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, was drowsy, distracted or had some kind of medical emergency that interfered with his ability to drive.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville motorcycle accident or auto accident as a result of distracted driving or other negligent driving?  If so, you should call the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, a Nashville motorcycle 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.

Distractions Kill

A 64-year-old Illinois man was killed while riding his motorcycle in Hardin County Tennessee on July Fourth. Witnesses told investigating officers that the motorcyclist was attempting to turn south onto another road, but that he turned left directly into the path of an oncoming pickup truck.

The motorcycle rider was pronounced at the scene. My prayers go out to his family and friends. It’s hard to imagine just what it might have been that prevented the man from seeing the oncoming pickup truck. Distracted driving is a serious problem on the highways of Tennessee, and when the distracted driver is driving a motorcycle the danger level goes up exponentially.

As an experienced Tennessee motorcycle accident attorney I am concerned that while all other types of fatal crashes involving cars, trucks and pedestrians are on the decrease, motorcycle fatalities continue to rise. What lies at the cause of this phenomenon? Several things come to mind.

As is the case here, motorcycles are more likely to be involved in a fatal collision with a fixed object than are other vehicles. In 2007, 25 percent of the motorcycles involved in fatal crashes collided with fixed objects, compared to 18 percent for passenger cars, 13 percent for light trucks, and 3 percent for large trucks.

Motorcycles made up nearly 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States in 2006 and accounted for only 0.4 percent of all vehicle miles traveled. Per vehicle mile traveled in 2006, motorcyclists were about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and 8 times more likely to be injured.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a careless motorcycle rider, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Motorcycle + Alcohol = Disaster

A 54-year-old Clinton, Tennessee man was injured when his motorcycle went airborne after hitting poles blocking the entrance to a parking lot near the Hickory and Calumet Street intersection in Centralia, Illinois early Saturday morning.  Centralia Police say Douglas Coward ran a stop sign while southbound on Hickory Street.

After hitting the poles, the cycle went airborne for 90 feet and the rider was thrown airborne for 75 feet.  Police say there were skid marks indicating Coward had tried to stop.   Coward was initially taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia and then transferred to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis.

Coward was ticketed for driving under the influence, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and no insurance.  The wreck occurred at 12:28 Saturday morning.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville motorcycle accident or auto accident as a result of distracted driving or other negligent driving?  If so, you should call the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, a Nashville motorcycle 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.

Practice Motorcycle Safety

Motorcycle accidents can be devastating, and most of the time the accident isn’t even the motorcycle rider’s fault.  Very often other drivers are the ones who cause motorcycle accidents, or something as simple as faulty road design or poorly planned construction can contribute to a crash.

As an experienced Tennessee motorcycle accident attorney, I am concerned that while all other types of fatal crashes involving cars, trucks and pedestrians are on the decrease, motorcycle fatalities continue to rise.

A motorcycle accident in Memphis this weekend turned fatal when an off-duty Germantown police officer was killed when another driver failed to yield the right-of-way to the motorcycle and turned left into him. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the officer and to the people of Germantown who lost a fine public servant.

Motorcycles made up nearly 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States in 2006 and accounted for only 0.4 percent of all vehicle miles traveled. Per vehicle mile traveled in 2006, motorcyclists were about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and 8 times more likely to be injured.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee motorcycle accident caused by a careless driver, contact the experienced Nashville motorcycle accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Helmets Save Lives

A Tennessee man killed in motorcycle/truck intersection wreck in Florida when a Ford-350 pickup truck turned directly in his path at an intersection. According to the Florida Highway Patrol investigator and local media sources, the Tennessee motorcyclist had a green light and was proceeding through the intersection when the Ford pickup turned into his path. The man was taking advantage of Florida law, that allows him to ride without a helmet. My prayers go out to his family and friends.

Motorcycle accidents can be devastating, and most of the time the accident isn’t even the motorcycle rider’s fault.  Very often other drivers are the ones who cause motorcycle accidents, or something as simple as faulty road design or poorly planned construction can contribute to a crash.

Motorcycle accidents can be devastating, and most of the time the accident isn’t even the motorcycle rider’s fault.  Very often other drivers are the ones who cause motorcycle accidents, or something as simple as faulty road design or poorly planned construction can contribute to a crash.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville motorcycle accident or auto accident as a result of distracted driving or other negligent driving?  If so, you should call the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, a Nashville motorcycle 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.

Speed, Booze and Alcohol Don't Work

According to police and local media reports, speed and alcohol use may have been the leading factors in the motorcycle crash death of a 52-year-old Rutherford County man this past Saturday. According to reports, the man was traveling south on Blackman Road just before 1:30 a.m. when he skidded off the road, striking a tree head-on. Police report that he was wearing a helmet but it was meaningless in the nature of this crash.

Motorcycles made up nearly 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States in 2006 and accounted for only 0.4 percent of all vehicle miles traveled. Per vehicle mile traveled in 2006, motorcyclists were about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and 8 times more likely to be injured.

Stories like these should remind us that when we get behind the wheel, or handle bars, of a motor vehicle we have to have our full attention on the task at hand.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Tennessee motorcycle accident contact our experienced Nashville motorcycle accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and learn about your rights and remedies.

Thanks To The Brave Men and Women of Law Enforcement

The prayers of the lawyers and staff at Phillip Miller & Associates go out to the family of Tennessee State Trooper Andy Wall who was killed while on duty yesterday in a traffic accident. Out prayers and best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery go out to fellow Trooper Buddy Head who was injured in the same accident.

The two Troopers were escorting members of the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbird Team to the Great Tennessee Air Show. According to local media sources the accident involved the two troopers and three other vehicle. Details of the accident have not been released as the investigation is ongoing.

I have said over and over in this Blog that the brave men and women of law enforcement go to work everyday and never know whether they will return home to their families. All Tennesseans have lost one of our finest and we should be thankful for his service.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee motorcycle accident, contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation with a Board Certified civil trial lawyer. Call 615-356-2000.

Interstate Motorcycle Fatality

A Nashville man was killed in a one-vehicle motorcycle accident in Putnam County on Saturday afternoon, according to a report file3d by the Tennessee Department of Safety.

The rider, a 59-year-old, Nashville man, died at the scene. The accident happened on I-40 at mile marker 270 in Putnam County, Tennessee. According to the report the man was driving a 2008 Suzuki motorcycle in the left lane of the eastbound lanes of I-40.

According to witnesses he engaged his right signal light before moving to the right lane. For some unknown reason he lost control of the motorcycle, ran off the right side of the road, hit a guardrail and was ejected. The motorcycle ended up in the median. He was wearing his safety helmet. My prayers go out to his family and friends.

In 2007, 5,154 motorcyclists were killed, an increase of 7 percent over the 4,837 motorcyclists killed in 2006. There were 103,000 motorcyclists injured during 2007.

In 2007, 2,641 (50%) of all motorcycles involved in fatal crashes collided with another type of motor vehicle in transport. In two-vehicle crashes, 78 percent of the motorcycles involved were struck in the front. Only 5 percent were struck in the rear.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville motorcycle accident or auto accident as a result of distracted driving or other negligent driving?  If so, you should call the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, a Nashville motorcycle 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.

Avoid Distractions

Neither the police investigators nor his family or friends will probably ever know what distracted a 50-year-old Baxter, Tennessee man last week as he motored along US Highway 70. Whatever the distraction, it caused him to leave the right side of the roadway, over correct, re-enter the roadway out of control, and ended with him being ejected.

Distractions are the leading cause of motor vehicle accidents in Tennessee. Motorcycles made up nearly 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States in 2006 and accounted for only 0.4 percent of all vehicle miles traveled. Per vehicle mile traveled in 2006, motorcyclists were about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle traffic crash and 8 times more likely to be injured.

Proper training, licensing and experience are the keys to motorcycle safety. Driving a motorcycle is very different from driving a car. Motorcycles are not toys and should not be treated as such.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee motorcycle crash you owe it to yourself and your family to contact the experienced Nashville motorcycle attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.