A tragic and totally preventable automobile accident took the life of a five-year-old girl took place the other night in Campbell County in East Tennessee. Had the driver/Mother not allowed herself to be distracted by reaching for a bottle of water, and had she seen to it that her daughter was protected in a child safety seat, she would still be alive today. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the driver and child.

Driving along an East Tennessee interstate highway, the mother takes her eyes and her mental focus away from the job at hand and drifts off the side of the road, over-corrects and loses control. The five-year-old is ejected from the vehicle and dies.

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.

The use of safety belts, child restraint safety seats and child booster seats, are required by Tennessee law. Seat belts, child restraint safety seats and child booster seats can help save you and your passengers lives in the event of a traffic crash. There were three other children in the vehicle at the time of the crash and they were unhurt. The lesson her is too obvious to restate, use your head and you won’t lose it, our someone else’s, for that matter.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident by a distracted driver, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates

Distracted Driving

and find out about your rights and remedies.