Your Uninsured Motorist Carrier Is Not YOur Friend When It's Time To Pay

It’s no wonder the 30-year-old Blaine, Tennessee man was driving without a license, his skills behind the wheel had already been shone to be wanting on the day, recently, on which he failed to observe Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad truck rushing to the aid of people involved in another crash. The rescue truck had it’s siren and emergency lights in full operation and this bozo was driving along in LaLa land, totally oblivious to his surroundings.

Not only was this guy, and his passenger,  not wearing their seatbelts, the belts had been removed from the vehicle. Let’s look at this guy, no seatbelts (in the car), no license (it had been suspended for earlier problems), no registration, (car probably stolen), no insurance. He now faces charges of failure to yield to emergency equipment, no proof of insurance, driving on a revoked license, violation of the state seat belt law and violation of the vehicle registration law.

Fortunately none of the emergency responder were seriously injured but they were definitely unavailable to respond to the earlier accident, putting the lives of other in danger.

Since he obviously was uninsured this leaves an injured driver to file a claim for damages under their own “uninsured motorist policy”. This can be a tricky situation and one that calls for an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney like those you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates. Don’t think that your own insurance company is going to be fair or generous to you just because you have paid your premiums for all these years.

In a recent case we had to sue the carrier because they failed to make a reasonable settlement offer. The jury agreed with us and awarded our client $1,045,000.00 for their losses. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident contact us and take advantage of a free consultation. Visit or website or call us at 615-356-2000.

Auto Insurance is Mandatory

In a great Blog, article writer Gregg Laskoski reports on finding from the Insurance Research Council avers that one in seven drivers in the United States are driving without insurance. As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney this is not new information to me. Actually, in Tennessee that figure is more like one in four drivers are taking to the highways and byways without automobile insurance.

The Blog goes on to point out that because of a lag factor in the research present day employment trends are not yet reflected in these numbers and the numbers of uninsured may actually be higher.

In the state of Tennessee, you do not have to provide proof of insurance to register a vehicle or obtain a driver’s license, but you do have to carry auto insurance in order to  operate a motor vehicle on all Tennessee streets, roads, and highways.  The minimum liability coverage required by Tennessee law is $25,000/$50,000 for bodily injury and $15,000 for property damage.

You must carry proof of financial responsibility in your vehicle at all times. Failure to provide proof of insurance or financial responsibility is a Class C misdemeanor that carries a $100 fine and license suspension.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville motorcycle accident or auto 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 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.

I Only Drank 9 Beers

At first glance it appeared that Brett Allen Boatwright, 29, of Norton Va., was trying to do the right thing. In Tennessee it is illegal to text while driving and Mr. Boatwright had pulled over into an apartment complex parking lot in Kingsport to text his girlfriend. So far, so good, but then his problems began.

According to the Kingsport Times-News, a watchful neighbor phoned police to report a suspicious vehicle in the apartment parking lot. When police arrived and questioned Mr. Boatwright he told them that he had pulled over to text his girlfriend who lived just down the street because her husband was at home and he couldn’t just show up there until after the husband left. Alright, so the good motive is beginning to slip away, but then things went from bad to worse.

The investigating officer noticed that his speech was slurred and that he smelled of alcohol. Upon questioning he admitted he had had a few beers, eight to be exact. He failed the field sobriety test and refused to sign the implied consent form. Think it couldn’t get worse? Mr. Boatwright couldn’t produce a valid drivers license, or proof of insurance, and when the police ran is car tag through the system his tag “Cloud 09” proved not to be a valid license. Further investigation showed that he didn’t have a license because it had been revoked because he had three previous DUIs. Oh, did I mention, he also had drugs and paraphernalia in his vehicle. He was charged with a fifth offense DUI, driving on a revoked license, along with driving an unregistered vehicle, no proof of insurance, and simple possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Some people just don’t get it. I’d love to hear suggestions from my readers as to what the authorities should do with people like this to keep them out from behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a drunk driver you might want to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.