Tennessee Speed Related Fatality

An Erin, Tennessee teen driver died last week in a one-vehicle roadway departure crash Shortly after midnight. According to local media reports the young man and his passenger, were traveling west on Tenn. 49 sometime before 12:40 a.m. Monday morning. A couple miles east of Tenn. 13 in Erin, he lost control of the vehicle for an unknown reason as he came out of a sharp, right-hand curve.

As the car hit the edge of the road, it went airborne and overturned, ejecting the man, whose body came to rest on the embankment on the south side of the road west of the vehicle. The car ended up in a creek. The man was ejected which often indicates that he didn’t have his seat belt on. The injured passenger was able to make a 911 call.

According to a Trooper report, speed was a factor in the accident, but any other conclusions would have to wait until the investigation is complete. In 2006, there were 38,588 fatal crashes resulting in 42,642 deaths. Rural areas accounted for 55 percent of the fatal crashes and 56 percent of the fatalities. Urban areas accounted for 45 percent of the fatal crashes and 44 percent of the fatalities.

According to the 2006 Census, 23 percent of the U.S. population lived in rural areas, however, rural fatalities accounted for 56 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2006. From 1997 to 2006, rural fatalities decreased 7 percent whereas urban fatalities increased by 9 percent.

The lesson here is that no matter where you are, the interstate highway or the rural roads that wind through this beautiful state of ours, you have to be alert and mindful of your task. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash, whether on a highway or a byway, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and let us help you recover damages for your injuries and loss.

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.

Driving while drinking and not wearing your seatbelts is a recipe for disaster. I’m sure that the 49-year-old Dandridge Tennessee man who died in a one-vehicle roadway departure crash on Interstate 40 (mile marker 433) would agree if he had the opportunity to do it all over again, but in life, there are no do-overs. The passenger was not injured.

The four-door Honda was traveling eastbound on I-40 when the driver lost control, it crossed lanes and then went onto the shoulder before it went into an embankment and rolled several times. Both men were ejected from the car.

Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In Tennessee in 2008, 327 people were killed in crashes where the driver or motorcyclist had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. That is down from 377 people killed in 2007 with a BAC of .08 or higher

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a drunk driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.

Seat Belts Save Lives

There were very few facts about a roadway departure crash in New Tazewell Tennessee, but one thing caught my attention. Of the three people in the vehicle, one died and two were uninjured. The two people who survived uninjured were wearing their seat belts and the deceased wasn’t wearing his. The 49-year-old man was ejected and killed as the vehicle rolled along the highway.

Tennessee law requires the use of seat belts. An overwhelming number of studies show that seat belts, when used correctly, save lives. Seat belts help prevent injury five different ways, by:

1. Preventing ejection: Ejection greatly increases the chance of death or serious injury.  The chance of being killed in a crash by being ejected from a vehicle is one in eight.  Safety belts virtually eliminate ejection.  The belted driver stays inside the car and is better protected from injury.

2. Shifting crash forces to the strongest parts of the body’s structure.  To get the most benefit from a seat belt, be aware of the following points:

• The lap belt should be worn low over the pelvis with the bottom edge touching the tops of the thighs snugly.

• The shoulder belt should be worn over the shoulder and across the chest, not under the arm and over the abdomen.  Make certain that the shoulder belt is not worn so loosely that it slides off the shoulder.

• Pregnant women should wear the lap belt below the abdomen and the shoulder belt above the belly.

3. Spreading crash forces overa wide area of the body.  Safety belts reduce the possibility of injury from “hostile” surfaces inside the car (steering wheel, dashboard, windshield, controls, etc.).  Even if the belted driver collides with some of these surfaces, it happens with much less force and often results in less serious injury.

4. Keeping the body more closely in the “properdriving posture.” The belt keeps the driver “in the driver’s seat.”  The belted driver is better able to deal with emergencies and often avoids more serious trouble.

5. Protecting the head and spinal cord. The belted driver is less likely to be stunned or made unconscious by the crash and is better able to cope with the situation. Research has found that proper use of lap/shoulder belts reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent (for occupants of light trucks, 60 percent and 65 percent respectively)

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a negligent driver, contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Seat Belts Save Lives

When a driver or passenger is ejected from the vehicle during a Tennessee traffic accident the outcome is usually not good for that person. Ejections occur regularly is the person is not secured by a seat belt. It’s really a simple concept that takes only a second or two to complete, but failure to exercise it can lead to catastrophic results.

The use of seat belts is required by Tennessee law. Seat belts can, and often do, help save you and your passengers’ lives in the event of a traffic crash.  Reference a Tennessee interstate accident last week that took the life of a 49 year-old Nashville man.

According to local media reports, the accident occurred at approximately 9:16 p.m. on Vietnam Veterans Parkway at mile marker 3, near the New Shackle Island Road exit. The report went on to say that three vehicles were involved in the crash, and that one man died after being ejected and one suffered serious injuries and the third was transported but released. The accident began when one vehicle ran off the edge of the roadway, tried to correct, lost control and crossed the median and the collisions occurred.

When you hire an attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting the whole package.  You don’t just get an extremely qualified and dedicated lawyer, you also get a loyal Tennessee resident who cares about the quality of life in their community and who puts their time and money into standing up for causes and charities they believe in.  You can read about some of the causes we support on our home page, along with a summary of our professional qualifications.  Additional details about our attorneys and staff can be found by viewing our personal profiles, where you can get to know the men and women who will be looking out for your best interest.

Please contact Phillip Miller & Associates today and take your first step forward towards putting the frustration and horror of your auto accident experience behind you.

A 31-year-old Knoxville woman is in serious condition and serious trouble with the law. The woman was behind the wheel when her vehicle left the road and struck a culvert. Two passengers were killed and the driver and another woman are in serious condition in a local hospital. Police say charges are pending. My prayers go out to each of these unfortunate people.

Police reports indicate speed and alcohol played a part in the crash and no one was wearing a seat belt. Whether it’s referred to as drunk driving, driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence, impaired driving simply means a person’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle is compromised by alcohol and other drugs that change the function of the brain and body.

Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes, add speeding and the chances of something really ugly happening, increase greatly. Add the fact that none of the people in the car had taken the time to secure their seat belts and death becomes a forgone conclusion.

The experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates have handled hundreds of cases involving drunk drivers and can help you if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in such an accident. Contact us for the free consultation and find out about your rights. Call 615-356-2000.

Four Weekend Highway Fatalities

It was a deadly weekend on the highways of the Upper Cumberland area of Tennessee this past weekend. Four people, including a Tennessee Tech student, lost their lives in traffic accidents in this area over the weekend, according to local media reports.

The carnage began on Friday evening with a one car, fatal roadway departure crash on County Farm Road that took the life of the student.

A 24-year-old Baxter man was killed in an accident on McBroom Branch Road Saturday, and two White County men were killed on Old Smithville Highway South in that county on Friday afternoon.  This young man was driving a 1999 Pontiac on McBroom Branch Road and the vehicle ran off the road and hit a mailbox and several other hard, immovable objects. The man was ejected from the car during the crash, which means he was not wearing his seat belt.

The White County accident took the lives of a 43-year-old Sparta man, and a 29-year-old man, also from Sparta. Like the other deaths, this one was caused when the driver ran off the right shoulder of the road, then returned to the highway and went into a spin, then crossed into the eastbound lane and into the path of a 1997 Chevrolet pickup which was headed east. The pickup driver was injured. Neither of the deceased men were wearing their seatbelts.

Our prayers go out to the family and friends of the deceased and our wishes for a speed and complete recovery for the injured woman.

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.

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

Two Dead In Tennessee Car Crash

Local Nashville media reports a tragic accident in Lawrence County, Tennessee. According to the reports, a 2010 Camaro driven by a 31-year-old Leoma man, somehow lost control, left the road and rolled several times before hitting a culvert. Both the driver and his female passenger, a 31-year-old woman, also of Leoma, were ejected from the vehicle. Neither were wearing their seatbelts. They were dead at the scene.

Restraint use is clearly designed to reduce injury severity and prevent occupants from being ejected from their vehicles. Tennessee law requires the use of seat belts. An overwhelming number of studies show that seat belts, when used correctly, save lives. It’s really a simple concept that takes only a second or two to complete, but failure to exercise it can lead to catastrophic results. The use of seat belts are required by Tennessee law.  Seat belts can, and often do, help save you and your passengers’ lives in the event of a traffic crash

We need, all of us, to take a second or two and buckle our seat belts and stay alive. If you wish to learn about this or other highway safety tips and suggestions visit the web site of the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates.

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.

Four Dead

Four Jasper, Tennessee men were killed the other day when the Mustang they were riding in left the road and flipped multiple times. All three passengers were ejected from the vehicle, which usually means that they were not wearing their seat belts.

What actually caused the accident may never be known. Was the driver somehow distracted? One of the leading driving distractions is chatting it up with passengers and failing to keep an eye on the road. There was no mention in the local media report as to whether drugs or alcohol was involved.

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. Each of these accidents had the potential to have taken numerous other lives but somehow that didn’t happen

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.

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 an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer contact the lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.