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.

Why Did She Leave The Road and Why Didn"t She Buckle Up?

Nashville East Precinct officers reported a fatal roadway departure crash at approximately 11:30 p.m. this past Wednesday. The facts in a local media report are scarce as to a possible cause, but the woman left eastbound Briley Parkway, went down and embankment onto a street below.

She was ejected from the vehicle, which means she was most probably not wearing her seat belt. She was dead at the scene of the accident. Although police reported no evidence of drug or alcohol use, blood tests will determine if one or the other were involved. Our prayers go out to the family and friends of this young woman.

This tragedy brings to mind several important issues of highway safety. The first and most obvious, what distraction caused the driver to drift off of the roadway creating the need to over-correct? The second is that this woman may well have survived had she taken the few seconds to buckle-up her seat belt.

For more information about highway safety and some good accident prevention tips go to my website at www.seriousinjury.com.  If you need further information and or the advice of a group of experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers call Phillip Miller & Associates for the answers.

Would Seat Belts Have Saved His Life?

A 47-year-old man was killed in a McMinn County single-car roadway departure crash. The crash occurred early in the morning occurred on Highway 305 at County Road 212. The police report says that alcohol was not a factor and unfortunately the deceased man was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash.

My prayers go out to the family and friends of this unfortunate man, they will have to try to figure out why this happened and what caused him to simply drive off of the road and whether, if he had secured his seat belt, would he have survived the crash.

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.

This tragedy brings to mind several important issues of highway safety. The first and most obvious, what distraction caused the driver to drift off of the roadway creating the need to over-correct? The next is, would this man have survived had he taken the few seconds to buckle-up her seat belt.

For more information about highway safety and some good accident prevention tips go to my website at www.seriousinjury.com.  If you need further information and or the advice of a group of experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers contact Phillip Miller & Associates for the answers at 615.356.2000.

Mayhem on Tennessee Roads

Last weekend was a rough one for the upper Cumberland Plateau. Five people were killed in unrelated traffic accidents. A three-vehicle crash killed a 64-year-old motorcyclist in Cumberland County on Saturday. A car with a trailer in front of him was turning from the road and the deceased slammed into the trailer on the car. A 39-year-old man, also riding a motorcycle, died in a roadway departure crash on I-40. Police investigators say that inexperience is the probable cause of this crash.

A 43-year-old Crossville, Tennessee woman was riding as a passenger in a car that went out of control on US Highway 70 in Cumberland County, and hit a rock wall. The deceased was not wearing a seat belt. A 67-year-old man was traveling south on Shiloh Road in Overton County when his 1994 Ford pickup truck ran off the right side of the road and traveled down a steep embankment, overturned and hit a tree.

And last but not least, A 49-year-old DeKalb County pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and killed over the weekend. The man was struck by a ‘95 Jeep at Jefferson Road and Creek Road. The victim was reportedly walking down the center yellow line in the road when the Jeep struck and killed him.

All of these deaths except the pedestrian were what we, as  experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys, refer 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. In 2008, there were 19,794 fatal roadway departure crashes resulting in 22,080 fatalities, which was 53 percent of the fatal crashes in the United States.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed as the result of negligence on the part of another driver, contact the experienced Tennessee auto accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation. Call 615-356-2000.

Speed and Alcohol

A Nashville automobile accident at 3 AM involving speed, alcohol and a driver and passenger not wearing their seat belts makes me, as an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, shake my head in wonderment. The driver lost control, I know that’s a surprise, and the vehicle slammed into an electric utility pole.

The passenger, who was not wearing seatbelt, was ejected from the car and she and the driver were both hospitalized in critical condition. I suspect they were both having a great time, right up to the point they ran off of the road.

One might feel compelled to look for a bright side to this situation, the fact that at that hour no one else was injured, but if you did that you would be wrong. The wreck left 2600 homes and businesses without power for several hours.

Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to Tennessee traffic crashes. The lesson of this incident for all Nashville drivers is obvious, respect the streets and the other drivers. Speeding is a dangerous game and can end in death for the speeder, the driver and passengers of the other vehicles and for innocent pedestrians. Fortunately no one else was involved in this accident

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 is seriously injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident by a speeding driver you ought to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

Asleep At The Wheel

A Humboldt woman and Brighton man were killed at approximately 2 A.M. Sunday morning in a roadway departure accident on Interstate 40 in Henderson County Tennessee. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol Investigator and local media sources two people were driving along the interstate in a Ford Expedition when the SUV ran off the road, overcorrected and overturned.

Investigators say neither of the people in the SUV were wearing seatbelts and both were ejected and killed. The ejected woman’s body was struck by an oncoming tractor-trailer.

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.

Investigators believe that a one vehicle fatal crash was caused by the driver falling to sleep. It certainly didn’t help his survivability to be asleep without a seatbelt. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving “is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.” But among all the major factors that cause or contribute to crashes, like speeding, alcohol use, and weather situations, drowsiness is the most difficult for police and other crash investigators to detect and quantify.

Sleepiness and driving is a dangerous combination. Most people are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving but don’t realize that drowsy driving can be just as fatal. Like alcohol, sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, impairs judgment and increases your risk of crashing.

If you or a loved one is seriously injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by a drowsy driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation.