An Automobile Accident Epidemic

According to Dictionary.com an epidemic is defined as a “rapid spread or increase in the occurrence of something.” That something going on in East Tennessee is an epidemic of drivers losing control of their vehicles and leaving the road and killing themselves and others. Something has to be done and someone has to step forward and bring this epidemic under control.

This weeks incidents include:

24-year-old Roxie Cramer pulled into the path of a waste management (Mack) truck. The impact spun the Subaru into the path of a third vehicle and up against a support beam of a local strip mall before it came to rest.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol said Silas E. Parks, 20 of Lenoir City was driving south on I-75 when he lost control of his 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass, ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. George E. Parks Jr., 47 of Lenoir City was sitting in the back seat behind the driver at the time of the wreck and died on scene. Silas and a 17 year old girl in the front passenger’s seat were both injured. The accident report indicates all three people in the car were not wearing seatbelts.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol report indicates Freddie W. Davis, 58 of Sharps Chapel was driving north on TN-33 when he lost control of his 1998 GMC Jimmy. The SUV veered off the right side of the road, went down a hill and flipped near Grandview Drive. Davis was wearing a seat belt at the time of the wreck, and troopers have requested drug and alcohol tests be preformed along with the autopsy.

A young woman died in an ATV wreck early Saturday morning and the Tennessee Highway Patrol say alcohol was a factor. The official report says Megan Smith, 18, was riding on a 2006 Kawaski ATV around 2:20 a.m. on Trent Valley road in Hancock County. The ATV lost control, ran off the road and into a tree. She, and fellow rider, Orry Trent, 20, were thrown off. Smith died on scene.

A Campbell County man was killed Monday morning when he lost control of his car on Highway 63. It happened around 6:15 AM near the intersection with Brown Drive. Troopers said Charles “Chuck” Taylor Jr., 52 of Jacksboro was headed east when his car went off the road. He apparently swerved to regain control, but ended up slamming into an on coming tractor-trailer. The driver of the semi was treated on the scene for minor injuries. Taylor was pronounced dead on the scene.

A Campbell County man was killed Thursday afternoon when he lost control of his car on I-75 in Anderson County. Tennessee Highway Patrol investigators said it happened at 4:13 p.m. while Ivan Lazaro, 23 of LaFollette was driving south in a 1998 Pontiac Sunfire. The accident report indicates he was in the left lane and passing mile marker 122 when a 2000 Nissan Maxima in the right lane crossed into his lane. Lazaro swerved to avoid the impact and ran off the side of the roadway. His car continued into the median and rolled over. Lazaro was wearing a seat belt but passed away from his injuries. Four others in his car including an unrestrained five month old child were injured. Neither of the people in the Nissan were injured.

A Scott County woman was killed Tuesday afternoon during a two-vehicle wreck in Huntsville. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said it happened at 12:40 p.m. on US Hwy. 27, at the intersection of State Hwy. 63. According to the accident report, Edith Mae Marcum, 85 of Oneida was headed south on Hwy. 27 when she merged into the left lane and attempted to turn onto Hwy. 63. As she made the turn, she pulled directly into the path of a tractor-trailer hauling automobiles that was headed north on Hwy. 27. The driver of the truck veered to the right side of the road but was unable to avoid colliding with Marcum’s pickup truck. He hit the right side of her vehicle, pushing it onto an embankment just off the east side of the roadway. The driver of the tractor-trailer was injured in the wreck. Marcum died on the scene.

A woman and her two children have been killed in an East Tennessee traffic crash. The Tennessee Department of Safety said Della H. Bussell of New Tazewell, her 17-year-old daughter Brianna G. Bussell and her 11 year-old son James Bussell died Sunday night. Department spokesman Mike Browning said Della Bussell was driving a Mercedes north on Highway 33 in Claiborne County when she ran off a curve, overcorrected and struck a pickup truck head-on. The truck was driven by a 17-year-old boy, who was injured. Browning said Della Bussell — who was 47 — crossed into the southbound lane and the truck driver swerved into the northbound lane trying to avoid her. He said Bussell then swerved back into her lane and the crash occurred.

If this many people were dying from some disease the news media and the political leadership would be clamoring for a solution, but the clamor from those who should be speaking out is…Silence. There are answers and there are people who could educate the leadership about these answers if anyone really cared.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Rural Drivers

Last week as I was driving on I-40 coming back to Nashville from a meeting with clients in Cookeville, a news report came on one of the local stations telling a man who was injured in a one-car accidentthe crash was alcohol related during which his vehicle flipped and rolled over ejecting him from the vehicle. A bottle of Vodka was found at the scene and the police were investigation whether . My first thought was speed, rollover, no seatbelt and alcohol, what is it with rural people and their driving habits and what can we do to change them.

Statistics gather by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that 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. In 2006, 14,840 drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking (blood alcohol concentration [BAC] = .01+ g/dL) and of these drivers 39 percent were cited for speeding. Rural drivers involved in fatal crashes represented 56 percent of drivers speeding and drinking.  The 2007 National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) shows that the seatbelt use rate among occupants of vehicles in urban areas was 84 percent and rural occupants were observed to have a rate of 78 percent.

If you or a loved on is involved in a Tennessee automobile accident with a drunk, speeding or un-seat belted driver contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

Click It Or Ticket

Highway travel during the 2009 Thanksgiving Holiday week is expected to be heavy in the State of Tennessee as families pile into their cars and head off for holiday destinations. But there’s one sure recipe that can turn a joyful holiday into a tragedy, failure to buckle up.   State Troopers will be patrolling Tennessee Interstates and highways looking for drivers and passengers who are not wearing their seat belt. The message to travelers: “Click it or Ticket”.   The 2009 Thanksgiving Holiday period begins tonight at 6:00 p.m., and runs through midnight Sunday, November 29th.

From a Department of Safety press release; “Seat belts are the single most important safety device in your vehicle and they have saved countless lives and prevented untold numbers of injuries over the years,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. “TDOS urges everyone driving on our state’s roads this holiday to drive carefully, don’t drive impaired and, most important, buckle up each and every trip, night and day.”

Although safety belt usage climbed to 81.5 percent in 2008, more than 50 percent of people killed in Tennessee traffic crashes were not wearing a safety belt. Research shows that it’s almost nine times safer to wear your safety belt every time you get in the car.

“If you are planning to travel by car to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday with family and friends, make sure you and everyone riding with you buckles your seat belts,” stressed THP Colonel Mike Walker. “Whether you’re traveling across town, or across the state, if you or anyone in your vehicle is unbelted you run the risk of getting a little holiday present from a State Trooper or local law enforcement officer.”

Ten people were killed in crashes on Tennessee roads during the 2008 Thanksgiving Holiday weekend (102-hour holiday period). That is a decrease from 2007 when 13 people died and 20 fatalities in 2006. But six of the eight vehicle occupants who were killed during the 2008 Thanksgiving Holiday weekend were not wearing safety restraints.

From the staff and attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates we wish you a safe and joyful holiday season.

Avoid Distractions

Why this tragic tractor-trailer/pickup truck accident happened will most probably never be known but the article in the Bowling Green Daily-News reporting from an accident report from the Kentucky State Police, says that Adam Bowen, 30, of Campbellsville, Kentucky was driving on I-65 in the early morning hours when his pickup truck drifted off the left side of the road and as he over corrected, the vehicle crossed the highway and ran off the right side of the road crashed into the embankment and came to a stop in the right lane of traffic where both Mr. Bowen, who was not wearing a seatbelt, and the pickup were hit by a tractor-trailer and two other vehicles. My prayers go out to Mr. Bowen’s family and friends.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney the first question that comes to my mind is what caused Mr. Bowen’s truck to veer to the left shoulder. Was he distracted by something he was doing in the car or was he tired and fell asleep? These are the questions that will probably never be answered.

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.

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. FHWA uses the Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to compute statistics on roadway departure crashes.

Another question we will never be able to answer is whether Mr. Bowen would have died if he had been wearing his seatbelt? Because of the fact that his pickup was rammed by a tractor-trailer and two other vehicles, it’s impossible to say one way or another. Seatbelt usage reduces automobile crash-related deaths and injuries by at least 50 percent.

To prevent this kind of accident in your life attention must be paid to a few simple rules. If you are sleepy immediately get off the road and take a nap. Always wear your seat belt, whether you are driving on the interstate highway system, or just taking a short drive to the grocery store and always avoid distractions like cell phone use, texting or anything that requires you to take your eyes off of the road for even a couple of seconds.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident caused by a distracted or drowsy driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation and find out about your rights and remedies.

The Honolulu Advertiser www.honoluluadvertiser.com reports that former University of Tennessee and Tennessee Titan football player Jesse Mahelona was killed in an automobile accident in Kailua, Kona. He was 26 years old and he leaves behind his wife and daughter. His wife is pregnant with their second child. Police are not exactly sure what caused the one-car accident but it appears that the Honda sedan he was driving struck a cement construction barrier and parked construction equipment. The roof of the vehicle was torn off by the collision and Mahelona, who was not wearing his seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle. The police say that alcohol might have been a factor in the collision.

As a Nashville car accident lawyer I have come to understand that popularity and personality are no protection against tragedy on the highway. Every highway death leaves families and friends with a terrible loss, one that can never be understood. Mix alcohol and no seatbelt and you have a deadly cocktail that has lead to so many deaths and injuries on our roads. We will probably never know the full story of the circumstances surrounding the death of Jesse Mahelona , but we can take a lesson from his passing. When you drink don’t drive, when you drive wear your seatbelts

Alcohol and No Seatbelt

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville car crash contact our car accident attorneys and find out your rights.