Roadway Departure Crash

A 22-year-old Jackson, Tennessee woman died early Saturday, following a one-car accident. The accident took place at 3:15 a.m. on the U.S. 45 Bypass. According to local media reports witnesses told investigators that the young woman was driving her Nissan Maxima at high speed when she lost control, crossed the into the oncoming lanes, almost hit another car a a group of highway construction workers.

The woman was not wearing a seatbelt and police have not said whether they thought that alcohol or drugs were involved. Unfortunately the woman’s family and friends will never know what could have caused her to lose control of her vehicle. An autopsy will provide information on the alcohol and drug issue, and a review of her cell phone records will help determine whether she was distracted by texting or talking on her phone.

Statistics show that nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve 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.

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

Impaired Driving

Toxicology tests are pending to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role in an early morning Nashville one-car fatal crash. The victim, a 38-year-old Greeneville Tennessee woman was traveling west on Elm Hill Pike when, for reasons not determined, she traveled across the eastbound lanes and struck a concrete culvert.

The driver was not wearing a seatbelt and died on the scene. Investigators found a bottle of prescription painkillers and marijuana inside the car. Notwithstanding the drugs, had she been wearing her seatbelt she might have survived the crash, without them she didn’t have a chance.

A recent survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that seat belt use has increased dramatically. At 82 percent, the rates are the highest in our nation’s history. Recent the NHTSA reported that traffic fatalities had hit a record low, 1.46 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

The report estimated that seat belts are preventing 15,700 fatalities, 350,000 serious injuries, and in excess of $67 billion in economic losses related to traffic injuries and deaths every year. I have repeatedly said, over the years, that seat belts are absolutely useless unless drivers and passengers take a few seconds to use them.

The lesson for Tennessee drivers is to stop before you turn the ignition key and make sure that you and your passengers are buckled up. The lesson for state highway safety authorities is that education and enforcement work and save lives. If each one of us would stay alert and endeavor to create a culture of safety we can reduce traffic fatalities.

For this and other highway traffic safety information, or if you are involved in a serious Nashville auto accident visit our website and then contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Maintain Control

The driver of the pickup truck towing a trailer crested the hill to find that traffic was stopped in front of him as several cars were waiting to turn left. The driver told police investigators that he tried to stop but that his brakes locked up and in order to avoid rear-ending the stopped vehicles he swerved into the oncoming lane, where he slammed head-on into an oncoming Toyota.

Both the pickup and the Toyota then wrecked into several other vehicles. The truck driver was transported to a local hospital and the Toyota driver was carried by a Life Flight helicopter to Vanderbilt Medical Center. I don’t know their condition at this time but my prayers go out for a speedy and complete recovery.

Investigators said that the pickup driver was not wearing his seatbelt. It appears to this experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyer that the truck driver was doing a lot more wrong then not wearing his seatbelts. The use of safety belts, child restraint safety seats and child booster seats are required by Tennessee law. They can help save you and your passengers’ lives in the event of a traffic crash.

Regardless of the type of brake system you have, always be prepared to brake unexpectedly. There are some instances when drivers should be especially alert, including:

• When driving next to parked cars;

• When approaching any type of intersection;

• When approaching traffic signals and crosswalks;

• When driving in a school zone or residential area;

• When seeing brake lights of other cars;

• When driving in heavy, slow moving traffic.

My experience tells me the truck driver was exceeding the speed limit and/or was distracted when he crested the hill. Another problem could have been that he had failed to properly maintained his vehicle and should have had the brakes serviced.

Have you or a loved one been injured in a Nashville motorcycle accident or auto accident as a result of distracted driving or other negligent driving?  If so, you should call the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates, a Nashville motorcycle accident 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.

It’s the same old story being played out on highways across Tennessee. A driver, not wearing a seatbelt, crosses the center line of a highway, hits andother oncoming car , or two, and is killed. This story played this past Sunday night when a 70-year-old man in a Toyota pickup truck, crossed the line, side swiped a Dodge Q15 and then slammed head on into Chevrolet 4SK.

The man was not wearing his seat belt and was killed. The three people in the two other vehicles were slightly injured, although one man was hospitalized and his condition is unknown. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the deceased man, and my wishes for a quick and complete recovery to the others.

Crossed The Center Line

The usual cause of a crash like this one is driver distraction, something taking the drivers attention off of the road, something like a cell phone, or talking to a passenger and not paying attention. When a driver is in his 70s, another consideration is that he might have suffered a medical or a medication emergency.

Police investigators will look into each of these theories. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a serious Tennessee automobile accident caused by a negligent driver, contact the experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Would Seat Belts Have Made A Difference?

Even with the decades of experience as a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident lawyer I am having a hard time understanding how a fatal one-car collision in Greene County Tennessee happened. It appears that a tractor-trailer was turning left onto US Highway 11A and had almost completed the turn into the right lane when a Honda driven by a 27-year-old man in the left lane struck the rear end of the trailer.

The man in the Honda was not wearing his seatbelt and as the car spun around in the median he was ejected onto the roadway. The local media report doesn’t mention anything that could have obstructed the drivers vision, and it’s hard to understand how the driver didn’t see the tractor-trailer in front of him.

Under those circumstances, it appears that the driver was either speeding or was somehow distracted. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the driver. It is up to each of us, when we are behind the wheel of a motor vehicle to keep our attention on the road ahead and the road around us at all times.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident you owe it to your family to contact the experienced Nashville truck accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Roadway Departure Crash

The family and friends of a 22-year-old Rhea County man are left with so many questions after he was killed in a one-car roadway departure crash yesterday. The young man was driving a 1999 Ford pickup traveling westbound when he, for some unknown reason, veered into the eastbound lane, left the highway, went airborne down a deep embankment before slamming into a tree. He was not wearing his seatbelt.

Police investigators have ruled out drugs or alcohol as a factor in the crash, so what could have caused this accident? 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.

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.

Investigators will have their work cut out for them as they recreate the last several minutes and hours of this young man’s life. The lesson for other Tennessee drivers is that we must avoid any distractions while we drive. It only takes a second or two of distraction and we are off of the road and when that happens there is no telling the outcome.

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

Airbags and Seat Belts Save Lives

Virtually all new cars have airbags, and they’re saving lives. They’re reducing driver deaths by about 14 percent, and passenger bags reduce deaths by about 11 percent. People who use safety belts may think they don’t need airbags. But they do. Airbag and lap/shoulder belts work together as a system, and one without the other isn’t as effective.

But there also are problems with airbags. Inflating bags have caused some serious injuries and deaths. Serious inflation injuries occur primarily because of people’s positions when airbags first begin inflating. Anyone, regardless of size or age, who’s on top of, or very close to, an airbag is at risk. Most airbag deaths have involved people who weren’t using belts, were using them incorrectly, or were positioned improperly.

People without belts or using them incorrectly, especially passengers, are at risk because they’re likely to move forward during hard braking or other violent maneuvers before crashes. Then they’re likely to be very close to, or on top of, airbags before inflation begins. Improperly positioned people at risk include drivers who sit very close to the steering wheel — 10 inches or closer — and infants in rear-facing restraints in front seats.

Understanding that airbag injury risk is related to position leads to a few simple steps that can eliminate the risks without sacrificing airbag benefits. Check with your dealer of correspond with the manufacturer of your vehicle and inquire as to the proper safety position for the best results from your Safety seat belts and airbags.

If you are injured during a Tennessee automobile accident by an airbag and you would like to talk to a Tennessee highway professional about any design negligence by the manufacturer, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates.

Seat Belts Save Lives

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.

Reference two recent fatal accidents in McMinn County. The first one was initiated when two cars came into contact on I-75 and one vehicle left the road, the passenger was ejected and killed. The second occurred when one car changed lanes without warning and hit another vehicle driving it off of the road also ejecting the driver and she died at the scene.

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 automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and learn about your rights and remedies.

Seat Belts Work

A young Tennessee man died in a roadway departure crash on I-65 this past Monday in Williamson County Tennessee. The facts surrounding the fatal crash simply point out that the man was driving his Ford Ranger pickup truck near mile marker 57 when he drove off the right side of the road and overturned. He was semi-ejected through the windshield and police investigators said that it appeared he was not wearing a seatbelt. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this young man.

What wasn’t mentioned in the article and what is really the most important question his family and friends are left with is, what was he doing that diverted his attention from the task at hand and caused him to drift from the roadway. The second question is why he didn’t take the time, a second or so, to buckle his seatbelt, and would he have survived the crash if he had.

Investigators can look to his cell phone and determine whether he was talking, calling or texting during the seconds leading up to the accident. Studies show that using a cell phone while driving impairs the driver to the point where he would be if he was legally drunk. It only takes a moment of taking your eyes off of the road to end up like this young man.

If you wish to learn more about this or other Tennessee highway safety issues contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates at our web page and get the answers.

Family Decimated In Crockett County Crash

As an experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyer, I regularly write about child safety. The main topics are usually safety seats and school zone safety. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 14. Every day during 2007 in the United States an average of five children age 14 and younger were killed and another 548 injured in such accidents.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which studies all manner of highway safety issues says that using properly installed child safety seats reduces the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars. Placing children in age and size-appropriate car seats and booster seats also reduces serious injuries by more than half.

Reference a terribly sad case that happened on State Highway 152 in Crockett County Tennessee this past week. A family, the mother, father, infant son (age 2), grandmother and a friend were riding along when the driver (Mother) for some reason left the roadway, overcorrected trying to get back on the road and left the road into a deep ditch and then it hit a culvert.

The child was in a safety seat that was not properly installed, and he, along with his grandmother, who was not wearing her seatbelt, were killed.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee highway automobile accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident law firm of Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.