Medical Emergency

Wade Arlyn  (BoomBoom) Crane, a well known 66-year-old pro billiards player from Acworth, Ga. was killed early Sunday in a one-car crash in Knoxville, Tennessee. My sympathy goes out to the family, friends and fans of Mr. Crane.

Local media reports said that his car suddenly swerved across three lanes of traffic and hit a concrete wall on the right side of the roadway and then back across five lanes to slam into the left side wall. Police investigators believe that Mr. Crane suffered a medical emergency before his car went out of control. Fortunately, no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

According to a recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, older drivers face substantially elevated risk of being involved in and responsible for crashes in which they themselves die, and they pose more risk to other road users than the lowest-risk drivers do; however, the degree to which older drivers’ risk to other road users is elevated.

In 2008, older people accounted for 15 percent of all traffic fatalities and 18 percent of all pedestrian fatalities. Most traffic fatalities involving older drivers in occurred during the daytime (80%), occurred on weekdays (72%), and involved other vehicles (69%).

If you or a loved one is seriously injured in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by an older driver, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Elderly Couple Perish In Roadway Departure Crash

Metro Nashville police are investigating whether a medical emergency contributed to the death of an elderly husband and wife couple from a single car crash Tuesday afternoon. Local media reports said that the 79-year-old driver had a history of heart disease.

Witnesses said that the man and his 84-year-old wife were driving west on Charlotte Pike when their car swerved and left the roadway and slammed into a utility pole. Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by medical emergencies while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities.

Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

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

Tractor-Trailer Wreck

A Tennessee tractor-trailer hauling cars overturned on U.S. Highway 43 near the Hampshire Pike exit ramp in Maury County. The driver, who was uninjured, told police he blacked out.

Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by medical emergencies while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities. Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers.

Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

Patient education by health care providers on early warning signs of a health crisis, such as warning signs before seizure attacks, diabetic or hypoglycemic comas and potential side effects of medications are recommended as the most effective countermeasure.

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

It appears that a Tennessee automobile accident that took the life of a Dickson County man was caused by a medical emergency that incapacitated him and caused him to lose control of his truck. The driver was not wearing his seatbelt and as the car went out of control and slammed into a house the man was ejected through the windshield. Two passengers, a woman and a 4-year-old boy were uninjured.

Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by their medical emergencies while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities. Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

Patient education by health care providers on early warning signs of a health crisis, such as warning signs before seizure attacks, diabetic or hypoglycemic comas and potential side effects of medications are recommended as the most effective countermeasure.

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

Elderly Driving Fatality

An Alabama woman, age 76, died when her car ran off the road and hit a tree. Information in the local media article leads me to believe that she never tried to apply the brakes. The collision was so severe that the woman was pinned in the car by the motor and dashboard and had to be removed with the ‘Jaws of Life”.  As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer the first thing that comes to mind is that this woman had a medical emergency of some sort that caused her to lose her ability to control her vehicle.

Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Eighty-four percent of the drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies experienced seizures, blackouts or diabetic reactions prior to the crashes.

Studies show that driver responses to questions about general health, use of medications and feelings on the day of the crash suggest that most of the drivers were aware of the medical conditions associated with the crash. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be more severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

An estimate of 62 percent of the drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were involved in single-vehicle crashes compared to an estimate of only 17 percent of the other drivers In an estimate of 85 percent of the drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies, the driver was the only occupant in the vehicle compared to an estimate of 69 percent of the other drivers.

Like this accident, an estimated 69 percent of the drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies departed the roadway before the collision compared to only 17 percent of the other drivers. Drivers in crashes that have been precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely to be involved in crashes during the morning hours between 6 a.m. and 11:59 a.m. when compared to other drivers.

To learn more about this issue and other Tennessee highway safety issues visit the web site of Phillip Miller & Associates and educate yourself about the hazards of driving.

Medical Emergency

It appears that a Tennessee automobile accident that took the life of a Dickson County man was caused by a medical emergency that incapacitated him and caused him to lose control of his truck. The driver was not wearing his seatbelt and as the car went out of control and slammed into a house the man was ejected through the windshield. Two passengers, a woman and a 4-year-old boy were uninjured.

Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by their medical emergencies while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities. Older drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

Patient education by health care providers on early warning signs of a health crisis, such as warning signs before seizure attacks, diabetic or hypoglycemic comas and potential side effects of medications are recommended as the most effective countermeasure.

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

As our population ages we might expect to see more Tennessee automobile accidents caused by drivers who suffer medical emergencies while they are driving. Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by their medical emergencies while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities.

Older Tennessee drivers have relatively higher incidences of crashes precipitated by drivers’ medical emergencies when compared to young and middle-age drivers. Drivers in crashes precipitated by medical emergencies were more likely than other drivers to be severely injured or to die as a result of the crash.

Reference a recent accident in Kingston Tennessee that occurred when a driver, who was having a seizure, plowed his van into a busy beauty salon seriously injuring at least 10 people.

As with most driving problems, education is the key to preventing fatal crashes. Patient education by health care providers on early warning signs of a health crisis, such as warning signs before seizure attacks diabetic or hypoglycemic comas and potential side effects of medications are recommended as the most effective countermeasure.

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

Older Driver Safety Statistics

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer I try to keep up with studies and trends in highway safety. On of the major players in highway safety research is the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety.  As the Baby-Boomer generation gets ready to explode onto the scene I thought you would find this study somewhat interesting.

Previous research has found that older driver fatal crash involvement rates per licensed driver declined substantially in the United States during 1997-2006 and declined much faster than the rate for middle-age drivers. The current study examined whether the larger-than-expected decline for older drivers extended to nonfatal crashes and whether the decline in fatal crash risk reflects lower likelihood of crashing or an improvement in survivability of the crashes that occur.

Results: Fatal crash involvement rates declined for older and middle-age drivers during 1997-2008 (1997-2005 for the 13 state subsample), but the decline for drivers 70 and older far exceeded the decline for drivers ages 35-54 (37 versus 23 percent, nationally; 22 versus 1 percent, 13 states). Nonfatal injury crash involvement rates showed similarly larger-than-expected declines for older drivers in the 13 state subsample, but the differences were smaller and not statistically significant (27 percent reduction for older drivers versus 16 percent for middle-age drivers). Property-damage-only crash involvement rates declined for older drivers (10 percent) but increased for middle-age drivers (1 percent). In 1997, older drivers were 3.5 times more likely than middle-age drivers to die in police-reported crashes (6.2 versus 1.8 deaths per 1,000 crashes), but this difference was reduced during the 9-year study period to 2.9 times, as the rate of older drivers dying in a crash declined (5.5 deaths per 1,000 crashes in 2005) and the death risk remained relatively stable for middle-age drivers.

If you or a loved on is injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident caused by a negligent driver, contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation.

It Can't Hurt To Brush Up

You have been driving for 50-years, why not take a Driver Safety Course? Cars have changed. So have the traffic rules, driving conditions, and the roads you travel every day. Some drivers age 50-plus have never looked back since they got their first driver’s licenses, but even the most experienced can benefit from brushing up on their driving skills.

The AARP Driver Safety Program offers experienced drivers a refresher course to brush up on their skills and, as a bonus, you might just get a discount on your car insurance. You can expect to learn current rules of the road, defensive driving techniques, and how to operate your vehicle more safely in today’s increasingly challenging driving environment. You’ll learn adjustments to accommodate common age-related changes in vision, hearing, and reaction time. After completing the course, you will have a greater appreciation of driving challenges and of how you can avoid potential collisions and injuries to yourself and others. And don’t worry, there is not a test to pass.

The classroom course costs only $12 for AARP members and $14 for non-members. The cost for the online course is $15.95 for AARP members and $19.95 for nonmembers.  Course times, dates and locations will be listed along with a phone number to call to register for the course. Or call, toll-free, 1-888-AARP-NOW (1-888-227-7669). To register for the online course, visit www.aarpdriversafety.org.

The experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates highly recommend this course. We see all too many Nashville auto accidents that might have been prevented with a little care. If you have teen drivers in your family it might save their lives and the lives of others if you have them join you as you take the online course.

Older Driver Crash Projections

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I have watched with interest as the accident rate among older drivers has continued to drop. Since 1997 the trend has been on a downward slide. I asked myself, “…why is this happening?” One would think that older drivers would have more problems as they aged.  With that in mind I wondered out loud to several of my colleagues, “Wha tis going to happen to this trend in the next six to ten years when the older population, the “Boomers”, grows?”

My search took me to The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety an independent, nonprofit, scientific, and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses — deaths, injuries, and property damage — from crashes on the nation’s highways. In a recent study the Institute answered my question. Instead of interpreting the study for you I have reprinted the introduction below.

TRENDS IN OLDER DRIVER CRASH INVOLVEMENTS

The US population is expected to experience a major shift such that older people will become a much larger proportion of the population. According to the US Census Bureau (2008a), people 70 and older were 8.5 percent of the population in 1990, compared with 9.1 percent in 2008. The increase in the older population is expected to accelerate sharply starting in 2016. The population 70 and older is expected to rise from 27 million in 2008 to 67 million in 2050, representing a 145 percent increase. The population 85 and older is expected to more than triple, from 6.4 million in 2008 to 19 million in 2050. By 2050, people 70 and older are expected to compose 15.3 percent of the population (US Census Bureau, 2008b).

As older people become a larger part of the population, they are driving more as well. The number of licensed drivers 70 and older is expected to continue to increase, and there are indications that older drivers are logging more miles. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the total annual miles traveled by drivers 70 and older increased by 26 percent between 1995-96 and 2001-02, from 92 to 116 billion miles, and their average annual miles traveled increased by 48 percent from about 6,064 to 9,000 miles (FHWA, 1995, 2001).

There is concern about the potential effect on traffic safety associated with these trends. For example, Lyman et al. (2002) predicted a 155 percent increase in fatal crash involvements and a 178 percent increase in all police-reported crash involvements of drivers 65 and older during 1999-2030.

The role of aging in crash risk is complex. As people age, deterioration of visual, cognitive, perceptual, and physical functions may increase their likelihood to be involved in traffic crashes (Dewar, 2002; Goode et al., 1998; McDowd and Shaw, 2000; Owsley et al., 1998; Stutts et al., 1998; Sims et al., 2001). Age-related increases in fragility mean that when older drivers are involved in crashes, they are more likely to be seriously injured or killed from their injuries (Evans, 1991; Li et al., 2003; Meuleners et al., 2006; Zhou et al., 1996). In 2008, 63 percent of the deaths in the fatal crashes of drivers 70 and older were the older drivers themselves; another 12 percent were older passengers of the older drivers.

The increased driving among older people in the United States, coupled with their fragility, suggests that older driver crash involvements, including those involving fatality or serious injury, should have increased in recent years. However, Cheung et al. (2008) reported that passenger vehicle fatal crash involvements among people 70 and older declined during 1997-2006. Further, relative to drivers aged 35-54, the fatal crash rate per population and per licensed driver declined at a significantly faster pace for drivers 70 and older; the largest decline was experienced by drivers 80 and older. According to the authors, the reasons for the steep decline in older driver fatal crash rates were not clear.

Using a series of empirical models to estimate the probability of an older driver’s decision to drive, annual average number of miles driven, and crash risk, Hu et al. (2000) projected that older driver fatal crash risk per miles traveled would decrease during 2000-25. The authors attributed this prediction to a projected increase in seat belt use and greater affluence among older drivers, allowing them to drive safer vehicles.

In seeking to understand the stronger decline in fatal crash rates among older drivers relative to middle-age drivers, one possibility is that older drivers are less likely to be involved in crashes. Another is that they are better able to survive crashes. The current study explores these possibilities by looking more closely at recent trends in crashes of all severities. Specifically, first the study by Cheung et al. (2008) was updated by examining national trends in fatal crash involvement rates per licensed driver for drivers 70 and older, relative to those for drivers age 35-54, for the period 1997-2008. Next, trends in involvement rates for crashes of all severities were examined for older and middle-age drivers using police-reported crash data from 13 states for the period 1997-2005. Finally, changes in the odds that a crash-involved older driver would sustain a fatal injury were examined relative to the odds for a middle-age driver. Analyses began with 1997 because crash deaths of older people in the United States peaked in 1997 after trending generally upward since 1975.

If you or a loved is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by an elderly driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.