Hit & Run Drivers

In my many years as a Tennessee automobile accident lawyer I can tell you that Hit & Run drivers are, in my consideration, the worst kind of human being. Most H&R drivers are under the influence of alcohol, others have already run afoul of the law and have lost their driving privileges, yet they continue to get behind the wheel and ignore the rules.

Many H&R drivers are trying to avoid detection because they don’t have insurance and they don’t want to face the responsibility for their actions. No matter which category they fall into they are the very worst type of person, someone who will leave an injured or dying pedestrian lying in the street.

Reference and article today on the website of WBIR TV in Knoxville, reporting on the H&R killing in Harriman Tennessee, of 33-year-old Alicia Gilreath. Police are looking for a gray Ford pick-up truck with right side damage. The scumbag who was driving this truck, hit a woman hard enough to tear parts of the right side of his/her pickup and then left her lying in the street to die alone.

Tennessee is joined by 46 other states in making H&R a felony as it should be. If you or a loved one is injured or killed by a Tennessee hit & run driver, recovering damages for your loss can be a tricky proposition and you will need an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney to help you protect your rights. At Phillip Miller & Associates we can help you.

Holiday Fatalities Down

Although ten people were killed in Tennessee highway accidents during the New Years holiday weekend there is a positive side to the statistic. According to the Tennessee Department of Safety in Nashville preliminary reports indicate that the ten people killed in Tennessee traffic crashes during the 2009-2010 New Year’s holiday weekend, is down from last years 12 fatalities. Preliminary reports also indicate two people were killed during the 2009 Christmas holiday weekend, compared to 9 fatalities during last year’s Christmas holiday.

Ten people were killed in eight fatal crashes during the 2009-2010 New Year’s holiday period. Two of the ten fatalities occurred in alcohol-related crashes in DeKalb and Sumner counties. Four of the eight people killed who were vehicle occupants were not wearing safety restraints and two of the fatalities were pedestrians. Troopers said two of the 10 fatalities involved alcohol and occurred in DeKalb and Sumner counties. Four passengers who were killed weren’t wearing seat belts, and two of the fatalities were pedestrians. According to the THP, one of the fatalities was a 16-month-old girl who wasn’t properly restrained and died in a triple fatality crash on Interstate 75 in McMinn County.

Over the two holiday weekends, the Tennessee Highway Patrol conducted more than 100 sobriety and driver license checkpoints across the state as Troopers arrested drivers for driving under the influence and speeding. Preliminary statistics indicate that 954 people died in Tennessee roadway accidents in 2009, a decline of 89 deaths compared to 1,043 fatalities in 2008.

One of the things that stood out to this Nashville automobile accident attorney is that if four of the eight fatalities had been wearing their seat belts as required by Tennessee law, the fatality rate might just be half of what it is. It’s real simple folks, it just takes a second or two to secure yourself and your passengers. Seat belts work if you work them.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash during the holiday season 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.

Hit & Run

On December the 14^th my Tennessee auto accident attorney blog identified the chief contender for the most thoughtless Tennessee driver of 2009. She was drinking, texting and driving with her several day old baby unrestrained when she hit a sign and crashed her car injuring the baby. I thought that this late in the year I wouldn’t find a driver that even came close to this person, but then I read an article in several Nashville media outlets describing the arrest of Angela Marie Shenkle and I think I will be forced to reconsider.

It seems Ms. Shenkle has been charged following an incident in which she stuck and killed a Madison pedestrian as he walked along Gallatin Pike in Nashville. Investigators quoted in the articles believe that she was under the influence of alcohol and drugs. When they located her they found two syringes and two bottles of liquor in her vehicle. To take this tragic story to another level of madness, investigators believe she was involved in a Hit & Run on another pedestrian earlier that same evening. Ms. Shenkle was charged with unlawful use and possession of drug paraphernalia, drug possession without a prescription and DUI. I would expect that homicide charges will follow after the investigation is completed. The identity of the Madison man was not released but I have added him to my prayers along with Ms. Shenkle.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I’ve seen dozens of Hit & Run cases, but never have I seen one that makes me think at first glance that a driver was going around town trying to hit pedestrians. Now, don’t get me wrong, I only know about this what I read in the articles but this gal is cold-blooded. Imagine, hitting a human being with your car and leaving them to die alone in the street. After Ms. Shenkle is finished with whatever punishment she gets for this crime, she should permanently forfeit her privileges to operate a motor vehicle in Tennessee.

Hit & Run drivers are, in my consideration, the worst kind of human being. Most H&R drivers are under the influence of alcohol, others have already run afoul of the law and have lost their driving privileges, yet they continue to get behind the wheel and ignore the rules. Many H&R drivers are trying to avoid detection because they don’t have insurance and they don’t want to face the responsibility for their actions. No matter which category they fall into they are the very worst type of person, someone who will leave an injured or dying pedestrian lying in the street.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed by a drunk Hit & Run driver recovering damages for your loss can be a tricky propostition and you will need an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney to help you protect your rights. At Phillip Miller & Associates we can help you.

Practice Pedestrian Safety

It’s every parents dream to have a teenager who gets it. One who works hard at two jobs to pay for her education and who is loved and respected by her family and friends. It’s every parent’s nightmare when they get the call that this wonderful child has been killed in a motor vehicle accident.

Reference an article on the website of NewsChannel5 describing the accident that left 18-year-old Maria Gonzalez dead on Gallatin Road, the victim of an Nashville automobile pedestrian accident. According to the article Metro Police identified 29-year-old Anthony Kim of Hermitage as the driver of the car. Mr. Kim told police that he was driving southbound along Gallatin Pike when the 18-year-old darted across the street from the west side of Gallatin Pike wearing dark clothes. Neither drugs nor alcohol were involved but no information has been released about Mr. Kim’s speed at the point of collision.

In 2008, 61 pedestrian fatalities occurred on state highways. While the incidence of traffic crashes involving pedestrians is a small percentage of overall traffic-related fatalities, there is still a great need to ensure the safety of all roadway users. In 2004, the State Department of Transportation recognized the need to make a better environment for increased pedestrian safety by instituting a “Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Policy.” This policy specifically addresses the need to improve transportation conditions for pedestrians by designing infrastructure that provides safe, accessible facilities for walking on all new and reconstructed state highways. As a result, many of Tennessee’s roadways are now safer and more accommodating to pedestrian travel, but apparently not this intersection.

The state strategy is to create driver education courses to teach students about the importance of sharing the highways in a safe manner and when and how they are required to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians. Other programs, including the “Safe Routes To School” initiative are now available to teach students how to safely walk and bicycle to school and also raise awareness for motorists about traveling safely during school time and through school zones.

Ms. Gonzalez’ family is calling on state and local authorities to establish a crosswalk at this busy intersection so that no other parents need suffer the loss of a loved one.

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