Keep A Lookout Ahead

A three car accident in Union County Tennessee this week gives us a good example of a distracted driver. Picture this, you are driving along a 2-lane highway and there is a Tennessee Highway Patrol car stopped in the highway ahead of you. Any reasonable driver who was paying attention would naturally slow and stop until the car in front of the Trooper had completed his left turn.

Distracted drivers don’t come under the category of reasonable, not by a long shot. The 39-year-old driver wasn’t watching the road in front of him and slammed into the rear-end of the patrol car causing him to hit the vehicle that was stopped in front of him trying to turn.

Nobody in any of the three vehicle was seriously injured but the distracted driver has been charged with vehicular assault and failure to exercise due care. It seems to me, that distracted drivers cause most Tennessee car accidents.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.

I advise people that before putting the key in the ignition, stop for a moment and remind your self that you are getting behind the wheel of a potentially deadly weapon and that if you want to arrive at your destination alive or without killing others, use common sense and avoid distractions.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Tennessee car accident caused by a distracted driver, call one of our experienced Nashville car accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies. Call 615-356-2000.

What Was She Doing?

As an experienced Tennessee accident attorney, when investigating a rear-end collision the negligent driver often says that the accelerator got stuck and they couldn’t stop. Upon closer investigation it often appears that the driver was not watching the road ahead, and were distracted by something like a cell phone, talking to passenger or just simply daydreaming.

Several people were injured in four-car collision in Williamson County. Two of the cars caught fire after one hit a power pole. Local media and police reports said an SUV driven by a 44-year-old Franklin woman was traveling northbound on Wilson Pike (State Route 252) between Arrington and Clovercroft around 8:20 a.m. Friday when it rear-ended a Jeep Wrangler driven by 35-year-old man.

The SUV driver lost control and the Jeep crossed into oncoming traffic. It sideswiped a southbound Nissan Versa driven by a 15-year-old male. The Jeep then struck a minivan head-on. The Jeep and SUV both ran off the west side of the road and down the embankment. The Jeep rolled before coming to a rest. The SUV struck a power pole and burst into flames. Both vehicles suffered severe fire damage. The condition of the victims is unknown at this time.

Distraction from the primary task of driving could present a serious and potentially deadly situation. In 2008, 5,870 people lost their lives and an estimated 515,000 people were injured in police-reported crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported on the crash report. While these numbers are significant, they may not state the true size of the problem, since the identification of distraction and its role in the crash by law enforcement can be very difficult.

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.

Police Negligence

A recent automobile accident in East Ridge, Tennessee raises some interesting questions about the liability of local police for a accident which left a man in serious condition at a Chattanooga hospital. East Ridge police responded Tuesday evening to reports of a tractor-trailer wedged inside the tunnel on Ringgold Road.

Officers arrived on the scene and closed Ringgold Road at South Seminole Drive to assist in the removal of the truck. About 20 minutes after officers had closed the road, a gray Chevrolet Monte Carlo drove around officers and entered the tunnel.

One of the officers jumped into his patrol vehicle and attempted to catch up to the Monte Carlo to stop him from possibly hitting the truck or emergency workers inside. Apparently the officer set off at a high rate of speed and as he rounded a curve, the Monte Carlo was stopped and he slammed into the vehicle.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, I have several questions. If police didn’t want other vehicles to enter the tunnel, why didn’t they have officers there to prevent vehicles from passing through? If the officers were concerned that the vehicle would injure emergency workers in the tunnel, why did the officer tear off at such a high speed?

I am not representing the injured man, but if I was I would certainly be calling on the City of East Ridge to answer these questions. This accident, from start to finish, looks to me like it was caused by negligent police work.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car accident caused by a negligent police officer, or other governmental official, seeking recovery can be a bit tricky and you will need an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer to successfully pursue that claim. You can find lawyers like this at Phillip Miller & Associates. Call 615-356-2000.

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.

Share the Interstate

Construction zones can present a driver with a challenge. The zones are usually well marked in advance and require vehicles to start reducing speed in preparation for the upcoming area on the road where the construction equipment and workers are located.

This weekend I drove from Nashville to St. Louis for some business and was amazed at how many drivers ignore the signs warning drivers to slow down for a construction zone and instead of following the slow-down suggestions they use the opportunity to speed up and get ahead of the people in front of them. This dangerous behavior in turn brings out bad behavior in others who don’t want the cheaters to get ahead of them. Some of those people who are slowing down and forming one lane as directed begin to attempt to block and retaliate against the speeders by refusing to allow them to merge.

The other danger I noticed was the tailgating by some on those who reduce their speed as directed. When you reduce your speed from 70 mph to 55 mph you should, according to the Tennessee Rules Of The Road, keep one car length for every ten miles per hour you are traveling, not so in these Interstate construction zones. What happens is that the danger of a rear-end collision is magnified. Driver one is worried about the driver 2 right on his tail and is paying more attention to the tailgater then he is to the driver in front of him.

The Tennessee Department of Safety suggests the following:

* Slow down! Drive within the posted speed limits, which are usually reduced in work zones. If you don’t, you’ll pay the price.

* Don’t tailgate! Most work zone accidents are caused by rear-end collisions.

* Eliminate distractions! Put down the cell phone; leave the radio dial alone. This is not the time to look for a new CD!

* Keep your ears open! Do not wear earphones while driving.

* Merge early! You can be ticketed and the cause of an accident for being a last chance merger.

* Watch for flaggers! Follow their signals, and don’t change lanes within the work zone unless instructed to do so.

* Expect the unexpected! Work zones change constantly.

* Turn your lights on before you enter the zone! Turn on your vehicle’s headlights to become more visible to workers and other motorists.

* Stay calm! Remember the work zone crew members are working to improve your future ride.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee construction zone accident it’s important that you secure the services of an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney like those that you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates. Time is of the essence in these cases so contact us immediately at 615-356-2000

Get This Guy Off Of The Street

I’ve been a Tennessee automobile accident lawyer for several decades and I’m still amazed at the stupid things people do when they are behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

Before I get into the facts of the accident I need to point out that the driver of the offending vehicle has had his driver’s license suspended and is a habitual motor vehicle offender for his past transgressions.

So, here is this habitual motor vehicle offender, and in Tennessee we have far too many of them, fails to keep his pickup truck under control and slams into the rear-end of a stopped vehicle. This crash set into motion a six-car wreck. Fortunately no one was seriously injured.

To compound his problems this fellow then jumps put of his vehicle and flees the scene of this motor vehicle accident. Is this guy going to ever make a correct decision? He is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle yet he gets behind the wheel. He fails to maintain control of his motor vehicle and wrecks some cars and then flees the scene, all really stupid decisions.

Finally he decides to turn himself into the authorities, a good decision, so maybe all is not lost. It’s time for this guy to be taken off of the road for good and if that means jailing him, so be it, but get him off the road.

The problem that arises in Tennessee automobile accidents like this is this guy, and others like him will not have insurance, and in order to recover damages from him an innocent driver will have to rely on their own uninsured motorist policy to collect.

There are things that can be done and if you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident like this one contact the experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation.

Rear End Collision

A distracted driver was killed Friday when he slammed into the rear end of an SUV driven by a 65-year-old woman. According to local media reports the SUV was making a left turn from US 231 and the other car ran into it. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this man.

The family and friends of the man will be left with so many questions, questions that investigators may or may not be able to answer. What was the man doing that prevented him from seeing the turning vehicle and either stop or avoid it?

An autopsy will show whether he had suffered a medical emergency that made him unable to respond to the situation in time. A study of the skid marks will help some but it will be extremely difficult to pin down the distraction.

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.

If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Tennessee car accident, please contact Nashville injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney I can tell you that the four-car rear-end collision on the Opryland Exit of Briley Parkway could have been tragic, but luckily no one was seriously injured, according to Nashville Police and local media reports.

It appears that a driver exiting Briley Parkway was not paying attention or was somehow distracted and took his eyes off of the road for long enough that he failed to observe that the traffic had stopped in front of him.

Rear-end collisions came become serious and many times the full extent of a “whiplash” injury are not known for a period of time after the collision. Just because the injuries don’t manifest themselves immediately these injury, if not properly treated can become a life long problem.

What did we learn from this accident? First of all we learned that when you are driving a motor vehicle you must remain vigilant and avoid any distractions such as cell phones, eating, talking to passengers and children. Secondly, we learned that whiplash injuries may not always manifest themselves at the time of the accident but that they can be serious if not properly treated.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville automobile accident caused by a distracted driver you owe it to your family to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

He Failed To Keep A Lookout Ahead

It appears that there is another kind of accident that has become popular with drivers who are driving distracted and that is the rear-ender. Yesterday I wrote about a distracted driver who failed to notice that a tractor-trailer had stopped in front of him at a stop light. By the time he turned his attention to the road ahead of him, it was too late and he slammed into the trucks flatbed trailer.

In this fatal accident the deceased was distracted and failed to notice that the vehicle in front of him had slowed and was turning into a driveway. Thankfully the turning driver was not injured but the distracted driver wasn’t so lucky. It seems the deceased had had a liver transplant several years prior to this accident and the collision caused the scar to break apart and complicate the injuries sustained in the crash.

Distraction from the primary task of driving could present a serious and potentially deadly danger. In 2008, 5,870 people lost their lives and an estimated 515,000 people were injured in police-reported crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported on the crash report. While these numbers are signi!cant, they may not state the true size of the problem, since the identification of distraction and its role in the crash by law enforcement can be very difficult.

If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Tennessee car accident, please conta Nashville injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here.

One last thing: If you are hurt and have any questions at all, contact our office at (615) 356-2000. Don’t delay. Cases involving personal injury or death in Tennessee must be acted on quickly. Time is running. Call for an appointment, if it’s bad enough that you need to read this far into a website blog, it’s bad enough to get an attorney involved.

Follow At A Safe Distance

A Tennessee tractor-trailer operator was cited for following too closely and causing a two-truck collision in Virginia. According to state Troopers investigating the accident, a third tractor-trailer was slowing down to change lanes and traffic slowed to allow him to complete the change. The Tennessee driver rear-ended the other truck.

Drivers must know and understand the safe and proper braking procedures for vehicles. This includes the principles of allowing adequate following distances or “safety cushion” around your vehicle and the laws of required stops (signs, signals, railroad crossings, school buses, etc.). To share the road safely, stay a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. Nationally, safety agencies and driver education programs have tried to define a safe following distance for drivers to maintain. This has ranged from a two to four second following distance. Use the following tips to determine if you are following too closely:

A. As the car ahead of you passes a stationary point on the road (a sign post, driveway, utility pole, etc.), count the seconds it takes you to reach the same spot. (In the illustration below, you are driving the red vehicle.)

B. Count to yourself “one-thousand and one, one thousand and two,” etc. You should NOT reach the same point on the road before you finish counting to at least “one-thousand-two.” If you do, you are following too closely.

C. Slow down slightly to increase the space between you and the other vehicle. Find another spot to check your new following distance. Repeat this exercise

If you are involved in a Tennessee accident with a tractor-trailer contact an experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident lawyer like those you will find at Phillip Miller & Associates. If you or a loved one is injured in a car tractor-trailer accident act quickly and take advantage of a no-cost no-obligation consultation and learn about your rights and put our crack team of lawyers and investigators on the case.