Why Did He Drive Off The Raod?

As an experienced Tennessee motorcycle accident attorney I have reviewed hundreds of accidents and I am becoming alarmed at the number motorcycles involved in roadway departure crashes this year. The local media article I read about a fatal motorcycle roadway departure crash in Cumberland County Tennessee didn’t give me much information but that’s not uncommon in single vehicle accidents.

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. 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 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. We will probably never know what caused this driver to take his attention from the task at hand, it only takes a second or two of a distraction and you’re off the road into the safety barrier.

If you want more information on Tennessee highway safety or you have been involved in an automobile accident, contact the Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights.

He Was Only 20-Years-Old

I hate to sound like a broken record but the Tennessee roadway departure crashes just keep on coming. Is anyone in our political leadership paying attention? It doesn’t appear that they are. A 20-year-old man was killed early this morning when the car he was driving caught on fire after the vehicle left a Tipton County road and hit a culvert.

The accident occurred about 4 AM when the driver lost control of his vehicle, left the roadway, went into a ditch, slammed into a driveway culvert, burst into flames and burned to death. A horrible way to die. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this young man. I hope they find the answers to the many questions they will have.

Many questions arise; why did he leave the roadway? Was he distracted, did he fall asleep, was he speeding, did he consume alcohol or drugs, was he talking or texting on his cell phone? Investigators may or may not be able to determine the cause, an autopsy will answer several of the questions and his cell phone records will answer others.

One question this investigation won’t answer, and question is, when are the political leadership of this state going to step up and do something about this deadly epidemic of roadway departure crashes? Is anyone listening out there?

If you or a loved is injured or killed in a Tennessee roadway departure crash you owe it to your self to contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

Another Death In A Raodway Departure Crash

The family of a 36-year-old Goodlettsville, Tennessee man will probably never know what caused him to lose control of his Mustang, leave the road and overturn in a ditch. He was not wearing his seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle and killed. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this unfortunate young man. From this horrible vent we should look for a positive lesson and that lesson is that wearing your seat belt just might save your life.

The cause of his death is not much of a mystery, during the crash he was ejected because he did not have his seat belt on.

Tennessee law requires the use of seat belts. An overwhelming number of studies show that seat belts, when used correctly, save lives. Seat belts help prevent injury five different ways, by:

1. Preventing ejection: Ejection greatly increases the chance of death or serious injury.  The chance of being killed in a crash by being ejected from a vehicle is one in eight.  Safety belts virtually eliminate ejection.  The belted driver stays inside the car and is better protected from injury.

2. Shifting crash forces to the strongest parts of the body’s structure.  To get the most benefit from a seat belt, be aware of the following points:

• The lap belt should be worn low over the pelvis with the bottom edge touching the tops of the thighs snugly.

• The shoulder belt should be worn over the shoulder and across the chest, not under the arm and over the abdomen.  Make certain that the shoulder belt is not worn so loosely that it slides off the shoulder.

• Pregnant women should wear the lap belt below the abdomen and the shoulder belt above the belly.

3. Spreading crash forces overa wide area of the body.  Safety belts reduce the possibility of injury from “hostile” surfaces inside the car (steering wheel, dashboard, windshield, controls, etc.).  Even if the belted driver collides with some of these surfaces, it happens with much less force and often results in less serious injury.

4. Keeping the body more closely in the “properdriving posture.” The belt keeps the driver “in the driver’s seat.”  The belted driver is better able to deal with emergencies and often avoids more serious trouble.

5. Protecting the head and spinal cord. The belted driver is less likely to be stunned or made unconscious by the crash and is better able to cope with the situation. Research has found that proper use of lap/shoulder belts reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent (for occupants of light trucks, 60 percent and 65 percent respectively)

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our car accident attorneys today for a free consultation. When you hire a Nashville auto accident attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting a qualified and dedicated lawyer. Details about our attorneys and staff can be found by viewing our website at www.seriousinjury.com where you can get to know the men and women who will be looking out for your best interest.

Too Young To Die

A pair of fatal Tennessee roadway departure crashes this week have left family and friends of the victims in shock. As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney we define an 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. 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.

In Sumner County, Tennessee two teen boys were killed when the vehicle in which they were riding failed to negotiate a curve in the road, crossed the centerline and crashed into an oncoming vehicle. A 25-year-old Union City man crossed the centerline and over corrected, sending his pickup rolling into a ditch. The man was not wearing his seatbelt and was partially ejected and was dead at the scene. My prayers go out to the family and friends of these young men.

The lessons to be learned from these accidents are simple, but often not learned. The first crash was obviously due to an inexperienced driver going well in excess of the speed limit. The second was caused by inattention to the task at hand. The driver was somehow distracted and failed to stay in his lane. Speed could well have been a cause in this accident also.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a serious Tennessee car accident due to somebody else’s negligence, then you may be feeling angry, frightened, or even alone in your suffering.

There is no reason for you to bear your burden alone.  The experience of a Tennessee auto accident is traumatic enough and your recovery will bring its own challenges.  You don’t need the added stress of worrying about who will pay for the medical care you need, how your car will be repaired, and if the individuals responsible for your suffering will be brought to justice.  This is the time to call Phillip Miller & Associates, the law firm of local Tennessee attorneys and staff who for the past 25 years have dedicated their lives to protecting the rights of injured men, women, and children in Tennessee.

Buckle Your Seat Belt And Arrive Alive

A few inches can make the difference between life and death. The Tennessee gravel truck driver’s right-side wheels were only inches off the right side of the roadway but inches were all that mattered when you are driving a loaded gravel truck. The few seconds it takes to secure your seatbelt can mean the difference between life and death. The Tennessee gravel truck driver didn’t have his seatbelt secured and when the truck rolled down an embankment and ejected him, crushing him, you have to know he wished he had those seconds and inches back for a do-over.

In life there are no do-overs. The cause of this man’s death is no mystery he was crushed by a fully loaded dump truck because he was ejected after leaving the roadway, because he didn’t have his seat belt on. The lesson here is patently obvious, take a second and put your seat belt on and live.

For more information about highway safety and some good Tennessee accident prevention tips go to my website at www.seriousinjury.com. If you need further information and or the advice of a group of experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers call Phillip Miller & Associates for the answers.

Tennessee Roadway Departure Crash

A Memphis family and their friends buried a young woman yesterday, she was only 20-years-old and had her whole life in front of her. Media reports say she was driving west on I-40 when she left the roadway, crossed the median and hit an oncoming tractor-trailer. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver was uninjured.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer I’m regularly investigating the causes of accidents and I always start with the question how. How does a young woman in the prime of her life, presumably with five years of driving experience simply drive off of the roadway? The usual answer to this question is that she was somehow distracted and took her eyes off of the road. Once you are off of the road at interstate speeds it’s virtually impossible to regain control of your vehicle.

In my experience as a Nashville auto accident lawyer, the answer to this question is that the driver became distracted by someone or some thing. 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.

As part of the accident investigation officers will review this young woman’s cell phone records to determine whether she was using her cell phone or was texting. No matter what the answer, the parents of this young woman won’t take any comfort, they have lost their child, but for those of us who take to the road everyday her death is a wake-up call to remind us to avoid distractions and put down the cell phones while behind the wheel.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Nashville auto accident caused by the negligence of another you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee personal injury lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Man Meets Firey Death

I don’t have enough facts to report what it was that caused a Dunlap Tennessee man to veer off of the road hit a group of large trees and catch on fire trapping his passenger inside the vehicle, resulting in his death. It is beyond question that something distracted him from the task at hand. Whatever it was during the seconds before he left the road, this man, who escaped from the burning vehicle unharmed,  will have plenty of time to think about it.

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. 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.

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.

If you or a loved one are involved in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a distracted driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

http://www.newschannel9.com/news/car-993256-county-trapped.html

Double Tennessee Motorcyle Fatality

If alcohol wasn’t a factor in a fatal Tennessee roadway departure crash that took the lives of two motorcyclists just what was it that caused a driver to take his eyes and his attention away from the task at hind, cross over the centerline of the highway and crash head-on into two motorcyclists? That’s exactly what happened in Cass County on Thursday.

Whenever you see an accident, usually involving one car that leaves the road, an experienced Tennessee motorcycle accident lawyer starts thinking about driver distractions. Just what was the driver doing moments before the crash that caused his/her vehicle to go off the highway? What caused the driver to change focus from driving to other things?

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. 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.

The lesson here for Nashville drivers is that you must keep all of your attention on the acting of driving and avoid distractions.

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

RV Tractor-Trailer Collision

It’s getting to be like a broken record. What was the driver of an RV doing when he was supposed to be driving? A tractor-trailer had come to a stop on the right shoulder as directed by  a Tennessee State Trooper who was conducting a routine log book check.  The Trooper had his emergency blue-lights flashing. Instead of staying in his lane and passing the stopped commercial vehicle he left his lane and ran into the side of the parked trailer. The RV missed the Troopers car by inches.

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. The driver was a 78-year-old man and investigators will probably inquire into his physical health with special emphasis on his medication.

If you or a loved one are involved in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a distracted driver contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

What causes a driver to be so distracted that he crosses the center line of a busy highway and smacks another vehicle head-on? This question is becoming the norm in Tennessee automobile accidents these days. Reference a collision reported on the website of WBIR TV in Chattanooga in which this exact same thing happened. There’s not much else to say other than the distracted driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Whenever you see an accident, usually involving one car that leaves the road, an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer starts thinking about driver distractions. Just what was the driver doing moments before the crash that caused his/her vehicle to go off the highway? What caused the driver to change focus from driving to other things?

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney the main question is what were each of these drivers doing in the two seconds before their vehicle left the road? 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 I 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. 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.

I f you or a loved one is killed or seriously injured in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a distracted driver contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates for a free consultation.