Watch Out For Trucks

In a strange turn of events, one man was seriously injured and another walked away unharmed when two dump trucks crashed head-on. According to local media outlets and the Tennessee Department of Transportation officials say the crash, in Polk County, Tennessee, happened when a dump truck traveling westbound, carrying about 20 tons of calcine lost control and flipped while driving around a curve. A dump truck traveling in the other direction collided head-on with the flipped truck. Neither driver was seriously injured.

As an experienced Tennessee truck accident attorney, my first thought is that the flipped truck was speeding. Speeding with twenty tons of anything in the truck is a dangerous game and one that a driver will probably lose.

Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. The economic cost of speed-related crashes is estimated to be in excess of 40.4 billion dollars per year. In 2010, speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes, and 13,040 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes. The total economic cost of crashes was estimated at $230.6 billion in 2010.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee accident involving a commercial truck, time is of the essence. Don’t hesitate to call on the experienced Nashville truck accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates. The commercial truck company will have their insurance investigators on site within hours of the accident and untoward things can happen to evidence and the facts can be slanted. Call 615-356-2000

Speed Kills Tennesseans

Blount County, Tennessee police accident investigators will have an interesting time figuring out just how a one-car fatal accident happened. Two people were killed and one is in serious condition after the vehicle in which they were riding left the road and crashed into a building. A neighbor said he heard a loud crash noise about 4:30 AM, but the accident wasn’t discovered until 8 AM when a passing State Trooper saw the vehicle sticking out of the side of the building.

Initial reports say that speed was definitely a factor and an autopsy will reveal if drugs or alcohol played a roll. Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. Local media reports said that none of the three were wearing a seat belt.

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. Tennessee law requires the use of seat belts. An overwhelming number of studies show that seat belts, when used correctly, save lives.

If you or a loved is seriously injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident by a speeding driver you ought to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies

Speed Takes 4 Tennessee Men

Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. The lesson of this incident for all Nashville drivers is obvious, respect the streets and the other drivers. Speeding is a dangerous game and can end in death for the speeder, the driver and passengers of the other vehicles and for innocent pedestrians. Fortunately no one else was involved in this accident

Local Chattanooga, Tennessee media sources reported that a one-car crash in Jasper has claimed the lives of four men early Sunday morning. The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that the 42-year-old driver of a 1995 Mustang was traveling at a high rate of speed when he left the roadway and over-corrected causing the Mustang to flip several times ejecting the driver and the two-backseat passengers. The passenger remaining in the vehicle was the only one wearing his seat belt. They all died at the scene.

The report went on to say that neither alcohol nor drugs were contributing factors. My prayers go out to the family and friends of these men. Speed kills and there is no doubt about it.

If you or a loved is seriously injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident by a speeding driver you ought to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

Speed Kills

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney, I see dozens of highway fatalities every year that involve speeding. Those speeding drivers who survive have all kinds of reasons to justify their behavior, and they usually involve something that is easily characterized as selfish motives.

It is incumbent upon each of us to travel at safe and reasonable speeds on highways, not only because it saves lives but it promotes the nation’s productivity. Most highways and motor vehicles are designed and built for safe operation at the speeds traveled by most motorists.

Speeding, exceeding posted limits or driving too fast for conditions, involves many factors including public attitudes, personal behavior, vehicle performance, roadway characteristics, enforcement strategies, and speed zoning (a safe and reasonable limit for a given road section or zone). Nevertheless, speeding on the nation’s roadways is a contributing factor in as many as one third of all fatal crashes.

Fatal crashes are only a small part of the total safety picture. In addition, many people are injured in speed-related crashes. The economic cost to society of these crashes was estimated to be $27 billion per year in 1994. Keep in mind people, you’re simply not that important and when your driving behavior endangers others, you need to look to the results of this behavior.

If you or a loved one is involved, and seriously injured in a Nashville automobile accident caused by a speeding driver, you owe it to your family to get in touch with the experienced Nashville auto accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates.

A man who had been listed as a missing person by the Johnson County Tennessee Sheriff’s Department was found Tuesday night to be the victim of a fatal crash on the Stoney Creek Highway near the border of Carter and Johnson counties.

The 23-year-old man and his truck were found at the bottom of a steep drop off  along the highway. Investigators say the evidence at the scene indicates the man was traveling at a high rate of speed , began to slide sideways, left the road before going off a steep cliff and striking a number of trees before overturning and coming to rest in a fast flowing creek.

Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. Speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes, and 13,040 lives were lost last year in speeding-related crashes.

If you or a loved is seriously injured or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident by a speeding driver you ought to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

According to Nashville police, there was no evidence of drug or alcohol involvement at the scene. So what could it have been, other than speed, that caused a 37-year-old Nashville woman slam into a parked car and slide off of the roadway and die this past Friday night around midnight?

How Did This Happen

Was she distracted while using a cell phone or texting? Did she have a medical emergency? Did she simply fall asleep while driving? It will difficult for investigators to figure out the cause. Her cell phone records might just prove that she was texting or talking at, or near, the time of the accident, and an autopsy might indicate that she had some sort of medical emergency, but falling asleep while driving is very difficult to prove.

No matter the reason, and although it’s not mentioned in the local media report of the crash, she most probably didn’t have her seat belt on.

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

Rainy Highway

A 22-year-old Union City man, and student from the University of Tennessee at Martin died in a single car accident just a few hours after the New Year on a rain slick Weakley County road. Police investigators told local news media that they didn’t think that alcohol was a factor. The young man was driving his Ford pickup truck when he went off the right side of the road, overcorrected and left the roadway and slammed into a tree.

In a case like this, as an experienced Tennessee auto accident attorney, one of three conditions are present that cause a rainy roadway departure crash. Either the driver was traveling too fast for the conditions, became distracted for a moment or the tires or other equipment on the vehicle were not up to best standards.

Wet pavement can be as treacherous as snow and ice. To drive under these conditions:

• Slow down. The pavement is particularly treacherous when it first begins to rain. Dirt and oil accumulations make a greasy film on the roadway, and it takes several minutes for it to wash away.

• Avoid hydroplaning. A lot of water standing on the road during a heavy rain causes tires to lose all contact with the road, even if driving under 50 m.p.h. If the vehicle starts to hydroplane, slow down by letting up on the gas. Never suddenly apply the brakes.

• Improve your vision: (a) keep windshield wipers in good condition, (b) wait a few minutes after the rain starts so the rain/wipers can remove dust and grime.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a negligent driver contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates.

Camera Technology Saves Lives

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyer I have often spoken publicly and in this Blog about my support of photo enforcement camera technology

The increasing use of photo enforcement has been fueled by escalating violations combined with growing public support, advances in technology, and mounting documentation of their safety benefits. Photo enforcement technology has been shown to be a promising tool that:

• Leads to safer driving habits

• Saves lives

• Reduces traffic crashes and dangerous driving

• Reduces health care costs

• Increases police officer safety and public safety

• Responds to public concerns

• Creates a violator-funded system that can be used to pay for increased public safety.

Automated traffic enforcement has turned the corner. Once viewed as an emerging technology that showed promise as a traffic safety tool, it has matured into a well-established strategy proven —again and again — to reduce crashes and save lives. Simply stated, it works.

Recent news from Bluff City, Tennessee reported that Nearly 1,700 people were the first motorists to be cited in Bluff City, Tenn., since new traffic cameras were installed. They are accused of speeding through a 1.3-mile stretch of U.S. 11E that is a 45 mph zone.

Several legal challenges have been launched against the use of this technology but in my opinion they are frivolous and are destined to go nowhere. Speeding and running red lights are the leading causes of fatal Tennessee auto accidents and the proper way to change the culture is through education and enforcement. Traffic camera technology is a promising step in the right direction.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a speeder or red light runner contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and protect your rights.

Fatal Roadway Departure Crash

A one-car crash in Hardin County, Tennessee ended with the death of the 39-year old driver and his 20-year-old passenger. According to local media and police reports the vehicle left the road when it failed to negotiate a turn. Under normal circumstances highways are designed to allow vehicles going the posted speed limit to safely negotiate turns.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney my thoughts go to two possible causes for this tragedy. Either the driver was speeding or he was somehow distracted and took his eyes off the road.

Accident investigators have methods of determining the speed of a vehicle that includes tire marks on the roadway and the shoulder, as well as distances the vehicle traveled. Determining distractions might be a bit harder to determine.

The lesson to be learned from this tragic event is that Tennessee drivers must obey speed limits and do whatever possible to avoid distractions. If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee auto accident caused by a negligent driver, contact the experienced Nashville auto accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and learn about your rights and remedies.

Two Teens Killed

It was a bad holiday weekend in Middle Tennessee for teenagers. Two Lawrence County teens, a 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, were killed and three persons were injured in a single car accident on the Fall River Road on Friday night. Three others were injured and transported to local hospitals.

The 22-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle in a curve and left the road, hit a mailbox and then a fence before coming to a stop. There is no indication from local media sources whether any of the people involved were, or were no wearing their seatbelts.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney the facts indicate to me that either driver distraction or speed, or both, were contributing factors in this tragic accident. The lesson here is that a driver, no matter what is going on in their vehicle, must keep his/her eyes on the road and observed all traffic rules.

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