Alcohol and Speed

As an experienced Nashville Tennessee automobile accident lawyer there are two words I hate to hear related to a Nashville  automobile accident, speed and alcohol. So you can imagine how I felt when I read that speed and alcohol are thought to be contributing factors in a three-car crash that left an 80-year-old woman with serious injuries to her lower extremities. First reported on the website Chattanoogan.com, investigators with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department said that Kevin Rose, 23, was driving in the north bound lane on Hixson Pike when he crossed the center line and struck a 2007 Saturn driven 80-year-old driver Shirley Hairston who then lost control of her vehicle and slammed into a vehicle driven by James Headrick. Ms. Hairston was trapped in the vehicle for some extended period of time before being traansported to a local hospital.

As an experienced Nashville car accident lawyer I want to remind you that driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in every state. If you follow my blog you will see that in Tennessee we continue to see a tragic number of people with debilitating injuries and deaths as a result of impaired driving. Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes.

In Tennessee in 2008, 327 people were killed in crashes where the driver or motorcyclist had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. That is down from 377 people killed in 2007 with a BAC of .08 or higher. Over the 2008 Labor Day holiday, 12 people were killed in 10 fatal crashes on Tennessee roadways, down from 17 people killed on Tennessee roadways in 2007. Although I’m sure she is a greet deal of pain, Ms. Hairston is one of the lucky drivers who walks away from an alcohol related automobile collision.

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 an 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.

Nashville Fatality

A Nashville wrecker driver traveling too fast for the weather conditions loses control and causes the death of an innocent woman. An article on the website of Fox 17, a Nashville TV station reports that a 59-year-old Antioch woman was killed when a wrecker truck owned by Bailey’s Wrecker Service was traveling west on Old Hickory Boulevard when it went out of control on wet pavement. According to the report, crash investigators said that the wrecker’s speed was too fast for the wet conditions and was a contributing factor in the collision and death.

Under guidelines known as the Tennessee Rules of the Road (ROR), a guide to safe driving published by the Tennessee Department of Safety, wet pavement can be as treacherous as snow and ice.  To drive under these conditions the ROR suggest that a driver:

• 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. Alot 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, (c) use the defroster/air conditioner to keep windows/mirrors clear.  Most Important:  Use headlights on low beam so the light will be on the road where needed.

• Avoid Fog if Possible. But if you must drive, never put your headlights on high beam because the light will be reflected into your eyes.

If you are the victim of a Nashville or Tennessee automobile accident we urge you to contact our Nashville car accident attorneys today for a free consultation. When you hire an 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.

Car Crashes-A Rural Epidemic

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highway fatalities are a major epidemic in this country; and most occur on rural roads involving rural residents. Only one-fifth of the Nation’s population lives in rural areas, yet two-fifths of the vehicle miles traveled and three-fifths of all fatal crashes occur there. In 2004, 59 percent (24,975) of the 42,636 people who died in motor vehicle crashes were traveling on rural roads. This includes drivers, occupants, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and pedalcyclists. The percentage rises to 65 percent when looking only at rural passenger vehicle fatalities: 20,302 occupants killed in passenger cars, pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) on rural roads. Of these, 54 percent (11,043) were unrestrained – not using a seat belt or child safety seat at the time of the crash.

A recent article on the website of Knoxville TV station WBIR, reported the death of a 48-year old Petros, Tennessee man killed when the dump truck he was driving left the road and crashed in Anderson County.  Reporting from Tennessee Highway Patrol reports the victim was traveling south on Red Oak Mountain Road, too fast for road conditions. When he began to slow down, the 1982 Mack DM8 dump truck went into a slide and left the road. It struck a tree and landed off the roadway on its side.

Speeding is one of the most common contributing factors of traffic crashes. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) show that the driver-level attribute “driving too fast for conditions or in excess of posted speed limit” is the critical contributing factor in more than 99% of all fatal crashes. In fatal crashes, about 55% of all speeding related crashes were due to exceeding the posted speed limit.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville car accident involving a speeding driver contact the experienced Nashville car accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.

Speeding And Alcohol Use

Two late night car crashes in Chattanooga leave one dead and another seriously injured. Chattanooga TV station WRCB reported that the accidents occurred within hours of each other, the cause of the first accident is unknown but Police sources believe that alcohol and failure to utilize a seatbelt were involved. The driver’s car left the roadway and flipped into a shallow ditch and the driver was thrown from the vehicle a sure sign that he was not wearing his seatbelt. He was transported to Erlanger Medical Center where he died from his injuries.

The other Chattanooga man Viengsamay Moungsiharath age-29, was found trapped in his overturned vehicle that, according the traffic investigators, had been traveling at a high rate of speed. Apparently the car crossed into the oncoming lanes struck several light poles before coming to a rest. Emergency responders pulled Moungsiharath from the wreckage and took him to Erlanger where he’s listed in critical condition with life threatening injuries.

Every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $51 billion. But there are effective measures that can help prevent injuries and deaths from alcohol-impaired driving.

How big is the problem?

*In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.

*In 2007, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. That’s less than one percent of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.

*Drugs other than alcohol (e.g., marijuana and cocaine) are involved in about 18% of motor vehicle driver deaths. These other drugs are generally used in combination with alcohol.

*Half of the 306 child passengers ages 14 and younger who died in alcohol-related crashes in 2006 were riding with drivers who had a BAC level of .08 or higher.

Speeding is one of the most common contributing factors of traffic crashes. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) show that the driver-level attribute “driving too fast for conditions or in excess of posted speed limit” is the critical contributing factor in more than 99% of all fatal crashes. In fatal crashes, about 55% of all speeding related crashes were due to exceeding the posted speed limit.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville car accident involving a speeding driver or one under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol contact the experienced Nashville car accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.