He Sped, He Left Road, He Was Ejected and He Died

As an experienced Nashville auto accident lawyer when I read an article in a local media outlet about and accident and the article covers the whole story in four sentences, my mind goes into overdrive about the possible causes.

The facts related about the fatal one car accident in Knoxville, Tennessee are as follows: A car was speeding along a county road at 5am, the driver lost control, the car went airborne and hit a light pole and the sign pole of a Regions Bank. The driver was not wearing his seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle and killed.

Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. Not only is speeding the leading cause of traffic deaths, the economic cost of speeding-related crashes is estimated to be in excess of 40.4 billion dollars per year. In 2007, 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 2000.

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.

Elderly Driver Killed

An 81-year-old man was killed in Knoxville Tennessee when the car he was driving hydroplaned on a downtown street hit a tree in the median leading to the man being ejected from the vehicle. Police investigators say that the weather played a major role in the crash. As an experienced Nashville auto accident lawyer I only have the few facts that were contained in the article, but based on those facts, there appears to me to be two more important factors that lead to his death.

Hydroplaning is not something that occurs simply because there is heavy rain. The problem of hydroplaning becomes an issue when the driver is carrying to much speed for the wet conditions. I can tell you without hesitation that speed and no seatbelts never lead to a happy ending.

Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. Th economic cost of speeding-related crashes is estimated to be in excess of 40.4 billion dollars per year. In 2007, 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 2000.

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 by 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.

For more information on these and other topics check the web site of the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates.

He Was Alive, He Drank, He sped, He Died

It was a small article, the end of a young man’s life should take more words, more things should be said, but it was all neatly summed up in a seven-word headline on the web site of a local media outlet. “Drinking and Driving Leads to Teen Death”. The Tennessee Trooper who investigated the wreck said that the 18-year-old was drinking and driving too fast when he tried to exit I-24, lost control, left the road and crashed. His passenger was injured. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this young

Younger drivers, according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), have the highest crash risk of any age group. I also share some sobering statistics. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of teen fatalities, accounting for 38% of all teen deaths in the United States.

In 2008, about 3,500 teens in the United States aged 15–19 were killed and more than 350,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes. Young people ages 15-24 represent only 14% of the U.S. population. However, they account for 30% ($19 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among males and 28% ($7 billion) of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries among females.

Most Americans typically learn to drive during the teen years, when the brain is not fully mature yet. Recent research is beginning to give us insight why many teens have difficulty regulating risk-taking behavior:

* The area of the brain that weighs consequences, suppresses impulses and organizes thoughts does not fully mature until about age 25.

* Hormones are more active in teens, which influence the brain’s neuro-chemicals that regulate excitability and mood. The result can be thrill-seeking behavior and experiences that create intense feelings. Add alcohol to this mix and the odds of an accident rise exponentially.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a drunk driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.

Drunk, Speeding, Raging

The article in the local paper was short and did not name the deceased man. The facts are simple but confusing. A man under the influence of alcohol, following shortly on the heels of a heated domestic dispute with his soon to be ex-wife, is speeding along a 2-lane country road, not wearing his seatbelt and when he reaches an intersection of the country road and a US Highway, he runs the stop sign and is hit by a tractor-trailer.

His vehicle ends of badly damaged in the ditch and the drunk, presumably angry driver is ejected from the pickup and killed. In the words of Mark Twain, “Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.” The truth is that if you drive when you are in a drunken rage you are most likely going to be in no condition to be behind the wheel.

What is there to say? Is there a lesson to be learned from this story? What do you think?

When you hire an attorney from Phillip Miller & Associates, you’re getting the whole package.  You don’t just get an extremely qualified and dedicated lawyer, you also get a loyal Tennessee resident who cares about the quality of life in their community and who puts their time and money into standing up for causes and charities they believe in.  You can read about some of the causes we support on our home page, along with a summary of our professional qualifications.  Additional details about our attorneys and staff can be found by viewing our personal profiles, where you can get to know the men and women who will be looking out for your best interest.

Please contact Phillip Miller & Associates today and take your first step forward towards putting the frustration and horror of your Tennessee auto accident experience behind you.

Why Was The Church Van Speeding?

A recent accident in East Tennessee points clearly to the reason why you need an experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyer if you are involved in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident. Why was the driver of a church van full of people speeding and running a stop sign moments before he crashed leaving 14 people injured?

Why was the registration on the church van expired and who was responsible for keeping it up-to-date? Why was the van driver not wearing his seatbelt? So many questions exist about liability and compensation that if one of the injured parties seeks compensation for injuries they better contact one of the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates.

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.

Tennessee Roadway Departure Crash

It seems that everyday I check the state news I find at least one, and usually several roadway departure crashes leading to fatalities. I’m always amazed at the number of fatalities that could have been prevented had the driver and passengers been wearing their seat belts.

Reference an article this morning from the website of the Northwest Tennessee Today in which a 46-year-old woman from Dyer County lost control of her vehicle in a turn, left the roadway and went into and a long way along a roadside ditch before coming to a stop. She was not wearing her seatbelt according to the article and the investigating officer said he thought the outcome would be different had she taken a second to buckle up.

The initial question is, what caused her to lose control. Was she speeding? Was she distracted by something inside the car like a radio, cell phone, GPS or other electronic device? It’s hard to say but the lesson here for Tennessee drivers is that you must keep all of your attention on the act of driving and avoid distractions.

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.

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

Early Morning Higway Fatality

The facts of a man’s death according to the local media outlets are simple. A 32-year-old man is driving down a Tennessee interstate highway at 3AM and loses control of his pickup truck, it flips several times, and he dies. Not much information about the end of the life of a human being, but that’s the full story. So many questions remain for the family and friends of the deceased, questions that will never be answered.

Investigators at the scene opined that the cause of the crash was excessive speed, but as an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney, I am certain that there were other factors present that exacerbated the situation. Distractions can seriously impair a driver’s ability to navigate, especially at high speeds. It only takes a second to lose control. At 3AM drowsy driving could have been the culprit. Nodding off to sleep while traveling at high speeds is a certain way to bring your trip to a deadly ending. An autopsy will tell whether this man was under the influence. My prayers go out to the family and friends of this unfortunate man.

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.

Double Fatality

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident lawyer I have learned over the many years and many Tennessee automobile accident cases that most people have a higher opinion of their ability to driver than they actually possess. This faulty opinion leads them to believe that the Tennessee Rules of The Road and especially the speed limits do not apply to them.

Reference a single car crash in Knoxville that took the lives of two people in a roadway departure crash. The wreck occurred at  4 AM on Saturday morning. The crash investigators believe that speed was the cause of the accident.

The speed at which you drive determines how much time you have to act or react and how long it takes to stop. The higher the speed, the less time drivers have to spot hazards. Judge the speed of other traffic, and react to avoid the mistakes of other drivers.

The Basic Speed Rule (BSR) is not a Tennessee law, but it is a general safety principle. The BSR does not set an exact speed limit; instead, it teaches that the speed you may drive is limited by current conditions. For example, if the posted speed limit is 65 mph and you are driving at night on a two-lane state highway and it’s raining or foggy, 65 mph is too fast for those conditions.

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

Red Light Fatality

Initially there was a lot of anger at a local Tennessee driver who appeared to have run a red light and collided, with fatal consequences, with a car driven by a popular local police officer. The officer survived the crash and was recovering but later died from complications from his surgery.

After the final report of an investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol the Maury County Grand Jury declined to pursue charges against him. The investigation showed that the deceased was driving at least 30 miles over the speed limit.

Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. The economic cost of speeding-related crashes is estimated to be in excess of 40.4 billion dollars per year. In 2007, speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes, and 13,040 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes.

The speed at which you drive determines how much time you have to act or react and how long it takes to stop. The higher the speed, the less time drivers have to spot hazards. Judge the speed of other traffic, and react to avoid the mistakes of other drivers. Speed is a major contributing factor that causes fatal accidents in Tennessee. Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit on primary and secondary state and federal highways is 55 m.p.h.

If you or a loved one is injury or killed in a Tennessee motor vehicle accident caused by a speeding driver contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to learn about your rights and remedies.

Speed Kills

It’s hard to tell whether the new “Super Speeder” law passed this week by the Tennessee Senate is about safety or revenue enhancement. On the one hand Republican Senator Jack Johnson says the bill is needed because the Supreme Court has held that excessive speed alone is insufficient to charge motorists with reckless driving.

On the other hand, the good Senator is concerned that tickets issued by the State Troopers, and the revenue that comes with them, have declined by approximately 50% during the first decade of the 21^st Century. The bill would fine motorists who are caught going 25 mph or more over the posted speed limit, an additional $500.00.

Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crashes. The economic cost of speeding-related crashes is estimated to be in excess of 40.4 billion dollars per year. In 2007, 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 2000.

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.