In a bizarre Tennessee automobile fatality a 22-year-old Knoxville woman was found dead in a ditch alongside her wrecked Mitsubishi Eclipse. Police believe that she was involved in a high speed chase with Tennessee State Troopers just after midnight. Troopers said that after speeds during the chase reached 100 MPH they broke off the pursuit.

According to investigators, an initial reconstruction shows that she was driving south when she lost control of her vehicle, crossed both North bound lanes hit a billboard and flipped over. The driver was most probably not wearing her seat belt and that led to her being ejected and killed.

As an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney it’s difficult to decide where to start when discussing an accident of this sort. Should we talk about the driver’s responsibility to respond appropriately to a law enforcement officer’s attempt to pull them over? How about the danger that a high speed chase creates for innocent drivers and pedestrians? Maybe we could talk about the benefits of wearing seat belts that just might have saved her young life?

The investigation is on-going and more answers will come in time. An autopsy will reveal whether or not this young lady was under the influence of alcohol or drugs which might have been the precipitating factor in her initial decision to get into the high speed chase.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident caused by a fleeing driver you owe it to your self to contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates

Evading Police Fatality

and find out about your rights and remedies.

Drag Racing Is Aggressive Driving

As an experienced Tennessee car accident lawyer, I regularly witness the role of aggressive drivers in many Tennessee car accidents. Statistics suggest that as many as one third of traffic crashes resulting in death can be attributed to aggressive driving and two-thirds of resulting deaths can be attributed to aggressive driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)  defines aggressive driving as “the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner which endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property.” Some of the most common actions considered aggressive include:

* Speeding

* Red light running

* Failure to yield

* Following too closely

* Unsafe lane changes

* Failure to obey traffic control devices

* Failure to use proper signals

* Improper passing

During the last several weeks I have noticed three Tennessee accidents, one fatal, involving another type of aggressive driving and that is the drag racer. When a Tennessee driver uses the highways and byways of our state as a race track, without regard for the lives and safety of innocent fellow drivers they are committing a crime.

Many states around the nation have specific statutes prohibiting aggressive driving, specifically drag racing. In Tennessee aggressive driving is addressed in the statutes as Reckless Driving. TN Code section 55-10-205)55-10-205, describes reckless driving as; “Any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property commits reckless driving.” Sound like the shoe fits the drag racer? You bet it does.

I would encourage each driver who ventures out onto the highways and byways of Tennessee to arm themselves with the telephone number of the appropriate law enforcement agency, either 911 or *847 for State Troopers and when you witness an aggressive driver, or a drag racer, pull over to a safe place and call in the license number, description of the vehicle and any other specifics that you observed. Save a life and tell all of your friends and families to step up and help reduce traffic fatalities in Tennessee.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident by an aggressive driver or drag racer, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and get a complete picture of your rights and remedies.

Dead Because The other Driver Was Chatting

On February 11, I published a blog entitled “Tennessee Automobile Accident Lawyer Comments On a Centerline Crossing Tennessee Highway Fatality”, in which I asked the question, “What causes a driver to leave their lane, cross over the centerline and crash head-on into an oncoming vehicle killing the occupant?”

Now we have the answer. Police investigators determined that the distracted driver Carol Anne Starnes was using her cell phone at the time of the crash and was not paying attention. 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.

Drivers who use a cell phone, either handheld or hands-free, are four times more likely to be involved in a crash, according to a 1997 New England Journal of Medicine examination of hospital records, and a 2005 study funded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety linking injury crashes to cell phone records. About 30 research studies conclude that there is an increased crash risk when using a cell phone while driving. Many of these studies further conclude that using a hands-free phone while driving is just as risky as talking on a handheld phone.

Not only will Ms. Starnes be held liable for civil damages for the wrongful death of Patricia Menzel she may well face criminally negligent homicide charges as well, and for what, so she could chat with her friends?

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.