Practice Interstate Highway Safety

A Brownsville, Tennessee man was killed when he was struck by a tractor-trailer truck while he was standing outside of his vehicle on Interstate 40 near mile marker 66, according to local media reports. The 45-year-old man had parked his vehicle in the right emergency lane with its flashers on and was standing outside, according to the reports.

The driver of an eastbound tractor-trailer was traveling in the right lane, saw the vehicle pulled over, and merged to the left lane in plenty of time. According to the fatality report filed by the THP, the man waved his hands as the tractor-trailer approached and jumped into his path, striking the right running board. From the media reports it appears that the tractor-trailer driver did everything by the book, but was unable to avoid the suicide by truck.

For these and other important Tennessee highway safety tips visit the website of Phillip Miller & Associates or call 615-356-2000

Double Tractor-Trailer Fatality

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating a one-vehicle accident that killed two New York men riding in a tractor-trailer just before 6 a.m. today on Interstate 40 in Decatur County. Officials said the truck was west bound on I-40 and six miles west of Sugar Tree when it ran into the median, hit a beam, went over a bridge barrier and caught fire.

As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney my best guess is that one of three things caused this accident. The driver had a medical emergency, fell asleep at the wheel of was somehow distracted and left the roadway.

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.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.

As our population ages we might expect to see more Tennessee automobile accidents caused by drivers who suffer medical emergencies while they are driving. Incidences of drivers who had crashes precipitated by their medical emergencies while driving are relatively rare and account for only 1.3 percent of all road fatalities.

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.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee tractor-trailer traffic accident contact the experienced Nashville tractor-trailer accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to determine your rights and remedies.

Congress is in the middle of working out a multi-year transportation funding bill, the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act. The Bill was reintroduced in the House of Representatives in February. The legislation, introduced in the House as H.R. 763, would increase maximum weights for single-trailer trucks by 8 1/2 tons, from 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds. The Bill would also remove restrictions of triple trailers.

This increase is opposed by a wide-range of groups, like AAA, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union and Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association oppose the bill as well, according to the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks. The bill is opposed on several grounds, the first is safety, the second is the damage the heavier trucks would cause to an already overworked infrastructure.

The pro argument is that trucks are good for the economy, and I agree, but, as with anything, a balance has to be struck between profit and safety on the highways. Presently, it takes a loaded truck 10 times longer to stop than a 2,000-pound car. I oppose the bill as it is presently written and it appears that only a very small segment, the freight companies, will benefit. The average highway traveler will lose and hundreds, if not thousands of people will die as the result of the passage of this bill.

If you or a loved one is injured of killed in a Tennessee tractor-trailer accident, time is of the essence. Contact the experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident lawyers at Phillip Miller & Associates at 615-356-2000, and take advantage of a free consultation.

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How Big Is Too Big?

Enforce Highway Speed Limits

You don’t have to be an experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney to understand what it’s like traveling along Tennessee’s Interstate system and dodging high-speed commercial trucks. In Tennessee most of our highways allow cars to travel 10 mph more than tractor-trailers, but if you have spent any time traveling on these roads you realize that most truck drivers think that the speed limit is simply a suggestion.

In a recent opinion column on the website www.chattanoogan.com city Judge Russell Bean suggested that most of the numerous fatal Tennessee highway crashes are caused by tractor-trailers ignoring the speed limit. He blames the Tennessee Highway Patrol for this problem because of their enforcement emphasis on brakes, weight and drug use and suggests that the real problem is the lack of enforcement of the speeding laws.

He suggests that the problem with speeding, drug use and  log book violations is based in the present system of paying drivers by the mile or the load rather then on the number of hours they drive. He adds, “When you pay a driver by the load, that means that the faster they go from point A to point B the more money they make because they can get on another load quicker or at least get home quicker. This makes a dangerous situation and I think does add to serious tractor-trailer accidents.” I agree.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee accident involving a tractor-trailer truck you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and find out about you rights and remedies. If you are involved in this kind of accident it is critical that you contact us immediately because time is off the essence.

Sleeping Drivers Kill

As the economy begins it’s recovery, one of the first signs will be the increasing numbers of tractor-trailers on the highways and byways of Tennessee.  As an experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident attorney , I have handled dozens of cases involving tractor-trailer wrecks on Interstate highways and when investigating these accidents, drowsiness or drivers falling asleep as a cause, are the hardest to prove, unless the driver survives.

However, there are a number of clues at a crash scene that tell investigators that the person fell asleep at the wheel. For example, drowsy driving accidents usually involve only one vehicle where the driver is alone and the injuries tend to be serious or fatal. Also, skid marks or evidence of other evasive maneuvers are usually absent from the drowsy driving crash scene.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving “is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.” But among all the major factors that cause or contribute to crashes, like speeding, alcohol use, and weather situations, drowsiness is the most difficult for police and other crash investigators to detect and quantify.

Sleepiness and driving is a dangerous combination. Most people are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving but don’t realize that drowsy driving can be just as fatal. Like alcohol, sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, impairs judgment and increases your risk of crashing.

Reference an article on the website of Knoxville TV station WVLT which reports on two men injured in an early morning tractor trailer accident in East Knox County. In this case the driver and his driving partner survived the crash and he told investigators that he had fallen asleep and as he veered off the road he awoke and over-corrected causing the trailer to overturn. Thankfully no one was killed or seriously injured.

If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile tractor-trailer collision you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee tractor-trailer accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.