Archive for the ‘Injuries to children’ Category
Tennessee motorcyclist killed in high-speed car accident
October 11th, 2010 | 
Author: On October 8th, 2010, around 8:30 p.m., a Tennessee motorcyclist was killed as he crashed at a high rate of speed. The crash occurred in Madison, TN. Officials say that an Altima was turning left out of a parking lot when the accident happened. The motorcyclist reportedly was going about 100 mph, and tried to change lanes to avoid crashing into the Altima, but was unsuccessful. When the two crashed, the impact caused the car to make a 180-degree turn. The driver of the motorcycle was rushed downtown Nashville to Vanderbilt Medical Center, where medical officials pronounced him dead. The driver of the car reports that he didn’t see the motorcycle until after impact.
Our deepest sympathies to the family of this young man. This was an unfortunate, unneccessary death.
Statistics show that almost two thirds of all deaths related to motorcycle accidents in Tennessee and nationally are related to speeding. See here for more information. Unfortunately, speeding among younger riders is common. There was nothing done by this young man that isn’t repeated by younger motorcycle riders across Nashville and Tennessee every day. Most of the time, even though speeding on a motorcycle is both dangerous and illegal, the rider gets away with it and enjoys the thrill. What can we do to help? Rider education? We know riders in this age group (20-29) are most at risk for injury or death while riding a motorcycle. I would hope education could make a difference – but at this age it would have to be voluntary.
For more information about Tennessee Motorcycle Laws, click here. For information about what to do if you have been involved in a Tennessee Motorcycle accident, click here.
1-800-377-HURT (4878)
Two Nashville young adults killed in drunk driving accident
Around 1 am Wednesday, October 6, a young couple was killed in a car accident around the Rivergate Mall, in Madison, TN. The accident occurred on Gallatin Road at the Alta Loma intersection. A man driving a pickup truck hit the couple’s Sebring and he has been charged with driving under the influence. The passenger of the pick up truck had minor injuries. Officials found several beer cans in the cab of the truck. The two young people in the car were pronounced dead at the scene, the two had been dating a little over a week.
Our condolences go out to the families of these two young adults. This accident could have been avoided, had this careless driver not have been behind the wheel drunk (see here for more information on drunk driving collisions in Tennessee). It is not immediately apparent how the accident occurred, other than the truck crashed into the driver side of the car. Officials have ordered blood tests on everyone involved in the accident, and more charges may be filed after the results come in. The driver of the truck was not only driving under the influence, but was behind the wheel with a revoked license. One of the victims father saw the news reports that fit the description of his daughter’s car, and sent his son, her brother, to the scene, to find that his sister was one of the deceased.
The young woman was attending Vol State for Nursing, and had a bright future ahead of her. The two young people’s lives have been cut short due to the carelessness of one drunk driver. Our condolences go out to the families of these two young adults. This accident could have been avoided, had this careless driver not have been behind the wheel drunk, and without a valid license.
1-800-377-HURT (4878)
1-800-377-HURT (4878)
Nashville Man killed in car accident on Briley Parkway, not wearing seatbelt.
Around 4:00 p.m. on June 28th, a 25-year-old Nashville man was driving an Explorer and was moving from one lane to the other to pass through the slower moving traffic on Briley Parkway in Nashville, Tennessee. He soon lost control on the wet road, and slid and rolled over. The man was not wearing his seat belt and was ejected from his car, where he died at the scene.
Our sympathies go out to this young man’s family and friends. This was a pointless, unnecessary death and I am sure they are suffering from this loss. Is there anything that can be learned from this kind of accident? A couple of things maybe: First, wet roads present a much greater risk to drivers than they think (click here for more info). Dropping your speed, regardless of your vehicle, tires, or handling is the smart thing to do. Second, even if this crash was unavoidable, would this young Nashville man have died if he were wearing a seat belt?
According to the National Traffic Safety Administration, fifty-five percent of people killed in car accidents were not wearing seat belts (see here). The numbers for car wrecks in Nashville aren’t any different. The unasked question has to do with this young man’s age. His greatest risk of death at this age is from a car accident. Statistics prove it (see here). What are we doing about it? The smart thing would be to restrict vehicle use among young men under 30 – that alone would save tens of thousands of lives, and hundreds of deaths in Tennessee from car accidents.
1-800-377-HURT (4878)
Tennessee driver killed in speeding accident
A Tennessee man was killed in a single vehicle automobile accident while driving west on I-24 early on October 3rd. According to officials, his pickup truck rolled over on an interstate exit ramp in Davidson County after he had lost control. The truck flipped at least one time before it landed back upright. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger riding with him was hospitalized with minor injuries. The exit ramp was closed for about three hours, while the emergency crews cleaned the debris. Our sympathies go out to the driver’s family and friends.
This is a tragedy to them and should be to all of us. The unfortunate tendency is to always blame the driver for any car wreck in Tennessee. Was this Tennessee car accident unavoidable? Were the injuries from this accident avoidable? Investigators believe that the driver may have been traveling at a high rate of speed, and we have no information to the contrary. Maybe that was the cause. Speed is a factor in many fatalities from car accidents in Tennessee and across the U.S. (for more information about speed as a factor in fatalities, click here).
1-800-377-HURT (4878)
Nashville drunk driver kills young woman in a hit and run accident.
A driver of a pick up truck was driving on Bell Road in Nashville around 7:45 p.m. in early September, when he struck a pedestrian and fled the scene. The young lady he hit was heading home from Percy Priest Lake here in Nashville, when she was carelessly run over. Her sister was on the way to pick her up, and saw the accident unfold. The passenger of the pick up truck in this later returned to the scene, and told officers who the driver was, and told officers that he pled with the driver to go back after the truck hit this young woman.
It is alleged that the two people in the truck were drinking before the accident. After the accident was aired on News channels, the driver turned himself in. He was later released on bond. The young woman struck in this collision later died in a Nashville hospital.
This is another sad case of what drunk driving can do to yourself, and families. You not only can destroy your life, but another’s in seconds. The family of the 22-year-old young woman now wants to know why the man responsible was able to leave with no charges, still with his license. Drunk driving is the cause of thousands of fatalities each year, (for more information about fatalities linked to drunk driving, click here). The criminal justice system is only part of the solution to this problem, as you can see by what has happened here. For example, can we be sure that this driver isn’t driving today? Suing these kinds of drivers makes sense and sends a message that you can’t walk away by paying a fine, attending classes, and spending a few days in jail.
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Nashville Dog Owner Responsible for kids driven into path of car?
Two Nashville children were frightened by two dogs, and ran out into the road, where they were struck by a car. This Nashville car accident happened on West Trinity Lane. The police reports indicate that an 8 year old girl, and her 10 year old brother missed their bus and were walking to school. A Chihuahua and a beagle mix ran off of their owner’s porch toward the two children, scaring them into the street. When they got into the road, it was too late for a Pontiac Grand Prix to stop.
Ambulances were dispatched to the scene, and the children were taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, and admitted in critical condition. The driver of the car was not charged in connection with the crash. However, the owner of the two dogs was charged for letting the dogs run freely, and not having their rabies shots up to date.
So, how could this type of accident been avoided? Metro Davidson County has a “leash law” that prohibits owners from letting their dogs doing things exactly like this. Tennessee law also prohibits owners from letting their dogs run “at large”. We don’t know what happened to the dogs’ owner, but let’s hope it was measured in part by the harm he/she caused.
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Parents of Children in Tennessee Car Accident Experience Stress
Sometimes research states the obvious, but sometimes the obvious is ignored or denied. Children who suffer some trauma, including victims of Tennesssee or Nashville automobile accidents, may experience personal injury and post traumatic stress.
The “surprise” is that parents of a child in a Tennessee automobile accident may also experience post-traumatic stress. This is especially true if the child had a personal injury that required hospitalization. The pain experienced by a child, and the extent to which the child’s life was at risk, both made the parents’ stress worse.
If you or anyone you know has been killed or suffered a personal injury in Nashville car accident, please contact Nashville injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee car accident attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here. No matter what you do, before you settle your case with an insurance adjuster, read our materials on dealing with insurance adjusters first!
One last thing: If you are hurt and have any questions at all, contact our office at (615) 356-2000. Don’t delay. Cases involving personal injury or death in Tennessee must be acted on quickly. Time is running. Call for an appointment, if it’s bad enough that you need to read this far into a website blog, it’s bad enough to get an attorney involved. Contact us before you settle your case with an insurance adjuster!
Nashville Pedestrians Moving Targets?
It’s not just auto accidents (or motorcycle accidents or truck accidents) that cause personal injury to people using the roads in Tennessee. A recent study produced by Transportation America quantifies the epidemic of pedestrian fatalities and personal injuries that are occurring in Tennessee and across the U.S.
Over the last 15 years more than 76,000 people have been killed when doing nothing more than walking in the neighborhood where they live. While it is common for many pedestrian accidents to be blamed on the pedestrian/victim, it is more accurate to point out that most streets are not designed for pedestrians, people in wheelchairs, or people on bicycles – even though people who are “a foot” will clearly have to use streets just like automobiles and trucks.
An AARP poll of people over 50 years old found that half of the people felt they couldn’t safely cross the main road closest to where they live. (For information about the safety of roads in your own neighborhood, click here.) The compiled data for Nashville indicates that the rate of pedestrian death puts us #28 on the list of cities in the United States. Approximately 6 pedestrians will be killed every year in Nashville, just for walking. For more information about this study, click here.
If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Nashville pedestrian accident, please contact Nashville injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Nashville personal injury attorneys at Phillip Miller and Associates at (615) 356-2000, or contact our office online here.
One last thing: If you are hurt and have any questions at all, contact our office at (615) 356-2000. Don’t delay. Cases involving personal injury or death in Tennessee must be acted on quickly. Time is running. Call for an appointment, if it’s bad enough that you need to read this far into a website blog, it’s bad enough to get an attorney involved.
Why no seat belts in buses?
Seatbelts make a difference in reducing personal injury in auto accidents. Although seatbelts have been required safety equipment in passenger cars since the 70’s, there is no such requirement for buses. Does it make sense that school buses in Tennessee or anywhere else should be operated without this kind of basic safety equipment? There have been arguments over the years that the rigid, closely spaced seating in school buses provides adequate protection and makes seatbelts unnecessary. School bus accidents are very serious events. Rigid closely placed seats do not protect students from lateral “t-bone” collisions (where they are knocked out of their seats) or from rear-end or rollover collisions. Rollover collisions are especially dangerous to school children who have nothing to keep them in their seats once the bus begins to roll. Finally, the Federal Department of Transportation is considering a requirement of seatbelts in buses, see their plan here. The National Coalition for School Bus Safety has been adovcating for this for years. For more information from the National Coalition on School Bus Safety, click here. If seat belts reduce personal injury in auto accidents, don’t we want the same for our kids?
Displaced Comminuted Fractures
Auto accidents, especially when speed is involved, can cause serious orthopedic injuries and fractures. Comminuted fractures are serious injuries to a bone where the bone is crushed, splintered, or broken into three or more pieces. Comminuted fractures can be complicated to repair, and can be very painful. The site around the fracture will frequently be swollen and weight bearing will be painful or impossible. . Repair of a comminuted surgery may require a combination of pins, plates, and screws. When our clients have experienced a comminuted fracture, we contact their physician early and closely track their recovery and rehabilitation. We have represented dozens of people with these kinds of injuries and know that early action is critical in order to make a fair settlement.
