Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle death’

In April of 2010, a young man, his first year out of high school, was killed in a car accident on HWY 41. His accident occured in Davidson county, however, Robertson county rescue was closer to the scene. He waited for the Davidson county rescue, and ultimately, lost his life.

His mother is furious. She, and so many others, want to know why Robertson county officals weren’t informed, or allowed to go in after this accident. Less than 5 months later, another accident happened just 10-20 feet away from where the first accident occured. This time man the victim was a motorcyclist. The same problem arose as he waited for the Davidson County rescue, he also lost his life. His passenger was critically injured.

The problem here isn’t always the roads. The thing we should be looking at, is why people are dying on the streets, when rescue is less than two miles away, but can’t respond due to county jurisdictions. It’s terribly said what has happened to these two men, and we are very sympathetic toward thier families.

There should be work on this system.. Work that allows neighboring counties to respond to potentially deadly accidents. Please click here, to learn more about Tennessee auto accidents..

1-800-377-HURT (4878)

www.seriousinjury.com

On October 8^th, 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)

www.seriousinjury.com

Fatal Motorcycle accidents in Tennessee may be on the rise, especially for those 65 and older.

No one wants to get older, and continuing to do the things that have always given you pleasure is one way we have to feel young, even if the mirror tells us something different.

When riding a motorcycle has been a big part of your life, quitting isn’t easy. It’s too much fun.

A recent study at the Johns Hopkins School of Health in Baltimore has some chilling statistics for motorcycle riders who are in their 60’s and intend to continue to ride.  While accidental death for those 65 and older increased 3% between 2000 and 2006, deaths among this age group from motorcycle crashes increased 145%. Are Tennessee motorcycle accident deaths comparable?

Part of this dramatic increase in fatal motorcycle accidents in those 65 and older may be due to demographics. Motorcycles have always been popular among the baby boomers (some of whom are now turning 65). Still this is a HUGE increase in the fatality rate.

I don’t know of any data directly on point for Motorcycle crashes in Tennessee, but at age 65 or older  - maybe it’s time to ride a little less and minimize your risks whenever you do ride.

If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Tennessee motorcycle 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.

Tennessee motorcycle accidents often result in serious injuries. When a tractor trailer is involved, the motorcycle and rider rarely have a chance.

I recently reviewed a case involving the death of a Tennessee motorcycle rider who seemed to be doing everything right. He was wearing a full face helmet. He was traveling at the speed limit. He had a green light for the intersection ahead. It was daylight and there were no obstructions to view. What happened? A local Nashville tractor trailer driver turned left in front of the oncoming motorcycle.

There was a green arrow for left turns, but the truck driver didn’t want to wait. Or maybe he didn’t see the motorcycle. The driver had thick glasses, and hadn’t driven a tractor-trailer in more than 30 years.

It takes a tractor trailer as much as 20 seconds to make a left turn – and during that 20 seconds someone on a motorcycle, or in a car, can travel hundreds of feet. We have lots of information about Nashville and Tennessee truck accidents as well as Nashville car accidents.

If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed in a Nashville motorcycle 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.

Tennessee motorcycle wreck

Motorcycle accidents in Tennessee and elsewhere often require hiring a Tennessee motorcycle attorney because there are often serious injuries to the rider, but if there is a fire –  It’s going to be ugly, disabling, mutilating, and perhaps fatal. Obviously the source of fire is from gas, and the most exposed gas tanks in any car accident /motorcycle accident will be the gas tank on the motorcycle.

It makes sense that gas tank that is not secured will potentially rupture during impact, and that a manufacturer would think about that, design for it, and do their best to protect riders. Unfortunately, Harley-Davidson has just announced a recall of over 100,000 bikes manufactured from June 2008 thru November 2009 (click here).

How was the problem discovered? Not by Harley.  It was the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that uncovered the data that brought about this voluntary recall.  The question we should all be asking is “Why didn’t Harley discover this?” and just as important “If they missed something this simple, what else have they missed?”

If you or anyone you know has been killed or suffered in a motorcycle accident in Tennessee, please contact Nashville personal injury attorney Phillip Miller and the Tennessee 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.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has published a study that concludes that anti-lock brakes on motorcycles will reduce fatalities 28%. Although some riders claim they can beat the stopping power of an ABS system, that’s certainly not true for all riders. Motorcycle accidents in Nashville and Tennessee aren’t any different than those in other places. With the number of untrained riders out there, anything that can reduce fatalities this drastically needs to be considered. We have represented motorcyclists in Nashville and Tennessee for more than 20 years, and I am guessing that any of them or their families would consider ABS a safety feature that they cannot be without on their next bike. To review this study on the use of ABS braking systems to reduce fatalities from motorcycle crashes, click here.

It was just after midnight on Friday July 3, 2009. 30 year old Nicole Gill was riding her 2007 Suzuki motorcycle. She was on Trinity lane approaching the intersection with Brick Church. A driver she passed on Trinity Lane said she was traveling at a high rate of speed. The light was red for Trinity lane at the intersection, and she struck a black grand prix making a left at the intersection.

Ms. Gill was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center, but died of her injuries. Our condolences to her family and friends.

We often see people riding Suzukis and other street motorcycles around Nashville, and for fun the riders will often show off their quick acceleration and maneuverability. These maneuvers may be fun, but they are never safe on city streets. Every rider should go through motorcycle safety training like that offered by the State.  As attorneys who represent motorcycle riders in Nashville and throughout Tennessee, we know that most wrecks and fatalities are the result of automobile drivers who just don’t see the motorcycle. When witnesses report a motorcycle speeding through a redlight, it doesn’t make much difference whether or not the driver of the car saw the motorcycle or not.