On behalf of Bart Durham Injury Law posted in Car Accidents on Sunday, February 19, 2012
Paramedics are on the scene of a major pileup in Campbell County, Tennessee. A snowstorm blew through the area and apparently caught motorists off guard. Authorities say that at least eight semi-trucks, nine cars, and a Greyhound bus are involved in this serious accident. About 56 people were treated for personal injuries at the scene of the pileup and five people were rushed to local hospitals via ambulance.
Authorities say that the pileup began this afternoon at about 2 p.m. near Jellico. Traffic is being diverted at the moment and all northbound lanes of the highway are blocked. Heavy snow continues to fall so the Red Cross is using Jellico High School as an emergency shelter for stranded travelers in Campbell County. Cots, food and drinks are available to those who need them. The shelter is expected to be open throughout the night.
On behalf of Bart Durham Injury Law posted in Car Accidents on Saturday, February 18, 2012
Tennessee Transportation Commissioner John Schroer and Tennessee Safety Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons recently announced new rules that will help clear local highways quickly after car accidents. The rules follow a December traffic accident in which hundreds of motorists were stranded overnight after a potato truck crashed on I-40 in Wilson.
The new rules call for an assessment of a car accident situation every 30 minutes with an ultimate goal of clearing wrecks in under 90 minutes to reopen highways. There are of course times when clearing a wreck that quickly is not possible or not feasible. An example is the recent pileup near Nashville which involved dozen of cars.
On behalf of Bart Durham Injury Law posted in Car Accidents on Saturday, February 11, 2012
We have covered many serious teen car accidents in previous posts. There are many contributing factors to teen car accidents including driver in experience and driver distraction. Car accidents are the leading killer of teens in the Nashville area and a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety indicates that teen drivers are 50 percent more likely to be involved in a car accident during their first month of driving on their own as they are in their first year of driving alone.
The fact that new drivers are more likely to be involved in a car accident makes a recent survey into the habits of their parents very alarming. The State Farm Insurance survey indicates that at least half of parents are distracted by cellphones while teaching their teens how to drive.
On behalf of Bart Durham Injury Law posted in Car Accidents on Friday, February 10, 2012
Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper is fighting for his job back after his involvement in a high speed crash which killed a 20-year-old driver. The driver died when his car hit a tree and caught fire on Andersonville Pike last November. The young driver's parents recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Tennessee Highway Patrol in connection with that crash. The parents allege that the trooper left their son to die.
A wrongful death lawsuit is a type of legal action which the families of a deceased car accident victim file against the individuals responsible for the accident. Funds from wrongful death actions hold negligent individuals accountable for the damage that they caused and allow family members to pay for funeral expenses and medical bills, among other things. Wrongful death and personal injury actions are also commonly filed against the employer of individuals who kill others while on duty. In this case, the THP is being sued because of the alleged actions of one of its troopers.
On behalf of Bart Durham Injury Law posted in Car Accidents on Saturday, February 4, 2012
We have covered many car accidents in previous posts which involve drivers who swerve or overcorrect their vehicles. Swerving often creates a great likelihood that a car will leave the road and flip, which is why it should be avoided if all possible. Many people are likely to swerve in order to avoid hitting an animal, but some traffic safety experts say that it is usually safer to hit an animal on the road than swerving.
"These crashes happen so fast, often times drivers don't have the option of making a decision about what to do," a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said. He added that in most cases the safest option is to hit the animal instead of risking losing control of your vehicle.
On behalf of Bart Durham Injury Law posted in Car Accidents on Friday, February 3, 2012
Most Nashville car accidents are attributable to poor driving behavior such as speeding or distracted driving. Although most drivers know that it is dangerous to speed or to text while driving, fewer drivers know that their runny nose may be equally as hazardous.
A recent study indicates that driving while ill may be as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Sick drivers were shown to be as dangerous as drivers who had taken several shots of alcohol. Sick drivers had issues negotiating curves, braked suddenly, and also displayed diminished reaction time.
On behalf of Bart Durham Injury Law posted in Car Accidents on Monday, January 30, 2012
At least seven people were injured after a bizarre evening ended with a severe car accident. The crash happened at the intersection of Westchester and Devonshire Drive in North Nashville around 7:15 p.m. last night. Authorities say that a white Toyota Camry flew off of Devonshire and hit a SUV that was driving on Westchester. The Camry had caught the attention of authorities earlier in the evening because it had taken off during a traffic stop.
The car accident injured the two adults and four children in the SVU as well as the driver of the Camry. Everyone was rushed to Vanderbilt Medical Center and witnesses at the scene said that the Camry driver had to be excised from his vehicle with the Jaws of Life. That driver reportedly has life-threatening injuries. The condition of the SVU passengers is unknown.
On behalf of Bart Durham Injury Law posted in Truck Accidents on Saturday, January 28, 2012
Yesterday we discussed the serious bus and truck accident which happened on I-24 in Rutherford County. There are many instances in which truck and bus accidents result in serious personal injuries and fatalities, but in this case the bus driver was able to keep the bus from flipping into a nearby ditch.
Typically it is the striking vehicle which is liable for the damages arising out of a rear-end collision. It may be possible for the passengers of the bus to file a claim against the bus driver however. It is unclear whether the bus driver was driving negligently at the time of the crash or slowed down too abruptly to allow the truck to brake in time.
On behalf of Bart Durham Injury Law posted in Truck Accidents on Friday, January 27, 2012
Truck driver negligence is attributable to many serious accidents in the Nashville area. Trucks are much more dangerous than passenger vehicles because of their greater size and weight. The greater size of a truck also means that truck drivers should exercise more caution while driving at highway speeds because they cannot brake as quickly.
Tailgating may be to blame for one serious truck accident which occurred near Murfreesboro. The Nashville-bound bus was just 30 miles from its destination when it came upon some construction on Interstate 24.
On behalf of Bart Durham Injury Law posted in Car Accidents on Saturday, January 21, 2012
In our last post we discussed a car accident in which a 17-year-old driver lost control of his car in Brentwood. This was just one of many recent area car accidents attributable to inexperienced teen drivers. Car accidents are the leading killer of Nashville area teens and safety advocates say that lax laws may to be blame for the around 2,000 unnecessary car accident deaths attributed to teen drivers every year.
A recent study indicates that tougher restrictions on teen drivers may reduce the number of car accidents in Nashville and around the country. The new study was funded by the Allstate Foundation and indicates that tougher restrictions on teen driving licenses could save as much as $13 billion per year in insurance and personal injury costs.
