Author: Anthony Proffitt

Police officials in Kingsport, Tennessee, say that a 12-year-old boy has died from injuries suffered in a four-vehicle collision on Aug. 27. The boy was the only fatality from the car accident which investigators say happened at about 1:45 p.m. by the Kingsport Pavilion.

According to reports, a 2007 Kia Sedona driven by the boy’s mother, age 46, was heading west by the shopping center when it entered the left turning lane. At that time, the vehicle was hit from behind by a 1995 Chevy Suburban driven by a 62-year-old Bristol woman. The Kia then struck two other vehicles before becoming stuck on a large embankment.

Officers say that the driver of the Suburban made no attempt to slow or stop prior to striking the Kia, which also contained the victim’s younger brother. Both the driver and the second child were transported to the hospital with serious injuries but were later listed in stable condition. The young boy died of his injuries on Aug. 30. The driver of the Suburban has not yet been charged, and she received non-life-threatening injuries as well.

When a family member dies in a traffic accident, remaining family members must often take on the burden of paying medical bills as well as dealing with funeral arrangements and insurance company questions and premiums. In addition to emotional distress, financial problems can have a tremendous effect on those who remain. In some such cases, the family members of a victim may have cause to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver deemed to be at fault. An attorney might be able to give reliable legal advice on the viability of such a case.

Source: TimesNews, “12-year-old injured in East Stone Drive wreck succumbs to his injuries “, August 31, 2014

On August 19, a 33-year-old woman pleaded not guilty to multiple felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from a Rutherford County car accident that killed a teenage boy. She is facing charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, vehicular homicide by recklessness, leaving the scene of an accident causing death, reckless assault and vehicular homicide by intoxication. The latter charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

The accident occurred on April 10, when the 33-year-old woman crossed two lanes on westbound Interstate 24 and struck the teenager, who was changing a tire on a vehicle belonging to his mother on the shoulder of the interstate, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Emergency personnel transported the teenager to StoneCrest Medical Center, where he ultimately died of injuries suffered in the crash, authorities reported.

A THP trooper said that the 33-year-old woman evinced signs of intoxication and performed poorly on three field sobriety tests in the aftermath of the event. According to the trooper, the woman said she had taken a prescription medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and a prescription pain killer. A blood test administered on the woman later revealed the presence of marijuana metabolites, amphetamines and alprazolam in her system, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

While criminal cases have no official bearing on civil cases, even when they derive from the same incident and share the same defendant, a wrongful death attorney representing the family of an accident victim may proffer evidence and information adopted from the police investigation if it bolsters the family’s case against the at-fault party. For, certain family members of people who die in a car accident caused by another party’s actionable behavior, such as negligence, may pursue a wrongful death lawsuit in order to recover pecuniary damages related to the sudden death of their loved one.

Source: The Tennessean, “Woman accused in fatal I-24 accident pleads not guilty“, Michelle Willard, August 19, 2014

Source: The Tennessean, “Woman accused in fatal I-24 accident pleads not guilty“, Michelle Willard, August 19, 2014

An August 8 accident resulted in the deaths of three people in Anderson County, reportedly. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the crash occurred on Wolf Valley Road at approximately 11:30 p.m.

Authorities stated that a 45-year-old woman was driving a vehicle with two passengers when she attempted to navigate a curve in the roadway to no avail. Consequently, the vehicle left the roadway and flipped over, ejecting all of its occupants, authorities reported.

The two passengers, ages 44 and 25, both died as a result of the incident. The 45-year-old driver was killed as well, officials stated. Purportedly, all three of the vehicle’s occupants were drinking at the time the incident.

As this case illustrates, traffic accidents can have deadly ramifications, even when there is only one vehicle involved. If speed and impairment were in fact contributing factors in this fatal car accident, as law enforcement officials allege, then the event might give rise to civil action. That is because the families of people who die in an auto accident may be eligible to file a wrongful death claim against the party whose negligence contributed to the accident. In the event that the at-fault party died in the accident, the wrongful death claims may be brought against the at-fault party’s estate.

By filing this type of claim, certain bereaved family members may seek compensation for the pecuniary damages that they suffered in relation to the sudden loss of their loved one. For example, they may seek to recover funeral expenses and the costs associated with the decedent’s estate administration. In addition, they may seek lost earnings if their deceased loved one had contributed income to dependents while alive.

Source: WATE, “3 killed in rollover accident in Anderson county“, August 10, 2014

Source: WATE, “3 killed in rollover accident in Anderson county“, August 10, 2014

On Aug. 13, a highway crash caused by a wrong-way driver resulted in three people being sent to the hospital. The car accident also led to several criminal charges being handed to the wrong-way driver. The Tennessee Highway Patrol reportedly charged the 61-year-old woman who was accused of causing the accident with second-offense driving under the influence, reckless endangerment and two counts of reckless aggravated assault.

The car accident happened along Interstate 26 in Kingsport and involved two vehicles. Sometime during the night, a 65-year-old man and his 60-year-old passenger were traveling westbound in a Lexus. When the man noticed the accused wrong-way driver coming towards him in a Chrysler PT Cruiser, he attempted to move into the next lane. The wrong-way driver moved over at the same time, and the vehicles collided near exit 4.

The two occupants of the Lexus and the driver of the PT Cruiser were all transported to Holston Valley Medical Center. Police have reported that all three of their injuries were minor. The Kingsport Fire Department, the Kingsport Life Saving Crew and the Kingsport Police Department all responded to the crash scene. An investigation into the accident continued after the preliminary report from THP.

Many people who are injured in an accident by a wrong-way or drunk driver choose to seek compensation for their injuries. During the process of pursuing a claim, a plaintiff will likely have to face representatives from the at-fault driver’s insurance provider in court. An accident injury attorney might be able to help a victim to pursue the true value of their claim rather than the fractional settlement that many insurance providers will push for.

Source: WJHL, “3 injured in wrong way I-26 crash in Kingsport; names released by THP“, Ted Overbay, August 15, 2014