Author: Anthony Proffitt

While traveling along State Route 109 near Gallatin on May 21, two men suffered minor physical injuries after a crane fell onto the hood of their moving car. Operated by Mountain States Contractors, the crane was being used in a project to rebuild the Cumberland River Bridge. The two men are suing the company for nearly $2 million in compensation. The suit alleges that if the crane had fallen a second later, the two men could have been killed in the car accident.

Mountain States Contractors has a past history of safety violations. In less than 10 years, a total of five workers have been killed while working for the company. Other safety violations have resulted in TOSHA investigations and penalties totaling $162,000. The exact cause of the crane accident is still being investigated.

The two men who were in the car have cited past and future pain, loss of enjoyment of life, and vehicle repair costs in their lawsuit. The men are claiming that the pain caused by the incident will continue in the future. The lawsuit also states that it hopes to hold the company accountable. The men are reportedly concerned that other accidents will happen at Mountain States Contractors sites in the future.

Regardless of whether a person was physically harmed, a traumatic event can cause mental anguish. It’s not unusual for victims to suffer from stress following trauma, including nightmares, anxiety and flashbacks. If car accident victims wish to file a lawsuit, an experienced lawyer may help them build a strong claim. By citing both physical pain and mental anguish, a lawyer may help a victim receive compensation for all damage done.

Source: The Tennessean, “Injured men sue after May crane collapse”, Dessislava Yankova, August 01, 2013

A Tennessee bakery owner was hit by a Honda Accord that crashed into the business on the afternoon of July 29, 2013. The car accident occurred just before 1 p.m. at a Mexican bakery located on the 3000 block of Summer Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. According to authorities, the bakery owner did not receive serious injuries. The crash left a large hole in the front of the bakery, which has been covered with plywood. According to a witness, the driver appeared to have hit the gas rather than the brake when driving in the parking lot. Memphis police officers cited the driver of the Accord. The owner of the bakery may now face significant repair bills for the damage done to the business property.

In this story, the owner of the business may not have the funds necessary to pay for medical bills for any injuries or repairing the bakery. Anyone who has been injured or had their property damaged due to the careless driving of another party may choose to seek compensation for damages. If awarded, a settlement could be used to pay for medical care and property repairs.

Since the Honda driver was cited by police in this incident, a lawyer may be able to demonstrate cause for awarding a settlement to the bakery owner. In clear-cut cases, a Tennessee lawyer may suggest negotiating a settlement with the insurance company or with the lawyers of the at-fault driver.

In more complicated cases that involve serious injuries or fatalities, especially when it is not clear who may have been responsible, a lawyer may suggest a jury trial. In that case, the lawyer may review all the available evidence and prepare an argument on behalf of the injured person and/or his or her family members.

Source: wmctv.com, “Car crashes into bakery, hits owner“, July 29, 2013

Tennessee residents might be interested that hear that researches found that people who live in urban areas are 20 percent less likely to die from a serious injury than people who live in rural areas. The lead researcher who teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and practices emergency room medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania stated that the results of the study surprised her.

She stated that although homicide rates tend to be higher in urban areas, motor vehicle accident rates tend to be higher in rural areas. According to research published in Annals of Emergency Room Medicine, the top three killers that people died of across the United States were shootings, drug-related poisonings and car accidents. Furthermore, the research showed that people are nearly twice as likely to die in a car accident in rural areas than they are in urban areas.

Regardless of whether someone dies as a result of a motor vehicle accident in the country or in the city, the family of the deceased person could decide to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the other person involved in the incident to attempt to seek compensation for the unexpected death of their loved one. Wrongful death lawsuits, if won, can help pay for the deceased person’s unpaid medical expenses and funeral expenses as well as the deceased person’s lost earning power. Such claims could allege that their loved one’s death would not have happened had it not been for the negligence of the other person involved in the accident.

Personal injury lawyers might be able to assist people wanting to file wrongful death suits on behalf of their deceased loves. They might be able to help people negotiate settlements for their claims without having to undergo long trials as well.

Source: Portland Press Herald, “City dwelling less risky than country living, statistics show“, July 25, 2013

An accident that involved two trucks claimed the life of a 71-year-old woman from Tennessee and injured three others, including the driver allegedly responsible, on July 13. Authorities said the woman died on the scene of the car accident. She was driving south on a parkway when another truck, driven by a 39-year-old, traveling north hit her head-on. The 39-year-old was driving across the center line when he hit the woman. The man’s truck ended up in the center lane while the woman’s truck ended up on the side of the parkway.

Authorities plan to file charges against the man because he was driving on a suspended driver’s license. Emergency personnel needed to extract the woman from her truck. They also pulled out the other driver and a 34-year-old passenger using mechanical means. A 59-year-old man, related to the younger passenger, was helped as he exited the vehicle without extraction.

All three men were transported by emergency personnel to a medical facility but were later moved to a different hospital. The driver’s condition was listed as critical. The older man’s condition remained uncertain while the younger man’s condition was listed as serious. At least two fire departments helped with processing the scene and rendering medical aid, along with local, county and state law enforcement agencies.

After a car accident, the responsible party could face a traffic ticket or criminal charges. However, victims of the accident may not know that they have the right to pursue civil charges in order to hold the responsible parties financially accountable. A personal injury attorney might be able to help injured parties file a lawsuit so that they can recover related damages.

Source: The Daily Times, “One dead, three injured in crash on East Lamar Alexander Parkway“, Wes Wade, July 13, 2013

Many parents in Tennessee suffer rate shock when they try to add a teenage child to their automobile insurance policy. The average policy price increase is 84 percent when an individual attempts to add a teenager to their insurance, which translates into an additional $2,000 a year. This drastic rate hike is due to the fact that teenagers are some of the riskiest drivers to insure because they are so liable to be involved in a car accident.

Teenagers obviously do not have the experience behind the wheel that comes from years of driving, and they can be easily distracted. Even if a teenager is a contentious driver, they may not have the skills necessary to avoid an accident. One of the reasons that insurance companies charge so much when teenagers are added to a policy is because, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number one cause of death in 2010 for those between the ages of 15 and 25 was automobile crashes.

Fatalities for young adults are so frequent that they account for almost as many deaths as the next two most common causes of death combined. The rate of automobile death for young people has been declining steadily for the last several decades due to stricter vehicle safety regulations and improved drivers’ ed courses, but teenagers are still often the most dangerous drivers on the road.

Car crashes can lead to major injuries, extensive damage to vehicles and sometimes even death. If someone has been harmed in a car accident caused by a careless driver, they may be owed compensation. A lawyer could explain a victim’s options for legal recourse.

Source: Market Watch, “Yet one more reason not to let your teenager get behind the wheel of the family car: It will cost you a trunkload.“, Jennifer Waters, July 11, 2013

Police officers found a hit-and-run victim at the intersection of Olive Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue at approximately 11:45 p.m. on Monday, July 8, 2013. Throughout the night, fatal accident investigators and forensic technicians investigated the car accident.

At approximately 9:40 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9, 2013, police found the suspect at his girlfriend’s apartment and took him into custody. The man’s 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood was discovered one block away from the apartment. The suspect, who has a long criminal history, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, failure to provide financial responsibility and vehicular homicide.

The accident victim was a 65-year-old man who had immigrated to the United States from Congo three years ago. He was the primary caregiver for his 15-year-old handicapped child and leaves behind four children between the ages of 9 and 20.

Families who have lost a loved one in a hit-and-run accident may struggle emotionally and financially, especially if the victim was a primary breadwinner. In addition to the lost income, they may be faced with staggering medical bills and funeral costs. Surviving family members may be entitled to financial compensation for their loss. In a situation where there has been excessive negligence, for example a hit-and-run, the family may also be entitled to punitive damages.

The first step a family may want to take is to contact a personal injury attorney. If the family wishes to seek punitive damages or simple compensation, an attorney may be able to help. An attorney may be able to negotiate with insurance companies and other responsible parties to obtain the maximum settlement amount.

Source: WATE.com, “East Knoxville man killed in hit-and-run accident“, josh Ault, July 08, 2013