Category: Car Accidents

A four-vehicle crash in Knoxville on Sept. 26 killed a 43-year-old man, according to authorities. The man was reportedly driving a Chevrolet Camaro west on Interstate 40 when he decelerated on account of traffic and was struck by a vehicle trailing him. Consequently, the Camaro rear-ended the vehicle in front of it, a Volvo, which in turn spun into the median and was struck by a fourth vehicle, according to police.

The 43-year-old man suffered fatal injuries as a result of the wreck, authorities reported. The three other drivers involved in the accident suffered nonfatal injuries. One of them, a 21-year-old man, received emergency transport to UT Medical Center for treatment of injuries that officials described as serious.

Typically, car accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities warrant long and exhaustive investigations. If, hypothetically, an investigation were to conclude that distracted driving was the main contributory factor in a chain-reaction crash like this one, then the people who suffered losses on account of the accident may bring a lawsuit against the at-fault driver, citing negligence.

For example, certain family members of deceased accident victims may seek to recover the pecuniary damages they suffered in relation to the fatal accident by retaining a lawyer and filing a wrongful death claim. If successful, these bereaved family members might be awarded financial compensation for end-of-life expenses, such as funeral bills, and lost earnings associated with the sudden and wrongful death of their loved one.

Injured victims may file a personal injury claim against the driver whose negligence caused the accident resulting in their injuries. In this way, victims may seek restitution for hospital bills, expenses associated with long-term medical care and rehabilitation as well as lost wages.

Source: WVLT, “One killed in four car crash near Cedar Bluff on I-40“, Eric Arnold and Christine Jessel Grider , September 29, 2014

As mobile devices have become more popular, people in Tennessee and across the nation are increasingly using them while operating motor vehicles. According to a guide from the Federal Communications Commission, however, texting and driving has a substantial and negative effect on the safety of individuals engaging in these activities as well as their passengers and others on or near the road.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2010, 18 percent of all fatal crashes were due to driver distraction, accounting for more than 3,000 deaths and over 400,000 injuries. Information from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute states that texting while driving puts someone at a 23-times-greater risk of getting into a crash than a non-distracted driver.

In an effort to reduce the numbers of deaths and injuries that are a result of using mobile devices while on the road, the FCC Distracted Driving Information Clearinghouse has been created. People are also urged to make teens and young drivers aware of the risks involved with texting behind the wheel, and parents are called upon to set a good example by not using a mobile device while on the road. Instead of taking a call or responding to a text, it is recommended that individuals pull over to avoid the increased risk of a collision.

If someone has been in an automobile accident, whatever the cause, he or she may end up facing a variety of expenses, including vehicle repairs, medical bills and car rental costs. An insurance company may want to settle the case quickly, and for the lowest amount possible, which could result in someone having to pay for some of these expenses out-of-pocket. A lawyer could help a car accident victim seek equitable compensation through a personal injury claim by presenting a strong case and advising the plaintiff on when to settle.

Source: Federal Communications Commission, “The Dangers of Texting While Driving“, September 21, 2014

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

A wrong-way driver and a passenger in the vehicle he collided with were killed on July 12 in a head-on collision on Interstate 24 in Coffee County, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. An investigation is underway to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the accident.

According to the THP, a 35-year-old man from Tullahoma was driving the wrong way in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 24 when he collided with another vehicle near mile marker 114. The wrong-way driver died at the scene after being ejected from his vehicle. A 63-year-old woman from Hixson, the passenger in the vehicle he collided with, also died at the accident scene. The male driver and a female passenger in that vehicle suffered injuries in the crash and were transported by air to a hospital for treatment.

Head-on automobile collisions are likely to leave those who survive with grievous injuries that can include disabling brain, neck and spinal cord trauma. Many survivors are temporarily or permanently unable to live independently or to provide for themselves financially following these accidents. Some might have concerns about their ability to remain economically stable going forward. Such concerns may be intensified while they are off work, attending to their injuries and experiencing lost or diminished income, or when they are rendered unable to return to work at all.

Injured automobile accident survivors are likely to have an increased cost of living due to the expense of medical and rehabilitative care required to maintain a reasonable standard of living. They may wish to pursue the resources needed to finance these expenses from those determined to be liable for their injuries. A personal injury claim brought in civil court could allow them a chance to recover their actual and future economic losses.

Source: WR, “Hixson woman killed in head-on crash on I-24“, July 14, 2014

A car accident that occurred in Coffee County on July 12 at 7 p.m. killed two people. According to investigators, a 35-year-old driver of a sedan was headed west in the eastbound lanes when it crashed head-on into a truck.

One of the truck’s passengers, a 63-year-old woman, was killed on impact. The 63-year-old male driver of the truck and a 22-year-old passenger were injured. Their conditions were not known at the time of the report. The driver of the sedan was thrown from his vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. After the initial wreck, a third vehicle collided with the sedan and was hit by debris from the accident.

As officials worked to clear the scene for eventual traffic, eastbound interstate lanes were closed for about four hours. At the time of the report, law enforcement officials were still working to determine the exact cause of the car accident. They did not state whether they believed speed or distracted driving were factors, but they did not believe alcohol was a factor.

In cases where the cause of a car accident is not known, the plaintiff’s attorney may have to do a bit more work in order to build a case. He or she can use information from law enforcement investigations and eyewitness accounts to possibly determine the cause of the collision. If successful, the plaintiff may be able to collect compensation for damages that resulted from the accident, such as hospital bills, lost income and pain and suffering.

Source: NewsChannel5.com, “Identities Released Of Two Killed In Coffee County Wreck“, July 13, 2014

A July 5 accident took the life of a woman and injured two other people, according to authorities. The incident reportedly took place near an apartment complex at the intersection of William Blount Drive and Dotson Memorial Road in Maryville just before 10 a.m.

According to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, a 48-year-old woman collided head-on with a pickup truck driven by a 66-year-old man. Purportedly, it was necessary for emergency crews to extricate both drivers from their vehicles in order to transport them to a hospital. The 48-year-old woman suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she later died. The 66-year-old man was transported to the same hospital via ambulance. Moreover, emergency personnel transported another man injured in the wreck to the University of Tennessee Medical Center. The extent of his injuries was not clear immediately following the incident. Nor was it immediately clear what vehicle he was occupying at the time of the crash.

This case illustrates the catastrophic damage that head-on collisions often wreak upon the people involved in them. The injuries suffered are often traumatic if not fatal. As a result of these injuries, accident victims and their families are often left to cope with not just physical pain and emotional turmoil but also financial stress. However, they may seek recourse in civil court if the collision was caused by another party’s actionable behavior, such as speeding, distracted driving or drunk driving.

If, hypothetically, investigators were to discover substantial evidence from a head-on collision indicating that the car accident was caused by distracted driving, then the people who suffered damages as a result of the crash may hold the at-fault driver accountable via civil action. For example, the injured accident victims may retain a personal injury attorney and file suit against the distracted driver, and certain family members of the deceased accident victims may file a wrongful death claim against the distracted driver.

Source: WVLT, “Maryville woman in critical condition after head-on crash in Blount County“, July 05, 2014

A car accident involving three vehicles that occurred on Interstate 65 in Tennessee on June 12 left one person dead. According to the report, the incident took place near mile marker 110 in Robertson County during the afternoon hours.

Troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol stated that a Ford sedan that was being driven by an 18-year-old Westmoreland man was traveling north on the interstate when the vehicle suddenly left the roadway for unknown reasons, entered the median and traveled into the southbound lanes. The Ford then struck a Kia SUV, which caused the Kia to strike a Jeep.

A teenage passenger who was in the Ford did not survive his injuries. It was not known if he died at the scene of the car accident or at a nearby hospital. The Ford’s driver suffered critical injuries, and three people who were occupants of the Kia and two people who were occupants of the Jeep suffered unknown injuries in the incident. The following day, no citations had been issued against the Ford driver. However, it was noted that criminal charges were pending.

Regardless of what the causes were, anyone who causes a serious crash could be held responsible for any injuries suffered by others if they file personal injury lawsuits. By filing such lawsuits, the injured parties could seek compensation for a wide range of damages, which may include the cost of any medical or rehabilitation bills, any income that was lost as a direct result of being unable to work and for pain and suffering.

In a similar action, the family members of anyone who died in a serious crash might consider filing a wrongful death claim. A court award for such a claim may grant the family compensation for final medical and burial expenses in addition to any income that the deceased provided.

Source: WSMV, “Teen killed, 6 others injured in I-65 crash in Robertson Co.“, Chuck Morris, June 13, 2014