Category: motor vehicle accidents

With spring here and summer around the corner, it’s a busy season for tourism. Throughout the year, Knoxville sees tourists looking for a warmer place to visit, beautiful, natural scenery and more.

With tourism comes the risk of collisions, though. People from out of the area, out of the state or even out of the country can cause serious collisions that end up affecting entire communities.

How does tourism affect traffic?

According to one article from 2010, traffic collisions are a leading cause of death for tourists traveling abroad. While not all of these collisions are going to be the fault of tourists, it’s more likely for tourists to make mistakes, especially when driving in a nation that may require them to drive on the opposite side of the road or become familiar with new road signs.

For people coming in from out of town, looking at a GPS or driving long hours can lead to traffic accidents. Distractions, drowsiness and general inattention can quickly cause problems on the roadways, leaving tourists and locals injured or worse.

How can tourists be safer in new areas?

Tourists can be safer by making sure they plan out their routes in advance. If changes have to be made, pull over and rework the route or ask a passenger to do so, so the driver isn’t distracted.

Touring a new area can mean driving for long periods of time, so remember to take breaks regularly and to get enough sleep. Just sleeping a normal 8-hour night can reduce your risk of a collision.

With these tips, tourists can be safer on the roads and everyone can enjoy the benefits.

Spring is here, and for people in Tennessee, that means being vividly aware of the risk of severe storms. Being part of Dixie Alley, an area of the southern state prone to tornadoes, you must have the knowledge to stay safe if one of the severe storms that can produce tornadoes occurs while you’re on the road.

The most important thing to remember in severe weather is that it’s okay to pull over on the side of the road, find a parking lot to wait out the storm in or wait under an underpass. Many people realize that the weather is too dangerous to continue traveling in.

If you do decide to park and wait out the storm, turn on your lights and hazard lights. It’s hard to see if there is hail, heavy rain or high winds, so your lights will help others avoid colliding with you.

How can you reduce the risk of a crash while driving?

If you continue driving in a thunderstorm, you can reduce the risk of a crash by giving others more space. Put a longer distance between yourself and the next vehicle, so you have more time to stop if they brake. Riding too closely, especially on slick surfaces, is more likely to result in a rear-end collision.

Adrenaline runs high when sirens are blown and the weather turns dangerous, but you have to keep your wits about you. Make sure you’re slowing down, keeping an eye on the road and watching out for hazards that could cause a crash. By traveling carefully, you can get to a safe spot.

A case involving a fatal collision has been sent to the grand jury in Knoxville. According to the news, the son of a Knoxville fire captain was killed when a Chevrolet pickup truck crossed into the southbound lanes of Chapman Highway.

This resulted in a chain reaction that caused the captain’s son to run head-on into the Chevrolet. Next to him in the second lane was the witness, who also stuck the victim’s vehicle. He said he could not avoid it when the first two vehicles collided.

The prosecution in this case is arguing that the accident would have been avoided if the defendant had put on the brakes and made sure to stay in his lane or to swerve over to the right instead of into oncoming traffic. There had been no vehicles in the right lane, so the defendant could have moved over safely.

The defendant’s attorneys would like the case to be handled in civil court, but presently, it is heading to the grand jury where criminal charges may result in a conviction. The state’s position is that negligence that results in a fatality could constitute a criminally negligent homicide, which is why the case should be handled in criminal court.

Cases like this are tragic for all people involved. One person lost their life, and another could go to prison or even be deported since he’s in the United States illegally. If you’re in a crash like this or lose a loved one, you can pursue your own civil lawsuit while waiting for the results of a criminal trial.

We rely on law enforcement officers and emergency service personnel to help us at some of the worst moments in our lives. It is rare that police or firefighters cause an accident, but we expect their employers to make us whole if they do.

A Tennessee county is reviewing how it handles car accidents involving their employees after a sheriff’s deputy allegedly ran a red light and crashed his sport utility vehicle into a car. The man was not disciplined and soon received another vehicle from the sheriff’s office.

That vehicle was involved in another accident, which severely injured the deputy and ran out of control into a fire hydrant and a nearby car. A review turned up some strange issues around these incidents, such as an altered crash report and a settled lawsuit with the victim of the first crash that was not accompanied by an internal probe.

Before he cost the taxpayers more than $35,000 with these two crashes, the deputy was also involved in two other accidents while serving the sheriff’s office and was never disciplined. The local police department requires internal reviews as well as drug and alcohol testing for officers involved in collisions, but the sheriff’s office does not.

Victims of car accidents have the right to seek compensation as well as official explanations or admissions or responsibility in some cases. An experienced motor vehicle accident attorney can assist victims and their families with making their case and determining if settlement or court actions are the best way forward to the appropriate damages for injured people.

Anyone familiar with the roads of Tennessee knows that most of them include gorgeous vistas, and some can pose serious dangers to drivers and passengers. Drivers across the Volunteer State must stay vigilant to avoid collisions.

A 78-year-old motorist from Loudon was killed in a car accident in Maryville recently. The accident happened on U.S. Route 411 at Calderwood Highway when the victim turned his convertible to make a left turn. A van owned by the University of Tennessee pulled in front of the car and pushing it into a pickup truck stopped at the traffic light.

The 21-year-old driver of the van stopped to assist at the scene of the three-vehicle accident, which killed one driver and injured another. None of the van’s eight occupants were injured. Police do not currently believe drugs or alcohol were involved, although blood tests of the involved drivers are pending.

All drivers were wearing seat belts, which reduce the chances of injury and death in a car accident. The deceased driver had to be extricated from his car by emergency personnel. This is the latest of several serious accidents in Tennessee’s Blount County. Earlier this year, a motorcyclist lost his life and several others were hurt in various crashes.

Victims of serious car accidents and the survivors of those who died in traffic fatalities may consider filing claims for financial damages to help get past the tragic and unexpected crash. An attorney may be a defendant’s best ally in the search for reimbursement of medical expenses as well as possible compensation for pain and emotional distress.