A bus carrying a church group from Tennessee back to their home in North Carolina recently crashed, killing eight people and injuring 14 others. The automobile accident is believed to have been caused by a blown tire on the bus.

Authorities say the blown tire caused the bus to cross the highway median, drive through cable barriers in the median, clip an oncoming SUV and collide head on with a tractor trailer. The tractor-trailer burst into flames. Even though the bus never caught on fire, rescue workers had to work quickly to get survivors out of the bus because of the heat from the truck’s fire. Six out of the 18 people on the bus were killed, along with the truck driver and one person inside the SUV.

The church group was from the Front Street Baptist Church in Statesville, North Carolina. The group was a senior group that called themselves Young at Heart and was returning to North Carolina from the 17th Annual Fall Jubilee in Gatlinburg. After learning of the accident, many church members met to console each other at the church. According to the wife of the church’s senior pastor, he and another pastor at the church were traveling to accident site. Authorities are still unsure about why the tire blew out on the bus.

Tragic events such as this bus accident can have a huge effect on the lives of many people. As authorities continue to search for the cause of the accident, the victim’s families should be aware of their legal rights to seek compensation for their injuries. If someone’s negligent actions led to the accident, it may be possible for these families to seek compensation for wrongful death, medical expenses, lost pay and other damages caused by the accident.

Source: The Huffington Post, “Tennessee Bus Crash Results In Multiple Deaths“, Steve Megargee and Travis Loller, October 02, 2013

A mechanical failure may be to blame for the loss of the life of an elderly woman in Tennessee on Monday morning, Sept. 23. According to the Tennessee Department of Safety, the driveshaft fell off of a pickup truck and crashed through the windshield of the vehicle the woman was riding in. Authorities are calling this a freak automobile accident. A police representative says that criminal charges have not been filed in the case.

No one other than the 77-year-old woman who was killed was injured in the crash. The accident occurred on Interstate 24 in La Vergne, just south of Nashville. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a 2008 Dodge Ram lost its driveshaft at approximately 10:30 a.m. It bounced off a car not identified by news sources and crashed through the window of the Chevrolet Equinox driven by the dead woman’s husband. The woman was riding in the passenger seat of the car, according to reports.

The woman was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to have been factors in the incident; according to police, the accident was not intentional and not malicious. They did cite the driver of the Dodge as causing the fatal accident.

In a case where mechanical failure may be a factor in a fatal crash, an experienced attorney may be able to assess the evidence and identify all parties who could be held responsible for the loss suffered by the decedent’s surviving family. An attorney could also negotiate with insurance companies, their claims adjusters and the lawyers representing the insurers for a fair settlement for clients who have suffered the loss.

Source: Cherokee Tribune, “Canton woman, 77, dies in automobile crash in Tennessee“, Joshua Sharpe, September 25, 2013

A Tennessee man was killed in a hit-and-run accident while traveling on foot at 5:00 a.m. After the car accident, police located the vehicle involved and began an investigation to find the person responsible. The deceased leaves behind three children under the age of six. Before his death, the victim was walking a friend from his home back to the friend’s hotel room.

On the morning of Sept. 14, the deceased was walking with his friend near Ellington Parkway in Madison. While taking a short cut along the highway, the victim was struck by a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix. According to the friend, the impact of the collision sent the victim flying into the air. The friend also reported seeing the car swerve before the fatal collision. Although the driver never stopped, police located the vehicle parked at a house on Ames Drive.

While grieving the loss, the victim’s family offered statements to a local reporter. According to the sister, the family is very interested in finding the driver and cannot understand why he or she kept driving. She also remarked that the deceased was very loved and that she wants his children to know that his death was not in vain.

Although the suspect will most likely receive a heavy sentence for the crime, justice in itself will not heal the family’s pain. To give themselves time to grieve before returning to work, the victim’s family members may wish to seek compensation for their pain and suffering. With the help of an experienced lawyer, the family may be able to do this by filing a wrongful death claim against the driver, if he or she is found.

Source: WSMV, “Police recover vehicle from hit-and-run; search for suspect“, Calie Snee and Forrest Sanders, September 15, 2013

On Aug. 31, a motorcycle rider was killed in Shelbyville after being hit by an SUV. Witnesses say that the 41-year old Bedford County resident was riding his motorcycle down Union Street when he was struck by the black and gold SUV; the driver of the SUV failed to stop at the scene of the accident.

The SUV that was allegedly involved in the accident was later found on Player Drive by a Rutherford County Sheriff’s Deputy. The 1999 Chevrolet Suburban and the Harley Davidson motorcycle were both transported to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Lab in Nashville.

The driver of the SUV has yet to be found. Once located, the driver may be taken into custody and charged in criminal court for failing to stop at the scene of an accident. Under Tennessee law, failing to stop at the scene of an accident that resulted in death is a Class E felony punishable by at least one year and up to six years in prison. A driver who negligently causes a car accident may also be sued in civil court by the victim of an accident or the family of the victim killed in an accident. Depending on whether the victim survived the accident, the lawsuit would either be for personal injury damages or for wrongful death.

If a lawyer is representing a client in a wrongful death matter, evidence of the defendant’s conduct may be used in arguing for a larger award in favor of the client. In a hit-and-run case, a lawyer might want to ask a jury to grant a larger amount of compensation against the defendant who failed to stop at the scene of the accident.

Source: Tennessee Code Annotated, “Motor Vehicles, Traffic and Parking.”

Source: WGNS, “Fatal Hit and Run Motorcycle Accident in Shelbyville Tied to Murfreesboro“, September 06, 2013

Court proceedings have begun in the case of a Tennessee hit-and-run accident. The accused driver on trial is being charged for the collision 18 months after the accident originally occurred in Memphis. The car accident resulted in the death of a local motorcyclist.

The accused driver was brought to court on Sept. 9. Reports claim that the man was operating a business truck without a driver’s license when he struck and killed the passing motorcyclist on Third Street in Memphis in 2012. The motorcyclist was a mechanic and was reportedly en route to work on another vehicle when he was fatally injured in the accident.

The court proceedings came as a surprise to the motorcyclist’s widow as she allegedly learned of the trial 18 months after the incident occurred. She has apparently spoken to news outlets about her forgiveness of the accused driver who fatally injured her husband. The accused is being charged with not having a driver’s license and leaving the scene of an accident involving a death.

While the case remains open as of mid-September, it is unknown of the outcome. For those who are injured or who have lost loved ones in a hit-and-run accident in Tennessee, a lengthy court trial can prolong their pain and suffering. A personal injury attorney may be capable of working with those involved in the accident to compile adequate evidence from the scene. The attorney could be able to work with the plaintiff’s insurance company to ensure that vehicle damages and medical expenses are sufficiently covered, and the attorney may be capable of recreating the accident with an investigator and bringing his or her findings to court.

Source: WMCTV, “Hit and run suspect heads to court“, September 09, 2013

Police in Tennessee said that a woman stole a patrol car and crashed it into a string of other vehicles, killing one person and injuring four more. The fatal automobile accident reportedly occurred as the women hijacked the police car while in the process of being taken into custody. She was charged with vehicular homicide, theft, felony fleeing and violation of probation. Her bond was set at $402,500. Police did not yet know if she was on drugs or drunk at the time of the incident.

The 49-year-old woman was reportedly being arrested in the parking lot of a Dollar General store when she fled in the police car. Authorities said that she then crashed the patrol cruiser into another car, killing a 55-year-old man and injuring four others. The victim was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the wreck, but police said that it wouldn’t have made a difference, considering the force of the crash’s impact.

According to family members, the woman was taken to a local hospital with burns and a broken leg, but her injuries were not life-threatening. They described her as a habitual offender who had done time for theft as well as drug and alcohol charges. Upon the woman’s release, she was arrested and taken to jail, where she would recuperate from her injuries.

Tennessee families dealing with a death or severe injuries as a result of a car accident often find the experience overwhelming. An attorney who is experienced in litigation following a fatal car crash may be able to help those affected find closure and begin the road to healing. Such a lawyer may be able to arrange financial compensation for damages such as funeral expenses, medical costs, and pain and suffering.

Source: WHNT, “Woman charged following incident involving stolen police car in Fayetteville“, Matt Kroschel, Carri Walters, and Laura Christmas, September 04, 2013