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

A white 2008 Lincoln MKZ crashed into a gas pump on July 4, causing an explosion and leaving one male pedestrian burned. The victim remains in critical condition after the car accident but is stable. According to the local police department, the vehicle crossed the road and headed into oncoming traffic before driving off the road and into the gas station lot.

Local fire department representatives say that the pedestrian had left a nearby restaurant and made a purchase at the gas station before walking through the parking lot. The driver’s car headed toward the man – who ran to avoid being hit – and struck the gas pump, which burst into flames. The pedestrian was able to get away from the car but was caught in the fire. The victim suffered third degree burns on 40 percent of his body and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. Weather conditions prevented him from being air transported to a burn unit until a later time.

According to fire department records, the gas station fire was put out within six minutes of receiving the alarm. Officials report that the station’s automatic gas shut off worked properly, which helped control the fire. The vehicle that crashed and started the fire was destroyed as was another nearby vehicle, which belonged to the gas station owner.

Unfortunately, car accidents involving innocent pedestrians cannot be completely prevented. For such situations, victims or family members may benefit from the advice of a personal injury attorney who deals in Tennessee law as it pertains to motor vehicle accidents and compensation. A lawyer of this type may be able to determine if a victim can file a lawsuit and the amount of monetary damages that may be sought.

Source: WBIR, “Man burned after car crashes into TN gas pump“, Philip Grey, July 05, 2013