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Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Police nab hit-and-run driver in deadly Knoxville crash

Running out of gas is an annoyance, but it’s usually not dangerous. However, when people are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, tragedy can strike. That’s especially true when other drivers approach the area in a reckless manner. That appears to be what happened in a fatal accident in Knoxville early yesterday morning.

Two women, one of whom was several months pregnant, apparently ran out of gas outside a man’s Knoxville residence on Washington Pike at about 2 a.m. They sought help from the man, who got them some gas and fueled up their car.

The women hugged the man as a thank-you just as they were about to leave. Just then, a Ford SUV came barreling down the road at a high speed and crashed into the man and the pregnant woman. The other woman avoided being hit.

Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and the woman’s unborn child did not survive either. The driver of the SUV, meanwhile, fled after striking them.

It’s not clear yet exactly how, but officers found the SUV yesterday and were able to identify the driver. They indicated they would issue arrest warrants once they finished processing the vehicle. Authorities won’t publicly identify the driver until he is arrested, but that appears imminent. The man has already hired an attorney to represent him, according to reports.

It’s not known what charges he could be facing, but they will likely be serious.

Source: Local 8 Online, “Police find driver, SUV in deadly hit and run,” May 30, 2012

Categories
Car Accidents

Several students recovering after serious Knox County wreck

As recent research has shown, a teen driver with multiple teen passengers in the car is more likely to get into car accidents than a teen driving alone or with older passengers. A recent wreck in Knox County seems to lend credence to that argument.

An 18-year-old woman was driving a Subaru with five teenage passengers. According to Knox County officers, the teens left someone’s house late at night and were “goofing off.” Driver error apparently led the vehicle to miss a turn, and it crashed into a tree on Mourfield Road near Bluegrass Road.

Many of the students, including seniors who graduated from the Christian Academy of Knoxville last week, were injured. One, a basketball player at the school, underwent surgery over the weekend after she suffered internal injuries and head trauma. She also suffered several facial fractures.

Doctors say that she has made good progress as she recovers at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. In the meantime, her friends, family and others at the school were keeping vigil. All of the passengers involved in the crash stayed with the family at the hospital.

Other injuries suffered by passengers in the vehicle include a broken leg and elbow, concussions and other more minor injuries. At least three of the passengers riding in the Subaru were not wearing seatbelts, according to reports.

No drugs or alcohol are suspected in the crash, but charges are pending against the driver. Police are citing “reckless driving” as the cause of the wreck.

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, “CAK grads injured in wreck recovering,” Megan Boehnke, May 29, 2012

Categories
Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Car safety contributes to falling crash fatality rate

According to federal statistics, fewer people are dying in fatal car accidents on U.S. highways than ever before, or at least since records were first tallied back in 1921. While a number of factors are at play, the biggest is perhaps car safety and technology.

U.S. highway traffic deaths have fallen by about 25 percent since 2005. That’s a sharp decrease in a short number of years. As new technology is introduced into more and more new vehicles, the number of deaths will likely continue to fall.

It’s not often that the federal government mandates changes to all vehicles, such as when the seatbelt was first required about 40 years ago. However, last year, electronic stability control was added as a requirement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Rear cameras are becoming more popular and may be added to the list as well.

Generally, there are two types of technology at play here: active and passive.

Active technology is designed to prevent accidents from happening in the first place. Examples include active lane keeping, forward collision avoidance and blind spot monitoring. It used to be that only the most upscale models of vehicles would offer features of this kind voluntarily. However, now we’re seeing more advanced features available in even entry level models of cars. That not only reflects companies’ need to compete, but more affordable electronic hardware.

Passive technology, too, is becoming more and more mainstream. It’s intended to reduce accidents when an accident does occur. Many vehicles offer multiple air bags, while some are rolling out inflatable seatbelts that can particularly aid very old and very young passengers who are prone to internal injuries.

Passive and active technology are clearly succeeding in reducing the number of deadly accidents, as evidenced by the most recent numbers.

Source: MSNBC, “Highway deaths plunging as cars become safer,” Paul A. Eisenstein, May 22, 2012

Categories
Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Driver surrenders for fatal hit-and-run crash in Knoxville

When people leave the scene of a serious car crash, they are often putting the lives of others in danger and complicating police and accident investigations.

A crash in Knoxville that left a passenger dead earlier this month has resulted in the arrest of the driver, who apparently fled the scene on foot. The fatal car accident happened on Castle Street last week, according to the Knoxville Police Department.

The man was apparently driving a Nissan Altima north on Castle Street, while a Ford vehicle was traveling in the opposite direction. The driver of the Ford apparently noticed that the Nissan was swerving back and forth across both lanes. The vehicles collided head-on in the northbound lane of the road, and the driver of the Nissan apparently fled on foot. A large bag of marijuana was later found in the car.

A 23-year-old front-seat passenger in the Nissan died in the wreck. Two other passengers in that vehicle, ages 22 and 23, respectively, were treated at University of Tennessee Medical Center. They were later released.

The 73-year-old driver of the Ford and his passenger was also injured in the crash. They were also treated and released from the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

The driver of the Nissan, meanwhile, was wanted for questioning by police. He reportedly turned himself in over the weekend, and police say charges are likely to be filed against him for his role in the accident.

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, “Man believed to have been involved in fatal crash surrenders to police,” Lance Coleman, May 19, 2012

Categories
Car Accidents

Study: Just thinking about your phone can cause an accident

If you decide to turn off your phone for your commute home, are you less likely to get into a car crash than if you were talking on it? It’s possible, but a new study suggests that merely thinking about your phone can cause crashes, and hence qualify as “distracted driving.” If you’re worried about missing a call while your phone is off during the drive, is that in itself dangerous?

According to the study, just thinking about receiving a text or a phone call while driving is enough to raise the risk of a car accident. Researchers noticed a link between people more attached to their phones and the number of car accidents they were involved in.

For the study, 384 psychology students were surveyed about their level of “cellphone attachment.” Researchers then followed them over a three-year period. Those who were found to be least attached to their phones got into 25 car crashes per 100 people annually. On the other end of the spectrum, those most attached to their phones got into 38 crashes per 100 people. That seems to indicate a link between car accidents and attachment to cellphones.

What really matters, researchers say, is what’s going on in your head. Sometimes that can be far more distracting then answering a phone call. It’s always good to think twice before picking up a cellphone while driving. Perhaps is also good to have a clear mindset before getting behind the wheel.

Source: The Atlantic, “Can simply thinking about your phone lead to a car crash?” Brian Fung, April 30, 2012

Categories
Car Accidents

When should parents talk to kids about teen driving?

Some parents are a bit unsure of when they should address certain issues with their children. The dangers of teen driving is one such topic, and it should never fall by the wayside. It’s important for parents to talk to their teenage sons and daughters to prevent car accidents.

Summertime, in particular, is a good time to address it. In Tennessee and all over the country, the summer months are the most deadly time for teen car crashes. In fact, AAA and Volvo have dubbed the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day as “The 100 Deadliest Days” for teen drivers.

Seven of the 10 deadliest days for teenage motorists are in that time period. In 2010, the top four deadliest months were August, July, May and June, in that order, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. And every day in this country, an average of 11 teenagers die in crashes. It’s still the leading cause of death for that age group.

So, what can be done? Graduated licensing laws have helped, and parents may want to reference these when they have “the conversation” with their teens about driving safety. The talk could actually be a series of conversations, according to a prevention specialist, and could include a range of topics such as speeding, drunk driving and distracted driving.

The latter category is a particular worry for many. A recent study backed up the common theory that teenage drivers get into more accidents when there are other teens riding in the car as passengers.

A conversation about driving could take place when a teen gets a learner’s permit. The earlier, the better.

Source: USA Today, “Parents urged to talk, make contact with their teen drivers,” Larry Copeland, May 13, 2012

Categories
Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Police say speeding, alcohol involved in deadly accident

Speeding and alcohol certainly do not mix. Police suspect that both were involved in a crash that left one man dead and his passengers and another driver injured.

The fatal car accident occurred near Strawberry Plains late last week. A 26-year-old man was driving a car with two other passengers. He apparently lost control of the vehicle, crossed a median and hit a semi head-on.

He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the car. He died at the scene. His passengers, ages 22 and 16, respectively, sustained injuries and were taken to a local hospital. According to WBIR, the passengers were wearing seatbelts, which may have saved them from more serious injuries. Their conditions were not immediately released after the crash. They are apparently cousins and are from Dandridge.

The 54-year-old driver of the tractor trailer, which was hauling wire for Multi Group Logistics, is lucky to have escaped serious injury. Due to the impact of the crash, the tractor trailer flipped over and caught fire, but he managed to free himself from the wreckage. A video posted to WBIR’s website shows emergency crews responding to the scene. The totaled semi truck appears badly burned. The truck driver, who is from out of state, was treated for minor injuries at UT Medical Center and released.

Police say that they suspect alcohol and speeding were factors in the accident, but have not elaborated. The driver who died was from Springfield.

Source: WBIR, “Alcohol, speeding suspected in late night fatal crash,” May 4, 2012

Categories
Truck Accidents

Truck driver facing charges for deadly crash

The driver of a tractor trailer is facing possible homicide charges after a crash on Interstate 40 near Knoxville claimed a woman’s life. The fatal car accident happened when the driver’s big rig rolled over onto the woman’s car. He collided with two other vehicles as well, including another tractor trailer.

The man was driving a 2004 Volvo semi truck that was hauling furniture during the evening rush hour one day last week. He apparently first rear-ended another tractor trailer that had just re-entered the interstate after stopping at the eastbound scales near Campbell Station Road, according to Land Line. It’s not clear if the driver of the Volvo had also stopped there.

After rear-ending the other truck, the driver apparently sideswiped it as well, taking out its air tanks, and then passed it at a fast speed, according to the other truck driver. He says the driver of the Volvo veered onto the exit ramp and essentially “pushed people out of the way.”

That’s when he apparently rolled onto the Ford Focus driven by the 42-year-old woman, who was from Loudon. He also rear-ended a Saturn with a Kingston couple inside.

The investigation is not yet complete. The investigating officer says that no specific charge has been filed yet, but it’s expected that the Volvo truck driver, a 51-year-old man from Texas who works for Atlas SN Inc., will be facing some sort of homicide charge relating to the woman’s death.

Source: Land Line, “Trucker facing homicide charge in fatal crash on I-40,” Clarissa Kell-Holland, May 3, 2012

Categories
Car Accidents

Study: Turn signal problem causes 2 million accidents annually

Drivers often don’t think it’s a big deal if they forget, or don’t bother to, hit that turn signal when they’re changing lanes, exiting a highway or turning into a gas station. But that really is a problem, a new study suggests.

Drivers’ failure to use turn signals actually causes about 2 million car accidents every year. According to a study conducted by the Society of Automotive Engineers, drivers fail to turn on their signals while making a turn a whopping 25 percent of the time. When they are changing lanes, they fail to turn them on 48 percent of the time.

Those are sobering statistics, and they raise the question, “why?” If drivers in Tennessee and elsewhere know they should stop for red lights and stop signs and stick to the speed limit, why are they careless when it comes to using turn signals?

That’s difficult to answer, but it may have to do with the fact that police officers don’t often pull people over for failing to use turn signals. They’re much more likely to go after motorists who are speeding.

The president of an engineering company, who authored the report, says the research is, astoundingly, the first of its kind. He refers to the lack of compliance with turn signals an “epidemic,” according to MSNBC.

So, what can be done? Aside from raising awareness, it’s possible that technology could play a vital role. In theory, new vehicles could come equipped with censors that will remind drivers to use their signals if they continually fail to signal. Some say that could be a viable option to help with the problem.

Source: MSNBC, “Turn signal neglect a real danger, study shows,” Paul A. Eisenstein, May 1, 2012

Categories
Motorcycle Accidents

First 30 days on the road are most dangerous for motorcyclists

It may be a cliché, but experience matters, and that applies to everything from schooling to motorcycle riding. As for the latter, a new study reveals that the first 30 days during which a motorcyclist gets out on the road are often the most dangerous, with a higher incidence of motorcycle accidents.

In general, the first year of motorcycle riding is the most dangerous, and the first month in particular. In fact, during the first 30 days, motorcyclists are four times more likely to be involved in some sort of mishap than during the entire second year of riding.

One study took a look at insurance claims filed between 2003 and 2007. Of the claims involving motorcycle accidents, 22 percent of them were linked to accidents that occurred within 30 days of acquiring insurance coverage.

And while this seems somewhat puzzling, states that require motorcycle training for those under the age of 21 actually had higher crash rates. One possible reason for this, according to an article in the Republic, is that drivers taking such classes may already be licensed, which could potentially shorten a learning period required under a preliminary permit.

Whatever the reason, it seems that the more experience riders get, the safer they are. In the study, the claim rate dropped by a third in the second month of a motorcyclist’s experience, and by two-thirds within six months. That’s probably not a coincidence and shows that a rider’s comfort on the road can lead to safer conditions.

Source: The Republic, “Motorcycle crash risk drops sharply after the first month on the road,” Michael Virtanen, April 15, 2012