Posted in Car Accident,Personal Injury,Tennessee Accident Law on April 21, 2016
Fatal Antioch Accident Results in Vehicular Homicide Charges for Driver
A driver who police say caused a fatal accident in Antioch, Tennessee, Monday night was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide.
According to a report by WSMV.com, the accident occurred when the man ran a red light at the intersection of Bell Road and Blue Hole Road and then struck a Chevrolet Suburban and a Ford Escape SUV.
After the initial collision, the Suburban and the Escape were both pushed into traffic and collided with three other vehicles. The driver of the SUV was ejected from his vehicle due to the impact of the collision, and he was pronounced dead at the accident scene.
The 30-year-old man who is accused of causing the accident was transported to the hospital to receive treatment. His passengers—one adult and four children—were also taken to a local hospital due to suffering non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
After the accident occurred, a woman reported to police that the man had struck her vehicle just minutes earlier at the intersection of Bell Road and Cane Ridge Road.
In addition to vehicular homicide, the man is also being charged with two counts of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and driving on a revoked license.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Fatal Car Accidents?
All car accidents, regardless of their impact points or the speed at which they occur, have the potential to cause fatal injuries. However, certain types of car accidents—and certain causes of those accidents—are more likely to result in drivers and passengers suffering life-threatening injuries. At Matt Hardin Law, our Nashville auto accident attorneys know that some of the most common causes of fatal car accidents include:
Drivers who are impaired or intoxicated after consuming drugs or alcohol suffer from poor judgment, aggressive driving behaviors, delayed reaction times, blurry vision, and reduced control over their fine motor skills. When all of those factors are combined, the likelihood of serious and even fatal car accidents occurring significantly increases. Impaired and intoxicated drivers are also more likely to cause head-on collisions due to driving the wrong way down interstates and one-way streets.
The faster an object is traveling, the more severe its impact will be when it collides with another object. That principle is why speeding vehicles that are involved in accidents are more likely to cause serious injuries, as the force of the impact is felt by the occupants of the vehicle. Single-vehicle accidents are more likely to result in fatalities when speed is involved, and the same is true for multi-vehicle accidents. Seat belts and airbags can help reduce the severity of injuries during accidents, but when accidents occur at high speeds, these safety devices are much less effective.
Failure to maintain a lane is one of the most common causes of fatal accidents in Tennessee, and many of those scenarios occur due to drivers being distracted while behind the wheel. All it takes is a momentary glance at a smartphone, GPS, stereo, mirror, or anything else that isn’t the roadway itself for drivers to lose control and their vehicles to drift into other cars or into the path of oncoming traffic. Distracted driving can also lead to other common causes of fatal accidents, including failure to yield right of way, failure to obey traffic signs, and driving on the wrong side of the road.
It’s no coincidence that local and state law enforcement agencies frequently devote a significant amount of their time and resources to stopping drivers who are impaired/intoxicated, speeding, or driving while distracted. These three factors contribute to a large number of fatal accidents, and when police officers apprehend drivers who engage in these behaviors and get them off the street, they can make the roadways safer for all law-abiding drivers in Middle Tennessee.
If you or someone you love was injured in an auto accident in Antioch or Nashville that was caused by a negligent driver who was drunk, speeding, or distracted, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your accident-related expenses. To find out how our attorneys may be able to help you during this time, contact Matt Hardin Law today by dialing (615) 200-1111 or completing a free online consultation form. We’re ready to fight for your rights to get the money you deserve.
