Posted in Motorcycle Safety,Tennessee Accident Law,Truck Wreck on July 4, 2016
Truck Driver Facing Vehicular Homicide Charges after Motorcycle Collision
A motorcyclist died after being struck by a pickup truck on Bell Road last month, and now the driver of the pickup truck faces vehicular homicide by intoxication charges.
According to WKRN.com, the accident occurred when the driver of the 1993 GMC pickup truck was traveling west on Bell Road and attempted to make a left turn onto Old Hickory Blvd.
As he turned left, Metro Nashville Police say that he failed to yield the right of way to a motorcyclist, which resulted in him striking the 60-year-old man’s bike and causing him to suffer serious injuries.
The motorcyclist was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he died Wednesday night.
When police arrived at the scene and questioned the driver of the pickup truck, they noticed that he appeared to be extremely intoxicated and didn’t realize that he had been involved in an accident.
After questioning, the man admitted that he had consumed alcohol before driving. Officers also found two open bottles of liquor inside the man’s truck.
He was arrested and remains in jail where he faces multiple charges, including vehicular assault, driving on a revoked license, and open container violation.
Important Facts All Drivers Should Know about DUI and DWI
Safe driving and anti-DUI campaigns have made people in Middle Tennessee and throughout the nation more aware than ever of the dangers of drunk driving. Despite the increased levels of awareness, it’s still vital that drivers fully understand the extreme risks they face every time they get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.
A few important facts that shed light on the dangers of drinking and driving, as well as its prevalence in the United States, include the following:
DUI enforcement campaigns and traffic stops are effective ways of getting dangerous drivers off the roadway, but countless drunk and impaired drivers go long periods of time before they’re ever caught.
Safe driving requires excellent hand-eye coordination, vision, depth perception, judgment, and risk analysis. Consuming alcohol, even small amounts, hinders all of these safe driving requirements and significantly increases the risk of serious accidents.
One of the most common punishments for a DUI conviction is the loss of driver’s license. A DUI-related license suspension or revocation can last from one year to several years, but more than half of people with DUI convictions and lost licenses still get behind the wheel on a regular basis.
Teen drivers are already at a higher risk of being involved in accidents than other drivers, and their risks of being involved in serious collisions only increases when alcohol is added to the situation.
Although that sounds like a lot of drivers, it represents only around one percent of the 121 million self-reported incidents where drivers got behind the wheel while intoxicated or impaired.
City and county police departments, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and other federal highway safety programs have worked tirelessly to increase the awareness of drunk driving risks in Tennessee and elsewhere, but it’s important for drivers to always remain cautious and never get behind the wheel if they’ve consumed alcohol. It’s also important to be aware of the risks that others drivers pose—especially when driving late at night or during holiday weekends when others are most likely to be impaired or intoxicated.
If you or someone you love was injured in a drunk driving accident caused by an impaired driver, you may be eligible to file a claim for compensation. At Matt Hardin Law, our Nashville auto accident attorneys know how helpless victims like you can feel during this time, and it’s our goal to fight for your rights after the accident. To speak with our legal team, dial (615) 200-1111 or complete a free online consultation form today.
