Posted in Car Accident,Pedestrian Accident,Tennessee Accident Law on April 8, 2017
At least one person was injured after a vehicle crashed into a gym in Davidson County on Friday morning.
Per a report by WKRN.com, the accident occurred at a gym located in the Richland Creek shopping center near White Bridge Road in West Nashville.
An investigation by Metro Nashville Police revealed that the crash occurred when the elderly driver of the vehicle accidentally hit the gas pedal while attempting to back out of a parking space, which caused her vehicle to accelerate into and through the building.
The vehicle ended up near the rear interior wall of the gym after plowing through its exterior. Police said that only a few people were inside the gym at the time of the crash, but at least one person was hurt and transported to a local hospital to receive treatment for his or her injuries, the severity of which are unknown.
The MNPD also told reporters that a man and his two children were inside the gym at the time of the accident, but they were uninjured.
What Causes Vehicles to Drive into Buildings?
Risk Management magazine says that vehicles crash into buildings in the United States—including homes, apartments, commercial buildings, restaurants, office suites, and retail stores—around 60 times per day.
These accidents are extremely damaging both financially and personally, as they can severely injure drivers, passengers, and building occupants in addition to causing severe and expensive damage to vehicles and building structures.
Some of the common causes of these types of accidents include:
Texting and driving and other sources of distraction play a growing role in a wide variety of auto accidents, and building-impact accidents are no exception. Distracted drivers may crash into buildings when they’re driving in parking lots or if they lose control of their vehicles and exit roadways in the direction of buildings. And because they were initially distracted, drivers may be unable to slow down or stop to avoid colliding with nearby buildings.
Another common cause of building-impact accidents is drivers making errors when maneuvering their vehicles. Many parking lots have parking spaces directly adjacent to buildings, and some of those spots aren’t equipped with safety mechanisms such as concrete barriers. In those cases, serious accidents can occur when drivers intend to reverse out of parking spots but mistakenly put their vehicles in drive. Accelerating even momentarily may be enough to cause their vehicles to drive into and through buildings.
Some vehicles crash into buildings without anyone behind the wheel. These accidents commonly occur when buildings are located at the bottom of hills in parking lots or at the end of steep streets. Drivers may exit their vehicles in these areas, but forget to put them in park or activate their parking brakes. That can cause their vehicles to roll towards buildings and result in serious accidents.
Whether a vehicle is parked, stopped at an intersection, or driving through a parking lot, it can be pushed into a building by another vehicle during a collision. Some building-impact crashes occur because of an impact between other vehicles, especially when the crashes occur near buildings and drivers are unable to slow down or stop to avoid collisions with homes, storefronts, and offices.
At Matt Hardin Law, our Nashville auto accident lawyers know that building-impact collisions can be devastating for many people. In addition to the risks faced by building occupants, drivers and passengers in vehicles that crash into buildings can also suffer serious and even life-threatening injuries. Building owners may also suffer major financial losses due to these accidents.
Victims of building-impact accidents may be eligible to pursue compensation for their injuries and losses, especially if the crashes occurred due to negligent driving.
Our legal team is dedicated to assisting all victims of negligent drivers, whether the accidents involved building-impacts, multi-vehicle car crashes, or truck collisions. If you or someone you know was hurt in a crash that was caused by a careless driver, get in touch with our law firm today. Just dial (615) 200-1111 or complete a free online consultation form.
