Posted in Car Accident,Negligence on April 21, 2014
Earlier this month in Smyrna, a 13-year-old boy was killed while he was changing a tire for his mother on Interstate 24. According to a report by the Tennessean, the boy was with his mother and 12-year-old sister when the driver of an Oldsmobile lost control of the car while changing lanes and struck the boy. The boy’s mother was also struck by the driver.
At the time of the accident, the boy’s mother had pulled off on the right shoulder of the road. Police explained that she did everything she was supposed to do; the car was on the jack, the hazard lights were on, and the car was completely pulled off the road.
Tragically, the young boy was killed by the impact. The mother was injured, but is expected to recover. The boy’s sister was not hit and was uninjured. Police suspect that the driver of the car may have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident. They conducted blood work on the driver, and are awaiting the results. Until then, the driver is facing charges of fleeing the scene of an accident as well as vehicular homicide.
According to the article, this was not the driver’s first encounter with the law. She had been arrested before for reckless endangerment after she almost ran over her own daughter.
Drunk Driving Accidents in Tennessee
Like almost every other state in the Union, Tennessee drivers cannot legally operate a vehicle if they have a blood or breath alcohol content of .08 or more. State lawmakers chose this as the limit because there is evidence to suggest that any level of intoxication above this amount begins to greatly affect the reaction time, judgment, and motor skills of drivers.
When drivers choose to drive after drinking, they take not only their own life into their hands, but also the lives of any drivers they encounter. Such dangerous conduct can often result in serious injury or even death, as it did here. When this happens, any victim of a drunk driving accident can seek to recover damages from the drunk driver. To do so, an accident victim should contact an experienced Nashville car accident attorney as soon as possible and discuss the facts of their case.
Have You Been Injured By a Tennessee Drunk Driver?
If you have recently been injured in a Tennessee car accident, and you believe that the driver who was responsible was also driving under the influence, you should contact a dedicated Nashville personal injury attorney. The skilled attorneys at Matt Hardin Law have the dedication and experience you need to be confident in bringing your case to trial. No matter what kind of personal injury issue you are bringing, Matt Hardin Law knows what it takes to help his clients get what they deserve. Click here, or call 615-200-1111 to speak to an attorney today.
See Related Blog Posts:
Tennessee Court of Appeals Reverses Trial Court’s Reduction in Damages for Motorcycle Accident Victim, Nashville Injury Lawyer’s Blog, published April 14, 2014.
Tennessee Court of Appeals Opinion Explains How to Allocate Responsibility in Negligence Cases, Nashville Injury Lawyer’s Blog, published March 31, 2014.
