Knoxville Personal Injury Blog

Anyone familiar with the roads of Tennessee knows that most of them include gorgeous vistas, and some can pose serious dangers to drivers and passengers. Drivers across the Volunteer State must stay vigilant to avoid collisions.

A 78-year-old motorist from Loudon was killed in a car accident in Maryville recently. The accident happened on U.S. Route 411 at Calderwood Highway when the victim turned his convertible to make a left turn. A van owned by the University of Tennessee pulled in front of the car and pushing it into a pickup truck stopped at the traffic light.

One of the most important decisions we can make for our elder relatives is to commit them to reliable round-the-clock care if the necessity appears. Many facilities across the Volunteer State help fulfill these needs, but families must be vigilant to prevent abuse or neglect among residents in nursing homes.

A nursing home in Tennessee has been forbidden from accepting new patients while authorities investigate a possible case of neglect for a disabled patient. The alleged victim, an elderly woman with dementia, was bedridden when she suffered a fall from bed and fractured both of her knees.

Are you a thrill seeker who enjoys rides at amusement parks and fairs? With fair season is full swing, it is worth noting that amusement park rides continue to cause critical injuries and even deaths. In 2017, Tennessee regulators began work to upgrade their inspections of amusement park rides across the state saying systematic problems needed to be addressed.

The Tennessee inspectors went into action after an 18-year-old man was killed when a ride malfunctioned in July 2017, at the Ohio State Fair. That ride is now banned in Tennessee as well as many other states.

Tennessee drivers have been educated in a variety of road hazards. You know to slow down approaching a blind turn and when traveling through intersections. You know a good rainstorm coupled with driving too fast may cause you to lose control of your car. You know it is dangerous to drink and drive. Another hazard you should be aware of is work zones.

With lane closures, detours and moving equipment to keep track of, it is easy to understand why drivers get confused, despite the use of traffic cones and signs to direct approaching drivers. According to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, there were nearly 100,000 work zone accidents throughout the nation in 2015, which break down as follows:

• 642 crashes resulting in one or more deaths, which equates to an annual average of 12 fatalities each week.
• 25,485 accidents with injuries to one or more people, which on average, means there are 70 crashes each day that result in injuries.
• 70,499 crashes with only property damage. An overall average of accidents that occur equals a work zone crash about every 5 minutes.