The accident that sent 45-year-old former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan to the hospital with critical injuries and killed comedian James McNair on June 7, 2014 along the New Jersey Turnpike has prompted renewed scrutiny of federal rules regarding the trucking industry.
While there are many who view recent laws and regulations governing truck drivers’ hours-of-service as important towards improving roadway safety, others, including many trucking companies, argue that these rules will force more truckers to travel during busy daylight hours, which leads to increased roadway congestion and subsequently, a greater likelihood of serious accidents taking place.
Morgan filed a lawsuit against Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. on Thursday, July 12, claiming that the company committee negligence by allowing its employee to get behind the wheel of a truck when the employee was clearly overworked.
Due to their sheer size and weight, truck accidents have the potential to cause devastating injuries and property damage to unsuspecting motorists. If you have been the victim of such an accident, contact the Tennessee truck accident lawyers of Pohl & Berk, LLP, today by calling 615-277-2765.
A jury in Rutherford County recently awarded almost $3 million in damages to one permanently injured and the estate of one deceased car accident victim, the Murfreesboro Post reported on July 4.
John Jackson, in his early 80’s, died several days after the accident happened. Scott Summerville, a 57-year-old Nashville resident, suffered permanent injuries from the accident.
The car accident happened in July 2011 along Interstate 24 near the Sam Ridley Parkway exit in Smyrna when Owensboro, Kentucky resident Mildred Payne lost control over his Toyota Camry. He veered off the roadway, slammed into a sign, crossed the median, and finally crashed into Jackson’s 2000 Mercedes Benz, which was headed east on I-24. Summerville was driving Jackson’s Mercedes Benz when the crash happened. All of the blame from the personal injury and wrongful death suits was placed on Payne.
If you are the victim of a car accident in Tennessee due to the negligent driving of someone else, the attorneys at Pohl & Berk, LLP, may help you pursue financial compensation. Call our offices today at 615-277-2765 to learn more.
A man was taken into police custody early on June 30 after causing a rollover accident that involved two other vehicles in Madison at around 4 a.m., WKRN-TV Nashville reported.
The man who was later arrested was trying to turn left onto Myatt Drive from State Route 45 when a car traveling the other direction hit the passenger side of the man’s pickup truck. The truck then hit a sport utility vehicle and flipped over. The car that hit the truck was occupied by a female; both she and the truck driver sustained minor injuries, while the SUV driver was unharmed. The truck driver was arrested after he failed the sobriety test given to him by a police officer who responded to the scene.
Car accidents are a major source of serious injuries, and they often lead to expensive medical bills. If you have been injured in a car accident through no fault of your own, call the personal injury attorneys at Pohl & Berk, LLP, by dialing 615-277-2765 today to discuss your legal options.
Former Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan acquired critical injuries after the SUV limousine he was riding in was hit by a tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike on June 7 at around 1 a.m., the Guardian reported.
According to a press statement released by Morgan’s publicist, Lewis Kay, Morgan is in serious condition at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. Two others, identified as Ardie Fuqua, Jr. and Morgan’s assistant Jeffrey Millea, were also in critical condition and confined at the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick along with Morgan, according to hospital spokesman Peter Haigney. Comedian Harris Stanton, the fifth passenger in the vehicle, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and was released.
Morgan’s friend and comedian James “Jimmy Mack” McNair of Peekskill, New York died in the accident.
The attorneys at Pohl & Berk, LLP, understand the devastating emotional impact on families of truck accident victims. If a loved one has been injured or killed in a truck accident, please call 615-277-2765 to discuss your legal options.
Toyota Motor Corp. issued a recall on May 22 of 516,000 vehicles around the world for three separate vehicle safety issues, FOX WBRC reported.
According to officials from Toyota, there is a possibility that road salt, used in icy conditions that occur in cold climates, can cause corrosion of the spare tire carrier under the vehicle. This could dislodge the tire from its position. Toyota said that although splash protector and anti-corrosion treatment were applied to the vehicles, rusting can still occur. The recall was for 450,000 Sienna minivans of the 2004-2011 model years, which included 370,000 minivans sold in the United States, 80,000 in Canada, and 400 in Europe.
Toyota also recalled 16,000 Lexus GS 250 and 350 sedans of the 2013 model year due to a brake light malfunction that can cause the brakes or brake lights to turn on without the driver’s guidance. Lastly, 50,000 2014 Highlander and Highlander hybrid SUVs were recalled due to airbag deployment issues.
If your life has been put in danger by the use of a faulty or defective product, contact our attorneys at Pohl & Berk, LLP in Tennessee by dialing 615-277-2765, and learn how we may provide you legal assistance.
Emergency personnel responded to a car accident that occurred at the intersection of Nashville Highway and 7th Avenue in Columbia, Tennessee on Monday, May 5 at around 9:45 a.m.
According to preliminary investigations, a woman was driving a Chevrolet Camaro along the highway when she suddenly stopped the vehicle, causing Officer Vagen Trimble of the Columbia Police Department, who was traveling behind her, to fall from his motorcycle after maneuvering to avoid a collision.
CPD Sergeant Thomas Ehret said the young woman who was driving the Camaro stopped her vehicle in the middle of the intersection as she was nearing the traffic lights, which were yellow at the time. In Trimble’s efforts to avoid a car accident, he overturned his motorcycle, suffering back injuries as a result.
Our attorneys at Pohl & Berk, LLP, know how difficult it can be for Tennessee residents to recover from automobile accidents, but if you have been injured because of someone else’s negligence, we may be able to help you fight for compensation. Call our offices today at (615) 277-2765 to learn more about what we can do for you.
Twenty-five-year-old Metro Police Officer Michael Petrina was killed when a motor home hit him as he was trying to attend to a minor accident along Interstate 65 on May 10, The Tennessean reported.
A recent police academy graduate, Petrina was redirecting traffic after a pickup truck flipped over as it entered the highway from Old Hickory Boulevard. 71-year-old Dean Joseph Diver’s motor home came around a curve near exit 74. When he saw the stoppage, Diver tried to maneuver between Petrina’s squad car and a Tennessee Department of Transportation truck and accidentally struck the young officer.
Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron said the District Attorney General’s Office will look into the case as soon as the investigation of the incident is complete, but as of yet no charges have been filed.
The lawyers at Pohl & Berk LLP send their deepest condolences to the friends and family who are suffering from this great loss.
On Friday, April 11 Theresa Davis, 52, of Knox County died in a collision between a car and a train. Her husband, Jack Davis, 58, remains in serious condition from the accident.
The couple was crossing the railroad tracks at Ball Camp Road when their Chevy Equinox was struck by an oncoming train. People familiar with the area mentioned that the railroad crossing in question does not have sufficient signaling. The municipality is facing criticism for not installing crossing arms at the railroad crossing.
The attorneys from Pohl & Berk, LLP understand that losing a friend or family member in an accident is a devastating event. Our condolences go out to those affected by this accident.
A recent article by Reuters, published on March 23, took a more in-depth look into the GM recall, its ignition defect, and how the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) failed to detect the problem like many others.
The article focuses on retired Wisconsin state trooper Keith Young, who submitted a report in 2006 to the NHTSA regarding a car accident that he stated was caused by an ignition problem. The 2006 St. Croix County, Wisconsin crash, which caused the deaths of 18-year-old Natasha Weigel and 15-year-old Amy Rademaker, and permanently damaged the brain of 19-year-old Megan Ungar-Kerns, had been professionally analyzed by Young, who had a 20-year career as an accident reconstructionist. Young sent his findings to the NHTSA that the ignition had been switched to “accessory” from “run” before the crash occurred, thereby disabling the air bags’ ability to deploy and cutting off the engine.
However, the NHTSA did not act on Young’s observation, and only began investigating GM after the company issued the recall in February. The company is now under scrutiny for this lack of action at the time.
Unfortunately, this defect and many others have caused many people in Tennessee to suffer serious harm or be killed. At Pohl & Berk, LLP, we help victims of such accidents take action against the car manufacturers responsible for the defect. Call us at 615-277-2765 if you have been involved in an accident caused by a defect and want to learn more about your legal options.
On Monday, March 24 Eric Brooks, 21, was arrested and charged with a DUI after causing a hit-and-run accident in Nashville.
Brooks struck another vehicle at the intersection of Doak and South Hamilton Avenues. The victim of the accident reported the occurrence of the crash to authorities. Shortly after the report, police found Brooks passed out in his car. Police were able to collect incriminating evidence confirming Brook’s inebriation.
In addition to a DUI, Brooks faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident, failure to give information, and failure to render aid.
Injuries from car accidents can have a devastating impact on all people involved. If you have been injured in a car accident, you could be entitled to compensation, which our attorneys at Pohl & Berk, LLP, may be able to help you pursue. If you live in Nashville, call 615-277-2765.
