Crash on Lebanon Road Injures Garbage Truck Driver

A garbage truck and a minivan were involved in a crash on Lebanon Road in Nashville, which caused both the vehicles to flip. Unfortunately the driver of the truck got stuck in his vehicle and it took quite some time to get him out of the ill-fated truck. He was critically injured. Wkm.com reported that the driver of the other vehicle sustained minor injuries but the children in the vehicle were unharmed.

Tennessee Law Changes Car Seating Requirements for Kids

Both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law that will require toddlers to have car rides in the rear facing seats for an additional year. The change has been made in line with recommendations from auto manufacturers and doctors according to Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D- Nashville). Leading Nashville, TN accident lawyers who handled a number of personal injury and wrongful deaths involving children also welcome the changes.

According to the current law kids until the age of 8 need to have booster seats whereas toddlers until age 1 must travel on rear-facing seats and then when they turn older than one and until age 3 they should be on forward facing seats. The new bill changes all these requirements. In accordance with the new rules kids up to 2 years will need to be secured on rear facing seats and then when they turn 2 and until the age 5 they need to be on a forward facing seat. Moreover children until the age of 12 or a height of 4 foot 9 inches must be secured in booster seats. Age 12! What? That seems embarrassing for them.

Even some Nashville, TN accident lawyers think going until age 12 could be pushing it.

Wate.com reports that the Senate passed the bill unanimously while in the House 68 reps voted for the bill and 19 voted against the bill. The bill awaits clearance from Governor Bill Halsam. According to an estimate by the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital 1,000 plus infants are killed simply because their seats were not properly secured in the vehicle, which is also pointed out by a number of leading accident attorneys in Tennessee.

Andrew Scruggs, who works as an injury prevention co-ordinator at the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, said that the new bill provides protection to children from fatal injuries in car crashes. The seating arrangements prescribed in the bill secure the children from debris. The seating requirements prevent neck movements in the event of a crash and pressure on the bones.

Kids who are strapped with a harness in forward facing seats are less likely to have bone injuries since each of the belts in the harness secures vital bones of the child. Scruggs said that the belts are over the hip and collar bones protecting children from being injured on impact.

 Shared Fault Rules of Tennessee

According to Nashville, TN accident lawyers it is not uncommon that when a victim of a car accident files an insurance claim or a lawsuit, he/she gets to hear that the other driver insisted that the victim was partly responsible. If a court believes that the plaintiff shoulders some blame for the accident then the amount of compensation for your accident claim is likely to be reduced.

For instance, if you have stopped your car at a red light and another vehicle rear ends you then you may be held partially liable if your brake lights were not functioning. This means if the court decides that you share of fault is 20% and your compensation claim is $10,000 then the defendant will pay 80% of the compensation i.e. $8,000, thereby reducing your claim by $2,000 which is 20%. If your fault is more than 50% you will not receive any compensation.

If you have been injured in a car accident or face serious charges following an accident, the time is right to consult an accident lawyer in Tennessee as soon as possible. Legal professionals have expert crash investigators and some other resources at their disposal to make sure your rights are protected and to increase your chances of coming out on top.

Contact us if you have any questions obtaining a legal representative. Legal help is right around the virtual corner. Press right here: Accident.USAttorneys.com to make this happen.