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Three High School Teens Die in Tennessee Traffic Accident
Three freshmen of Trousdale County High School were killed in a Tennessee traffic accident, according to The Tennessean. Their pickup truck collided with a semi-tractor trailer between Hartsville and Lebanon on Highway 141.
Tennessee Highway Patrol office in Cookeville reports that the teen driver and his two passengers were heading northbound in 141 in a pickup truck when he lost control of the vehicle and went off the road and onto the shoulder. He overcorrected and crossed the center line and headed into the southbound lane. That is where a southbound tractor-trailer struck the passenger side of the pickup. The accident occurred right before 1:00 p.m. and closed the highway for quite some time.
Knoxville accident attorneys understand that teen drivers have less experience and more distractions, making them especially vulnerable to serious accidents. With the end of the school year approaching, prom, graduation and summer break will increase the risk of car accidents involving young drivers.
Two of the teen occupants in the truck were killed immediately. A third teen was ejected from the truck and later pronounced dead at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
According to Tennessee Highway Patrol, the semi-truck driver was not injured. Alcohol and drugs tests are being done on both drivers.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, there were more than 208 million licensed drivers in 2008 on the roads of the United States. It is estimated that young drivers, between the ages of 15 and 20-year-old, made up more than 6 percent, or more than 13 million, of the total number of drivers. The number of teen drivers increased more than 5 percent since 1999.
Nearly 2,500 15- to 20-year-old drivers were killed, and 196,000 were injured in traffic accidents in 2009. Nearly 200 teens were killed in traffic accidents that involved a teen driver in Tennessee in 2009.
We encourage parents to talk with your teen about the responsibilities of driving and the consequences of making poor decisions behind the wheel. To help you establish some safe driving ground rules, the AAA Foundation offers this parent-teen driving agreement.
If you or a loved one is involved in a trucking accident in Tennessee, contact Hartsoe Law Firm, P.C. for a confidential appointment to discuss your rights with a Knoxville injury lawyer or Maryville accident attorney. Call (865) 804-1011.