Rear-end collision on I-40 West kills 1, injures 2

Officers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that a rear-end collision that occurred on Dec. 18 near Lovell Road killed one man and injured two others. The accident reportedly occurred just before 4:00 a.m. in the westbound lanes of Interstate 40.

According to officers, a 40-year-old Knoxville man was driving a 2003 Toyota west in order to pick up newspapers for his wife’s early morning delivery route. Traffic ahead of the man had apparently slowed due to an earlier accident. The 40-year-old man apparently failed to notice the slowed traffic, and he allegedly rear-ended a 2014 Toyota RAV4 being driven by a 62-year-old Corryton man.

The collision caused the 2014 Toyota to leave the road. The driver of that vehicle as well as his 27-year-old passenger were both injured and required transport via ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center. The 40-year-old man was pronounced dead of his injuries suffered in the accident. According to police, the 40-year-old man was not wearing a safety belt, while the two people in the other vehicle were wearing theirs.

Auto accidents are sometimes caused due to inattentive or distracted drivers. It is important for drivers to maintain attention on the traffic around them at all times while they are driving. When a driver fails to notice stopped or slowed traffic ahead, it may be difficult for him or her to avoid a resulting accident. When a person is injured in such an accident, the injured person may be able to then file a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent driver. In cases in which the negligent driver died in the collision, the plaintiff might name the driver’s estate as the defendant to the lawsuit. Injured victims could recover damages for their losses.

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel , “One killed in I-40 West crash near Lovell Road”, December 18, 2014