Passenger Killed in Accident with Firetruck
The passenger in a vehicle was killed last weekend when the car that she was riding in collided with a firetruck at the scene of another accident. Rachel Davenport, 26, was the passenger in a 1989 Ford Mustang driven by James Davenport, 27, when the accident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Sams Creek Road in Ashland City.
According to the police and fire chief, the firetruck was on the scene of a motorcycle accident that had happened earlier that day. The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that the Mustang was traveling southbound behind a tractor trailer on Sams Creek Road. The tractor trailer slowed to let the fire truck and ambulance pass by in the northbound lanes. The Mustang then pulled out from behind the tractor trailer into the northbound lanes to pass it, striking the fire truck head-on.
Mr. Davenport was not wearing a seat belt and was seriously injured in the accident. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Mrs. Davenport was wearing hers and was declared dead at the scene. Two firefighters, Matt Waldron and Bret Miles, were in the truck when the accident happened but did not sustain any injuries. However, the firetruck did sustain serious damage and is currently out of commission.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that no citations have been issued regarding the accident, and that it is still under investigation by authorities. However, they do not believe at this time that alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash.
Tennessee Car Accidents
According to crash data collected by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, there have been a total of 225 fatal car accidents across the state this year. Of those, 74 passengers that were restrained by seat belts, like Mrs. Davenport, were killed in these accidents, and another 84 unrestrained passengers have also perished.
The Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office reported that every hour at least one person dies in a car accident across the country because of a lack of buckling up. Failure to use a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other driving behavior. In fact, more than 60 percent of vehicle passengers killed in accidents in Tennessee every year were not buckled up at the time of the accident, and prior research has shown that wearing a safety belt increases the safety of your ride up to nine times more than not buckling up.
Call a Nashville Accident Lawyer
Car accidents can happen in a split second, but it can affect you for the rest of your life. If you or someone that you know has been injured or killed in a car accident in the Nashville area, let the personal injury lawyers at Calhoun Law, PLC help. Call or contact the office today for a confidential and free review of your personal injury case.