Woman Killed in Accident with Semi-Truck
A fatal accident took place recently involving a car and a semi-truck that took the life of a local Smyrna woman. Kelsey Dearmon, 21, was driving on State Route 840 around 7:45 a.m. when a semi-truck was traveling in the left-hand lane of traffic going in the opposite direction. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the driver of the semi-truck ran off of the roadway, into the median, and then into the oncoming lanes of traffic.
The eighteen-wheeler struck Ms. Dearmon’s 2013 Dodge Challenger and ripped the vehicle in half. The driver and the entire driver’s seat were thrown from the car, killing Ms. Dearmon almost instantly. The Highway Patrol reported that at the time of the accident she was wearing her seatbelt, but given the force of impact with the semi-truck the seatbelt made no difference in the crash.
The driver of the semi-truck that caused the accident was Arminius L. Marti, 55, from Bartlett. He was unharmed in the accident. The preliminary report shows that the driver is not suspected of using drugs or alcohol before the accident, but blood tests were conducted. As of now, no charges have been filed against Mr. Marti for the death of Ms. Dearmon.
Tennessee Semi-Truck Accidents
According to the Daily Report from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, this year there have been a total of 28 fatalities resulting from accidents involving large trucks or commercial vehicles across the state. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2012 there were 3,921 people killed and another 104,000 people injured in trucking accidents across the United States.
In Tennessee, 1,379 vehicles were involved in fatal accident in 2012, and 107 of those vehicles were large trucks. Large trucks accounted for 7.8% of all traffic accidents on the road in the state that year, despite only accounting for four percent of registered vehicles in the United States. Tennessee’s statistics for that year track with the national average, where large trucks are involved with 8% of vehicles involved in fatal accidents and 3% of vehicles involved in crashes that result in injuries.
The NHTSA also reported that an astounding 73% of fatalities across the country involving large trucks happened to the occupants in the other vehicle involved in the accident, and only ten percent of the deaths were the drivers of the trucks. In addition, 73% of all injuries reported from trucking accidents also occurred to the occupants in the other, smaller vehicles involved in the crash.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Semi-truck and other traffic accidents involving large commercial vehicles can be absolutely devastating for the victims involved in the other vehicle. If you or a loved one has been involved in a traffic accident with a semi-truck, let the experienced Nashville personal injury lawyers at Calhoun Law, PLC help. Call the office or contact us today for a free and confidential consultation of your claims.