Drag Racing hit and run

A Memphis High School student and star football player is fighting for his life after being run over by two drag racers driving with their headlights off at night. Drag Racing is for a racetrack, not our city streets.
I hope M.P.D. catches the idiots who did this and that they pay the price for their crime. As too many drag racers often do when they maim or kill, they left the scene and left this young man to suffer.

Read about it on the Channell 3 news at:
http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-drag-racing-hit-and-run,0,2914732.story

Rest in Peace Captain Braden

A captain with the Wartburg Police Department has died after suffering injuries while attempting to arrest a man for domestic assault. Captain Ralph Braden had served Wartburg for over 20 years. Please keep this officer, his family, friends and community in your thoughts and prayers.

Read the Knoxville News Sentinel report at:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/may/03/wartburg-police-captain-dies-injuries-sustained-du/

Crashes by day of week

Watch out for Friday Drivers:

Friday crashes in 2009: 26,840
Next worse: Humpday, Wednesday 23,391
Thursday: 23, 017 beat out Tuesday by one: 23,016
Monday 21,054
Saturday was one of the least dangerous days with 20,930 crashes.
The safest day for a drive: SUNDAY: 16,412.

There are 39% fewer crashes on Sunday than Friday. Draw your own conclusions!

Crash rates: Young and not so young

The five counties with highest crash rates by percentage of drivers aged 15-24 in 2010:

1) Davidson
2) Madison
3) Putnam
4) Knox
5) Washington

The five with highest crash rates by percentage of drivers aged 65-114 in 2010:

1) Madison
2) Trousdale
3) Montgomery
4) Davidson
5) Hamblen

Riding the Music City Star

Count me as one less driver on the crowded Nashville roads this summer. I discovered the pleasure of riding the Music City Star commuter train, which is located 12 miles from my home. It delivers me to a bus that drops me off two blocks from the office. Now that summer is here and my commute does not include delivery of my student to school, I'm riding the train. Hope you can join me. It is very cool.

Hands Across the Georgia Border

An event aimed at reducing roadway fatalities through education and enforcement is planned for tomorrow evening, May 26th in Chattanooga. The Hands Across the Border event will include Georgia and Tennessee enforcement checkpoints. Read about it at:

http://news.tn.gov/node/7230

Judge Bean: Folks, Please Drive Carefully

I just read Judge Russell Bean's letter to the Chattanoogan newspaper and wanted you to see it too. Judge Bean is a concerned veteran City Judge in Chattanooga.

Unfortunately, two people were killed in two separate car accidents here in Chattanooga on Wednesday evening.
One was killed when one car struck another in the rear. In the other accident, witnesses said that the car was speeding and that the driver was not paying attention as the car went off the road and killed the driver.
These accidents typify the causes of accidents we see in court daily. People are speeding, they are following too close, and they are not paying attention.
Folks, please slow down, stay way back from the car in front of you, and keep your eyes on the road. Please do not talk on cell phones or dial on them while you are driving. Do not text while you are driving. Do not look at a GPS system while you are driving, but keep your eyes straight ahead on the roadway.
Sincerely,

Russell Bean
City Judge

Another officer killed in motorcycle wreck

Officer Dustin Martin, 43, of the Germantown Police Department was killed in last night. He was driving his motorcycle, while off-duty. He struck a car that was attempting a left hand turn. The crash investigation is ongoing.
Officer Martin was a 20 year Marine and a member of the Germantown P.D. swat team.

He is survived by a wife and daughter. Please keep Officer Martin and his family in your thoughts and prayers and allow extra time for motorcycles to pass, merge and turn.


http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/may/19/-duty-germantown-police-officer-killed-motorcycle/

mug shot of the day

This gentleman was arrested in Cookeville. He allegedly had revoked driver licenses from Tennessee and Michigan. He was one of several citizens who found themselves pictured in the Cookeville Herald Citizen. Read about this guy and others at:

Herald Citizen - Flat tires lead to DUI arrest He was arrested for a 3rd DUI and refused the chemical test.

Center for Disease Control: Costs crash deaths to State

The CDC has published a state by state analysis of the fiscal costs of motor vehicle crashes. In Tennessee we lose $1.15 Billion dollars per year due to traffic fatalities. $14 million of the losses are medical costs. The rest is from work loss.

Work loss costs are the total estimated salary, fringe benefits, and value of household work that an average person—of the same age and sex as the person who died—would be expected to earn over the remainder of his or her lifetime. Motor vehicle crash deaths disproportionately affect younger people, who have the potential to contribute to the workforce for many years. Therefore, when a younger person dies, the result is a higher work loss cost.

Read the full report concerning Tennessee at:

http://www.cdc.gov/Motorvehiclesafety/pdf/fatal_crash_cost/tn_costofcrashdeaths.pdf

Implied Consent passes in Senate

Both Houses of the General Assembly have passed a law to require all
multiple offenders and impaired drivers with child passengers to submit
to a chemical test or tests to determine blood alcohol content.
After the effective date of January 1,2012 no one with a prior DUI
or child passenger will be allowed to refuse testing!
Primary sponsors were Rep. Tony Shipley and Senator Mae Beavers.

Smarter than your average bear?

Two guys are in a car, right? One guy decides the other is too drunk to drive. Still with me? They decide to switch seats. Reasonable? They forget to stop and pull over first! Brillant?
The two were both arrested for DUI. Read about the alleged crime at:
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9032133

Remember, all are innocent unless proven guilty. One last item, these guys crashed, but survived without serious injuries.

7 years for Chattnooga vehicular homicide

Jeremy Lane is going to do a little time after being sentenced today to seven years. You may remember his story. He left the bar at 7 a.m. and killed a lady on her way to work. He ran over Susan Wood, a mother of two, after a night that included marijuana and booze. He left the scene, hid his broken sportscar and then called in a bogus carjacking story. An officer thought at first that he was a victime. No sobriety tests were given. By the time his story discredited, the only evidence of intoxication was based on witness statements. The jury acquitted him of being intoxicated at the time he killed Mrs. Wood.

There were several articles about this case. They follow:

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/may/16/chattanooga-lane-gets-7-years-vehicular-homicide-c/

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/mar/04/chattanooga-lane-guilty-2009-fatal-hit-and-run-jur/

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/mar/03/chattanooga-driver-never-braked-hit-and-run-crash-/

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/mar/03/witnesses-claim-hit-and-run-defendant-was-intoxica/

Save some teenage lives

Thank you Tim Wright, President and CEO of AAA of East Tennessee for the guest column in the Knoxville News Sentinel as graduation season approaches. Read the guest column here:
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/may/14/parents-have-big-influence-over-teen-drinking/

Mr Wright shares some scary statistics. Tenenage girls who are inexperienced with alcohol are 54 times more likely to crash with a BAC level between .05 and .10 than sober girls. With boys the liklihood is 18 times.

About 64% of teens who die in crashes are not wearing seat belts.

Mr. Wright offers some good, common sense advise for parents. He states: "If your teen is heading to a postgraduation party, find out where and with whom he or she is going. Call the hosting parents and share your rules and expectations. Make sure adult supervision will be available that evening to ensure the party remains alcohol-free."

Tough times for motorcyclists in Tennessee

The last week was horrendous for motorcycle riders in Tennessee.
On May 8th, we lost Trooper Andy Wall, 36, who was escorting the Blue Angels flight team on duty on his motorcycle.
The same day Adrian Books, 33, crashed riding the Dragon in East Tennessee and was airlifted out. We hope he will recover.
The same day Kenneth Phillips, 52, died in Murfreesboro when he lost control and ran into a tree.
On May 9th Donald McWain Jr., 33, died in a Clarksville crash when he lost control.
Then on May 10th in Crossville, a father and daughter were killed. The father Brian Ewing, 45, lost control. He and his passenger, Katrina Ewing, 16, and a cheerleader at Cumberland County High School perished.
Please keep all of these people in your thoughts and prayers.
If you ride a bike, be extra careful. If you don't watch out for bikes, motorized or otherwise. As the weather warms, more folks will be out and we want them to enjoy long and fruitful lives.

Alleged impaired driver passed out with children in car

In Lawrenceburg, a driver was arrested with two children in his vehicle. He was passed out in a McDonald's parking lot for two hours before police were notified and arrived. Lortab and xanax were discovered.

Read about it at:

http://www.lawrencecountyadvocate.net/v2/content.aspx?ID=33351&MemberID=1819

DUI activity in the News

Another weekend has come and gone. Several geniuses made the news for their DUI related activity. I also included a link to a guns in bars story. Each of these people are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. None are presumed to have made brillant decisions.

A Sumner County resident picked up a DUI 7th on a lawnmower. Read about it at:

Man on lawnmower charged with 7th DUI - WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather and Sports |

A teacher let her boyfriend drive impaired. Both were charged. Read about it at:

Police: Teacher let roommate drive drunk | The Daily News Journal | dnj.com

A Somerville driver ran into a Memphis officer trying to stop vehicles from driving into floodwaters. Read about it at:

CRIME REPORT: Man arrested for clipping police car trying to control traffic » The Commercial Appeal

In Chattanooga a man was shot in the groin during a shoot out in a local bar. Guns in bars?

Chattanooga: Man shot in groin, arrested on warrants after shoot-out at local bar | timesfreepress.com

In Blountville, a man was arrested for DUI with three children under the age of four in the car.

Man charged with DUI, reckless endangerment in Blountville - Kingsport Times-News Online

Rest in Peace Trooper Andy Wall

So sorry to fear about the death of Trooper Wall.

Link here to the Department of Safety website to read about this tragic situation.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Killed in Motorcycle Accident | TN.gov Newsroom

Minnesota public service message

New DUI Decision

In State v Baucum, the defendant was found in a car that was stopped in the middle of a road in January, 2007. When Deputy Jeffrey Mclis arrived to investigate, he found the defendant passed out in the driver's seat with keys in the ignition. He smelled or alcohol and urine. There was an empty vodka bottle on the floorboard. When the defendant was awoken, he began fighting. The defendant was convicted of DUI 4th offense and resisting arrest. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the decision. The defendant claimed all his problems were caused by seizures and his father claimed to have left the vodka bottle.
Read about it at:
http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/TCCA/PDF/112/State%20vs%20Eddie%20J%20Baucom%20III.pdf

Cell phone distracted causes injury

In Kingsport a woman has been charged for leaving the scene of an accident, which injured a traffic control worker. She allegedly clipped him with her mirror causing shoulder and arm injuries. After being stopped the newspaper reports that she told a guy who stopped her that it was "no big deal." Here's some news! It is a big deal. This poor guy is out there doing his job and ends up in the hospital. That's a big deal for him. It's a big deal for the doctors and nurses who work on his injuries. It's a big deal as his family suffers while he is out of work. It's a big deal for his co-workers, who have work his shift for him. It's a big deal for the insurance company. It's a big deal for the taxpayers, who shell out money to support health insurance. The "no big deal" attitude is not acceptable for human beings who have at least an ounce of concern for fellow human beings.
Read about this at:
http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9031754

P.S. As with all people accused of a crime, she is presumed innocent, unless proven guilty.