Malichi Thomas, Billy Grant & Amanda Curry Killed, One Hurt in Single-Car Accident in Rockwood, TN
Rockwood, TN -- A single-vehicle collision claimed the lives of Malichi Thomas, Billy Grant and Amanda Curry and left one hurt in Rockwood, TN Friday, January 6, 2017.
The early report alleges the vehicle containing the four occupants was traveling along Kingston Avenue when the incident happened. It appears the vehicle failed to successfully negotiate a curve, crashing into a tree. 37-year-old Billy Grant, the driver of the car, and a backseat passenger, Malichi Thomas, 14, were killed at the scene of the incident. Mrs. Curry, 34, was taken to a nearby hospital, but later succumbed to her injuries. A fourth victim, who remains unidentified, was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. The have since been released.
The official investigation is currently underway.
The preliminary media report provided no further information at the time of its release.
map of the area
Commentary
It's far too easy to simply blame this accident on operator error. The report claims investigators believe the vehicle was traveling at excessive speeds. But, I have seen plenty of accidents much like this, where independent investigations uncovered important details left out in the police report. So often the media quickly paints the drivers in these crashes as being responsible, but there are plenty of potential factors (tire blowouts, steering failure, etc.) that lead to single-vehicle accidents. It's far too easy just to say a driver was operating a vehicle at an unsafe speed than it is to conduct a more scientific investigation into all the details. And with regards to the loss of life and injury, the easy way out is never the best option.
-- Grossman Law Office
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