A pedestrian is in critical condition after being engulfed in flames when a vehicle traveling south on Riverside Drive in Clarksville, Tennessee, left the roadway and struck a gas station pump, causing a dangerous explosion. Chris Porter was leaving the Exxon convenience store and walking through the parking lot at the time of the accident, which took place earlier this month, and he suffered severe burn injuries that landed him at the Vanderbilt burn unit for treatment. If you have been seriously injured in a Nashville pedestrian accident or another type of accident anywhere in Tennessee, contact our skilled attorneys at Michael D. Ponce & Associates to discuss your legal options. You may have grounds to file a personal injury lawsuit against the person found at-fault in the accident, in order to pursue financial compensation for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other accident-related damages.
The TN gas station accident took place on July 4 at about 8:11 am, and involved a white 2008 Lincoln MKZ driven by John Ward. According to Ray Williams of the Clarksville Fire Department, Chris Porter had left G’s Pancake House to make a purchase at the gas station’s convenience store and was exiting when Ward’s vehicle struck the gas pump. Although Porter was able to avoid being struck by Ward’s car, he was unable to avoid the explosion and fire resulting from the accident. “He was an innocent bystander just caught up in the fireball,” said Williams, who reported that Porter suffered “severe and life-threatening” third-degree burns on 40% of his body. According to Williams, Porter could not be airlifted following the devastating accident due to weather conditions, so he was taken by ground transport to Gateway Hospital for eventual transfer to the Vanderbilt University burn unit.
Porter remained in critical condition following the tragic gas station accident, and authorities say the wreck could have been much worse. “The automatic [gas] shut-off worked like it was supposed to,” said Williams about the wreck, “which helped in getting [the fire] under control.” In addition to Porter’s severe burn injuries, there were also two vehicles destroyed in the fire – “the vehicle that crashed into the pump and another one that was just parked there that belonged to the owner of the gas station,” reported Williams. Ward, the driver of the Lincoln MKZ, did not sustain any serious injuries in the accident, which is still under investigation, officials have reported. “He was perfectly fine. He had a cut on his hand, that was it,” said the owner of the gas station, Jason Han. “I think he was a little shook up. He just said he blacked out. It didn’t look like he was inebriated, but you never know.”
Source: http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20130704/NEWS01/307040010/One-vehicle-crash-leads-pedestrian-being-burned
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