MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS
Knoxville motorcycle accident lawyers.
Motorcyclists can suffer serious injuries even in collisions that cause relatively little damage to a passenger vehicle. We help injured riders understand the insurance and liability issues that follow a crash.
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Motorcycle injuries can be severe.
A rider has far less physical protection than someone inside a passenger vehicle. A motorcycle collision can therefore involve fractures, head or spinal injuries, road rash, surgery, rehabilitation and significant time away from work.
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How is fault determined?
The same basic negligence principles that apply to other roadway collisions can apply to motorcycle crashes. Evidence may include the crash report, witness accounts, photographs, video, vehicle damage and roadway conditions. A motorcyclist is not automatically at fault merely because riding a motorcycle involves different risks than driving a car.
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Does Tennessee require motorcycle helmets?
Tennessee generally requires motorcycle drivers and passengers to wear qualifying crash helmets, subject to limited statutory exceptions. Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-9-302. Questions about helmet use and whether it has any legal relevance to a particular injury claim depend on the facts and should not be reduced to assumptions.
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What if the driver says they never saw the motorcycle?
Visibility disputes are common in motorcycle cases. The investigation may focus on lane position, turns, traffic controls, lighting, speed, sight lines and what each driver was doing immediately before impact.
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What if the other driver has little or no insurance?
Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may become important. The applicable policies should be reviewed before assuming there is no additional source of recovery. See our Tennessee UM/UIM guide.
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What should you preserve?
Save photographs of the motorcycle, protective equipment, visible injuries and the scene. Keep medical and insurance information, and do not dispose of damaged equipment that may later become relevant without first considering whether it should be preserved.
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What is the Tennessee deadline?
Tennessee generally requires actions for injuries to the person to be commenced within one year after the cause of action accrues. Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104 contains exceptions and specific facts can affect the deadline.
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Our post-crash guide also contains practical steps that apply to many motorcycle collisions.
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Injured in a Knoxville motorcycle wreck?
Start with a free initial phone consultation. Tell us what happened and we can discuss whether McKeehan Law Group may be able to help.