When motorists don’t react quickly enough to traffic conditions, such as abrupt starts and stops, serious accidents can occur. When accidents like that involve motorcyclists, riders are particularly vulnerable to injuries. With minimal equipment to protect them, they are at risk if they are involved in crashes with multiple vehicles. A three-vehicle accident that left a motorcyclist in critical condition in Tennessee is currently being investigated, and charges may be pending against one of the drivers.
The motorcycle accident happened earlier this week on Highway 58 in Chattanooga. A motorist was in the center turn lane waiting to turn into a Hardee’s restaurant. Meanwhile, a 24-year-old woman was driving north in the left lane on the highway when she apparently didn’t react appropriately to halting traffic and swerved into the turn lane, striking the vehicle that was waiting to turn.
According to WRCB TV, the impact caused her to veer into the southbound lane near the 4800 block of Highway 58, where she collided with a 57-year-old motorcyclist. He was reportedly taken to Erlanger Medical Center and was listed in critical condition. The extent of his injuries wasn’t reported.
Many news sources report that investigators will attempt to reconstruct the crash to determine if charges are appropriate against the driver who lost control of her vehicle. It’s not known if alcohol might have been a factor in the accident. Blood tests were taken after the crash, which could also impact potential charges.
Source: WRCB TV, “Motorcyclist seriously injured in three vehicle accident,” Gary Poole, March 6, 2012