Motorcycylists in Tennessee certainly have less inherent protection around them than do drivers and passengers in cars, trucks or sport utility vehicles. This fact can make them highly susceptible to injuries when they are hit by other vehicles. That, however, does not mean it is their fault when they are hurt and operators of other vehicles do have a responsibility to avoid hitting motorcyclists just as they do other vehicles, pedestrians or bicyclists.
Unfortunately many drivers out there do not appear too concerned with their responsibilities to others. An example of this can be seen in a case in which a motorcycle officer with the Knoxville Police Department was actually rear-ended by another vehicle. To make matters worse, that driver did not stop at all. It was only after the driver was arrested for a completely unrelated offense that she happened to be identified as the person who hit and injured the officer.
The officer was taken to the hospital for treatment and the woman who hit him now faces a myriad of criminal charges including leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license, violating the state’s open container law and reckless driving. Details of the man’s injuries are not know but he has been released from the hospital.
Even when criminal charges are issues, people hurt by reckless drivers might want to discuss their civil options for compensation with an experienced personal injury attorney.
Source: KnoxNews.com, “Woman charged in hit-and-run that hurt KPD motorcycle officer,” Hayes Hickman, April 10, 2018