According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, the number of motorcycle riders killed in the state of Tennessee in 2012 – 133 – has already surpassed the number from last year, which was 114. Unfortunately, the trend isn’t unique to Tennessee, says Kara Macek, communications manager at the Governor’s Highway Safety Association. “It’s a nationwide trend that overall fatalities are going down, but motorcycle fatalities are going up,” she reported. If you have suffered injuries in a serious motorcycle accident in Tennessee, or if you lost a loved one in such an accident, contact our qualified attorneys at Michael D. Ponce & Associates to discuss your legal options. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your losses, which you can pursue by filing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against the at-fault driver.
Across the United States, motorcycle accident deaths have increased in 13 of the last 14 years, and Tennessee has seen its fair share of motorcycle-related fatalities. In Chattanooga alone, two people died in motorcycle accidents in the first week of December, a 56-year-old man and a 32-year-old man, both of whom were struck and killed by another vehicle. “By and large, motorcycles are a dangerous way to travel, and they tend to attract risk-taking people,” said Macek. Motorcycles are so dangerous, in fact, that riders are roughly 30 times more likely to be killed in a traffic accident than occupants in passenger cars and trucks, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “You’re on two wheels, and you don’t have anything to protect you,” said Chattanooga police spokesperson Nathan Hartwig. “Your maneuverability is more restricted, and you just don’t have the safety features that a car has.”
There are a number of possible causes of motorcycle accidents in the United States, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reports, including lack of riding skills, speeding, alcohol impairment, lack of license, or lack of motorist awareness of motorcycles. If you have been injured in a major motorcycle accident in Nashville, or elsewhere in Tennessee, contact our knowledgeable lawyers at Michael D. Ponce & Associates today. Our attorneys have extensive experience protecting the legal rights of motorcycle accident victims, and can help you pursue the financial compensation you deserve for your accident-related injuries and losses. More often than not, motorcycle accidents and fatalities are caused by the negligence or inattention of another driver. With the help of our skilled lawyers, you can work to hold the at-fault driver responsible for your injuries, medical bills and other damages.