Greg Hardy, the defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, will be sitting out for at least two weeks of the team’s training camp after a motorcycle accident in Tennessee. The football star wrecked his bike on Interstate 40 just outside of Knoxville. The entire left side of his body was badly skinned during the accident. He was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, according to The Charlotte Observer, where he was treated for abrasions on his leg, foot and arm.
The accident happen when Hardy was heading east on Interstate 40 and slammed into the vehicle traveling in front of him causing him to lose control of his bike. The collision caused his bike to roll several times before coming to a rest on the shoulder. He has been charged with driving without a license, failure to exercise due care, following too closely and failure to yield.
Our Knoxville motorcycle accident attorneys recognize that the number of motorcycle accidents in our state continues to increase. Unfortunately, the rate of injury also continues to grow. These riders are often overlooked by passenger-vehicle motorists on our roadways. The lack of understanding regarding the functions of motorcycles leaves the two-wheeled motorists at great risks for a deadly accident.
Between the years of 2004 and 2008, motorcycle accidents in the state of Tennessee rose by a yearly average of 9.2 percent. Since 1999, motorcycle accident deaths increased by more than 145 percent.
Here are the yearly increases, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety:
-2003: 90 deaths: a 20.0 percent increase from 2002.
-2004: 97 deaths: a 7.8 percent increase.
-2005: 129 deaths: a 33 percent increase.
-2006: 141 deaths: 9.3 percent increase.
-2007: 149 deaths: 5.7 percent increase.
You may think that motorcycles are more vulnerable to traffic accidents during the evening hours, but the truth is that nearly 75 of motorcycle accidents in Tennessee happened during daylight hours.
The Tennessee Department of Safety offers these safety tips to help passenger-vehicle motorists avoid an accident with a motorcycle:
-Stay out of their lane. Motorcyclists need a full lane and enough space to respond to a number of roadway hazards and they need to have full visibility of the area around them.
-Check your vehicle’s blind spots. Many accidents occur because vehicles don’t check these areas where motorcyclists can get lost.
-Always make use of your turn signal. Making your maneuvers known will help them to anticipate traffic flow.
-Lookout at intersections. Nearly 70 percent of accidents that involved a car and a motorcycle happened when a car turned in front of a motorcyclist.
-Don’t follow too closely. You should allow at least a four-second following distance between your car and a motorcycle. Give them extra space in bad weather.
If you or a loved one is injured or killed in an accident in Tennessee, contact Hartsoe Law Firm, P.C. for a confidential appointment to discuss your rights with our Knoxville injury lawyers and Maryville accident attorneys. Call (877) 472-5657.
Additional Resources:
DE Hardy injured in bike wreck, by Joseph Person, The Charlotte Observer
More Blog Entries:
Motorcyclist Run Over and Killed in Tennessee Trucking Accident, Tennessee Injury Attorney Blog, August 10, 2011
Man Killed in Maryville Motorcycle Accident, Tennessee Injury Attorney Blog, June 12, 2011
Tennessee Car Accidents, Bicycle Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents a Memorial Day Concern, Tennessee Injury Attorney Blog, May 25, 2011