Accident on Tennessee highway claims the life of a motorcyclist

According to authorities, a 64-year-old man died as a result of a motorcycle crash in Bellevue. The June 19 accident reportedly occurred on Highway 70 at approximately 1 p.m.

The 64-year-old man was riding a 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle east on the highway when a westbound truck, attempting to make a left turn, crossed into his path, authorities said. The subsequent collision knocked the 64-year-old man off his motorcycle.

Officials declared the man dead at the scene. According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the driver of the truck, a 35-year-old man, was operating the vehicle at the time of the accident without a valid driver’s license. Police detained the man on charges of failure to exercise due care and driving without a license. Yet, police indicated that they are still investigating the accident.

If a preponderance of evidence from this case were to indicate that the accident was in fact caused by a driver who failed to exercise due care, then that driver may be held responsible for the incident not just criminally but also in civil court. That is because people who suffer damages as the result of an accident caused by a negligent driver may pursue civil action against that driver.

While people who are hurt in an accident may retain a personal injury lawyer and file suit, certain family members of fatal crash victims may file a wrongful death claim. In this way, accident victims and their families may seek financial compensation for the damages they suffered as a result of the crash. For example, claimants in a successful wrongful death lawsuit might be awarded restitution for the expenses associated with their loved one’s funeral services, burial and estate administration.

Source: NewsChannel5.com, “Two Charged In Connection With Fatal Motorcycle Crash”, June 19, 2014