Motorcycle Wreck Lawyer for Tri-Cities Riders

There are no minor injuries when a car hits a motorcycle. And from the first phone call, the insurance company treats the rider like the problem. “He was going too fast.” “She came out of nowhere.” “I never saw him.” If you ride, you’ve heard it.

I’m Robert Bates, a Kingsport trial lawyer, and I represent riders hurt by careless drivers across the Tri-Cities and Northeast Tennessee. I know how to take that bias apart.

A real example

A 63-year-old client from Elizabethton was riding in the right lane of Highway 91 when a driver pulled out in front of him. The insurance company blamed my client, said he was going too fast, and refused to offer a dime. His request to me was simple: “I want an attorney who is going to fight for me.”

We filed suit and I took the other driver’s sworn testimony. Under questioning, the driver admitted he saw my client coming down the four-lane highway, pulled out anyway, and thought he could make it. My client had swerved to avoid him and laid the bike down, breaking his wrist and ribs. Not long after that deposition, the same insurance company paid $500,000 to settle the case.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is different.

Common causes of motorcycle wrecks

• Drivers turning left in front of a motorcycle
• Drivers pulling out from side roads and parking lots
• Lane changes into a rider’s blind spot
• Rear-end crashes in slowing traffic
• Distracted and impaired drivers
• Road defects, gravel and debris on curves

Tennessee motorcycle laws that matter to your case

Helmets. Tennessee still has a universal helmet law. Every rider and passenger is required to wear a helmet that meets federal safety standards. Bills to let adults 21 and older ride without a helmet keep coming up in the legislature, and the most recent one failed in committee in March 2026.

If you weren’t wearing a helmet, you may still have a strong case. The question is whether the missing helmet actually caused or worsened a particular injury. A helmet has nothing to do with a broken leg.

Lane use. Tennessee law gives a motorcycle the right to the full use of a lane. Riding between lanes of traffic is not legal in Tennessee, and the insurance company will use it against you if it happened. That doesn’t end your case. It becomes a question of comparative fault.

Comparative fault. You can recover as long as you are less than 50 percent at fault, with your recovery reduced by your percentage of fault. That’s why the insurance company works so hard to blame the rider, and why the evidence matters.

Evidence I look for

• Scene photos, skid marks and the final resting positions of the bike and car
• Damage to the motorcycle and your gear
• Witness statements, including other riders
• Traffic and business security cameras
• The other driver’s phone use
• Your helmet camera or GPS data if you have it

Injuries we see

Road rash, broken bones, spinal injuries, traumatic brain injuries and amputations. These injuries often mean long recoveries, surgery and time away from work. Your case needs to account for the future, not just the bills you have today.