Motorcycle Deaths Increasing in the Tennessee Valley

It has been a deadly summer on the roads all across the Tennessee Valley, especially for those who are turning to motorcycles to save gas money. We dug through our records to learn that since March, at least ten bikers have been killed in our area. We're talking to one family still coping with the loss of a loved one, with a warning for those of you who may be hitting the open road.

As Anne Wehunt makes one of frequent trips to her late brother's grave, she's reminded of how many times he talked about being safe on his motorcycle. "He knew what to do in case of an accident, which is what happened to him," she says. "Someone had stopped in front of him and he had to lay the bike down in a slide, and actually, the foot peg caught and twisted the bike around. He ended up going head first into the car instead of feet first." After three critical days in the hospital, his family made the heart-wrenching decision to take him off life support.

We dug deeper into the number of motorcycle fatalities in this area, and discovered since March of this year, 10 people have died in motorcycle wrecks in Southeast Tennessee. Last year, there were 104 motorcycle fatalities across the state. This year, there have been 81 so far, and the Department of Safety says, we're on pace to surpass the 104 mark.

In Chattanooga just since June, there have been 4 motorcycle accidents, and five fatalities, two deaths on one bike. Chattanooga police say, many motorcycle deaths can be attributed to young drivers on high-performance bikes, referred to as "crotch rockets."

Assistant Chief Mike Williams has seen more motorcycle wrecks than he says, he's ever wanted to see, being an ex-cycle owner himself.

"You're driving with yopur head on a swivel all the time," he says. "You always looking for somebody pulling out in front of you, not seeing you because, they just don't see that small figure coming at them." As more people move to motorcycles to save the high cost of fuel, Chief Williams predicts even MORE accidents.

That's little comfort to Anne Wehunt, still in disbelief that her brother, the oldest of 14 children was lost, doing something he loved to do. "I worried about him on the bike," she says. "When they called and said he'd had a wreck, I was like 'well, it's finally happened, but at the same time you sit there and think, no it's not real.. it really didn't happen."

Chattanooga State offers a motorcycle safety class that is taught on weekends. The cost is 220 dollars for the beginner's course, and 100 dollars for experienced cyclists.