Knight bobtail pulls in front of motorcycle - rider dead.

No charges? I hope there is a follow-up to this story. Just seems a bit premature, given the circumstances, at least on the surface.

(Note: I'm not making any accusations or assumptions here. This is simply a first impression based upon history, the limited facts given here, etc. It is in no way an indictment of the trucker.)

 

as a rider and a driver this hurts me to hear.

 

If I am not mistaken aren't there 2 truckstops right there where the truck could have made his U turn? Or is that further up 31 north?

 

If the news article is close to accurate, I would say no charges. Reading the article, the big truck was pulled to the side of the road to make a U-Turn. What's not clear is if the driver was in the process of making a U-turn. So all we know is that the truck was to the side of the road.

We also know that the motorcycle hit the cab. We don't know what portion of the cab.

Since the investigators do not anticipate charges against the driver, I would lean towards the motorcyclist was at fault, by driving off the traveled portion of the roadway.

Every city, state, jurisdictions are different in how they look at things. Most of the time if there is a law stating that you must drive on the maintained traveled portion of a roadway/highway. That means the area between the white and yellow (on 2-lanes) or 2 white lines. Unless otherwise posted it is legal to stop, stand, or park a vehicle to the right (2-lane) of the white line.

I know this analysis is purely speculation, but is based on years of investigating these types of accidents. If the semi was not legally where it should be, I feel that the LEO agency would not have reported that they do not anticipate charges against the driver. Especially nowadays where drivers get charged for the least little things.

 

Well this is a sad story and by the looks of the truck...The bike hit the drivers tank because it was all smashed up....So the guy was most likely turning when the bike nailed him...And it looked pretty wet to so I'm sure that didnt help the poor biker....

 

That's further up the interstate. Next exit or two north? There's a waffle house there with a lot for seven trucks or so he could of easily turned around in. This is right up the road from the back way into the Tyson plant. He must of been delivering or waiting for a load at the AWG warehouse next exit south or more likely Tyson since it's right down the road. Probably looking for a truckstop since that Tyson doesn't let you hang out. That WaffleHouse lot is dark and he probably didn't see it.


Do a Uturn during a driving test is an automatic fail. Many companies forbid it also. I bet he gets fired at minimum.

There is no shoulder on that road except right near the interstate. A man loses his life from someone else's negligence and no charges? At least give give him a failure to yield.

 

This seems to be SOP where motorcyclists are concerned. All a person has to do is claim "I didn't see the motorcycle" and suddenly they are not at fault for causing the wreck. Worst case, a "failure to yield" ticket will be issued, driver will pay a small fine, and that will be the end of it as far as the law is concerned. As long as the driver wasn't in violation of the HOS, and was not under the influence, or in some other way demonstrating negligence, I doubt there will be any major consequences.

On one hand, because I ride, I would like to see more serious penalties for killing a motorcyclist....

...but on the other hand, should another family be torn apart and an otherwise productive member of society thrown in prison for a few years for a simple oversight where there was no intent to cause harm to another person?

I almost pulled out in front of a motorcycle one time...and I honestly did not see him. I saw a second bike riding about 100 yards behind him and decided to wait. That's when the 1st bike ripped past me on one wheel. He wouldn't have had a chance if it weren't for that other bike. That headlight isn't very visible when it is pointing straight up into the air, and his reaction time would have been greatly increased since he would have had to set the front down before he could even think about applying the brakes. To this day, I don't know if he realizes just how close he came to dying that day...but I do. If the second bike hadn't been there and I pulled out, would I have faced criminal charges over the incident? If I had pulled out without seeing the speeding motorcyclist riding on one wheel, should I have faced criminal charges?

How many of you have pulled out in front of a motorcycle before? How many of you did and to this day are still unaware of that fact because you never saw it? If that motorcyclist hadn't been able to avoid you, should they have thrown YOU in jail?

Everybody needs to pay closer attention to what they are doing....and obey the rules of the road. I'm sure the driver had other options to get turned around rather than attempting a u-turn....especially if he was bobtailing. I'm sure the motorcycle could have been more observant, too....reduced speed, adjusted his lane position, made sure he was visible to the truck on the shoulder. Was he wearing proper gear? Helmet, jacket, gloves, pants, boots....or was he riding around in flip flops, shorts, and a tank top? What you are wearing could mean the difference between picking yourself up and walking away from a minor wreck vs. getting a toe tag at the morgue. Should the other driver involved have to face stiffer penalties just because you didn't take certain precautions to minimize your own chances of being injured or killed in a crash?

It is pretty easy to sit there from the comfort of your own home looking at limited information in a news report and jumping to a conclusion...but without all of the details, you're probably making more than a few assumptions, so that conclusion is likely flawed. I'm sure there are things both drivers could have done differently which would have significantly improved the outcome of the situation....but they didn't. It is what it is, and even if no charges are filed, that Knight driver is still going to have a fatal wreck on his record...and we are all aware of the potential limitations that has when seeking employment in this industry.....especially if you were the one cited in the crash.

 

But the bike didn't hit the truck at 90 degree angle.
From the damage it looks like the bike did an overtaking and swiped the side off the truck.
Could the reason why the driver isn't charged be because he had his left indicator on so he was making a left turn in fact.(from a legal point off view)

What i couldn't make out if there are 2 or 4 lanes there?(i'm thinking 2 but not shure)