Chattanooga Pulse

According to police reports and witnesses, Meek was riding on Ashland Terrace towards Hixson Pike when a passing truck somehow caught up one of Meek’s saddlebags, yanking the bike out from under him and slinging him into the roadway.  He was taken to Erlanger where he succumbed a short time later to his many injuries. The driver of the truck told police he never saw the bicyclist and did not know there was anything wrong until he saw the victim in the street.

Under Tennessee law, all vehicles must maintain a minimum of three feet of clearance to the side when passing a bicyclist, provided that they can see the bicyclist. While at first glance it is obvious that the driver of the truck did not give Meek nearly enough clearance, police investigators are in the process of determining whether or not Meek was sufficiently visible.

It is possible that Meek was not wearing his reflective vest and that his rear LED light might not have been at an angle that could be seen, which, combined with a 40 mph speed limit along that section of Ashland Terrace could easily have contributed to the accident. Yet even if the investigation does find that the driver was at fault, it is likely that he will only be charged with failure to yield, as current law does not provide for any stronger charges in cases like this (unless alcohol or deliberate recklessness was involved, neither of which are alleged in this tragedy).