Court Reviews the Appropriation of Fault in a Case Involving a Bicycle Accident

ROBERT D. GRAY v. ANDY B. ROTEN, II and GARY B. ROTEN (Tenn. Ct. App. January 18, 2011)

This case involves an accident between a bicycle and a pick-up truck. Appellant was struck by Appellee's truck when Appellant failed to obey a stop sign and rode his bicycle into traffic. The trial court found that Appellant was sixty percent at fault for the accident, and, pursuant to a comparative fault analysis, entered judgment for Appellee.

On appeal, we find that the trial court erred in applying a pedestrian statute to a bicyclist, but that this error was harmless in light of our finding that Appellant was negligent per se in failing to obey the stop sign, and/or in failing to yield to oncoming traffic. We conclude that the evidence preponderates in favor of the trial court's finding that Appellant was at least sixty percent at fault so as to foreclose any recovery under a comparative fault analysis. Affirmed for the reasons discussed herein.

Opinion available at:
http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/TCA/2011/grayr_011811.pdf