There have been seven fatal crashes in Knoxville so far in 2026, and two motorcyclists died over the weekend.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Before this past weekend, a total of five people had died in crashes in Knoxville this year.
Over the weekend, two people were killed in separate wrecks and another person was seriously injured. All three were riding motorcycles.
Knoxville Police Department officials say the incidents reflect a concerning trend they are working to address.
Sgt. Greg Womac said motorcycle crashes tend to increase with warmer weather as more riders take to the roads.
“The motorcycle crashes are up simply because the weather’s nice,” Womac said. “You get more people getting out on the bikes.”
Womac said the past few days have been busy for the department’s crash reconstruction team.
“The three this weekend, one of them involves speed, but the other two fatalities — one was a failure to yield, and one was running a red light — so they’re kind of all over the place,” he said.
The latest incidents bring the total to seven fatal crashes in Knoxville this year. While that number remains lower than it was at this point in 2024, the number of fatalities so far this year is higher than they were this time last year.
KPD said the department investigated 29 fatal crashes in 2025 and 52 in 2024.
Womac said officers are watching for patterns and may increase enforcement in certain areas.
“We’re looking at doing some targeted enforcement in those areas to try to make people aware, slow people down and pay a little more attention to their driving,” he said.
Three of the seven fatal crashes this year have involved motorcycles, something Womac called especially concerning.
“Ride defensively all the time,” he said. “You’re very unprotected. You’re at the mercy of all the vehicles around you.”
He also recommends riders, even experienced ones, take a motorcycle safety course.
“There’s techniques that they teach you and ways to avoid crashes,” Womac said.
Nicole Cardwell-Hampton is the director of workforce development at Walters State Community College. She said the college offers motorcycle safety courses good not only for beginners, but they can serve as an important refresher.
“It’s a reminder to our experienced riders that you need to think about certain things,” Cardwell-Hampton said. “Don’t take it for granted that you know everything about riding a motorcycle, because things happen in an instant. This is going to make you more aware of issues that you may have.”
