V23.49XA: Motorcycle Hit by Car in Tennessee Settlement Value

V23.49XA is the current ICD-10-CM external-cause code for a motorcycle driver injured in a collision with a car, pickup, or van during traffic, initial encounter. Tennessee hospitals replaced the deleted V22.4XXA and V23.4XXA codes with V23.49XA after the ICD-10-CM 2024 update. The final A means initial encounter; follow-up visits become V23.49XD; long-term sequelae become V23.49XS.

Tennessee motorcycle cases range widely by injury severity: minor cases (road rash, single-region soft tissue) settle from $25,000 to $100,000; moderate cases with surgery run $100,000 to $400,000; severe cases involving multi-fracture or moderate TBI reach $400,000 to $2,000,000; catastrophic and wrongful-death cases can exceed $5,000,000. Non-economic recovery is capped at $750,000 standard or $1,000,000 catastrophic under TCA Section 29-39-102; economic damages (medical, lost wages, future care) are uncapped. Tennessee Department of Safety data shows roughly 17,127 motorcycle crashes and 914 motorcyclist fatalities statewide between 2016 and 2021.

No. TCA Section 55-8-182 prohibits the operator of a motorcycle from overtaking or passing in the same lane occupied by the vehicle being overtaken, and prohibits operating between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows of vehicles. Tennessee is one of only a few states with a clear statutory ban on lane splitting (and lane filtering at stopped traffic). Lane sharing, meaning two motorcycles abreast in a single lane, is permitted. In a V23.49XA case, defense lawyers raise the lane-splitting argument whenever the motorcycle was anywhere between lanes; the 49% bar means a finding above 50% fault ends the case entirely.

Yes, for all riders. TCA Section 55-9-302 requires drivers and passengers of motorcycles, motorized bicycles, and motorscooters to wear a helmet meeting FMVSS 218 (federal motor vehicle safety standard). Narrow exceptions exist for slow-speed parades and funeral processions under police escort. Tennessee remains a universal-helmet state despite repeal attempts; non-use is a per se statutory violation and supports a comparative-fault reduction under the McIntyre v. Balentine 49% bar framework.

One year from the date of the crash under TCA Section 28-3-104(a)(1)(A). If criminal charges (DUI, vehicular assault) are brought against the at-fault driver for the same conduct, TCA Section 28-3-104(a)(2) extends the deadline to two years. If a public-entity vehicle is involved (a Metro Nashville bus, a TDOT vehicle), the Governmental Tort Liability Act at TCA Section 29-20-302 requires notice within strict deadlines and caps damages at $300,000 per claimant and $700,000 per accident (TCA Section 29-20-403).

Under McIntyre v. Balentine (1992), a Tennessee motorcyclist recovers only if their fault is less than the at-fault driver's. The defense plays for percentage points on speed, lane position, lighting, helmet non-use (per se statutory violation under TCA Section 55-9-302), lane splitting (per se statutory violation under TCA Section 55-8-182), and "I didn't see them" left-turn cases. A finding above 50% fault ends the case entirely; even a 30 to 40 percent reduction can flip a 6-figure case to a 5-figure recovery.

Motorcycle riders ride exposed; multi-region injury is the rule. Most common paired S-codes: S52 forearm (radius, ulna, the classic "biker's arm" from going down on the side), S82 tibia and fibula, S72 femur, S22 ribs and thoracic spine, S32 pelvis, S06.0X through S06.9X traumatic brain injury (even with helmet use in high-speed crashes), T14 generalized road rash, and S42 clavicle and AC joint. The S-code severity (especially S06 TBI grade and any spinal-cord involvement) drives most of the value, not the V-code.

TN motorcycle crashes cluster in two zones. (1) Urban arterials around Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga during commute hours, especially at left-turn-in-front intersections. (2) Recreational motorcycle corridors: US 129 (the Tail of the Dragon) at the TN / NC line, the Cherohala Skyway, the Foothills Parkway, the Natchez Trace Parkway, and the Pigeon Forge Parkway through Sevier County. Spring and early-fall riding seasons concentrate fatal crashes; TN Dept of Safety data shows September is the single highest-crash month statewide.

You file a UM/UIM claim against your own carrier. TCA Section 55-12-102 sets the minimum auto liability at $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident / $15,000 property damage, which falls catastrophically short for serious motorcycle injuries; severe cases routinely incur $200,000 to $500,000 in medical bills alone. With approximately 21 percent of TN drivers uninsured (5th highest in the U.S.), UM/UIM under TCA Section 56-7-1201 (which must be offered at equal limits unless rejected in writing) is often the primary source of recovery. Anti-stacking under Section 56-7-1201(b)(2) limits you to the UM/UIM on the accident vehicle.

It can substantially reduce recovery but rarely ends the case on its own. Because TCA Section 55-9-302 makes helmet use mandatory for all riders, non-use is per se statutory negligence. Defense lawyers argue the comparative reduction should be tied to the percentage of injuries caused or aggravated by helmet non-use (head and neck injuries, not extremity injuries). A typical helmet-defense reduction is 10 to 30 percent of the head-injury portion of damages; the practical impact varies by injury profile. If you were wearing a non-FMVSS-218-compliant novelty helmet, defense will argue the same per se violation.

Indirectly. Adjuster severity software (Colossus, Liability Navigator) maps V23.49XA (motorcycle hit by car) to a substantially higher severity band than V43 (car-vs-car) at the same paired S-code level because motorcyclists ride exposed and sustain higher-energy multi-region injuries. The dominant value drivers remain the paired S-codes, treatment intensity, permanent impairment ratings, the helmet-defense reduction, and the available policy and UM/UIM stack. V-code alone does not generate a number.