[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/blog\/hickory-hill-crash-kills-5-how-attorneys-pursue-claims-involving-police-cars\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/blog\/hickory-hill-crash-kills-5-how-attorneys-pursue-claims-involving-police-cars\/","headline":"Hickory Hill Crash Kills 5: How Attorneys Pursue Claims Involving Police Cars","name":"Hickory Hill Crash Kills 5: How Attorneys Pursue Claims Involving Police Cars","description":"How Tennessee Law Treats Crashes Involving Government Vehicles Key Takeaways: After a deadly Hickory Hill crash involving a police vehicle responding to an emergency call, families may have claims against the city as well as the other driver involved. Attorneys usually bring these claims under Tennessee’s Governmental Tort Liability Act, which removes city immunity when...","datePublished":"2026-10-30","dateModified":"2026-10-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/blog\/author\/mamajustice\/#Person","name":"Mama Justice - MW Law Firm","url":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/blog\/author\/mamajustice\/","identifier":6,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e447862997b79ed22fd71bb87a11629345f26dae1c12efb64a217ade91b0f64b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e447862997b79ed22fd71bb87a11629345f26dae1c12efb64a217ade91b0f64b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Mama Justice - MW Law Firm","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Mama-Justice-Logo-Desktop.png","url":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Mama-Justice-Logo-Desktop.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/memphis_police_vehicle_crash_claim_hickory_hill.webp","url":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/memphis_police_vehicle_crash_claim_hickory_hill.webp","height":768,"width":1376},"url":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/blog\/hickory-hill-crash-kills-5-how-attorneys-pursue-claims-involving-police-cars\/","about":["Wrongful Death"],"wordCount":1884,"keywords":["Wrongful Death"],"articleBody":"How Tennessee Law Treats Crashes Involving Government VehiclesKey Takeaways: After a deadly Hickory Hill crash involving a police vehicle responding to an emergency call, families may have claims against the city as well as the other driver involved. Attorneys usually bring these claims under Tennessee’s Governmental Tort Liability Act, which removes city immunity when an employee drives negligently on the job. Officers responding to emergencies or chasing suspects have some privileges, but must still drive with due regard for everyone’s safety, and cities may raise those privileges as a defense. Attorneys act quickly to preserve dash camera footage, body camera footage, dispatch logs and vehicle data, and name all responsible parties, since comparative fault may split blame. Claims against a government entity generally must be filed within 12 months, and waiting for the criminal case does not pause that deadline. GTLA caps may force several families to share one $700,000 per-accident limit, so attorneys also look at other coverage, such as the other driver’s insurance and uninsured motorist policies.Five lives lost in a single crash leaves a Memphis community grieving and searching for answers. The Hickory Hill fatal crash on October 11, 2026, involved a Memphis police vehicle responding to an emergency call, a man-down\/homicide call, that collided with a civilian vehicle at the intersection of Hickory Hill Road and East Raines Road, and that changes the legal picture for surviving families. When a city car is part of a deadly collision, the usual rules for auto accidents in Memphis do not fully apply. Victims face strict deadlines, immunity rules, and caps on what a government entity may be required to pay. This article does not reach conclusions about fault in this crash. It explains how Tennessee law generally treats claims involving police cars.Government bodies in Tennessee, including the City of Memphis, are generally immune from lawsuits unless a statute removes that immunity. The Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act (GTLA) creates important exceptions. Under Tenn. Code Ann. \u00a7 29-20-202(a), immunity "is removed for injuries resulting from the negligent operation by any employee of a motor vehicle or other equipment while in the scope of employment." That provision is the legal basis for most police vehicle crash claims in Memphis.The removal of immunity is not unlimited. Section 29-20-202(b) states that it does not repeal or modify the emergency vehicle statute (\u00a7 55-8-108) or \u00a7 55-8-132, which covers how drivers must respond to approaching emergency vehicles. It also states that "the immunities provided by these sections are hereby expressly continued." Families should expect a city to rely on those statutes when an officer was responding to a call or chasing a suspect.Emergency Vehicle Privileges and Their LimitsTennessee gives emergency drivers certain privileges, but not a blank check. Under Tenn. Code Ann. \u00a7 55-8-108(a)-(b), an officer answering an emergency call or pursuing a suspect may proceed past a red light or stop sign "only after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation." The officer may also exceed speed limits "so long as life or property is not thereby endangered."These privileges carry real conditions. Under Tenn. Code Ann. \u00a7 55-8-108(b)(2), they do not relieve the driver of "the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons." Under \u00a7 55-8-108(c)(1), they also generally apply only when the vehicle uses audible and visual signals, meaning a siren and lights, subject to limited exceptions, such as when the vehicle is parked or standing, in which case only visual signals are required. Subsection (d) separately addresses the requirement that a police vehicle’s red light be displayed only in combination with a blue light, and is unrelated to these duties. Whether a siren was running, how fast the officer traveled, and whether the officer slowed at intersections are often central questions.Police Pursuits and Innocent Third PartiesPursuit cases follow a specific rule. Under \u00a7 55-8-108(e), a chase does not make law enforcement liable to third parties hurt by the fleeing driver "unless the conduct of the law enforcement personnel was negligent and that negligence was a proximate cause of the injuries." The fleeing suspect generally cannot recover from the police. Innocent bystanders, passengers, and other drivers, however, may have a claim if negligence and causation can be proven. Courts look at the reason for the pursuit, speed, traffic conditions, and whether officers followed department pursuit policies.A Hypothetical Look at One Family’s SituationConsider a hypothetical Memphis mother named Denise. Her husband was driving home along Raines Road when a police cruiser responding to an emergency call entered the intersection at high speed and collided with another vehicle. He died at the scene. Weeks later, an insurance adjuster for the other driver called with a quick settlement offer, and Denise had no idea the police car’s role might matter.Denise’s situation shows why early legal guidance matters. If the cruiser had no siren, or went through the intersection without slowing, those facts could support a negligence claim against the city. Even so, the city could argue that the other driver’s conduct was the main cause. Her deadline to sue the city would generally run 12 months from the crash. If she waited for the criminal case or insurance talks to finish, she could lose that claim entirely. This example is illustrative only.Where Tennessee Hit and Run Laws Fit Into Police Chase ClaimsMany pursuits begin or end with a driver fleeing the scene, so Tennessee hit and run laws often overlap with civil injury claims. A fleeing driver may face criminal charges, but prosecution generally does not fully compensate victims. Families generally must pursue civil claims separately, against the fleeing driver, the government entity, or both.Comparative fault becomes critical in multi-vehicle crashes. Tennessee follows a modified comparative negligence rule, and Justia’s 50-state negligence survey places Tennessee in the 50% bar category. Generally, a plaintiff may recover only if their own fault is less than the combined fault of the defendants, and any recovery is reduced by their share of fault. In a police chase crash, a jury, or in GTLA claims a judge, may divide fault between the fleeing driver, the officer, and sometimes other motorists. Each defendant generally pays only its own share.Deadlines That Can Make or Break a ClaimTennessee deadlines in these cases are short and strictly enforced. More than one deadline may apply, depending on who is being sued.Civil statute of limitations: Under Tenn. Code Ann. \u00a7 28-3-104, personal injury and wrongful death actions generally must be filed within one year. This can extend to two years against a driver who is criminally charged for the conduct, but that extension generally does not apply to GTLA claims.GTLA deadline for government claims: Under \u00a7 29-20-305(b), an action against a governmental entity "must be commenced within twelve (12) months after the cause of action arises."Federal civil rights claims: Section 28-3-104 also applies a one-year limit to federal civil rights claims, such as those against officers under 42 U.S.C. \u00a7 1983, which require more than ordinary negligence.Court selection: Under \u00a7 29-20-307, GTLA lawsuits generally go to circuit court and are tried without a jury. Whether general sessions court may also hear them in Shelby County should be confirmed separately.Adding a Defendant After Fault Is AllegedTennessee provides a limited tool when a defendant blames someone not named in the suit. Under Tenn. Code Ann. \u00a7 20-1-119, if a defendant’s answer alleges that a nonparty caused or contributed to the injury, the plaintiff may amend the complaint to add that person, even if the original limitations period has expired. The amendment generally must occur within 90 days of the first answer alleging that nonparty’s fault.This rule is not a safety net to rely on. Courts apply its requirements strictly, and the 90-day window depends entirely on what the original defendants plead. The safer approach is generally to identify all potentially responsible parties, including government drivers, before the original deadline expires.Damage Caps Can Shrink Recovery in Multi-Death CrashesThe GTLA limits what a government entity may be required to pay. For claims arising on or after July 1, 2007, \u00a7 29-20-403 sets limits of $300,000 for injury or death of one person, $700,000 for all persons in one accident, and $100,000 for property damage. The GTLA also does not allow punitive damages against government entities. Families can learn more about how the GTLA damage cap works in Memphis crash cases.In a crash with five deaths, those caps carry heavy consequences. Every family’s claim against the government would generally share the single $700,000 per-accident limit. Recovery above the caps may be possible only if the entity carries insurance with higher limits. That makes it important to identify other sources of recovery, such as the other driver’s liability coverage or the victim’s own uninsured motorist coverage.Practical Steps for Government Vehicle Crash VictimsEvidence in police crashes can disappear quickly. Dash camera and body camera footage, dispatch logs, pursuit policies, and vehicle data may be subject to retention schedules. An attorney may send preservation requests promptly to protect that evidence.Families can also take steps on their own. Keep all medical records, funeral bills, and proof of lost income. Avoid giving recorded statements to insurance adjusters before getting legal advice. Write down witness names and anything you remember about sirens, lights, and speed.How Does This Impact Me?Can I Sue the City if a Police Car Caused My Loved One’s Death?Possibly, depending on the facts. The GTLA removes immunity for negligent operation of a vehicle by an employee acting within the scope of employment. However, the city may raise emergency vehicle defenses, so proving negligence and causation is essential.What if the Police Were Chasing Someone When the Crash Happened?Innocent third parties may still recover under certain circumstances. Section 55-8-108(e) allows claims when officer negligence was a proximate cause of the injuries. The fleeing driver may also be liable, and fault may be divided among several parties.Does Waiting for the Criminal Case Change My Deadline?Generally, no. The criminal process does not pause civil deadlines. Claims against a government entity generally must still be filed within 12 months.What Should I Do Next?Start by gathering records and protecting evidence. Save medical bills, death certificates, and any photos or videos. Speaking with a Memphis wrongful death attorney may help you understand which deadlines apply to your situation.What Hickory Hill Families Should Remember Moving ForwardThe Hickory Hill crash at East Raines Road is a reminder that police vehicle claims follow their own set of rules. Tennessee law allows claims against a city for negligent driving, but emergency privileges, pursuit rules, damage caps, and strict deadlines all shape what families can recover. Every case turns on its own facts, and no outcome is guaranteed.If your family was affected by this crash or a similar city vehicle accident, getting information early may protect your options. Mama Justice Law Firm can review your situation and explain how Tennessee law may apply. Call (833) 626-2587 or contact us today to schedule a consultation."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hickory Hill Crash Kills 5: How Attorneys Pursue Claims Involving Police Cars","item":"https:\/\/www.mamajustice.com\/blog\/hickory-hill-crash-kills-5-how-attorneys-pursue-claims-involving-police-cars\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]