Hot pursuits on Tennessee Highway 232 also known as the Tennessee Baby Dragon are not uncommon — neither are fatal wrecks!
You never know when you will encounter a speeding car or, more often, a rocketing motorcycle. Tennessee Highway 232 is known as the Tennessee Baby Dragon. It is also known as ‘The Seven Minute Highway.’
I met a hot pursuit this mid-afternoon between a fleeing motorcycle rider on a ‘crotch rocket’ and one and then two Stewart County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Department vehicles on the infamous “Tennessee Baby Dragon,” aka., Tennessee Highway 232.
It looked as if the pursuit had not been underway long, I may be wrong about that, but it happened so fast I am not even for certain if I could identify the color of the motorcycle. It may have been white and blue, but I’m not sure. Also, I do not know the outcome of the pursuit.
I was a front seat passenger in a car headed south on 232 this mid-afternoon. We rounded one of the sharp curves about a mile and a half from where Tenn. 232 intersects with Old State Route 79 in Stewart County.
I could see the blue lights before I heard the siren of the deputies’ SUV. I also heard the high-pitched whine of the crotch rocket motorcycle. As the cop and the cycle came into view they were coming up on another passenger vehicle headed north on 232. We were heading south.
We all met in a sharp curve. Heading north, the cycle and cop came up on a passenger vehicle just as we were meeting the pack. The cycle rider gunned it and came right on the yellow line between my car heading south and the other passenger vehicle heading north. We pulled over as best we could and then here came the cop, continuing the hot pursuit!
Then they were gone!
I hadn’t even made an effort to get my camera from the back seat.
It happened and was gone that quickly!
I remember it this way, to add a little more detail:
Just as the cycle and cop came up on the other car, the driver of my car pulled over and slowed down and then the cycle passed the northbound passenger vehicle on a double yellow line and then came the cop cruiser with lights and siren blaring. They both went by in a flash and I did not even have time to think about getting my camera. In a few moments a second Stewart County Sheriff’s department cruiser (also an suv) came up with emergency lights and siren sounding. The first sheriff’s vehicle was one of the white ones and the second one was black with gold lettering.
Less than a few more seconds passed and we met about three of four more ‘crotch rocket’ type cycles traveling in a much slower pack. I have no idea if these cycles were with the fleeing one or not.
I don’t know if the officers caught the cycle rider or if he got away. It happened fast. Rides on the infamous ‘Tennessee Baby Dragon’ more officially known as Tennessee Highway 232 in Western Stewart County are often quick ones. Too often than not the rides on the Baby Dragon result in close calls, wrecks and too many fatalities.
The Tennessee Baby Dragon has claimed many lives of motorcycle riders and even some hot rodders through the years.
The Seven Minute Mile nickname came from the endeavor to get from one end of Highway 232 from where it Starts in Stewart County, Tennessee to where it ends in Houston County (or vice versa) in less than seven minutes.
It has not seen as much action in recent years, but there have been times when people would avoid the winding highway at certain times of the year, particularly holidays, because motor cycle riders would be tearing it up on the winding, crooked highway.
We will try to update this story —
Story and Photo by David R. Ross — LBLUS.com
https://www.motorcycleroads.com/motorcycle-roads/tennessee/the-tennessee-baby-dragon-hwy-232
Does anyone know the outcome?
It would be good to know if the crotch rocket was caught or not.