Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Gearhiser was killed when his motorcycle was struck by a milk truck on Highway 20 near Tigrett. Patrolman Gearhiser and another patrolman were riding side by side and cresting a hill when both Patrolman were struck. The driver of the milk truck did not see the patrolman because of the hill when he attempted to turn off the road onto a side road. The second patrolman suffered minor injuries.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-F56AE3C8- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Gearhiser served with the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Thank you for your service to the people of Tennessee. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Gearhiser.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Charles Joseph Gearhiser is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Tennessee Highway Patrol, 30 of 41 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 73.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Joseph Gearhiser's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Joseph Gearhiser Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Joseph Gearhiser is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
40 officers from Tennessee Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
