Tennessee Car Accident Lawyers
Experienced Tennessee Car Accident Lawyers – Gilreath & Associates
For nearly 50 years, the firm of Gilreath & Associates has been advocating for victims of personal injury and car accidents all over Tennessee. With multiple offices in the state, the firm makes it easy for clients to reach and work with the expert attorneys on staff.
Sid Gilreath leads this dedicated team and is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate through the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Gilreath and his team have the experience and expertise to take car accident cases all the way to trial.
These and other reasons keep Tennessee residents coming back to Gilreath & Associates for legal representation after an accident:
- Decades of experience working on car accident and personal injury cases
- Extensive experience taking cases to trial and winning jury awards
- A record of big wins for victims, including $2 million for a family hit by a tractor-trailer
- Free case evaluations
- Contingency payment plans and no fees until clients win compensation
Tennessee Law Office Headquarters
Gilreath & Associates reaches clients all over the state from offices in Nashville, Memphis, and headquarters in Knoxville:
550 Main Avenue
Suite 600
Knoxville, TN 37902
When Should I Hire a Tennessee Car Accident Lawyer?
It’s not always easy to understand when you need a lawyer after an accident and when you can go it alone. Because car accident firms almost always offer free case evaluations, there is no reason not to at least talk to an attorney about your situation.
With a free consultation, a lawyer will look over your case, answer questions, and provide some initial advice. If they think you have a case, they may offer to take you on as a client, but there is no obligation on your part.
You can talk to a lawyer after any accident, but there are certain situations when it’s more important to get legal advice and to consider taking on a lawyer to represent your interests:
- The accident left you with significant injuries, including permanent or long-term disabilities.
- Your injuries left you disfigured or with emotional trauma.
- Your medical and other related expenses are high and growing.
- Your injuries kept you from work and caused you to lose wages.
- The injuries may prevent you from working in the future in your current position or in any job.
- You have tried to make an insurance claim with no success or only to be offered inadequate compensation.
- A family member died in the accident.
How to Work with Your Car Accident Lawyer
Working with your lawyer as a partner in any legal action you take is essential to success. The lawyer is the expert and will do most of the work so you can relax and focus on healing. However, they need your cooperation and help to get the best outcome. Keep these things in mind to work well with your lawyer:
- Your lawyer needs to hear everything you recall about the accident, even if it makes you look bad.
- Provide your legal team with all your medical and expense information related to the accident.
- They’ll need as much information and documentation as you can provide, including accident reports, insurance information, and photos or videos of the accident.
- Explain to your lawyer all the ways the accident has impacted your life, including emotional trauma or pain and suffering.
- Be available to meet with your lawyer and to answer your questions when they need you.
- Be honest, open, and communicative.
Laws and Procedural Rules to Know in Tennessee
The laws and rules of the court system in Tennessee impact how your case proceeds, whether you’re filing an insurance claim, targeting a government agency, or suing a negligent driver:[1][2]
Statute of Limitations
Tennessee’s statute of limitations on personal injury cases, which includes car accident lawsuits, is one year. You have only one year from when the accident occurred to file a lawsuit against the negligent parties.
Damages Cap
The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld a cap on non-economic damages in 2020. The cap limits how much you can recover in a lawsuit for damages related to non-monetary costs. This includes pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and similar intangible costs. The cap is set at $750,000 for most cases and $1,000,000 for specific, severe cases.
Shared Fault Rule
Tennessee courts follow the shared fault rule. It reduces jury awards based on the degree of fault the plaintiff has in the incident. For example, if you were 10% at fault in the car accident, the judge will reduce your jury award by 10%.
Government Claims
If the negligent person or group in your case is local or state government, different rules apply. You have one year to make a formal claim. If the government denies you compensation, you have 90 days to appeal that decision.
The best way to understand your options and how the laws apply in your case is to talk to Tennessee car accident lawyers. They can advocate for you, represent you, and provide expert advice to help you recover maximum damages.
For city-specific information, visit the following pages: