Murfreesboro Personal Injury Lawyer

A wreck on Old Fort Parkway, a fall inside a Rutherford County retail center, a crash on I-24 near the Medical Center Parkway exit: the bills start before the shock wears off, and an insurance adjuster is often on the phone within days. Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette is a Tennessee personal injury firm that represents injured people and their families, and as a Murfreesboro personal injury lawyer team, our attorneys handle car and truck crashes, wrongful death claims, premises injuries, and other serious injury cases for clients across Rutherford County and throughout Tennessee.

Tennessee gives injured people less time than most states. The window is short, the rules on fault are strict, and the way a claim is built in the first few weeks usually decides how it ends. Murfreesboro adds its own pressures: heavy commuter traffic between Nashville and Smyrna, a large student population around the university, warehouse and distribution traffic, and constant construction. All of it feeds a steady stream of serious collisions.

What to Do After an Injury in Murfreesboro

Get medical care first, and get it the same day if you can. Gaps between the injury and the first treatment give insurers an easy argument that you were not really hurt. If an ambulance takes you, tell the providers about every symptom, including the ones that seem minor. Headaches, numbness, and neck stiffness often get worse over days.

Call the police for any crash with injuries. In Murfreesboro that means the city police department, and on state routes or the interstate it may be the Tennessee Highway Patrol or the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. Ask for the report number. Photograph the vehicles, the road, skid marks, signage, and your injuries before anything is moved or repaired. Get names and numbers from witnesses while they are still at the scene.

Then slow down on the insurance side. You are generally not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer, and adjusters use early statements to lock in language that helps them. Do not sign a medical release that opens your entire history. Do not accept a quick check until you know what your treatment will cost over time.

The clock matters more than anything else here. Most Tennessee injury lawsuits must be filed within one year of the injury. That deadline stretches to two years in one situation: when criminal charges are brought against the person who hurt you, the prosecution begins within the first year, and you sue that same person. A property damage claim has a longer three-year limit. If you were under 18 when you were hurt, the clock generally does not start until your 18th birthday. If a city or county government may be responsible, the Governmental Tort Liability Act requires suit within 12 months, and damages against a government entity are capped at $300,000 per person and $700,000 per occurrence.

Cases usually move in a recognizable order. Treatment comes first, then a demand to the insurer once your medical picture is clear, then negotiation. Most claims that cannot be resolved are filed in Rutherford County’s circuit court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for the county, and a federal case would belong in the Middle District of Tennessee. A filed case moves into written discovery, depositions, and mediation before any trial date. We prepare each case as though it will be tried, because insurers pay attention to that.

Common Injury Cases We Handle for Murfreesboro Clients

• Car and SUV Collisions: Distracted, impaired, and speeding drivers cause most of the serious crashes. Tennessee’s Hands Free law bars holding a phone, reading or sending texts, and watching video while driving, and evidence of a violation can help prove fault.
• Tractor-Trailer and Commercial Vehicle Crashes: I-24 and the roads around Murfreesboro’s distribution centers carry heavy truck traffic. Driver logs, maintenance records, and electronic data must be preserved quickly, before they are overwritten.
• Motorcycle, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Cases: Riders and walkers near the university and the downtown square are exposed in ways drivers are not, and insurers often try to blame the person with no steel around them.
• Wrongful Death: When a crash or dangerous condition kills someone, the claim belongs to a surviving spouse first, then children or next of kin, or a personal representative. Lost income, medical and funeral costs, and the value of the life are all part of the case.
• Slip and Fall and Premises Liability: Wet floors, broken pavement, poor lighting, and icy walkways at stores, restaurants, apartments, and parking lots. Owners must fix or warn about hazards they knew or should have discovered.
• Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries: Injuries that change how a person works and lives require long-range planning for care, lost earning capacity, and home modifications.
• Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims: Tennessee’s minimum liability coverage is only $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries, which falls short for a serious injury. Your own policy may fill the gap.
• Third-Party Workplace Claims: Workers’ compensation usually bars suing your employer, but a negligent driver, equipment maker, or outside contractor can be sued for damages that workers’ compensation does not pay.

Why Choose Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette for a Murfreesboro Injury Case

Bruce D. Fox, co-founder, has tried more than 125 jury trials in state and federal court, and that courtroom record is what gives a settlement demand weight. The Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, which he led as president, gave him its Paladin Award in 2011 and its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025. He also served on the Tennessee Advisory Council on Workers’ Compensation from 2008 to 2021, which informs how we handle workplace injuries that spill into third-party claims.

The firm’s attorneys bring more than 170 years of combined experience, and the firm has recovered over $100 million for clients. Partner Brad C. Burnette holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, sits on the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association Board of Governors, and is a Keenan Trial Institute graduate. Partner John Willis also serves on that board and has tried cases across the state.

Results matter more than résumés, and several of ours involve the same kinds of cases Murfreesboro families face:

$3.4 million for the family of a man killed in a rear-end collision caused by a construction company driver. $2.3 million for a motorcyclist who lost his leg when a driver struck him and fled. $1.9 million after a mother was killed and her daughter seriously injured by a driver who failed to yield. $1.6 million for a man hit head-on by a commercial delivery truck on his way to work. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

We also know how the other side thinks. Two of our partners began their careers defending insurers and businesses, so they know how adjusters value claims and where defenses are built. Our trial lawyers, including Michael C. Beehan, who is fluent in Spanish, take cases to a jury when an offer falls short. We offer Hablamos español service, and clients can reach us whether they are injured near home or hospitalized. There is no attorney fee unless we recover for you, and we can meet you at home or in the hospital.

How Tennessee Fault and Damages Rules Shape a Murfreesboro Claim

Fault is the center of most disputes. Tennessee follows modified comparative fault. If a jury puts you at 50 percent or more, you recover nothing. Below that line, your award shrinks by your share. Because joint and several liability has largely been abolished, a jury can also assign fault to people who are not even in the lawsuit, which means a defendant may point at an empty chair. Early investigation, scene evidence, and witness statements are how we keep a blame-shifting argument from taking hold.

Damages come in two kinds. Economic losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, and future care, carry no cap. Noneconomic damages, meaning pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life, are generally limited to $750,000. The ceiling rises to $1 million for a defined catastrophic loss, such as paraplegia or quadriplegia, loss of two limbs, severe burns over a large part of the body or face, or the death of a parent of minor children. A jury decides by special verdict whether a catastrophic loss occurred, and the judge applies the cap after the verdict without telling jurors it exists.

The cap falls away in limited situations, including when the defendant intended the injury, was impaired enough to substantially affect judgment, destroyed evidence, or was convicted of a related felony. That is one reason a drunk-driving crash is handled differently from an ordinary collision. Punitive damages, where allowed, are separately limited.

Questions Murfreesboro Injury Clients Ask

How long do I have to sue after a car accident in Murfreesboro?

In most cases, one year from the date of the crash. Waiting to see how your injuries develop is risky, because the deadline keeps running while you recover.

What if the other driver was charged with a crime?

The deadline can extend to two years if charges are brought, the prosecution starts within the first year, and you sue the person charged. A traffic citation from a municipal court does not generally count, so do not assume you have extra time.

What is my case worth?

It depends on medical costs, lost income, how permanent the injury is, the strength of the fault evidence, and available insurance. Anyone who quotes a number before you finish treatment is guessing.

Can I recover if I share some blame?

Often yes. As long as you are under 50 percent responsible, you can still recover, reduced by your share. At 50 percent or more, the claim is barred.

Do I have to pay anything to hire your firm?

No money is due up front. We take injury cases on contingency, and the first consultation is free.

The at-fault driver only carried minimum insurance. Now what?

Minimum liability coverage is $25,000 per person, which a serious injury can exhaust quickly. We look at your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, other responsible parties such as an employer or a vehicle owner, and any additional policies.

My family member died in a crash. Who can bring the claim?

The surviving spouse, or if there is none, the children or next of kin, or a personal representative. The one-year period runs from the date of the injury, even if death came later.

Will my health insurance pay while the claim is pending?

Often it does, and keeping treatment going is important. Insurers and some plans may later seek reimbursement from a settlement, so we sort out those claims before money is distributed.

The other driver was texting. Does that help?

It can. Tennessee law makes it illegal to hold a phone, read or send text-based messages, or watch video while driving. Phone records and witness accounts can show a violation, which supports a finding of fault.

Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a smaller injury?

Sometimes the answer is no, and we will say so. But low-looking injuries such as back, neck, and head problems can develop, and a quick settlement ends your right to more. A free consultation helps you decide.

How long will my case take?

Straightforward claims may resolve in months once treatment ends. Cases with disputed fault, serious injuries, or a filed lawsuit usually take longer, and a trial adds more time. We tell you where the case stands as it moves.

I was hurt at work by someone who isn’t my employer. What can I do?

You may have a third-party claim in addition to workers’ compensation. That claim can reach pain and suffering and full earning capacity, though your employer or its insurer may have a right to repayment from the recovery.

Serving Murfreesboro Injury Clients Across Rutherford County and Middle Tennessee

We represent injured people in Murfreesboro and throughout Rutherford County, including those hurt near the downtown square, the university area, Old Fort Parkway, Medical Center Parkway, and the I-24 corridor. Neighboring communities such as Smyrna, La Vergne, Eagleville, and Christiana are also part of the area people travel through on the way to Nashville, and we handle cases arising from crashes and injuries there as well.

Our reach is statewide. We serve clients in Nashville and Memphis, and across East Tennessee in Knoxville, Clinton, Maryville, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, LaFollette, and Johnson City, with counties including Knox, Sevier, Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Roane, Claiborne, Morgan, Jefferson, and Monroe. If your injuries make travel difficult, we can come to you.

Talk to a Murfreesboro Personal Injury Attorney Today

The first weeks after an injury decide how much evidence survives and how strong a claim becomes. If you want a Murfreesboro personal injury attorney to look at what happened, explain your options, and tell you honestly what the case needs, call Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we recover compensation for you.