Murfreesboro Slip and Fall Lawyer

Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette represents people in Murfreesboro and across Rutherford County who were hurt in falls on property someone else was responsible for keeping safe, and the firm serves injured Tennesseans statewide. If a wet grocery aisle, a cracked parking lot, a dark stairwell, or an icy entryway put you on the ground, you are likely dealing with medical bills, missed work, and an insurance adjuster who is already building a case against you.

A Murfreesboro slip and fall lawyer has to deal with a hard fact first: Tennessee gives injured people one year. That is one of the shortest filing windows in the country. In a fall case, the evidence is even more perishable than the deadline. Spills get mopped. Broken tiles get replaced. Security video is overwritten on a schedule most store managers never think about until a lawyer asks for it.

The stakes of a fall are often bigger than people expect. A hip fracture in an older adult can end independent living. A fall onto concrete can cause a head injury that surfaces weeks later. A torn rotator cuff can end a career in a physical trade. Those are the injuries these claims are really about.

What to Do After a Fall on Someone Else’s Property in Murfreesboro

Get medical care first, and do it the same day if you can. Falls cause injuries that do not announce themselves, including concussions, internal bruising, and spinal damage. A record created right away also ties your injury to the fall, which matters when an insurer later suggests you were hurt somewhere else.

Report the fall to the property owner or manager before you leave, and ask that an incident report be written. Do not guess about the cause in that conversation, and do not apologize or downplay. Stick to what happened. Ask for a copy of the report, or at least the name of the person who took it.

Then document the scene. Photograph the exact spot, the surface, the lighting, any warning signs or the lack of them, and your footwear. Get names and contact details for witnesses. If you can, note where cameras are mounted. Keep the shoes and clothing you wore, unwashed.

Be careful with the other side’s insurer. A recorded statement given days after a fall, while you are medicated and sore, often gets used to establish that you were not watching where you were going. You are not required to give one. Direct the adjuster to your lawyer.

On timing, Tennessee’s general deadline for personal injury suits is one year from the date of the fall. If the person who caused the injury is criminally charged for the same conduct and the prosecution begins within that year, the period can stretch to two. Falls rarely involve criminal charges, so plan around one year. If the fall happened on government property, such as a public building or facility, a separate statute under the Governmental Tort Liability Act requires suit within 12 months, and damages in those cases are capped at $300,000 per person and $700,000 per occurrence. If the injured person was a minor at the time, the clock is paused until the child turns 18, after which the one-year period begins.

Civil injury suits in Tennessee are filed in circuit court, a trial court of general jurisdiction. Smaller claims may fit in General Sessions Court, whose civil authority is limited by dollar amount and type of case. Which court is right depends on what your injuries are worth, which is a question to settle with a lawyer before filing anything.

Common Fall Situations We Handle for Murfreesboro Clients

• Wet and Slick Floors: Grocery stores, restaurants, big-box retailers, and gyms see spills and tracked-in rain constantly. The question is how long the hazard sat there and whether staff inspected the area or put out warnings.
• Parking Lots and Walkways: Potholes, broken curbs, faded striping, and crumbling asphalt at shopping centers and apartment complexes cause ankle fractures and wrist injuries. Poor lighting after dark makes every one of these worse.
• Stairs and Handrails: Uneven risers, missing or loose railings, and dim stairwells in hotels, office buildings, and rental properties cause some of the most serious falls, including spinal and head injuries.
• Ice and Winter Weather: Murfreesboro does not get constant winter weather, which is exactly why owners are often unprepared. Untreated entryways and sidewalks after a freeze can create liability when a business knew or should have known about the ice.
• Apartment and Rental Property Hazards: Landlords can be responsible for broken steps, rotted decks, balcony failures, and unlit common areas, particularly where the problem was reported and ignored.
• Construction and Renovation Hazards: Growth in Rutherford County means active job sites and work zones next to public walkways. Unmarked trip hazards, open trenches, and debris can create claims against property owners and contractors.
• Negligent Security and Maintenance Failures: Broken elevators, defective flooring, and missing safety equipment point to a maintenance record, and that record often decides who is at fault.
• Vacation Property Falls: Our firm also handles falls at cabins, hotels, and attractions in the Smokies. If your fall happened away from Murfreesboro, we can still help.

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

The firm’s results show what it takes to move a serious injury case. Its attorneys recovered $3.4 million for a family who lost a loved one in a Morgan County collision, $2.3 million for a Knox County motorcyclist who lost his leg, and $1.5 million for a roofer who suffered a traumatic brain injury when his safety harness failed. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome, but they reflect a practice built on catastrophic injuries and on trying cases when insurers will not pay fairly. In total, the firm has recovered over $100 million for clients, backed by more than 170 years of combined attorney experience.

Two of the firm’s partners spent the early part of their careers defending insurance companies, trucking companies, and businesses. In a fall case, that matters. They know how a property owner’s insurer investigates, what an adjuster looks for to shift blame, and how a defense lawyer prepares to argue that the hazard was open and obvious.

Trial experience stands behind that. Co-founder Bruce D. Fox has tried more than 125 jury trials in state and federal court, has been selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers 17 times, and received the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a past president of the TTLA. Partner Brad C. Burnette holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and serves on the TTLA Board of Governors, as does partner John Willis. Attorneys at the firm are regularly voted among Knoxville’s Top Attorneys by CityView Magazine. Trial attorney Michael C. Beehan is fluent in Spanish, and the firm welcomes Spanish-speaking clients: hablamos español.

You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation, and consultations are free. If your injuries make travel difficult, we can meet you at home or in the hospital.

How Fault Is Decided and What Tennessee Law Lets You Recover

Property owners in Tennessee must keep their premises reasonably safe and deal with hazards they know about or should have found through reasonable inspection. A fall claim usually turns on one of two things: the owner created the hazard, or the hazard lasted long enough that the owner should have discovered it. Inspection logs, cleaning schedules, employee testimony, and surveillance video are how that gets proven or disproven.

Expect the defense to argue your own fault. Tennessee uses modified comparative fault. You can recover as long as you are less than 50 percent at fault, and your award is reduced by your percentage. At 50 percent or more, the claim is barred. Fault can also be assigned to people who are not even in the lawsuit, so the defense may point at a contractor, a tenant, or a third party. Common arguments are that you were on your phone, wore unsafe shoes, or ignored a visible warning. A thorough investigation exists to answer exactly that.

Economic damages, such as medical bills, lost wages, and lost earning capacity, are not capped in Tennessee. Noneconomic damages for pain and the loss of normal life are generally limited to $750,000, rising to $1 million for defined catastrophic losses such as paraplegia or quadriplegia or the loss of two limbs. The court applies that limit after the verdict, and the jury is not told about it. The limit does not apply in certain situations, including where the defendant intentionally caused the harm, was intoxicated, or destroyed evidence. Evidence destruction does come up in fall cases when video or maintenance records vanish after an incident, which is one reason we send preservation demands early.

If a fall is fatal, the right to sue passes to the surviving spouse, then to children or next of kin, or to a personal representative. The one-year period runs from the date of the injury, not the date of death.

Questions Murfreesboro Residents Ask About Slip and Fall Claims

How long do I have to file a slip and fall lawsuit in Tennessee?

Generally one year from the date of the fall. Claims against government entities must be filed within 12 months under the Governmental Tort Liability Act. Property damage claims have a separate three-year period. Do not wait to see how recovery goes before calling a lawyer.

What if I was partly at fault for my fall?

You can still recover if you are less than 50 percent at fault. Your compensation is reduced by your share. At 50 percent or more, you recover nothing, which is why insurers push so hard to assign blame to the injured person.

Do I have a case if the hazard was obvious?

Possibly. An obvious hazard gives the defense a stronger argument that you should have avoided it, and it will likely raise your share of fault. It does not automatically end the claim, particularly where an owner had no reasonable alternative route or created the danger. Each situation depends on its facts.

What evidence matters most in a fall case?

Photographs of the scene, surveillance video, the incident report, witness names, maintenance and inspection records, and your medical records. Video and cleaning logs are often the most time-sensitive, so we move to preserve them quickly.

Should I talk to the property owner’s insurance company?

You can decline a recorded statement and refer the adjuster to your lawyer. Early statements are often used to lock in an account that minimizes the hazard or suggests you were careless.

How much does it cost to hire your firm?

Nothing up front. We work on a contingency fee, so attorney fees are owed only if we recover compensation. The first consultation is free.

Can I recover if I fell at a friend’s or relative’s home?

Often yes, because homeowners insurance typically includes liability coverage for guests. Many people hesitate to make a claim against someone they know. In most cases the claim is made against the insurance policy, not the person’s own savings.

Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?

Generally you should use your health insurance to get treated rather than delay care. Health plans and other payers may have reimbursement rights against a recovery, so those need to be handled carefully when a case resolves. We account for that when evaluating settlements.

What if the fall happened at a business that has since closed or changed owners?

A change in ownership does not necessarily end the claim. Liability may still sit with the former owner, the new owner, a property management company, or an insurer. Records can be harder to trace, which is another reason to act early.

What if a fall caused someone’s death?

Tennessee’s wrongful death statute lets the surviving spouse, children or next of kin, or a personal representative bring the claim. Recoverable losses can include lost income, medical and funeral expenses, and the value of the life taken. The one-year period begins on the date of the fall.

Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a fall that did not seem serious?

If you needed more than a quick checkup, a free consultation costs nothing and tells you where you stand. Injuries that seem minor at first can turn into surgery, and the deadline passes quickly either way.

Can I still bring a claim if I live out of state but fell in Tennessee?

Yes. We represent visitors injured in Tennessee and handle the investigation, insurance negotiations, and court filings here while keeping you informed wherever you live.

Serving Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Slip and Fall Clients

We represent injured people in Murfreesboro and throughout Rutherford County, including those hurt near Middle Tennessee State University, around the shopping areas on Medical Center Parkway and Old Fort Parkway, and in the neighborhoods that make up the city. Our clients also come from the surrounding Rutherford County communities and nearby areas such as Smyrna, La Vergne, and Eagleville, as well as neighboring Cannon, Williamson, Wilson, and Davidson counties, including Nashville.

The firm serves clients across East Tennessee as well, including Knoxville, Maryville, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Clinton, and LaFollette, and across Knox, Sevier, Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Roane, Claiborne, Morgan, Jefferson, and Monroe counties. We represent people from Johnson City to Memphis and everywhere in between, and we can travel to you if your injuries make it hard to come to us.

Talk With a Murfreesboro Slip and Fall Attorney Today

If you were hurt in a fall and the owner or insurer is already telling you it was your fault, call Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette. A Murfreesboro slip and fall attorney from our team will listen, explain where Tennessee’s one-year deadline leaves you, and tell you honestly what your case may be worth. The consultation is free, you owe nothing unless we recover compensation, and we will come to you at home or in the hospital if you cannot travel. Call today, before the video is erased and the deadline gets closer.