Brentwood Car Accident Lawyer

Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette represents people hurt in crashes on the roads of Williamson County and the Nashville area, and the firm takes on car, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian, and bicycle cases for injured Tennesseans and their families across the state. A Brentwood car accident lawyer is often needed for reasons that have little to do with the crash itself: Brentwood sits at the junction of Interstate 65, Franklin Road, Old Hickory Boulevard, and Moores Lane, and those corridors carry commuters, delivery trucks, and out-of-county drivers all day long, which means the at-fault driver and the insurer you end up dealing with are frequently not local.

That matters because a crash on a busy Brentwood arterial is rarely a simple two-car dispute. Rear-end collisions in stop-and-go interstate traffic, left-turn crashes at retail entrances, and wrecks involving drivers who were looking at a phone all generate arguments about who did what. Tennessee’s comparative fault rules give insurers a reason to look for any share of blame they can assign to you, and the one-year filing deadline gives you far less time than most states allow to answer them.

Why Choose Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette for a Brentwood Crash Claim

Clients work with this firm in a way that fits the reality of an injury: if travel is difficult after a serious wreck, the attorneys can meet you at home or in the hospital, and the first consultation costs nothing. There are no attorney fees in an injury case unless the firm recovers compensation for you. Spanish-speaking clients can work with Michael C. Beehan, a trial attorney who is fluent in Spanish, and the firm says “Hablamos español” for a reason.

For a car crash case, the experience that counts is the experience on the other side of the table. Two of the firm’s partners began their careers defending insurance companies, trucking companies, and businesses, so they know how adjusters value claims and how defense lawyers build their arguments before a case ever reaches a jury. Bruce D. Fox, co-founder, has tried more than 125 jury trials in state and federal court, is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, has been selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers 17 times, and is a past president of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. Partner Brad C. Burnette holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and serves on the association’s Board of Governors, and partner John Willis serves on that board as well. Across the firm, the attorneys bring more than 170 years of combined experience, and its attorneys are regularly voted among Knoxville’s Top Attorneys by CityView Magazine.

Results are what insurers actually watch. The firm recovered $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 driver who failed to yield killed a mother and seriously injured her daughter, and $1.6 million for a man hit head-on by a commercial delivery truck on his way to work. In total the firm has recovered more than $100 million for clients. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Kinds of Brentwood Crash Cases We Handle

• Interstate 65 and Franklin Road Collisions: High-speed rear-end crashes and chain-reaction wrecks are common where traffic compresses near interchanges, and the first driver an insurer blames is often the one in the middle of the pile-up.
• Distracted Driving Crashes: Tennessee’s Hands Free law prohibits holding a phone, reading or sending text communication, or watching video while driving, so phone records and device data can become evidence of negligence.
• Drunk and Impaired Driver Cases: A driver with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher is over the per se limit, and impairment can lift the cap on noneconomic damages and open the door to punitive damages.
• Tractor-Trailer and Commercial Vehicle Wrecks: Delivery vans, box trucks, and big rigs moving through the I-65 corridor involve driver logs, maintenance records, and electronic data that must be preserved quickly.
• Motorcycle, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Crashes: Riders and walkers on Brentwood’s busy collector roads suffer injuries out of proportion to the force of the impact, and insurers often argue the victim should have been more visible.
• Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims: Tennessee’s minimum liability coverage is only $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, which can fall far short of a serious injury’s cost, so your own policy’s coverage may matter.
• Wrongful Death After a Crash: When a family member dies, the claim belongs first to the surviving spouse, then to the children or next of kin, or to a personal representative.
• Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries: Permanent harm drives the largest claims, and catastrophic injury can change which damage limits apply.

What to Do After a Brentwood Car Accident

Get medical attention first, even if you feel steady on your feet. Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap between the crash and your first medical visit is the first thing an adjuster will point to. Brentwood police or the Tennessee Highway Patrol will usually respond, depending on where the crash happened, so make sure a report is filed and ask the officer how to obtain a copy. Photograph the vehicles, the road, any skid marks, traffic signals, and your injuries before anything is moved or repaired, and collect names and insurance details from every driver and witness.

The deadline is the part people underestimate. A personal injury lawsuit in Tennessee generally must be filed within one year of the date of the crash, and that clock is measured from the injury, not from when you finish treatment or when the insurer stops returning calls. Property damage claims, such as repairs to your car, carry a longer three-year deadline, which is why the two can seem to run on different schedules. If the at-fault driver is criminally charged, such as with a DUI, and prosecution begins within the first year, the injury deadline can extend to two years, but you should never count on that extension. A municipal traffic citation generally does not trigger it.

Be careful with the other driver’s insurer. Adjusters call quickly, sound sympathetic, and ask for recorded statements, and anything you say about how you feel or how the crash happened can be used to argue you share the blame. You can decline to give a recorded statement, and you should talk to a lawyer before signing a release or accepting a settlement offer. Keep every medical record, bill, and pay stub, and keep a plain record of how the injury affects your work and daily life. Cases involving a Williamson County crash are typically filed in the circuit court for the county where the crash occurred or where the defendant lives, and a lawyer can tell you where your own claim belongs.

How Tennessee Fault Rules and Damage Limits Shape Your Recovery

Tennessee follows a modified comparative fault rule. 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, you recover nothing. The state also abolished joint and several liability in most negligence cases, and a jury can assign fault to someone who is not even a party to the lawsuit, such as a driver who fled. This is why a thorough investigation matters so much in a crash with several vehicles: every point of fault that moves toward the other side raises what the case is worth.

Tennessee does not cap economic damages such as medical bills and lost wages. Noneconomic damages, meaning pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life, are generally limited to $750,000, or $1 million for a defined catastrophic loss, such as a spinal cord injury causing paraplegia or quadriplegia, amputation of two hands, two feet, or one of each, or the wrongful death of a parent of minor children. A jury decides whether a catastrophic loss exists by special verdict, and the cap is applied by the judge afterward rather than disclosed to the jury. The cap does not apply when the defendant intentionally caused the injury, was intoxicated, destroyed evidence, or was convicted of a related felony, and punitive damages are limited to the greater of two times compensatory damages or $500,000. If the at-fault driver was a government employee, the Governmental Tort Liability Act applies different limits and a 12-month filing deadline.

Brentwood Car Accident Questions Answered

How long do I have to file a car accident lawsuit in Tennessee?

Generally one year from the date of the crash. That period can extend to two years if the driver who hurt you is criminally charged and prosecution starts within the first year. Suits against government entities have their own 12-month rule.

What if I was partly at fault for the crash?

You can still recover if you were less than 50 percent responsible. Your compensation is reduced by your share of fault, and at 50 percent or more you are barred from recovery.

How much does it cost to hire the firm?

Nothing up front. The firm works on a contingency fee, so there are no attorney fees in an injury case unless compensation is recovered, and the first consultation is free.

What is the minimum insurance a Tennessee driver must carry?

Drivers must carry liability coverage of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage, or meet the requirement with a $65,000 single-limit policy or a bond or cash deposit with the state. These limits are small compared with a serious injury, which is why uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can be important.

Does Tennessee cap what I can recover?

Medical bills and lost income are not capped. Pain and suffering is generally limited to $750,000, or $1 million for a catastrophic loss, unless an exception such as intoxication applies.

Can I recover if the other driver was texting?

Yes. Holding a phone or reading and sending text communication while driving violates Tennessee’s Hands Free law, and that violation can be strong evidence of negligence. Preserving the driver’s phone records early is often important.

What if the driver who hit me had no insurance or fled?

Your own uninsured motorist coverage may respond. The firm handles uninsured motorist claims, and it recovered $2.3 million for a motorcyclist whose attacker struck him and fled.

Do I still have a case if I was hit by a delivery truck or work vehicle?

Often yes, and the employer may be responsible as well as the driver. Commercial cases call for quick action because logs, maintenance files, and electronic data can disappear if no one moves to preserve them.

Who can file a wrongful death claim after a fatal crash?

The claim passes first to the surviving spouse, then to the children or next of kin, or it can be brought by a personal representative. The one-year period runs from the date of the injury, not the date of death.

My injury happened on the job while I was driving. Can I sue?

Workers’ compensation is generally your only remedy against your own employer, but if a negligent driver or another third party caused the crash, you may have a separate claim that can include pain and suffering and full lost earning capacity.

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

Often it will, and many people use it so treatment is not delayed. Insurers and other payers can have reimbursement rights from a later recovery, so your lawyer should coordinate those liens from the start.

Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a minor crash?

Sometimes injuries that seem minor develop over days or weeks, and signing a quick release can end your right to more. A free consultation costs nothing and lets you find out where you stand before you accept an offer.

Serving Brentwood and Surrounding Williamson County Communities

The firm’s work for people hurt in Brentwood extends across the Williamson County area and the greater Nashville region. Clients come to the firm from Brentwood itself and from nearby Franklin, Nolensville, Spring Hill, and Fairview, as well as from Nashville, Murfreesboro, and the communities along Interstate 65 and Franklin Road between them. Because crashes in this area often involve commuters and trucks from across Middle Tennessee, the firm regularly works with people whose crash happened far from where they live.

Beyond Middle Tennessee, the firm represents clients throughout East Tennessee, including Knoxville, Maryville, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Clinton, and LaFollette, and across Knox, Sevier, Blount, Anderson, Roane, Campbell, Claiborne, Morgan, Jefferson, and Monroe counties. It also serves people from Johnson City to Memphis. If you were hurt in Brentwood but live somewhere else, the attorneys handle the investigation, insurance negotiations, and court filings and keep you informed wherever you are.

Talk With a Brentwood Car Accident Attorney Today

Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette offers a free consultation to anyone hurt in a Brentwood crash, and you pay no attorney fees unless the firm recovers compensation for you. A Brentwood car accident attorney from the firm can explain how Tennessee’s one-year deadline and fault rules apply to your situation, deal with the insurance company so you can focus on recovering, and meet you at home or in the hospital if your injuries make travel difficult. Call today to talk through what happened and what your claim may be worth.