Montgomery County Personal Injury Lawyer
A crash on Fort Campbell Boulevard, a collision on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, or a wreck on I-24 near Clarksville can leave you with medical bills and a damaged car before the other driver’s insurer has even called. Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette is a Tennessee firm that handles serious injury, car and truck crash, and wrongful death claims, and it represents families across the state, including those who need a Montgomery County personal injury lawyer.
Montgomery County sits along a busy stretch of I-24 and carries heavy commuter, commercial, and military-related traffic. That mix matters for an injury claim. A wreck involving a tractor-trailer on the interstate is built differently from a parking lot fall at a shopping center, and the Tennessee rules that control the deadline, the fault argument, and the value of the case apply the same way to each. The most important of those rules is the clock: for most injury claims in Tennessee, you have one year from the date of the injury to file suit.
What Tennessee’s Filing Deadline and Fault Rules Mean for a Montgomery County Claim
Start with the deadline, because it is the rule that ends more claims than any other. Personal injury lawsuits in Tennessee generally must be filed within one year of the injury. That is short compared with most states, and it does not pause while you are in the hospital or while an adjuster tells you the claim is “being reviewed.” If the person who hurt you was criminally charged and prosecuted within that first year, the filing window can stretch to two years, but you should never plan around that possibility. Property damage claims run longer, with a three-year deadline.
Wrongful death is a point that surprises families. Tennessee has no separate wrongful death deadline. The one-year period is borrowed from the injury statute and runs from the date of the injury that caused the death, not from the date the person died. If someone is hurt in a wreck and passes away weeks later, the clock started on the day of the wreck. Who can bring the case is also set by statute: the personal representative or the surviving spouse can file, and if there is no spouse, the children or next of kin. A spouse who abandoned the deceased or willfully withdrew for two years can lose that right.
Claims against a city, county, or other government body fall under the Governmental Tort Liability Act, which requires suit within 12 months and caps damages at $300,000 per person and $700,000 per occurrence. Medical negligence claims have their own one-year period with a three-year outer limit. A child injured before turning 18 generally gets extra time, because the one-year period does not begin to run until the minor reaches 18.
Then there is fault. Tennessee uses modified comparative fault. You can recover as long as you are less than 50 percent responsible, and your award is reduced by your percentage. At 50 percent or more, you recover nothing. This is why insurers in Montgomery County and everywhere else work so hard to assign you a slice of the blame: a few percentage points reduces your payment, and enough of them eliminates it. Tennessee also allows a jury to assign fault to people who are not parties to the lawsuit, and joint and several liability has been abolished in most negligence cases, so each defendant generally pays only its own share.
Why Choose Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette for a Montgomery County Injury Case
Results tell you more than slogans do, so start there. This firm has 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 for a family after a mother was killed and her daughter seriously injured by a driver who failed to yield, and $1.6 million for a man hit head-on by a commercial delivery truck on his way to work. Across all its work the firm has recovered more than $100 million, and its attorneys bring over 170 years of combined experience to serious injury and wrongful death cases.
Two of the firm’s partners spent the early part of their careers defending insurance companies, trucking companies, and businesses before moving to the injured person’s side. That background means they know how a claim is evaluated and picked apart from the inside, which is useful when an adjuster in a Montgomery County case starts building a comparative fault argument.
Bruce D. Fox, co-founder, has tried more than 125 jury trials in state and federal court, is a past president of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, and received that group’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025. Partner Brad C. Burnette holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and sits on the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association Board of Governors, and partner John Willis serves on that same board. Their attorneys are regularly voted among Knoxville’s Top Attorneys by CityView Magazine. Michael C. Beehan, a trial attorney fluent in Spanish, represents Spanish-speaking clients in their own language, and the firm says “hablamos español.”
The practical terms are simple. Consultations are free, and in injury cases there are no attorney fees unless the firm recovers compensation for you. If your injuries make travel hard, the attorneys can meet you at home or in the hospital. When an insurer refuses to pay what a case is worth, the firm’s trial lawyers are prepared to take it to a jury.
What to Do After an Injury in Montgomery County
Get medical care first, and get it the same day if you can. Emergency rooms and urgent care providers in the Clarksville area create the earliest record linking your injuries to the event, and gaps in treatment are exactly what an insurer points to later. Follow through with the follow-up appointments, imaging, and therapy your doctors recommend, and keep every bill and record.
If police responded, make sure a report was filed and get the report number. Crashes inside Clarksville are typically handled by city police, and those in the unincorporated parts of the county by the sheriff’s office or the Tennessee Highway Patrol, so the agency on your paperwork will tell you where to request it. Photograph the scene, the vehicles, your injuries, any hazard that caused a fall, and anything else that will change by next week. Get names and phone numbers of witnesses before they drift away.
Be careful with the other side’s insurer. Tennessee requires drivers to carry only minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, with $25,000 for property damage. Those limits are low, which makes it important to find out early whether you also have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy. An adjuster may ask for a recorded statement or offer a quick payment. Neither is in your interest before you understand the full extent of your injuries, and a signed release ends the claim for good.
Lawsuits over amounts large enough to matter in a serious injury case are generally filed in the circuit court for the county, which is a trial court of general jurisdiction. Montgomery County is part of Tennessee’s 19th Judicial District, together with Robertson County. Appeals from any of those courts can go further, but the first year is where most of the damage to a claim happens, so contact a lawyer well before the anniversary of your injury approaches.
Injury Situations the Firm Handles for Montgomery County Residents
- Car and Truck Crashes: Distracted, impaired, and reckless drivers cause most of the serious wrecks. Tennessee’s Hands Free law bars holding a phone, reading or sending texts, and watching video while driving, and proof of phone use can matter to fault. Tractor-trailer cases along I-24 call for fast action because driver logs, maintenance records, and electronic data can vanish.
- Motorcycle, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Cases: Riders and people on foot absorb the full force of a collision. The firm has recovered $2.3 million for a motorcyclist who lost a leg to a driver who fled.
- Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims: With low statutory minimums, a driver’s policy often cannot cover a serious injury, so your own coverage may become the main source of recovery.
- Wrongful Death: Families can seek lost income, medical and funeral expenses, and the value of the life taken. The one-year deadline runs from the date of the injury, so timing is critical.
- Slip and Fall and Premises Liability: Wet floors, broken pavement, poor lighting, and icy walkways at stores, restaurants, hotels, and rental properties can lead to broken hips, shoulder surgeries, and head injuries.
- Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries: Permanent harm requires documenting long-term care and lost earning capacity. Tennessee raises its noneconomic damages ceiling for defined catastrophic losses such as paraplegia, quadriplegia, and certain amputations.
- Third-Party Workplace Claims: When someone other than your employer caused a work injury, such as a negligent driver or a maker of defective equipment, you may recover damages that workers’ compensation does not pay.
How Damages and Caps Affect What a Case Can Recover
Tennessee does not cap economic damages, which means medical bills, lost wages, and lost earning capacity can be recovered in full when proven. Noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering, are generally limited to $750,000, rising to $1 million for catastrophic losses. The jury does not hear about the cap; the court applies it afterward. The cap is lifted when the defendant intentionally caused the injury, was intoxicated, destroyed evidence, or was convicted of a related felony.
Punitive damages are available in limited situations and are generally limited to the greater of two times compensatory damages or $500,000. These figures matter when your lawyer values the case, because a catastrophic injury with large lifetime costs is driven mostly by the uncapped economic side.
Common Questions About Montgomery County Injury Claims
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Tennessee?
Generally one year from the date of the injury. That can extend to two years if the person who hurt you was criminally charged within the first year and you sue that same person. Property damage has a three-year deadline.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault?
Yes, if you were less than 50 percent at fault. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage. At 50 percent or more, you are barred from recovering anything.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. In injury cases the firm is paid only if it recovers compensation for you, and the first consultation is free.
What if the at-fault driver only carried minimum insurance?
Tennessee’s minimum is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury. If your damages exceed that, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may add to the recovery, so review your policy early.
Is there a limit on what I can recover for pain and suffering?
Generally $750,000 for noneconomic damages, or $1 million for a defined catastrophic loss. Medical bills and lost income are not capped, and the limit is lifted in certain cases, including when the defendant was intoxicated.
Who can file a wrongful death claim?
The personal representative of the estate or the surviving spouse. If there is no spouse, the children or next of kin can bring the action.
Does the one-year clock for wrongful death start at the date of death?
No. It starts on the date of the injury that led to the death. If someone dies weeks after a wreck, the deadline still counts from the crash.
What if a government vehicle or agency caused my injury?
Claims against Tennessee local governments fall under the Governmental Tort Liability Act, which requires suit within 12 months and limits damages to $300,000 per person and $700,000 per occurrence. Notice and procedural rules are strict, so talk to a lawyer quickly.
Does a DUI conviction against the other driver help my case?
It can. Intoxication lifts the cap on noneconomic damages, and a related criminal prosecution can extend your filing window to two years. A criminal case is separate from your civil claim, though, and the two move on different tracks.
Can a phone-use violation by the other driver be used as evidence?
Yes. Tennessee’s Hands Free law prohibits holding a device, texting, and watching video while driving. Phone records and witness accounts can support a negligence argument, though a citation alone does not decide fault in a civil case.
Will my own health insurance pay while the claim is pending?
Often it does, and getting treatment on time protects both your health and your claim. Health insurers may have reimbursement rights against your recovery, which a lawyer can help sort out.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a smaller injury claim?
If your injuries are minor and the insurer is paying promptly, you may not need one. If you have ongoing treatment, missed work, a fault dispute, or a lowball offer, a free consultation costs nothing and can show you what the claim is really worth.
Serving Montgomery County Injury Clients and Neighboring Communities
The firm represents injured people throughout Montgomery County, including Clarksville and the surrounding communities that make up the county. Clients here come from every part of Clarksville, from the neighborhoods near the university and downtown to the areas along Fort Campbell Boulevard and the I-24 corridor. The firm also helps families from nearby Robertson County, which shares the same judicial district, and from the Nashville area to the southeast.
Beyond Montgomery County, the firm’s attorneys regularly represent clients in Knox County, Sevier County, Anderson County, Blount County, Campbell County, Roane County, Claiborne County, Morgan County, Jefferson County, and Monroe County, and in the communities of Knoxville, Clinton, Maryville, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and LaFollette. The firm takes cases from Johnson City to Memphis and throughout Tennessee, handles the work here, and keeps you updated by phone and email while you recover.
Talk With a Montgomery County Injury Attorney Today
Your case has a one-year clock, and evidence gets harder to find with every week that passes. If you are looking for a Montgomery County injury attorney who has tried cases against insurers and trucking companies and has recovered more than $100 million for injured Tennesseans, call Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette for a free consultation. There are no attorney fees unless the firm recovers compensation for you, and the attorneys can meet you at home or in the hospital if you cannot travel. Call today and find out what your claim is worth.