Davidson County Personal Injury Lawyer

The most important date in a Tennessee injury claim is usually one you cannot see coming: the one-year anniversary of the day you were hurt. Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette is a personal injury law firm that represents injured people and families throughout Tennessee, and a Davidson County personal injury lawyer at this firm works against that clock from the first phone call, whether the crash happened on the interstate loop around Nashville or a quiet street in Antioch.

Davidson County is a place where visitors, commuters, and residents share crowded roads, and where a single collision can involve a rideshare driver from out of town, a delivery truck on its way to a distribution hub, and a local driver running late. That mix creates claims with more than one insurance company and more than one version of the facts. Sorting out who owed what to whom, and getting evidence preserved before it disappears, often decides how a case ends.

Injury Cases That Arise in Nashville and the Rest of Davidson County

• Car and Rideshare Collisions: Distracted, drunk, and reckless drivers cause most of the crashes our attorneys see. Tennessee’s hands-free law bars holding a phone while driving, so phone records can matter when a driver claims they were paying attention.
• Tractor-Trailer and Commercial Vehicle Crashes: Interstate traffic through Nashville carries heavy freight. Driver logs, maintenance files, and electronic data can be lost quickly if nobody demands that the trucking company keep them.
• Motorcycle, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Cases: Downtown crossings, entertainment districts, and neighborhood streets put people outside vehicles at real risk, and insurers are quick to point at the injured person’s choices.
• Wrongful Death: When a crash or dangerous condition takes a life, the claim belongs to specific family members or a personal representative, and the one-year period starts on the date of the injury, not the date of death.
• Slip and Fall and Premises Liability: Wet floors, broken pavement, poor lighting, and icy walkways at stores, restaurants, hotels, and parking lots can lead to broken hips, shoulder surgeries, and head injuries.
• Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries: These cases hinge on long-term medical proof, since the true cost of a permanent injury is not clear on the day of the crash.
• Third-Party Workplace Claims: A worker hit by a negligent driver, hurt by defective equipment, or injured on a construction site because of another contractor may have a claim beyond workers’ compensation.
• Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims: Tennessee’s minimum required coverage is modest, and serious injuries can exceed it quickly, which makes your own policy important.

How Clients Work With Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette

Our firm represents injured people and their families across Davidson County and the rest of Tennessee. Day to day, that means you talk with the people handling your case, you are not asked to pay anything up front, and your first consultation is free. We take personal injury cases on a contingency basis, so there are no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. If your injuries make travel difficult, we can meet you at home or in the hospital, and Michael C. Beehan is fluent in Spanish for clients who prefer to work in their own language.

Experience across both sides of the table matters in injury work. Two of our partners began their careers defending insurance companies, trucking companies, and businesses, so they know how adjusters value a claim and how defense lawyers build their arguments. Across the firm, our attorneys bring more than 170 years of combined experience, and we have recovered over $100 million for clients.

Trial readiness is what gives a settlement demand its weight. Co-founder Bruce D. Fox has tried more than 125 jury trials in state and federal court, is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and received the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner Brad C. Burnette holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and sits on the association’s Board of Governors, as does partner John Willis. Our results reflect that preparation, including $3.4 million for the family of a man killed in a Morgan County rear-end collision caused by a construction company driver, $2.3 million for a Knox County motorcyclist who lost his leg when a driver hit him and fled, and $1.6 million for an Anderson County man struck head-on by a commercial delivery truck. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

What Happens After a Davidson County Injury, Stage by Stage

Most injury cases follow a recognizable path. Early on, the focus is on medical care and evidence. Next comes a period of treatment, during which the true extent of your injuries becomes clearer. Then a demand goes to the insurer, negotiations follow, and, if the insurer will not pay what the case is worth, a lawsuit is filed. Many cases resolve before trial, but the possibility of a jury is what keeps negotiations honest.

Two features of Tennessee law shape how those stages play out. The first is modified comparative fault. You can recover as long as you are less than 50 percent responsible, but your award is reduced by your share, and at 50 percent or more you recover nothing. Fault can also be assigned to people who are not even parties to the lawsuit, and joint and several liability has been abolished in most negligence cases, so each defendant generally answers only for its own share. Insurers know this and push hard to inflate the injured person’s percentage.

The second is the treatment of damages. Economic losses such as medical bills, lost wages, and lost earning capacity are not capped. Pain and suffering and other noneconomic damages are generally limited to $750,000, or $1 million for catastrophic losses such as paraplegia or quadriplegia, amputation of both hands, both feet, or one of each, third-degree burns over 40 percent of the body or face, or the wrongful death of a parent of minor children. The jury is not told about the cap; the judge applies it afterward. The limit falls away in certain situations, including when a defendant was intoxicated, destroyed evidence, or intentionally caused the harm. Punitive damages, where a case supports them, are limited to the greater of twice the compensatory award or $500,000.

What to Do Now After an Injury in Nashville

Get medical care first, even if you feel you can walk it off. Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap between the incident and your first appointment hands the insurer an argument that you were not really hurt. Call the police so a report is made, and ask the responding officer how to obtain a copy. If you can safely do so, photograph the vehicles, the road, the hazard, and your injuries, and collect names and contact information from witnesses. Do not apologize or guess at fault at the scene.

Then think about the calendar. The general deadline to file a Tennessee injury lawsuit is one year from the date of injury. It can extend to two years if the person who hurt you was criminally charged and the prosecution began within that first year, and you then sue that same person. A minor’s clock is paused until age 18. Claims against a city or other government body fall under the Governmental Tort Liability Act and must be filed within 12 months, and damages in those cases are capped at $300,000 per person and $700,000 per occurrence. Health care liability claims carry a one-year period with a three-year outer limit. Property damage claims get three years, which is why a repaired bumper is not a reason to wait on the injury claim.

Where a lawsuit is filed matters, too. Davidson County has its own judicial district, the Twentieth, and its own Chancery Court, and it is one of the Tennessee counties that has a separate Criminal Court. Civil injury suits are typically filed in the county’s trial courts, while claims that raise federal issues may belong in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, which sits in Nashville. If a drunk driver caused your crash, there may be a parallel criminal case, and an officer investigating a fatal impaired-driving collision is directed to look into where the driver was served alcohol. Those facts can matter in your civil claim.

Be careful with the other side’s insurance company. An adjuster may call within days, sounding friendly and asking for a recorded statement. You are not required to give one, and offhand comments about how you feel can be quoted back later. Do not sign releases or accept a quick check before you know the full cost of your injuries. Finally, avoid posting about the accident or your recovery on social media, which is regularly mined for contradictions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Davidson County Injury Claims

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

One year from the date of the crash is the general rule under Tennessee law. A criminal prosecution of the other driver, begun within that year, can extend the period to two years if you sue the person who was prosecuted. Property damage has a separate three-year limit.

Can I recover if I share some blame for the wreck?

Yes, as long as your share of fault is under 50 percent. Your recovery is then reduced by your percentage. At 50 percent or above, the claim is barred, so how fault is assigned can be the whole fight.

How much does it cost to hire your firm?

Nothing up front. We are paid only if we recover compensation for you, and the first consultation is free with no obligation.

Who can file a wrongful death claim in Tennessee?

The right of action passes to the surviving spouse first, then to the children or next of kin, or to the personal representative. A surviving spouse can lose that right if the children or next of kin prove the spouse abandoned the deceased or willfully withdrew for two years. The one-year deadline runs from the date of the injury that caused the death.

Does the damages cap limit my medical bills and lost income?

No. Economic damages are not capped. The limit applies to noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering, and the court applies it after the jury returns its verdict.

What if the driver who hit me carried only minimum insurance?

Tennessee requires liability coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, with $25,000 for property damage. A serious injury can exceed that fast. Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may fill the gap, and we look at every policy that could apply.

Was the other driver texting, and can that help my case?

It can. Tennessee’s hands-free law prohibits holding a phone, reading or sending texts, or watching video while driving. A violation is a misdemeanor, and phone records, witness accounts, and crash data can support a negligence claim. A traffic citation alone, though, does not decide a civil case.

Can I still file a claim if my injury happened on a government road or at a government building?

Possibly, but the rules are stricter. Claims against local government under the Governmental Tort Liability Act must be filed within 12 months, and damages are capped at $300,000 per person and $700,000 per occurrence. Speak with a lawyer quickly, because missing the shorter window can end the claim.

How long will my case take?

It depends on how long you need treatment and whether the insurer negotiates fairly. We generally do not push a settlement until your medical picture is clear, since a case that settles too early cannot be reopened. If a lawsuit is necessary, expect it to add many months.

I live out of state but was hurt in Nashville. Can you still help?

Yes. We handle the investigation, insurance negotiations, and court filings here and keep you updated by phone and email, so you do not have to return for every step.

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

Often it does, and using it keeps you from delaying care. Health plans and some government programs may claim reimbursement from a recovery, so those rights need to be sorted out before a case is settled.

Representing Injured Clients From Nashville Across Davidson County and Beyond

Our work for Davidson County clients starts in Nashville itself, from downtown and the Gulch through Germantown, East Nashville, Midtown, and 12 South, and extends south to Antioch, Bellevue, Donelson, Hermitage, Madison, Goodlettsville, and Whites Creek. We represent people hurt on the interstates and city streets that tie these communities together, and visitors injured while spending a weekend in Nashville.

Beyond Davidson County, we serve injured people throughout Tennessee, including Knox, Sevier, Anderson, Blount, and Campbell counties in East Tennessee, as well as clients from Memphis, Johnson City, and communities in between. Wherever you live, we can review your case, explain your options, and meet you where you are when injuries make travel hard.

Talk With a Davidson County Personal Injury Attorney Today

A Davidson County personal injury attorney at Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette can tell you where your claim stands, which deadline applies, and what your case may be worth. Because Tennessee gives injured people only a year in most cases, the sooner we talk, the more we can preserve. Call us for a free consultation, and we will explain your options plainly and without pressure.