Jackson Personal Injury Lawyer

Getting medical bills paid, replacing lost income, and holding the responsible party accountable is what most injured people want from a claim. Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette is a Tennessee personal injury law firm that handles car and truck crashes, wrongful death, premises liability, and serious injury cases for clients across the state, and a Jackson personal injury lawyer from our firm can take on the work of getting you there while you focus on recovery.

Jackson sits in Madison County, in West Tennessee, along the Interstate 40 corridor between Nashville and Memphis. That location shapes the cases people bring us. Heavy truck traffic moves through on I-40 and U.S. 45 Bypass every day, commuters cross town on busy commercial strips, and the city’s mix of industry, retail, and medical facilities produces falls, workplace injuries, and collisions that often involve more than one insurer.

Tennessee gives injured people very little time to act and some unusual rules about fault and damages. A one-year filing deadline, a fault threshold that can bar a claim entirely, and a statutory ceiling on certain damages all affect what a case is worth and how it should be built from the first day.

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

Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette represents injured Tennesseans and their families in West, Middle, and East Tennessee, including clients in Jackson and Madison County. Our attorneys bring more than 170 years of combined experience and have recovered over $100 million for clients. We handle serious injury cases, from traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord damage to amputations and wrongful death. Clients pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation, consultations are free, and if injuries make travel difficult we can meet at your home or in the hospital. We also speak Spanish; Michael C. Beehan is fluent and represents Spanish-speaking clients in their own language.

The firm is built around courtroom work. 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 in 2025 after earlier serving as the association’s president. Partner Brad C. Burnette holds a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating and sits on the association’s Board of Governors, as does partner John Willis, who has tried cases across the state from the Tri-Cities to Chattanooga. That trial record matters because insurers set their offers by how likely a case is to be tried; an adjuster who knows the firm will go in front of a jury values a claim differently.

Two of our partners spent the early part of their careers defending insurance companies, trucking companies, and businesses before moving to the plaintiff’s side. They know how adjusters score a claim, how defense counsel prepares a witness, and where a defense is usually weakest. Our results reflect that depth: $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 hurt by a driver who failed to yield, $1.6 million for a man struck head-on by a commercial delivery truck on his way to work, and $1.5 million for a roofer with a traumatic brain injury after his safety harness failed. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

What to Do After an Injury in Jackson and Madison County

Start with medical care, even if you feel functional. Adrenaline hides soft tissue damage, concussions, and internal injuries, and a gap between the crash and your first appointment gives an insurer room to argue that something else caused your symptoms. Jackson has hospital and urgent care facilities that can document your condition the same day. Follow the treatment plan you are given and keep every record, because the medical file becomes the backbone of the claim.

Make sure a police report exists. In Jackson, either city police or the Madison County Sheriff’s Office or the Tennessee Highway Patrol may respond, depending on where the crash happened, and I-40 and the state routes are often handled by the highway patrol. Get the report number and the other driver’s insurance information. Photograph the vehicles, the road, any skid marks or debris, and your injuries, and write down the names of witnesses before they drift away. If you were hurt on someone’s property, report the incident to the owner or manager in writing and photograph the hazard before it is repaired or cleaned up.

Be careful with insurance adjusters. The other side’s insurer will call quickly and may ask for a recorded statement or offer a fast payment. Anything you say about fault, your symptoms, or your recovery can be used to reduce what you are paid, so give only basic identifying information until you have spoken with a lawyer. Do not sign a medical release that reaches back years, and do not post about the accident or your activity on social media.

The clock is the most important practical fact. Most Tennessee personal injury lawsuits must be filed within one year of the injury. The period can stretch to two years when criminal charges are brought against the person who caused the harm, the prosecution begins within that first year, and you sue that same person, which can come up in a drunk driving case. Property damage claims have a three-year window. If a city, county, or other governmental body may be responsible, the Governmental Tort Liability Act requires suit within twelve months and caps damages at $300,000 per person and $700,000 per occurrence. Health care liability claims also run one year, with an outer limit of three years. A child’s claim is generally paused until the child turns 18, though a parent’s own claims, such as for medical expenses, are not. Because these deadlines are short and unforgiving, calling a lawyer early is a practical necessity.

Civil cases from Jackson are filed in the courts that serve Madison County, which sits in Tennessee’s 26th Judicial District along with Chester and Henderson counties. Smaller claims may be heard in the county’s General Sessions Court, while larger injury lawsuits are generally filed in Circuit Court. When a case involves parties from different states or other grounds for federal jurisdiction, it may instead be heard in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, which holds court in Jackson. Our attorneys handle filing and venue questions so you are not left guessing which court applies.

Common Jackson Injury Cases We Handle

• Car and Truck Crashes: Collisions on I-40, the U.S. 45 Bypass, and the commercial corridors through town are the most frequent source of serious claims. Tractor-trailer and delivery truck cases require fast preservation of driver logs, maintenance records, and electronic data before they are overwritten or discarded.
• Distracted and Impaired Driving: Tennessee’s Hands Free law bars holding a phone, reading or sending texts, and watching or recording video while driving, and a violation supports a negligence argument. A driver at or above 0.08 percent blood alcohol is over the per se limit, and impairment can also remove the cap on noneconomic damages.
• Motorcycle, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Injuries: Riders and people on foot absorb the full force of a collision, and insurers often shift blame onto them. These cases turn on visibility, right of way, and an accurate reconstruction of what the driver did.
• Wrongful Death: When a crash or dangerous condition kills someone, the claim belongs to the surviving spouse, then the children or next of kin, or the personal representative. The one-year deadline runs from 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 rental properties can cause hip fractures, shoulder injuries, and head trauma. We look at maintenance records, inspection history, and what the owner knew or should have discovered.
• Workplace Third-Party Claims: A worker hurt by a negligent driver, defective equipment, or a subcontractor’s carelessness may have a claim beyond workers’ compensation. A third-party case can include pain and suffering and full lost earning capacity, which compensation benefits do not pay.
• Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries: These cases involve long treatment timelines and lifelong costs, so they require life care planning and expert testimony to value correctly. Tennessee recognizes a higher noneconomic damages ceiling for certain catastrophic losses, including paraplegia and quadriplegia.
• Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims: Tennessee’s minimum liability coverage is modest, and a serious injury can far exceed it. We review your own policy to see whether uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage can fill the gap.

How Tennessee Fault and Damages Rules Shape a Jackson Case

Tennessee follows a modified comparative fault system. You can recover only if you are less than 50 percent responsible for what happened, and your award is reduced by your share. At 50 percent or more, the claim is barred entirely. That single line is why insurers work so hard to assign blame to injured people, and why a careful investigation and a credible reconstruction matter so much. Tennessee also abolished joint and several liability in most negligence cases, and a jury can assign fault to someone who is not a party to the lawsuit, so identifying every responsible party early protects the value of the claim.

Damages fall into two groups. Economic damages, such as medical expenses and lost wages, are not capped. Noneconomic damages, which cover pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life, are generally limited to $750,000, and to $1 million for defined catastrophic losses such as paraplegia, quadriplegia, amputation of both hands or feet, severe burns over a large share of the body, or the death of a parent of minor children. The jury is not told about the cap; the court applies it afterward. The cap is lifted when the defendant intentionally caused the harm, was intoxicated, destroyed evidence, or was convicted of a related felony. Punitive damages are available in limited circumstances and are generally limited to the greater of two times compensatory damages or $500,000.

What this means in practice is that the strongest cases are built on proof. In a trucking case that means securing the carrier’s records. In a drunk driving case it means tracking down where the driver was drinking, and Tennessee law directs officers investigating a fatal crash with suspected impairment to look into where alcohol was served and notify the Alcoholic Beverage Commission within 48 hours. In a premises case it means obtaining inspection logs and surveillance video before they are overwritten. Our attorneys send preservation demands, retain engineers and medical experts when the facts call for them, and prepare each case as though it will be tried, because that is what drives fair settlement offers.

Questions Jackson Injury Clients Ask

How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Tennessee?

Most injury lawsuits must be filed within one year of the date you were hurt. The period can extend to two years if the person who caused the injury was criminally charged, the prosecution started within the first year, and you sue that same person. Property damage has three years, and claims against governmental bodies must be filed within twelve months.

What if I was partly at fault for the accident?

You can still recover as long as you are less than 50 percent at fault. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage. If you are found 50 percent or more responsible, you recover nothing, so disputes over fault are often the center of a case.

How much does it cost to hire your firm?

Nothing up front. We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning we are paid only if we recover compensation for you. The first consultation is free and carries no obligation.

Is there a limit on what I can recover?

Medical bills, lost income, and other economic losses are not capped. Pain and suffering and similar noneconomic damages are generally limited to $750,000, or $1 million for a defined catastrophic injury or the death of a parent with minor children. Exceptions apply when the defendant was intoxicated, acted intentionally, destroyed evidence, or was convicted of a related felony.

Who can bring a wrongful death claim?

The right passes first to the surviving spouse, then to the children or next of kin, or to the personal representative of the estate. A spouse can lose that right if the family proves the spouse abandoned the deceased or willfully stayed away for two years. The deadline runs from the date of the injury that led to the death.

What happens if the other driver has little or no insurance?

Tennessee’s minimum liability limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, with $25,000 for property damage, and some drivers carry nothing at all. Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may apply, and we review your policy to see what is available.

Should I give the other driver’s insurance company a recorded statement?

It is usually wise to decline until you have spoken with a lawyer. Recorded statements are used to lock in your words about fault and injuries, and an offhand comment can be turned against you later.

Can I recover if I was hurt at work by someone other than my employer?

Often yes. Workers’ compensation is generally your only remedy against your own employer, but a negligent driver, equipment maker, or another contractor can be sued separately. A third-party claim can include pain and suffering and the full value of lost earning capacity, though the employer or its insurer may have a right to repayment from the recovery for benefits already paid.

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

You should use your health insurance so treatment is not delayed, and you should tell your lawyer about every payer. Health insurers and other benefit providers may assert a right to be reimbursed from a settlement, and those claims can often be negotiated down, so they should be addressed before you accept any offer.

Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a minor accident?

Sometimes the answer is no, but many injuries that seem minor at first turn out to need extended treatment, and early settlements rarely account for that. With a one-year deadline and a fault rule that can bar recovery, a free consultation is a low-risk way to learn whether your claim is worth pursuing.

Do you handle cases outside Jackson?

Yes. We represent clients throughout Tennessee and can travel to you when injuries make it hard to come to us. We can review your case, explain your options, and keep you informed by phone and email as it moves forward.

What if a child was injured?

A child’s own injury claim is generally paused until the child turns 18, and the one-year clock begins then. Parents’ separate claims, such as for the child’s medical bills, are not extended in the same way, so a family should not wait to get legal advice.

Serving Jackson and Madison County Injury Clients Across West Tennessee

Our work for injured people begins in Jackson and Madison County, and it reaches the surrounding West Tennessee communities where clients live, work, and travel. We represent people from Jackson itself and from the towns and communities that feed into it along I-40 and the state routes, and we meet clients where it is easiest for them, including at home or in the hospital when injuries make travel difficult.

Our service area covers all of Tennessee. In West Tennessee we represent clients from Memphis and the communities between Memphis and Jackson. Toward Middle Tennessee we serve Nashville and the cities along the interstate corridor. In East Tennessee, where the firm has long represented families, we serve Knoxville, Clinton, Maryville, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and LaFollette, along with Knox, Anderson, Blount, Sevier, Campbell, Roane, Claiborne, Morgan, Jefferson, and Monroe counties and the Tri-Cities area including Johnson City. Wherever the crash or injury happened, we can review the facts, identify the courts that apply, and build the case from there.

Talk With a Jackson Personal Injury Attorney Today

If you were hurt in a crash, a fall, or a workplace incident in Madison County, the deadline to act is short and the evidence is easiest to secure early. A Jackson personal injury attorney at Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette can listen to what happened, explain which Tennessee rules apply to your claim, and tell you honestly what your case may be worth. There is no fee unless we recover compensation, and the consultation is free. Call us to talk through your situation and decide on next steps.