Montgomery County Car Accident Lawyer

A wreck on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, Madison Street, or the stretch of I-24 that cuts through Clarksville can leave you with a totaled car, a hospital bill, and an adjuster asking for a recorded statement before you have even seen your own doctor. Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette is a Tennessee personal injury law firm that represents people hurt in crashes, and as a Montgomery County car accident lawyer team we take on these claims for residents of Clarksville and the surrounding communities.

Montgomery County sits in a corridor that mixes heavy commuter traffic, military families traveling to and from Fort Campbell, interstate freight, and college-town foot traffic. That mix produces rear-end collisions at stop-and-go intersections, crashes with tractor-trailers on the interstate, and pedestrian and bicycle injuries near campus and downtown. Tennessee gives you only one year to file in most injury cases, so the decisions you make in the first few weeks matter more than most people realize.

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

Our results in vehicle cases show what the firm can do when an insurer will not pay a fair amount. We 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, and $1.6 million for a man hit head-on by a commercial delivery truck on his way to work. Across all case types, the firm has recovered more than $100 million for injured people and their families, and our attorneys bring more than 170 years of combined experience.

Two of our partners spent the early part of their careers defending insurance companies, trucking companies, and businesses. That means we know how adjusters value a claim, which arguments they lean on, and where defense files tend to be weak. Bruce D. Fox, co-founder, has tried more than 125 jury trials, 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, and partner John Willis is a past president of the Anderson County Bar Association who has tried cases across the state. Our attorneys are regularly voted among Knoxville’s Top Attorneys by CityView Magazine. Trial attorney Michael C. Beehan is fluent in Spanish, and hablamos español.

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

Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle for Montgomery County Drivers

• Rear-End and Intersection Collisions: Clarksville’s busy commercial corridors, including Wilma Rudolph Boulevard and Madison Street, produce sudden-stop crashes and red-light violations. Whiplash, herniated discs, and concussions are common results, and symptoms sometimes surface days later.
• Interstate and Tractor-Trailer Crashes: I-24 carries a steady flow of commercial freight through the county. Truck cases involve driver logs, maintenance records, and electronic data that can vanish quickly, so preservation requests need to go out fast.
• Distracted Driving Wrecks: Tennessee’s Hands Free law bars holding a phone, texting, or watching video while driving. A violation by the at-fault driver can become strong evidence of negligence.
• Drunk and Drugged Driving Crashes: The per se alcohol limit is 0.08 percent, and impairment from prescription drugs can also support a claim even with no set numeric limit. Intoxication can also open the door to damages beyond the usual limits.
• Motorcycle, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Cases: Riders and pedestrians absorb the full force of a collision, and insurers often shift blame onto them. Serious fractures, amputations, and brain injuries are frequent in these cases.
• Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Claims: Tennessee’s minimum liability limits are 25/50/25, which can fall far short of a serious injury’s cost. Your own policy’s uninsured and underinsured coverage may fill part of the gap.
• Wrongful Death After a Crash: When a family loses someone on a Montgomery County road, the law decides who may bring the claim and sets strict timing, which we explain below.

What to Do After a Clarksville-Area Car Wreck

Get medical care first, even if you feel mostly fine. Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap between the crash and your first appointment gives the insurer room to argue that something else caused your pain. Tell every provider that the injuries came from a car accident so the record connects them from day one.

Call police so an officer writes a report. Within Clarksville, that is typically the city police department; on county roads and outside city limits it may be the sheriff’s office or the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Take photos of the vehicles, the road, skid marks, traffic signals, and your injuries. Get names and insurance information from other drivers, and the names of any witnesses before they leave.

Be careful with the other side’s insurer. You are not required to give a recorded statement, and early comments like “I’m fine” or “I didn’t see him” get quoted back later. Do not sign a medical release that opens your entire health history, and do not accept a quick check until you know the full extent of your injuries.

The clock matters most. Most Tennessee injury lawsuits must be filed within one year of the crash. That period stretches to two years when criminal charges are brought against the at-fault driver and the prosecution begins within that first year, but a simple traffic citation does not generally do that. Property damage claims get three years. If a government vehicle caused the crash, the Governmental Tort Liability Act requires suit within 12 months, and damages against government entities are capped at lower amounts than ordinary claims. If the injured person was a child under 18, the one-year period generally does not begin until the child’s 18th birthday.

Most car accident lawsuits arising in Montgomery County are filed in the circuit court for the 19th Judicial District, which covers Montgomery and Robertson counties. Smaller claims may begin in General Sessions Court, whose civil jurisdiction is limited by dollar amount and type of case. Many cases settle before anyone files, but a claim that is ready for court tends to settle for more.

How Fault and Damages Work in a Tennessee Car Accident Claim

Tennessee uses modified comparative fault. If a jury puts you at 50 percent or more of the blame, you recover nothing; below that line, your award shrinks by your percentage. Because the stakes of a few percentage points are so high, insurers push hard to pin fault on drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, and pedestrians. Tennessee has 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 an unidentified hit-and-run driver. That makes a careful early investigation essential.

Your claim can include economic losses, such as medical expenses, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and vehicle damage, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and loss of enjoyment of life. Tennessee does not cap economic damages. Noneconomic damages are generally limited to $750,000, rising to $1 million for a defined catastrophic injury such as paraplegia or quadriplegia, amputation of both hands, both feet, or one of each, or severe burns over large portions of the body or face. The jury never hears about this limit; the judge applies it afterward. The limit does not apply when the at-fault driver was intoxicated to the point of substantially impaired judgment, intentionally caused the harm, destroyed evidence, or was convicted of a related felony. Punitive damages are available only in narrow circumstances and carry their own ceiling.

When a crash kills someone, the claim belongs first to the surviving spouse, then to the children or next of kin, or it may be brought by a personal representative. The one-year period runs from the date of the injury, not the date of death, which surprises many families whose loved one survives for a time in the hospital.

Montgomery County Car Accident Questions, Answered

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

One year from the date of the crash in most cases. Criminal charges against the at-fault driver can extend it to two years, and claims against government entities have their own 12-month rule. Because the deadline is among the shortest in the country, call a lawyer early.

What if I was partly at fault for the accident?

You can still pursue compensation as long as you are less than 50 percent responsible. Your award is reduced by your share. Insurers often overstate an injured person’s fault, so evidence like photos, witness accounts, and vehicle data can change the percentage.

Do I need a lawyer for a minor fender bender?

Not always. If no one was hurt and the damage is small, you may handle it directly with the insurer. But soft-tissue injuries often show up late, and once you sign a release you cannot reopen the claim. A free consultation costs nothing and helps you decide.

The other driver has no insurance. What now?

Check your own policy for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which may cover your injuries when the other driver’s coverage is missing or too small. Report the crash to your insurer promptly, because policies have notice requirements.

What does Tennessee require drivers to carry?

The minimum is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage. A driver can also satisfy the rule with a $65,000 single-limit policy or a bond. These minimums often fall short of serious injuries, which is why your own coverage matters.

Will the other driver’s insurance pay my medical bills right away?

Usually not. Liability insurers typically pay only when a claim resolves, and sometimes not even then without pressure. Use your health insurance or medical payments coverage to get treatment now, and your attorney can address reimbursement from the eventual recovery.

Can I recover if the driver who hit me was texting?

Yes, and the Hands Free law helps. It prohibits holding a phone, reading or sending texts, watching video, or reaching for a device out of a seated, belted position. Phone records and witness testimony can show a violation, which supports a negligence claim.

What if the crash involved a soldier or someone from out of state?

Tennessee law generally governs a crash that happens here regardless of where the driver lives, and an out-of-state or active-duty driver’s insurer must still answer the claim. Cases involving a driver who relocates or deploys can move faster than usual, so early contact matters.

Can I still bring a claim if I was a passenger in the at-fault driver’s car?

Often yes. A passenger is not usually blamed for the driver’s mistakes, and you may have claims against the driver’s insurer, another negligent driver, or your own coverage. Passengers sometimes hesitate to pursue a friend or relative, but the claim is typically paid by insurance.

How long does a car accident case take?

It depends on how serious the injuries are and whether the insurer negotiates in good faith. Straightforward claims may resolve in months. Cases involving permanent injuries or disputed fault take longer, because a claim should not settle until your doctors know how well you will recover.

How much does it cost to hire your firm?

Nothing up front. We handle injury cases on contingency, so our fee comes only from a recovery, and the first consultation is free.

Serving Clarksville and Montgomery County Crash Victims

We represent injured drivers, passengers, riders, and families throughout Montgomery County, starting in Clarksville and extending to Woodlawn, Sango, Tobaccoport, Cunningham, Southside, Fort Campbell Boulevard, and the neighborhoods along Madison Street and Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. We also serve Adams, Palmyra, and the rural roads that feed into the county’s main routes. Neighboring communities such as Springfield and Cumberland City, and nearby Robertson and Stewart counties, are also within our reach, since the 19th Judicial District covers Montgomery and Robertson.

Beyond Middle Tennessee, we represent people across East Tennessee, including Knoxville, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Maryville, Clinton, and LaFollette, in counties such as Knox, Sevier, Blount, Anderson, Campbell, and Roane, and clients from Nashville, Memphis, and Johnson City. Wherever you live in Tennessee, we can review your case and travel to you when your injuries make it hard to come to us.

Talk With a Montgomery County Car Accident Attorney Today

The sooner a Montgomery County car accident attorney starts working on your claim, the more evidence there is to secure and the less ground the insurer can gain. Call Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette for a free consultation. We will review what happened, explain your options plainly, and tell you what your claim may be worth, with no fee unless we recover for you.