Knoxville Auto Accident Lawyer

Being injured in a car accident that was caused by another motorist can be life changing. If you are an accident victim, you may be eligible to pursue compensation for the financial losses, physical injuries &/or property damages associated with the collision. The Knoxville auto accident lawyers at Greg Coleman Law are here to help defend your rights and pursue the maximum amount of compensation you are eligible to receive. Our award-winning attorneys keep you up to date with the case as it progress and manage your case from start to finish. This includes investigating the crash, collecting evidence, negotiating with the insurance company and filing a lawsuit if necessary.  

We offer a free, no obligation legal consultation which enables an attorney from our firm to discuss the merits of your case with you, and there are also no upfront fees if we decide to take on your case. Our lawyers work on a contingency basis which means that we only get paid when we obtain a recovery on your behalf.

Contact us today at (865) 247-0080 or simply fill out a Free Case Evaluation form.

Do You Have A Case?

If you have been injured in a car accident that was the result of negligence from another driver, that negligence will need to be proven in your lawsuit. This proof commonly consists of two, primary components:

1. The collision was actually caused - either completely or partially - by the person that you are filing the lawsuit against
2. The accident was the direct cause of the injuries that you sustained

Having an experienced accident lawyer on your side that has a history of handling cases similar to yours can be a great benefit during a case. At Greg Coleman Law, our Knoxville auto accident attorneys are prepared to represent victims of many different types of car accidents caused by another driver's negligence, including:

• Head-on collisions – These accidents are often fatal, particularly if they occur at high speed. These crashes occur when the front ends of two vehicles hit each other. Sometimes this happens because one car is traveling the wrong way, often because the driver is intoxicated.
• Rear-end accidents – A rear-end accident occurs when one vehicle crashes into the back of another. In some cases, the lead vehicle is stopped and in others the lead vehicle is still in motion. These accidents often occur at stop signs and stop lights.
• T-bone accidents – These are also known as side-impact collisions and they happen when the front of one vehicle crashes into the side of another. These crashes often result in more severe injuries, particularly when the victim's car lacks safety features like side-impact air bags.
• Multiple-vehicle pile-ups – These are crashes that involve multiple vehicles and they often occur on interstates when cars are traveling at high speeds. Vehicles involved in these accidents are often hit multiple times in different places, increasing the risk of severe injuries for vehicle occupants. Another problem with these accidents is vehicle occupants often have trouble exiting their vehicles because of the damage from the crash. 
• Rollover accidents – A rollover accident occurs when a car flips over onto its side or roof. This often happens to larger vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs). These vehicles are at higher risk for these types of crashes because they are taller than other passenger vehicles. The risk of a rollover crash also increases if you are speeding.

We understand how devastating these automotive accident injuries can be to your physical and emotional health, and also to your finances. If another party was at fault for the crash that caused your injuries, we are prepared to pursue fair compensation on your behalf.

Fill out a Free Case Evaluation form today.

Is There a Time Limit To File My Claim?

Yes - in Tennessee, there is a one-year time limit to file a car accident damages claim. This is known as the "Statute of Limitations" and means that from the date of the accident, you have one year to file your lawsuit.

How Our Knoxville Auto Accident Attorneys Can Help You

Many car accident victims think about working with a lawyer, but they often do not know some of the many benefits of hiring an attorney to represent them after a car accident.

Some of the advantages of working with an attorney include:

Contingency Fee Arrangement

... there is no charge for a consultation and you will not be charged legal fees unless you receive compensation...

The accident attorneys at Greg Coleman Law take cases on a contingency basis - which means there is no charge for a consultation and you will not be charged legal fees unless you receive compensation. The consultation also comes with no obligation to pursue a case. This all means there is no risk to you in contacting one of our attorney to discuss your situation and determine your legal options.

Unfortunately, many people mistakenly believe it will cost too much to hire a personal injury attorney. This is often why people do not contact a lawyer.

Investigating Your Accident

Auto accident lawyers in Knoxville, like the attorneys at our firm, have the resources and know-how to conduct an in-depth investigation of your crash to determine why it happened and the extent of the damages you suffered.

An attorney can:

We also know how to properly value non-economic forms of compensation, such as pain and suffering. We will explain what you can do to document these types of damages, such as keeping a daily journal about the physical and emotional issues you have suffered because of your injuries.

Reviewing Traffic Laws

The Knoxville car accident attorneys at our firm have in-depth knowledge of Tennessee traffic laws. We will carefully review the circumstances of your crash to determine if any laws were broken by the other driver. If laws were broken, we will have an easier time proving he or she was at fault for the crash.

Negotiating with the Insurance Company

After reporting your accident to the insurance company, our attorneys can handle all further communications. We know how to protect your best interests and aggressively pursue fair compensation. We have many years of combined experience negotiating fair compensation from insurance companies and know what it takes to be successful.

The insurance company may want you to sign a statement or give a recorded statement about the crash. However, our Knoxville auto accident attorneys can discuss any of these demands with you to determine what is in your best interest. We will not recommend signing or recording anything if we think it will hurt your case.

We know how to protect the interests of our clients and aggressively pursue fair compensation.

If we are unable to obtain fair insurance compensation, we are fully prepared to take your case to court to recover compensation. If we decide to file a lawsuit we will ensure it is filed before the statute of limitations expires.

The statute of limitations is a law that sets a deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit. Under Tennessee law these claims must be filed within one year of the date of the accident (Tennessee Code § 28-3-104). If you do not file a claim within one year of the accident, you lose the right to do so.

There are exceptions to this statute, such as the discovery rule. This says the statute of limitations does not begin until you discover your injury or should have discovered your injury by exercising reasonable diligence.

Schedule a free consultation with our auto accident lawyers in Knoxville today.

Car Insurance Laws in Tennessee

The state of Tennessee is known as a fault state when it comes to car accidents. This means car accident victims must seek insurance compensation from the at-fault driver's insurance company.

This is why Tennessee requires all drivers to carry a minimum amount of coverage, including:

• $25,000 per person for bodily injury
• $50,000 per accident for bodily injury

If you are in an accident caused by another driver, his or her bodily injury coverage pays for your medical expenses and lost wages. Our Knoxville auto accident lawyers will pursue the full cost of your damages, up to the limits of the other driver's insurance policy.

Tennessee also requires drivers to carry uninsured motorist coverage of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $15,000 per accident for property damage. This coverage applies to accidents caused by drivers who either do not have insurance or do not have enough coverage to pay the full cost of your damages. This means you would be pursuing compensation from your own insurance company instead of the at-fault driver's insurance company.

Complete a Free Case Evaluation form today.

Tennessee's Comparative Fault Law

There are some accidents where the other driver is 100 percent responsible for what happened. However, there are many other accidents where both drivers are responsible in some way.

This is why Tennessee has a comparative negligence law. The law instructs juries how to award compensation if both parties in the accident are at fault. 

Tennessee follows a modified comparative negligence system requiring your total compensation award to be reduced by your percentage of fault for the accident. In other words, if you are found to be 20 percent at fault, your total compensation award will be reduced by 20 percent. The law also states you cannot collect any compensation if you are 50 percent or more responsible for the crash.

This law is most often applied in the courtroom, but insurance companies may apply this law to your case. Insurers are focused on their bottom line so they will do anything they can to pay the least possible amount of compensation for your claim.

The car accident lawyers in Knoxville at our firm have detailed knowledge of this law and will work to try to ensure it is applied fairly to your accident. We do not want you to be assigned more fault than you deserve.

Call Greg Coleman Law now at (865) 247-0080.

Steps to Take After a Car Accident

When a car accident occurs, victims are often unsure about what to do next. They may think about collecting evidence at the scene or consider seeking legal representation from a qualified auto accident lawyer in Knoxville.

Unfortunately, car accident victims often do not understand that their actions after a crash can have a significant impact on their ability to obtain compensation for their damages.

Some of the steps you can take after a crash to help preserve your claim include:

Move to a Safe Location

Your health and safety is the number one priority after a car wreck. This is why you should try to move your car away from any oncoming traffic to prevent another crash. Turn on your hazard lights as well to help make your car more visible to oncoming traffic.

If it is safe to do so and you are physically able, exit your car to assess the damage. If there is any smoke or fire coming from your vehicle, there is a risk of an explosion – so you should get away from your vehicle immediately.    

Assess Your Injuries

After moving your vehicle, take a few moments to catch your breath and assess any injuries that occurred, including injuries to your passengers.

No matter how minor injuries may seem, you should always err on the side of caution and call 911 or go to the hospital for medical attention. Some injuries seem minor at first but can become much more serious in the hours and days after the crash.

After you receive medical treatment, ask the treating health care providers how to obtain a copy of your medical records. These records will document your injuries and the treatment you received. These records are a key piece of evidence when you pursue compensation. They serve as an official record of the injuries you sustained in the crash.

Stay at the Scene

It is illegal to leave the scene of an accident that caused property damage or injuries. You should remain at the scene until the police and first responders arrive to assess the situation.

Another reason to remain at the scene is so you can take pictures of the scene and write down your thoughts on what occurred. This is a crucial step to take because the scene of the accident will likely be cleaned up once you leave, making it impossible to take pictures of what things looked like after the crash. When you take pictures, make sure to document the following:

Writing down your thoughts right after the crash is important because you may have a difficult time remembering what happened days or weeks after the crash.

Collect Information

There are various pieces of information you will need to help you pursue compensation from the other driver, including:

If you see any witnesses, question them about what they saw during the crash. Write down what they say and ask for their contact information. This way you or your Knoxville auto accident attorney can contact them again if you have more questions or need more information.

Talk to the Police

When the police arrive, they will question you about what happened so they can fill out a police report about the crash. Fully cooperate with law enforcement, but do not admit fault for the crash. Give the police the facts and let them make a judgment about what happened.

Before the police leave the scene, ask them how to obtain a copy of the police report. This will be an invaluable piece of evidence when you pursue compensation.

You can also contact Knoxville police headquarters to ask about obtaining a copy of your accident report.

File an Insurance Claim

It is best to file an insurance claim as soon as possible after a crash. Insurance companies often have deadlines for filing claims and you do not want to lose your opportunity to pursue insurance compensation.

Waiting too long to file a claim also tends to make insurers suspicious about the authenticity of your claim. If you wait, they may try to say your injuries were caused by something besides the accident and deny or devalue your claim.

However, when you are talking to the insurance company be sure to stick to the facts. You do not want to admit fault or give your opinions about what happened. You could hurt your chances of obtaining fair compensation.

After contacting the insurance company, you should strongly consider seeking representation from a reputable Knoxville auto accident lawyer. There are many ways an attorney can help you throughout the legal process.

Call (865) 247-0080 for a free consultation.

What Can Cause a Serious Car Accident?

Automotive crashes are caused by a variety of factors, including the negligence of other drivers. Common examples of negligence that lead to car crashes include:

Common Injuries from These Types of Collisions

These and other types of car crashes can result in a variety of severe injuries that require long-term medical treatment, including:

Contact an Experienced Knoxville Auto Accident Attorney Today

Insurance companies will try to persuade you to settle your car accident case quickly. They would prefer that you did not seek help from an attorney because they know an attorney will aggressively pursue full compensation for your injuries and damages.

The car accident attorneys in Knoxville at our firm are prepared to fight relentlessly to obtain the settlement you deserve. If necessary, we will file a lawsuit to obtain the fair compensation you are entitled.

Before you sign anything from the insurance company, contact Greg Coleman Law and speak directly with a licensed car accident lawyer who is focused on your best interest.

Contact us today for your free and confidential case evaluation. You will not owe us legal fees unless we recover fair compensation for you.

Fill out a Free Case Evaluation form today or call (865) 247-0080.