EAST TENNESSEE CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS

The choices you make in the first hours and days after a crash can shape your entire claim. Insurance companies start building their case immediately — and you should protect yours just as quickly.

Get medical attention right away

Even if you feel "okay," see a doctor. Adrenaline masks injuries, and conditions like concussions, soft- tissue damage and internal injuries often surface days later. A prompt medical record also ties your injuries directly to the accident, which matters when an insurer later argues you weren't really hurt.

Document everything you can

• Photos of the vehicles, the scene, road conditions and your visible injuries.
• Names and contact information for every witness.
• The other driver's insurance and license details, and the responding officer's name and report number.
• A simple written timeline of what happened while it's fresh in your memory.

Be careful what you say

You are not required to give the other driver's insurance company a recorded statement, and doing so
before you talk to a lawyer often hurts your claim. A friendly adjuster's real job is to find reasons to
pay you less.

Tennessee follows a rule called modified comparative fault. In plain terms: you can recover compensation as long as you are found less than 50% at fault for the accident — but your recovery is reduced by your share of the blame.

If you're found 20% at fault for a $100,000 claim, you recover $80,000. But cross the 50% line, and you recover nothing.

That 50% threshold is exactly why insurance companies work so hard to shift blame onto injured people. A big part of our job is pushing back — gathering the evidence that tells the true story so an inflated "you're partly at fault" argument doesn't quietly erase your claim.

Tennessee has one of the shortest personal injury statutes of limitations in the country: generally one year from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit. Miss it, and the court can throw out even the strongest case.

There are limited exceptions — for minors, for injuries discovered later, and for certain claims against government entities, which can have their own shorter notice requirements. Because the clock is unforgiving, the safest move is simple: talk to an attorney as soon as you can.

Insurance companies are businesses, and every dollar they don't pay you is a dollar they keep. Common tactics we see across East Tennessee include:

1. A fast, friendly lowball offer before you know the full extent of your injuries.
2. Pressuring you for a recorded statement they can use against you later.
3. Arguing your injuries are pre-existing or unrelated to the crash.
4. Delaying and going quiet, hoping you'll give up or run out of time.
5. Disputing your medical treatment as "excessive" or "unnecessary."

When a firm with a 40-year track record steps in, the conversation changes. Adjusters know which firms are prepared to take a case to trial — and they price their offers accordingly.

Economic damages

• Past and future medical expenses, including surgery, therapy and medication.
• Lost wages and reduced future earning capacity if you can't return to the same work.
• Property damage and out-of-pocket costs tied to the accident.

Non-economic damages

• Physical pain and suffering.
• Emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Permanent disability, scarring or disfigurement.

National "settlement mill" firms advertise everywhere and treat clients like case numbers. We've spent four decades in the courts of Knox, Hamilton, Washington and surrounding counties. We know the local judges, the local insurers and the roads where these wrecks happen — and our clients can actually reach the people working their case.

That local knowledge, combined with the firm-wide team approach, is what we mean when we say you're family, not a file.

From your first call, you'll have a clear sense of where your case stands and what comes next. We front the costs and the risk, handle the insurance company, and keep you updated in plain language — and you owe us nothing unless we win.