Chattanooga Highway Accidents

Highway accidents generally involve high speeds and the negligence of one or more parties. Common injuries in highway accidents often include broken bones, paralysis, head injuries, whiplash, and other conditions. When a person sustains injuries such as the ones mentioned above, they are often forced to endure months of medical treatment costing thousands of dollars (sometimes, much more). It is important to hire a car accident attorney shortly after your accident in Chattanooga so that he or she can fight for the compensation you deserve and protect your legal rights. In Tennessee, an injured person has one year to settle his or her bodily injury claim or file a lawsuit in the appropriate court before the injured party’s right to recovery is barred forever. Many personal injury lawsuits in the area are filed in the Circuit Court of Hamilton County, Tennessee. The Circuit Court Clerk can be reached by calling 423-209-6700 or visiting 500 Courthouse, 625 Georgia Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37402.

Proving the at-fault driver’s negligence is almost always needed to recover compensation after a car accident. On Chattanooga highways, common forms of negligence include following too closely, speeding, failing to yield, and improper lane changes. In order to prove negligence, sufficient proof must be presented to show the defendant acted carelessly or unreasonably based on the given set of circumstances. Securing witness testimony, obtaining police reports, and consulting with accident reconstruction experts are just a few ways an attorney can advocate on your behalf to ensure the proper percentage of fault can be placed on an at-fault driver.

Under Tennessee law, an injured person must prove that the defendant was at least 51% or more at fault for the accident to begin recovering damages. If the fact finder finds that the injured party was 50% or more at fault, then the injured party can be denied recovery altogether. It is important to note that even if you are 49% or less at fault, your award will be discounted based on the fault allocated to you. For example, if you are found to be 20% at fault for a collision, then you will only be able to recover up to 80% of the damages awarded. Damages generally recovered after a successful settlement or verdict include economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are your tangible losses such as medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages are more intangible losses such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.