Chattanooga Speeding Accidents

Speed limits in Tennessee are mandatory, and anyone caught driving over the posted speed limit can be issued a speeding citation. In spite of this, many drivers across East Tennessee regularly drive at excessive speeds, and many wrecks occur as a result. Each year, hundreds of car accidents in Hamilton County each year are caused by drivers who speed, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security. Speeding is also a form of aggressive driving.

In order to seek compensation for your bodily injuries caused by an auto accident, you will first need to prove that the other driver’s negligence caused the accident and your injuries. To prove negligence, you will need to show that the other driver owed you a duty of care which he then breached. If you can show that the other driver was speeding at the time of the accident, then you may be able to prove negligence under the theory of negligence per se (or negligence as a matter of law) in which an act is presumed to be negligent if it violated a statute or ordinance, such as a traffic law. The issuance of a speeding citation may help you establish the defendant’s negligence.

Once you have established the defendant’s negligence, next you will need to prove your injuries and damages caused by the collision. You may recover both economic and non-economic damages under Tennessee law. Economic damages normally have a specific monetary value representing the loss caused by the accident. These damages include property damage repairs and expenses (such as towing or storage fees), medical and prescription expenses, and lost wages for time missed from work. You should be able to provide estimates, bills, or invoices that sufficiently document these losses.

Non-economic damages, on the other hand, can be more difficult to measure as they do not have a specific or set monetary value. Non-economic damages include losses that vary from person to person such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life. It can be difficult to quantify the value of these damages since they will differ between victims depending on the specific facts of the cases. For these reasons, the dollar amount of non-economic damages is usually disputed. Thus, you can benefit by hiring an experienced car accident lawyer in the Chattanooga area to fight for your rights. If the insurance company is unwilling to make you a fair offer, your attorney can discuss your right to file suit and conduct discovery in litigation.