CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER
NASHVILLE, TN
LEGALLY REVIEWED BY:
CONTROL STARTS WITH A CALL
Nashville is a growing, thriving metropolis, attracting new residents each year. With cranes across the city’s skyline, residential and commercial development is happening at a breakneck pace, and real estate prices are soaring. Unfortunately, the city’s infrastructure has not kept up with the growth, and countless crashes occur daily.
If you or a loved one suffered an injury in a Nashville car accident, you could be eligible for substantial compensation. The Nashville car accident lawyers at Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers can help. We offer a free consultation and work on a contingency basis, meaning we get paid only when and if you do.
Call our office today at 800-800-4600.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK FACTS: NASHVILLE CAR ACCIDENT STATISTICSTHE MOST COMMON TYPES OF CAR ACCIDENTS IN NASHVILLEWHAT TO DO AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT IN NASHVILLE, TNCAR ACCIDENTS CAN RESULT IN A NUMBER OF DAMAGESHOW MUCH IS MY CAR ACCIDENT CASE WORTH?WILL MY CASE SETTLE OR GO TO COURT?THE INSURANCE COMPANY IS NOT ON YOUR SIDECOMMON TACTICS THAT INSURANCE COMPANIES USE AGAINST YOUBEFORE YOU DEAL WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY, TALK TO HUGHES & COLEMAN INJURY LAWYERSHOW LONG DO I HAVE TO FILE A CAR ACCIDENT LAWSUIT IN NASHVILLE?TENNESSEE CAR ACCIDENT LAWS THAT MIGHT AFFECT YOUR INJURY CLAIMHOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY IN NASHVILLE FOR YOUWHY CHOOSE HUGHES & COLEMAN TO MANAGE YOUR CASETHE OFFICIAL INJURY LAWYERS OF THE TENNESSEE TITANSOUR MISSION IS TO HELP INJURED PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIESCOUNT ON OUR COMPASSIONATE LEGAL TEAM TO HELP YOU GET YOUR LIFE BACK ON TRACKWHAT TO EXPECT WHEN HUGHES & COLEMAN STARTS WORKING ON YOUR NASHVILLE CAR ACCIDENT CASEGET IN TOUCH TODAY
Quick facts: Nashville car accident statistics
- Davidson County has one of Tennessee’s highest crash rates, as well as the highest rates of injury accidents, reports the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
- In 2021, Davidson County reported 1,185 crashes where one or more vehicles involved were speeding, ranking highest across all of Tennessee.
The most common types of car accidents in Nashville
The types of auto accidents in Nashville that cause injuries can vary, but no matter what type of car accident you’ve been in, it is important that you speak with an experienced injury attorney as soon as possible to ensure that your rights are protected under the law and that negligent drivers are held responsible.
Although these are the most common types of accidents in Nashville, we’ve handled all types for over 35 years, and we are here to help you through any injuries caused by a wreck and to hold the responsible party accountable.
What to do after a car accident in Nashville, TN
1. Directly following the accident, focus on your safety
If you are involved in a crash, where you are seriously injured
Do not move yourself or the vehicle. Doing so can cause further injury and harm. If you are able, call 911 and wait for emergency services to arrive to provide you with the care you need.
If you are involved in a car accident where serious injuries or death have not occurred
Not only is it a good idea to move your vehicle out of the road after an accident if you can, it is also the law in Nashville, and all of Tennessee, and there are a couple of reasons for this:
- Moving your vehicle reduces the risk for other vehicles traveling on the road and secondary crashes that may result from your vehicle or the other car involved obstructing the roadway.
- Moving your car also opens the road for traffic. No one likes a traffic jam, but more importantly, a traffic jam can be a big problem for ambulances, fire trucks, police or other emergency vehicles that may be in the process of getting someone else the help they need.
Will moving my car before the police arrive put me at fault for the accident?
Moving your car off of the road following the accident does not make you liable or at fault solely for doing so. If you can move your car to the shoulder or median, you should do so to keep yourself and others safe.
We understand that it is important to prove fault for injury victims in a car accident case, however, we do not believe it should be done at the expense of your safety, and Nashville, TN law agrees. There are a number of ways to determine fault following an accident, and our car accident lawyers have decades of experience doing just that.
2. If you can, document the scene of the accident
If you are able, you will want to make sure to document the scene of the accident in a way that tells a story of what happened.
- Take photos of the vehicles involved and the damages.
- Take photos of any markings on the road and road conditions.
- Photograph any visible injuries.
- Gather witness contact information and statements.
- Exchange information with the other driver.
- Gather the name and information of the responding officer.
3. Report your injuries and get treatment
After you are out of harm’s way, you need to report your injuries. This is crucial for any auto accident case. If you do not report your injuries, it is as though they never happened in the eye of the law. Start by reporting your injuries to the investigating officer, and then to any doctors, hospitals or emergency rooms you see for treatment. Once you report your injury or injuries to a physician, they will then be documented and you can work with our accident lawyers in Nashville to help prove damages, which will help you get the most compensation possible.
In addition, getting treatment for your injury as soon as possible will be best for you short-term and long-term. Car accident injuries can often seem less severe than they actually are directly following a collision. You may not know the full extent of your injuries, and the sooner you get treatment, the sooner you can understand how bad your injuries are. You may not know how long treatment will be needed for, but knowing that you need treatment is often the best first step in the process of recovery.
Does a car accident lawyer help with my medical treatment?
At Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers, if you need our assistance, we can ensure that you have a treatment plan in place and that you are cared for as you recover. We work with the insurance company so that you do not have to, and are dedicated to helping you receive the treatment you need.
4. Call Hughes & Coleman as soon as possible
The insurance company of the negligent driver who hit you is probably already working on the case, gathering information and working to lessen or deny your claim. If you wait to hire an attorney, they will have the advantage. You need to get someone in your corner now to start working for you and your best interests.
Car accidents can result in a number of damages
As soon as we take your case, we begin calculating your damages and determining what they are worth. Our number one objective is to get you every dollar you deserve. Though every car accident claim is different, most feature at least one or more of the following damages:
Medical Expenses
Your medical expenses include your current and anticipated future costs of hospital visits, surgeries, doctor’s appointments, treatment, medical devices, prescription drugs, and more.
Lost Wages
This includes all the money you have not been able to earn from work while recovering from your injuries or attending medical appointments. Lost income can make bills difficult to pay, so recouping this money is very important.
Reduced Earning Capacity
This refers to your loss of income due to an inability to work the same job or the same hours as before. You are entitled to the difference between what you are currently earning and what you would be earning had your injury not occurred. You can also recover reduced earning capacity if your injuries require you to retire from the workforce.
Pain and Suffering
You may also receive compensation for your physical and emotional pain. These damages are subjective, but you deserve compensation for them. Our attorneys are often able to win pain and suffering compensation that is much higher than the compensation available for your economic damages.
Property damage
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, chances are that your car is also damaged. Our law firm can help recover damages to your vehicle or any valuables inside of the vehicle that may have been damaged because of the crash.
Wrongful death
These cases are difficult in many ways, so it is important than you have an experienced attorney on your side from day-one. In addition to economic damages, punitive damages may also fall under a wrongful death claim, which aims to punish the at-fault driver, for example, if they were intoxicated at the time.
How much is my car accident case worth?
This question tends to come up when thinking about compensation and what can be expected, however it is a complicated one to answer. As we mentioned, you may not know the extent of your injuries, especially at the start. During the course of your treatment, injuries and your situation can worsen, which also means that the amount of compensation you are entitled to can change as well.
There are some car accident lawyers out there who claim to know the amount your case is worth, but the truth is that a car accident attorney will only know how much your case is worth after the extent of your injuries and damages have been determined, along with a number of other factors that are taken into consideration when negotiating with the insurance companies.
Will my case settle or go to court?
Car accident cases will typically end with a settlement, however if your case requires it, we are prepared for court and have the experience to fight on your behalf. In some cases, especially when insurance companies do not offer reasonable settlements, it is necessary to go to the courts to get justice.
The insurance company is not on your side
It is a little hard to believe that the company you pay month over month is not in your corner, but it is the hard truth. Your insurance company is at conflict with your interests the moment you get into a car accident because their interests are to make a profit and pay out as little as possible. Insurance representatives are skilled negotiators and are very good at what they do. The good ones will try to become friends with you to get you to take a lower settlement than you deserve, so it is important that you understand their tactics. Do not sign or agree to anything without speaking with a Nashville car accident lawyer first.
Common tactics that insurance companies use against you
Understanding some of the tactics insurance companies use is the first step in protecting your claim. Some ways insurance companies try to reduce, or eliminate your claim all together, include:
- The “just checking in” call soon after your car crash. In Nashville, we are known for our kindness, so these types of calls might make you feel good about the insurance company you have. However, the unfortunate reality is that they know after an accident many victims are still vulnerable, and it is their goal to use this vulnerability to their advantage. A poor response to a seemingly harmful question, such as “how are you feeling?” could put your personal injury claim in jeopardy.
- Asking you for a recorded statement. If you are asked to give a recorded statement, you should think about this like Miranda Rights, meaning anything you say, can and will be used against you. They are not asking for your sake. They are asking in hopes you say something that devalues your claim.
- Asking for a medical authorization. An insurance company asking to review your medical bills and statements seems reasonable, right? After all, they are supposed to be covering the payment. But does it seem reasonable for the insurance company to see every medical document you’ve had since you were born? The clear answer here is no. Signing a medical authorization gives the insurance company the right to all of your records, not just records directly related to your accident, which they will use to assert pre-existing conditions and other points to deny or reduce the value of your claim.
- Trying to get you to accept a quick payout. Following an accident, medical expenses may be piling up and car wreck victims may be tempted to take anything that will help ease the stress of debt. It is important not to give into this urge. In most cases, the first offer you receive will not be adequate, and in many cases fails to cover your medical needs if long-term care is needed. Remember, their goal is to end your claim as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible for their bottom line.
- Stating that you were at-fault and denying your claim. In Tennessee, this is extremely important due to the “50 percent bar rule”, which states that if a driver is more than 50% at-fault in a wreck, they are not entitled to seek damages. Insurance companies know the laws and they will use them against you in any way they can.
- Telling you that they will not cover treatment beyond a certain point. This tactic is harmful in a couple of ways. First, you feel as though you cannot receive treatment coverage, or that your treatment needs to be limited. In this case, victims who are not represented by car accident attorneys will often stop their treatment once they reach the point that the insurance company has dictated. This is obviously not a good situation to be in for your recovery needs, and on top of that, it dilutes your personal injury case because if you do stop treatment, the insurance company can claim that your injuries are less significant than they may in reality be.
- Telling you not to hire a personal injury lawyer. This one is fairly straight forward. They do not want you to be represented by a law firm who knows Tennessee and Nashville laws regarding car accidents, because if you are represented, they now need to spend more time and resources negotiating with your law firm, which costs them more money.
Make sure you have Hughes & Coleman on your side and do not accept any settlement offer in Nashville before talking with an experienced firm.
Before you deal with the insurance company, talk to Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers
To receive compensation for your car accident injuries, you will likely need to go through at least one insurance company.
Though insurers serve an essential purpose and many of them are reliable, ethical companies, they are not always easy to negotiate with after a crash. In fact, if you say too much to an insurance adjuster before talking to a lawyer or accept their first settlement offer, you might undermine your claim and leave a lot of money on the table. It’s important to know when to contact an attorney, and the answer is typically as soon as possible.
At Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers, we know how to handle insurance company negotiations, and we fight to ensure you never settle for less than you deserve. If an adjuster calls you and wants to talk, tell them you will have your attorney get back to them, then call us for your free consultation. We can start working for you right away.
How long do I have to file a car accident lawsuit in Nashville?
You have one year to initiate a lawsuit following a car accident in Tennessee, and the clock starts on the date of the accident. But like we’ve said, it is in your best interest to file directly after you’ve suffered injuries so that you are in the best position possible to have a positive outcome.
This deadline is referred to as statute of limitations. If you don’t file within a year of the accident date, you lose your claim and cannot pursue a claim for damages. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be for you to obtain the compensation you deserve.
Tennessee car accident laws that might affect your injury claim
Tennessee has several accident laws that can affect the compensation you may be eligible to recover.
Arguably, the most important is Tennessee’s modified comparative negligence rule. After an accident, an investigation assigns each driver a share of the fault. An injured driver is then able to pursue the other driver for damages corresponding to his percentage of fault. However, this law has two critical caveats of which you should be aware:
- Tennessee follows the “50 percent bar rule.” This means that if a driver is 50 percent or more at-fault, they will be unable to recover any compensation for their damages.
- Your percentage of fault decreases the damages to which you are entitled.
Example of How Tennessee’s Modified Comparative Negligence Rule Can Affect Recovery
Suppose you are driving on I-24 between Murfreesboro and Nashville at night, traveling at the speed limit, when you notice an object in the middle of your lane. Heavy traffic prevents you from making a quick lane change, so you brake hard to keep from running over the object. The driver behind you fails to stop in time and rear-ends your vehicle. You suffer whiplash and other injuries; your damages total $25,000.
After an investigation, the police determine the other driver was primarily at fault due to following too closely. However, they noted that your brake lights were not functioning properly, making it more difficult to discern that you were slowing down, so the investigation assigns 10 percent of the fault to you.
In this scenario, you would be eligible to pursue the other driver for $22,500, or 90 percent of your damages.
How to choose the best car accident attorney in Nashville for you
If you search “injury lawyers in Nashville Tennessee”, you’ll be struck with over 8 million results. Searching for “Nashville car accident lawyers” will bring you over 2,700,000 results. Now, let’s say you want to narrow that down even more and search for “best car accident attorney in Nashville”, you’re now looking at roughly 2 million results. It can be overwhelming. So, how do you decide who will actually be the best injury lawyer in Nashville for you and your specific needs? It can seem daunting and stressful, but there are some things you need to consider when thinking through which personal injury law firm is going to work for your particular situation. Selecting the best car accident lawyer in Nashville for you could be one of the most important decisions you make, and could potentially effect the rest of your life.
- You need a law firm with extensive experience in car accident cases. This experience only comes through time, and having a firm that specializes in car accident claims can be the difference between a smooth process and a process that leaves you with less compensation than you really deserve. At Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers, we have handled thousands of car accident cases in and around Nashville, and have the results to show for it. Put our experience to work for you and it will pay off.
- Look for car accident lawyers that are local to you, and accessible to you and your community. You need a firm who can get out and investigate the scene, take photographs, and talk with your doctors to get the medical information required to help prove your case. Our Nashville office is in the heart of downtown, and we have offices in surrounding areas if you do not live in the city.
- You need a car accident attorney who is passionate about helping personal injury victims. At Hughes & Coleman, our Nashville car accident lawyers and the rest of our team deeply care about our clients and their well-being. We’ve been working to help auto accident victims across Nashville for over three decades and have earned the trust of our clients by getting them every dollar they deserve.
Why choose Hughes & Coleman to manage your case
Our Nashville car accident lawyers are local
Hiring a local firm can help you. Our attorneys work and live in Nashville and know Tennessee laws that may affect your case. Being local allows our team to investigate the scene, come to you if needed, and use our knowledge of the area to get you the best results possible.
Over three decades of experience
Our firm has over 35 years of experience helping injured victims and their families. Every car accident in Nashville is different, and experience matters when you need legal representation.
Over 1 billion recovered
We’ve recovered over 1 billion dollars for our clients across Kentucky and Tennessee.
View some of our latest victories
100% free case evaluation
We offer a free case evaluation and there’s absolutely no commitment needed in order to call. We’re here for you 24/7.
You don’t pay unless we recover for you
Our firm works for you on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay us anything unless we recover for you.
We keep you informed
This is your case and you deserve to be kept informed along the way. Our team prides ourself on ensuring that you have all the information you need and that we are in regular communication.
Call us today at 800-800-4600.
The Official Injury Lawyers of the Tennessee Titans
Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers is proud to partner with the Tennessee Titans as the Official Injury Lawyers of the Tennessee Titans. Our firm has represented and fought for the rights of injured victims in Tennessee for more than 35 years through our five office locations across the state, and this partnership allows us to do even more.
To learn more, visit Titans.HughesandColeman.com
Our mission is to help injured people and their families
For over three decades, we have stood with our mission and continue to uphold our core values of respect, integrity, compassion, and excellence. You can expect these values to be represented in everything that we do.
Read our reviews to learn what we’ve been able to do for our Nashville, TN clients.
Count on our compassionate legal team to help you get your life back on track
Our attorneys understand how quickly a crash can change a person’s life. An accident can leave you with high medical bills, thousands of dollars in lost wages, and, in some cases, permanent injuries and constant pain and suffering.
For this reason, Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers has a dedicated and committed legal support team whose function is to take as much stress as possible of your shoulders so that you can focus on your recovery. Our team members are here for you if you have questions about paperwork, concerns about your claim, or simply want an update about what is going on. Our team is never more than a call, text, or email away.
What to expect when Hughes & Coleman starts working on your Nashville car accident case
We know you are going through a lot and our firm does everything we can to make your experience as easy as possible. If you’re looking at Nashville car accident lawyers and considering Hughes & Coleman, we feel it’s important for you to know what to expect as our client.
When you call
Call us today at 800-800-4600 for a free consultation. During the consultation, you will speak with our team about your situation and we will help you determine next steps. You are likely hurting following your injury, but we aim to make this process as painless as possible.
When you’re a client
After you have partnered with us to manage your case, we will have a team that is dedicated to your case. We will gather the records and ensure all of the documentation is in place to make your case as strong as possible. You will also have an attorney assigned to your case that only handles personal injury cases.
Along the way, if you need help getting medical treatment, we have team members dedicated to making sure you can get to someone who can get you get the care you need.
We are here for you along the way
At our Nashville office, you will find caring team members who are here to take care of your needs, close communication, and support to ensure you receive fair compensation.
Get in touch today
We offer free consultations 24/7 and there will always be someone here to take your call. Call our personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation or fill out this form and we will contact you.
Control Starts With A Call. 800-800-4600.
We serve clients across Tennessee and Kentucky and we have several offices throughout both states. Visit contact us for a convenient list of locations.
You can also visit our Nashville Office:
Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers
446 James Robertson Pkwy #100, Nashville, TN 37219