The moments after a car crash can feel overwhelming as you deal with injuries, damaged vehicles, and expenses that quickly accumulate. While your immediate focus should be on safety and medical attention, the question of who will pay for your losses looms large.
Tennessee’s legal system provides many options for accident victims to recover compensation, but navigating these options requires understanding how liability works in our state.
A Knoxville car accident lawyer can help you understand your legal rights and pursue the compensation you deserve.
Understanding Tennessee’s Fault Car Insurance System
Tennessee operates under a fault-based insurance system. When another driver causes a crash, they become financially responsible for your injuries, vehicle damage, lost wages, and even pain and suffering.
You have multiple options for seeking compensation: filing a claim with your own insurance if you have the right coverage, pursuing a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance, or filing a lawsuit in civil court.
The state requires all drivers to carry minimum liability insurance coverage:
- $25,000 for injury or death to one person
- $50,000 total for all injuries or deaths per accident
- $15,000 for property damage
However, these minimums may not fully cover serious accidents, which is why many drivers choose higher coverage limits for better protection.
Potential Liable Parties in Tennessee Car Crashes
Liability for car accidents is often much more complicated than determining which driver made a mistake. Various parties may bear full or partial responsibility for your injuries and losses, including:
- Other Motorists: Negligent actions like speeding, distracted driving, or failing to follow traffic laws make other drivers liable for accidents they cause through their careless behavior.
- Road Maintenance Agencies: Government entities responsible for road maintenance and design can be held liable when poor road conditions, inadequate signage, or hazardous design elements contribute to crashes.
- Vehicle Manufacturers: When defective auto parts or systemic vehicle problems cause accidents, the manufacturers may bear responsibility for the resulting injuries and damages.
- The Driver’s Employer: Companies may be held liable when their employees cause accidents while driving for work-related purposes, including delivery services and commercial trucking operations.
What Happens If You Are Partially Responsible?
In some situations, you may have played a partial role in causing the accident. Tennessee’s comparative fault law still allows you to recover compensation even in these situations. As long as you were no more than 49% responsible, you maintain the right to seek damages.
However, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you’re awarded $100,000 but found to be 20% at fault, you would receive $80,000. If you were 50% at fault, you would not receive any compensation. It is important to work with a lawyer who can effectively argue against attempts to assign undue blame.
Fight for the Compensation You Rightfully Deserve
Determining liability after a car accident is one of the most important steps that you can take toward justice. The Lawyers of Brown & Roberto have guided countless Tennessee residents through the process of establishing fault so that they can secure the compensation they deserve.
With over five decades of combined experience and more than $50 million recovered for our clients, we understand how to build strong cases that protect your rights. Contact us at (865) 691-2777 today for a free consultation with a Knoxville personal injury attorney about your car accident claim.