75+
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2,000+
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SETTLEMENTS & VERDICTS
WHAT WE DO
Car Accident Attorneys in Chattanooga Tennessee
Have you or a loved one been injured in a car accident?
- Do not rely on insurance companies.
- You are our top priority.
- Stay away from a settlement mill.
We understand the hardship and loss that Tennessee and Georgia car accident victims suffer after a car accident involving serious injury or death. Accident victims and families in East Tennessee and North Georgia rely on the experienced auto accident attorneys at Dennis and King to help them navigate the aftermath of difficult situations.
Chattanooga car accident lawyers Tricia Dennis and Russell King have recovered millions of dollars in Georgia and Tennessee car and truck collision cases for people like you. If you are looking to find the best Chattanooga auto accident attorney or you want to understand how to get as much money as possible, you have come to the right place. It will tell you what you need to know if a Tennessee or Georgia car accident injured you and you want to bring a claim.
Auto Accidents Overview
You cannot always avoid a car accident by alertness and driving carefully. We all share the road with other drivers, and accidents caused by road conditions or faulty equipment are often beyond our control. However, driver negligence causes many car accidents, so it is important that anyone involved in a car accident contact an attorney.
A motor vehicle accident may involve a pedestrian hit and run, a semi-truck accident, a bike-car collision, a bus accident, drunk driving accident or a motorcycle crash. If a defective product such as a tire blowout or an air bag malfunction caused the accident, the case would fall under the law of product liability. Car accidents can result in painful muscle sprains and bruises or serious injuries such as catastrophic burns, broken bones, amputation, traumatic brain injury, neck & back, and spinal cord injuries.
A Car Accident Claim Is About Money
The entire purpose of bringing a car wreck claim is to get money for the harm that was done to you. Tricia Dennis and Russell King understand that if a car accident injured you or you lost a loved one in a car accident, you want the best and quickest path to maximize the amount of money you receive in compensation.
Most of our potential clients understandably prefer a quick, out-of-court settlement. But you also want to get as much money as you can for the harms and losses you have suffered. Look at our settlement and verdicts. We have a history of doing just this.
Do Not Rely On Insurance Companies
Do not accept any claim before you speak with an attorney. Many large insurance companies have adopted settlement policies that encourage their adjusters to offer quick payments to persons involved in an accident. Insurance adjusters will contact you or your family shortly after an accident to try to gain your confidence. In doing so, insurance adjusters often try to present themselves as the friend of the injured person or the family of the person who was killed in an accident. The goal of such contact is to settle the case on terms as favorable as possible for the insurance company.
Georgia And Tennessee Accident Law
There are two sources of Georgia and Tennessee law that applies to auto collision claims:
- The law that governs traffic and rules of the road
- The law that determines financial liability when a crash occurs
Both in Tennessee and Georgia, laws that relate to driving vehicles on the roads and highways in Tennessee and Georgia are set out here for Georgia and here for Tennessee. These are rules that all of the drivers in these states have to follow (for example, right-of-ways, speeding, traffic signals, etc.)
When an automobile accident occurs, the rule in the Georgia code and Tennessee Code help determine the driver responsible for causing the accident. Lawyers call the kind of law that makes the “at-fault” driver financially responsible for the car wreck victim’s damages, “tort law”. Tort law comes from decades of court made law designed to protect people from the negligence or wrongful conduct of others. When someone is “at-fault” in a Georgia or Tennessee car collision, they have committed the tort of negligence. The law holds a negligent person responsible in a legal action for any monetary damages that result from his negligence.
Georgia And Tennessee Car Accident Claims and Lawsuits
If you are injured in a Georgia or Tennessee auto accident you have the legal right to seek money from the at-fault motorist.
This initial process has four steps:
- The insured person (or his Georgia or Tennessee car wreck lawyer) submits a “claim” to the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
- The insurance company investigates the accident.
- The insurance adjuster confirms that their driver was at fault.
- After the insurance adjuster confirms fault, the adjuster attempts to settle your claim based on the insurance adjuster’s assessment of your injuries.
Settlement offers from insurance companies are almost ALWAYS less than the amount you are fully entitled to under the law. Not only that, but most offers not negotiated by a Georgia or Tennessee car accident lawyer, are unfair.
What if you are not satisfied with what the insurance company is offering to pay in a settlement?
You file a civil suit. Technically, it is against the at-fault driver. As a practical matter, it is against the insurance company.
You Are Our Top Priority
Dennis and King are an old-fashion, Chattanooga car wreck lawyers who limit the number of cases we take so we can give top-flight professional, personal service like lawyers used to do, before million-dollar ad budgets. We are not a big “settlement mill” that will merely process your case. We maintain a statewide reputation for the care we take with each of our clients. Experience the Dennis and King difference. Give us a call today at (423) 892-5533 or fill out our contact form.
Experience, expertise, and exceptional dedication to the needs of every client are the cornerstone of our success. Since negligence causes so many accidents, it is imperative that anyone involved in an accident contact an experienced Chattanooga personal injury attorney. Please remember that it is vital to act swiftly after you’ve been injured. The sooner you involve a Chattanooga personal injury attorney, the better we will be able to preserve evidence, gather essential witnesses and address any other important factors.
You Deserve
- Medical reimbursement
- Payment for past and future income loss
- Full compensation for pain and suffering
- Peace of mind in knowing your financial interests are being protected
We Are There For You
- Same day, evening and weekend appointments
- Home and hospital visits for the severely injured
- Never a fee until we receive a settlement for you
- We will go to trial if a fair settlement is not obtained
- Serving Georgia and Tennessee
What should I do after a car accident?
Car accidents are frightening. In the heat of the moment, knowing what to do is critical. With any luck, you will never be involved in a car accident, but it is important to be as prepared as possible and learn what to do.
If you live in Tennessee and Georgia, the Chattanooga personal injury law firm of Dennis and King is ready to help. Here is what to do in the event of a car accident.
- Get Out of Danger – If a fire or another dangerous condition exists in the aftermath of a car accident, get away from it as quickly as possible.
- Seek Immediate Medical Attention – If you or anyone else at the scene is experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.
- Exchange Information – At the absolute minimum, you need to acquire the other driver’s insurance information, driver’s license number and license plate number. You will need to provide that information to the other driver as well.
- Contact a Chattanooga Car Accident Lawyer – You can contact Dennis and King at 423-892-5533 or fill out our handy consultation form online. The easiest way to protect yourself in the aftermath of a car accident is by consulting with an experienced car accident attorney.
- Don’t Discuss the Facts of Your Case with Anyone – Don’t be surprised if you get a phone call from the other driver’s insurance company within a short period of time. Do not discuss the facts of the incident. The same thing holds true for your own insurance company. All too often, insurance companies try to pressure people into accepting unfair settlements. You have no way of knowing whether you’re being offered a fair settlement or not. That’s why having an experienced Tennessee and Georgia car accident lawyer by your side is so important.
- Don’t Sign Anything – If the other driver or a representative of his tries to get you to sign something regarding the accident, don’t do it.Get Copies of Everything – Make sure to obtain copies of all of your accident-related paperwork. Do not allow anyone to walk away with your only copy of a report or other document.
- Don’t Argue About the Accident – In the immediate aftermath of a car accident, the involved parties sometimes get into arguments about who was at fault and what happened. Don’t fall into this trap. Don’t discuss the situation with anyone but your Chattanooga car accident attorney. The attorneys at Dennis and King can give you the guidance that you need.
- Don’t Accept an Offer without an Attorney – Make sure that a lawyer from the Dennis and King Law firm reviews any insurance company offer before you accept it.
Contact Dennis and King Immediately After a Car Accident
One of the most important steps that you can take in the wake of an accident is contacting an experienced Chattanooga car accident lawyer from the law firm of Dennis and King. If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident in Chattanooga or the surrounding area, call (423) 892-5533 for a free consultation.
Car Accidents FAQ – Questions and Answers
Personal Injury cases involve claims against a negligent individual or corporation, the result of which causes an innocent party to incur medical expenses, wage loss, and pain and suffering.
If the driver of the vehicle in which you were a passenger is negligent, you can sue the driver (you really are suing their insurance company.) If the driver lacked insurance at the time of the accident, and you owned and insured your own automobile; your insurance company will be responsible for you medical bills and wage loss. If you were a passenger, and the car that hit you is uninsured, the car insurance for the vehicle in which you were a passenger would generally be responsible for your medical bills and wage loss.
The mere fact that you were a passenger in a vehicle does not automatically give rise to claim of damages from the driver. The driver of the vehicle has to be negligent in some fashion.
There are certain circumstances when individuals other than a driver of an automobile may be responsible for your damages. For instance, if the negligent driver were in the course of scope of his employment at the time of the accident, his employer would be responsible as well. Similarly, if the driver is operating a car owned by someone else with that individuals consent and permission, that individual’s insurance company will be responsible as well.
Tennessee and Georgia are a comparative fault states. If more than one driver injured you, each negligent driver will have to pay his or her share of damages.
Tennessee and Georgia is a comparative fault state. As long as your fault is less than that of the other driver, you can recover money damages. However, the recovery is diminished or reduced by the percent of fault attributable to you in causing the accident.
The totality of the circumstances surrounding the accident determine fault.
Eyewitness testimony from neutral individuals are always important. Additionally, Dennis and King hire experts such as an accident reconstructionist to help determine fault.
Answer: Any individual who a medical doctor says was injured or needed medical examination due to a Georgia or Tennessee car accident. In death cases, the heirs of the decease are entitled to maintain a claim, In certain circumstances the spouse of an injured person is entitle to recover damages as well. In the case of an injury to a minor, a parent or natural guardian is entitled to recover medical expenses incurred on behalf of the minor for care and treatment.
The general rule is that the statute of limitations for car accident cases in Tennessee is one year and in Georgia, two years. There are certain exceptions and Dennis and King needs to evaluate every case closely on an individual basis.
A person is entitled to recover damages for past medical expense, past wage loss, past pain and suffering, future medical expense, future impairment of earning capacity and future pain and suffering.
Every case is unique unto itself. Most physicians who care for and treat accident victims generally require 3-15 months of care and treatment in order to perform final opinions relative to injuries. Once we get the treating physicians’ final evaluations, we give the insurance company a detailed demand for settlement. Thereafter, settlement negations would begin. If negotiations do not produce a settlement that our client thinks is fair, we file a lawsuit.
There is no hard and fast rule for placing a financial value upon a case. Insurance companies evaluate cases on the circumstances of the accident, severity of the injury and its impact upon an individual’s day-to-day affairs including employment.
Insurance companies do offer replacement or rental coverage while automobiles are being repaired. In some circumstances, the adverse insurance company is willing to provide a rental car.
Only if your employer laid you off. Tennessee and Georgia has some of the harshest unemployment laws in the country.
The police officer will gather the necessary information from the parties involved in the accident as well as neutral witnesses. When appropriate, the police officer will take photographs and measurements. The report is then available within a short period of time thereafter.
The police officer determine fault by looking at all of the circumstances surrounding the accident. That includes independent witnesses’ observations, the observations of the parties and expert witnesses in the form of an accident reconstructionist when appropriate.
It is rarely productive to conduct your own investigation concerning the facts of an accident. Lawyers, professional investigators and accident reconstructionist are in the best position to act on your behalf.
If the cause of an accident is unclear, and the injuries are severe, it is important that your Chattanooga injury lawyer hire an engineer or accident Reconstructionist to investigate the crash.
Under some circumstances if a quick stop is made, you certainly can be found liable in a rear-end crash. However, it is also obvious that the driver traveling behind you is responsible for observing traffic and keeping a watchful eye on the flow of traffic and road conditions.
At the time of an accident, emotions are high, you may not remember everything. If there are independent witnesses who can tell how the accident occurred, your fading memory is less a concern.
Whether or not a person was wearing a seat belt at the time of an accident is inadmissible as a matter of law at that time a case is tried. Therefore, that information would not be an influence factor in evaluating a claim for injuries.
It is generally not a good idea to provide blanket releases to a liability insurance adjuster. However, you need to provide some medical records in order to prove the accident injured you. When an adjuster wants you to sign a release, check with a Chattanooga car wreck lawyer before you sign a medical release.
Air bag product liability cases are extremely difficult cases. In many circumstances, the amount a jury would award you will be less than the cost of providing your case. These cases require very expensive expert witnesses. It is always important that a Chattanooga car wreck lawyer skilled in the trial of car wreck cases look at your complete case if you don’t get a fair settlement offer.
Many cases are resolved through negotiation, mediation, or binding arbitration. A Chattanooga car wreck lawyer can tell you about these options in your case.
Our firm offers a free initial consultation to all prospective clients, where you can discuss your case with Russell King or Tricia Dennis.
You have nothing to lose by calling our office at (423) 892-5533 or booking a free consultation.
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A personal approach to personal injury
“I would highly recommend Ms Dennis, she is very kind, and she listens to your concerns. And the staff is great also. My family and I can not thank her enough for her help during the lost of our love one. Thank you!”
TERESA BUCHANAN
“My experience with Dennis & king law was absolutely amazing she got me the money I need for my pain in suffering she was honest the entire way until time for me to settle. She checked on me to make sure I was doing fine… great outcome!!”
RAVEN DOLBERRY
“My experience with Dennis & King was overwhelmingly positive. I chose them when I was hurt in a car accident… I ended up getting a nice settlement in a matter of weeks…”
ZACHARY RUSSELL