The Personal Injury Claims Process in Tennessee

You’ve been injured; what’s next? Personal injuries can be overwhelming, and you must protect your rights and ensure you receive fair compensation when it results from someone else’s negligence. You have the right to bring forth a personal injury claim in Tennessee and recover damages for the harm suffered.

Table of Contents

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1. Report the incident
2. Seek medical attention
3. Evidence collection and preservation
4. Make a claim
5. Lawsuit

So, how do you navigate the personal injury claim process? Here is a quick breakdown of the steps involved.

Report the incident

Reporting the accident that caused your personal injury is always a smart move. Whether in a car wreck, work-related injury, on private property, or following the consumption of defective products, reporting it gives you a record and evidence trail. Car accidents are perhaps more straightforward since it mostly involves calling the police and notifying the insurance company.

Nonetheless, it would help if you didn’t overlook reporting to a private property owner, employer, or other relevant parties following where it occurred and the nature of the accident. As you report the incident, ensure it is detailed and always ask the police for a copy of the report.

Seek medical attention

Medical records come in handy when filling the claim as they prove that you indeed suffered and give accounts of when the incident happened and the extent of the injury. Besides the medical bills, the records can help you argue and showcase damage beyond the easily quantifiable elements. With an experienced personal injury attorney in Cookeville, you can ensure elements like pain and emotional suffering are included, which medical records can help support.

Evidence collection and preservation

Start collecting and preserving evidence that’ll help hold the at-fault party liable as soon as you can. Today, you have a lot at your disposal that can help, including your Smartphone. Take detailed photos of the accident and injuries, record witnesses’ testimonies, and remember to keep their contact information. Remember the police report, too, and the medical records. The footage, such as if the accident was in a store, can also help.

Collecting evidence is among the top reasons you should consider hiring a personal injury attorney in Crossville. Some aspects, such as collecting witness testimonies, can be tricky. In instances like medical malpractice, it is even more demanding since it requires collaborating with other medical professionals. The best attorneys are resourceful and have the time to do a thorough evidence collection and preservation job. This is critical for your claim since it gives you an edge over the at-fault attorney, including if the case goes to court.

Make a claim

Working with a personal injury attorney is critical at this point. You’ll avoid legal technicalities that can make your claim void, including the expiry of the statute of limitations. The demand letter should contain details including what happened, when, why you are holding the party liable, and how much you are demanding for the harm caused.

Your attorney can help you make a detailed claim letter. Naturally, the negotiation ensues after you make a claim. The insurance adjusters can be intimidating. They hit you with legal and insurance terminologies trying to catch you off-guard, which could force you to give up or accept lowball offers. You could also be tricked and end up self-incriminating or volunteering information that could be used to reduce the compensation amount significantly.

Negotiation can go on for months; insurance companies will do anything to frustrate your quests, emphasizing the need to even the playing field by enlisting a personal injury attorney. Working with a personal injury attorney in Tennessee also gives you a negotiation edge. Attorneys are adept negotiators, and since they won’t be intimidated by the insurance adjusters, they help you secure the best compensation.

Lawsuit

Ideally, you would want to get the compensation as fast as possible, mostly with an out-of-court settlement. This is not always the case; if an amicable agreement can’t be reached via negotiations, you still have the right to file a lawsuit and bring the claim to court. However, you must file the lawsuit within the set state of limitation.

This is another reason to work with an attorney since they can help you avoid pitfalls like being caught up in negotiations that don’t seem to be going anywhere and forgetting to file a lawsuit before the expiry of the statute of limitations set at one year following the date of your injury in Tennessee.

The personal injury attorney can effectively and objectively argue your case in a court of law, giving your claim an advantage. This is unlike self-representation, where emotions can get the better of you, sending you off the course.

A personal injury claim is the best way to protect your rights following negligent acts. Nonetheless, the process can be overwhelming, but with an experienced Tennessee personal injury attorney on your side, you can comfortably navigate it and realize favorable results.

Contact Burnett Law today for more on how to file a personal injury claim.