Tennessee Injury Law Center : Lawyers for Personal Injury and Wrongful Death : Serving Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville

I was hurt in a car wreck.  The wreck was caused by a state employee driving at a very high rate of speed during work hours.  The employee was working at the time of the wreck. The officer told me that the state employee's conduct was reckless.  Can I recover punitive damages in a claim against the State of Tennessee? 

No.  Tennessee law permits you to sue the State of Tennessee when one of its employees negligently causes a car wreck and resulting property damage and injuries, but claims for punitive damages are not permitted under any circumstances.  This is true even if the conduct is reckless and you would have been able to collect punitive damages if the wreck  had been asserted against a private individual.

Compensatory damages may be sought, but they are limited to $300,000 per person and no more than $1,000,000 per incident.

Claims against the State of Tennessee must be filed with the Claims Commission and not in Circuit Court.  You are urged to consult an attorney experienced in bringing claims against the State of Tennessee as soon as possible.

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I was involved in a wreck caused by the negligence of park ranger employed by the State of Tennessee.  The park ranger was driving a state vehicle during business hours.  I spent three days in the hospital and will have lots of physical therapy.  What are my rights?

You have legal rights, but they are limited as compared with those you would have against a private citizen or company.

You cannot sue the park ranger, but you can file a claim against the State.  You must first give notice to the State through the Attorney General's office and, when the claim is denied (it almost certainly will be) you will need to file the claim with the Board of Claims.  The Board of Claims follows many of the same rules as the court system, but damages for personal injury are limited to no more than $300,000, regardless of the amount of your lost wages, medical bills, or long-term disability.

You will need the help of any experienced lawyer to help you with this matter.  Our firm has handled many of these cases over the years, and we will be happy to have an initial consultation with you at no charge.

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I was badly hurt in a car wreck.  The wreck was caused by a State of Tennessee employee driving a state vehicle.  The State employee was working at the time.  I have heard that the State's liability is limited to $300,000.  Is that true?

Yes, in Tennessee the State is responsible for the negligence of its employees who cause car wrecks but the State's responsibility is limited to $300,000.  If the negligent state employee hurts a whole carload of people the recovery is up to $1,000,000 but no one person may recover more than $300,000.  

This is true regardless of the size of the medical bills, the lost wages, or the nature of the injury.   The restriction on recoverable damages is based on a law passed by the Legislature.

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My husband was hurt in a car wreck when a state employee driving a state vehicle ran a stop sign.  I think I read somewhere that the State of Tennessee and its employees can't be sued.  hat doesn't seem fair.   

The employee cannot be sued if the injury was caused by negligence and the employee was working for the State at the time of the wreck.  However, the State can be held responsible for the negligence of its employee under these circumstances, but some of the procedures are much different than those applicable to a private business. 

The claim against the State is not filed in court but instead is asserted as a claim through the Tennessee  Claims Commission.  Proper notice of the claim must be given and, if the claim is denied (it usually is) then a formal claim must be filed.  The entire process is administered through the Claims Commission.  The Attorney General's Office defends the State.

There is no right to have the case decided by a jury.  Instead, a Claims Commissioner decides the case.  Damages for any one person are limited to no more than $300,000, regardless of the severity of the injury.
 

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I was hurt in a car wreck six months ago.  It wasn't my fault.  I have been waiting for over a year for the case to settle.  I lost three months of wages and have had to pay some medical bills that were not covered by my health insurance.  Can I get the insurance company to pay interest on my settlement?  It doesn't seem fair that they can delay my settlement and not have to pay interest.

Not under Tennessee law.   Tennessee law does not permit the recovery of interest in personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits.  

The only exception to this rule is if you win a case and a judgment is entered by the court you are permitted to recover interest.  Interest accrues at the rate of 10% per year on the amount of the judgment that is unpaid.  

For example, if you win a judgment of $365,000 at a jury trial in Tennessee you are entitled to collect interest of $100 per day from the date of the jury verdict until the date the judgment is paid.  If a partial payment of the judgment is made the interest is payable only on the unpaid portion of the judgment.  (Note:  you have to pay income taxes on the interest that you are paid.  Be sure to talk with you tax advisor about this.)

The inability to collect interest on personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits (unless a judgment is entered) is yet another reason why you want to hire a lawyer who will work to finish your case promptly.  

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I was hurt in a car wreck.  My back and leg were injuried.  I don't need surgery right now but who knows what will happen 10 years from now.  Can I settle my case for my medical bills, my lost wages, and my pain and suffering and an agreement that the at-fault driver will pay my future medical bills if I have any?

You can try, but in 29 years as a lawyer I have never seen the argument work.  If the at-fault driver's insurance company believes that its driver is at fault and they want to settle the case, they want to settle all personal injury-related claims at one time.   (They will usually settle property damage claims seperately.)   They will not agree to leave open the issue of future medical expenses.

Thus, if a doctor says you will probably need a future surgery because of the injuries you sustained in the wreck, the cost of that surgery and related damages can be part of settlement negotiations.  If the doctor says that future surgery is possible, then the amount of the possible surgery cannot be included.  If there is a trial, the court will allow testimony only on whether a future surgery is probable and, if a doctor says it is, then the court will allow presentation of evidence on the cost of the surgery and related damages.

I hasten to add that worker's compensation cases are different and, in those cases, it is very common that the employer bears the responsibility of paying future medical bills related to the injury even after a settlement or trial.  Be sure to ask your worker's compensation lawyer what responsibility the employer will have for your future medical bills before you accept any settlement proposal.

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I was in a car wreck about 6 months ago.  The other driver admitted fault.  My medical bills are about $25,000.   I have been released by my doctor.  My lost wages are $2000.   How quickly will my case settle?

At the outset you need to understand that your case may not settle at all.  In Tennessee the insurance company does not have a duty to settle your case and in fact does not even owe you a duty to fairly evaluate your case.    It can settle a case, or not settle a case, on whatever schedule it wants to put in place.

However,  if the insurance company wants to settle the case it needs to have information from your lawyer.  At an absolute minimum, the company needs the accident report, your medical records and bills, perhaps some of your previous medical records, proof of lost wages from your employer, and an understanding of how the injuries have impacted your life.  To the extent you claim a permanent injury, future medical expenses, future loss of earning capacity, or other damages, the insurance company will need proof of that.

Lawyers communicate this information by way of a settlement demand.   All of the relevant information is gathered and the important information is highlighted in a letter.  In our office we attempt to gather all of this information before your are released from your doctor (except the final office note) and have a demand package ready to go to the insurance company within thirty days of when medical treatment is complete.  Lack of cooperation from one of the providers of information will affect our ability to get the demand package out on time.

Insurance companies always ask for more time to evaluate the demand package.  Then, the negotiations start and those can last several weeks even if everyone agrees that the case should be settled.

So, the short answer to your question is there are too many variables to say if your case will be settled and how quickly it will be settled.   It is fair to say that a case cannot settle if your attorney does not promptly gather and exchange information with the insurance company.  This is yet another reason to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer who will aggressively pursue your rights.

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I was driving in East Tennessee.  A big truck came over the center-line into my lane and I swerved to avoid it.  I lost control and went off the mountain.  My friend who was in the car behind me saw the whole thing.  He told me that I went through a hole in the guardrail and that the hole had been caused by another wreck nine months earlier that the State of Tennessee had never repaired.   What are my rights?

First, if you can identify the trucking company and truck driver you would have a claim against them for crossing the center-line and forcing you off the road.

Second, even if you can't identify the trucking company, you may have a uninsured motorist claim that you can assert against your own insurance company.  Tennessee law permits you to make a claim on your own insurance when an unknown driver (called a "John Doe" driver) negligently causes a wreck.  The fact that your friend saw the wreck is critical to being able to prove this claim.

Finally, you may have a claim against the State of Tennessee for negligent failure to maintain the guardrail.  The validity of this claim will depend on whether the State had notice that the guardrail was missing.

An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you determine what rights you have.  Remember than under Tennessee law most personal injury claims must be filed in court within one year of the date of the wreck causing your injuries.

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