How Much Time Do I Have To File A Lawsuit After The Death of My Wife In A Car Wreck?

My wife was hurt in a car wreck in Middle Tennessee on June 21, 2011 and died in the hospital two days later.  What is my deadline for filing a lawsuit against the driver who caused the wreck?

Unless a lawyer familiar with all of the facts advises you to the contrary,  you should assume that you must file suit a lawsuit against the responsible parties before the one-year anniversary of the wreck.  

In some states the date of death triggers the start of the time period to take legal action. That is usually not so in Tennessee.   Thus, to be safe work under the assumption that the one-year period starts to run from the date of the original injury that later resulted in death.

Of course, you should not wait that long to contact a lawyer.  Valuable evidence can be lost as time passes, and delay increases the possibility that all at-fault parties will not be timely identified and located.