Morristown Car Accident Attorney

Injury Accidents in the Morristown Area

There are many different laws in place that are designed to protect the drivers on the road. Laws regarding traffic patterns, speed limits and many others, when these laws are not adhered to, the results can be catastrophic and deadly in some cases. In 2011 there were nearly 1,000 fatalities that occurred in a vehicular accident in the state of Tennessee. Even though there are many safety laws in place that are designed to protect drivers on the road, there are still many individuals who act negligently and put themselves and others in serious danger of injuries.

There are many different causes for car accidents; however the most common is general negligence. It is true that there are many car accidents that are caused by adverse weather conditions and are unavoidable, however there far more accidents caused by the negligent acts of others and can be avoided. Negligence is defined as a lack of reasonable care, or a deliberate violation of a duty of care. Therefore, accidents caused by negligence could easily be avoided by a little more care on the part of the negligent individual.

What if I am Partially to Blame for My Car Accident?

Car accidents are caused for a variety of reasons and in many different situations. In some cases fault is very clear and it is assigned to one party. But, in other scenarios both drivers may be partially to blame.

What happens if you are in a car accident and you are partially at fault? With the exception of rear-end collisions where fault is almost always assigned to the driver in the rear, there can be a lot of finger pointing in other types of accidents.

Even when a driver openly admits to being in the wrong, his or her insurance company may try to argue otherwise.

In car accident claims across the country, when it becomes clear that more than one person is responsible for the accident, fault-finding and legal liability will be governed by the laws of either contributory or comparative negligence, depending upon which system that particular state uses.

Comparative fault systems fall into three categories: pure contributory negligence, pure comparative fault, and modified comparative fault. Only a handful of states and the District of Columbia use the pure contributory negligence system, which states that an injured party cannot recover any damages if they are even 1% at fault.

50 Percent Rule

For our purposes, we will discuss the modified comparative fault system, which Tennessee follows. Tennessee follows the 50 percent rule, which means a party cannot recover damages if it is 50% or more at fault. If the party is 49% or less at fault, it can recover; however, the recovery will be reduced by the person's degree of fault.

In other words, for a plaintiff in Tennessee to recover damages, the plaintiff must not be 50% or more at fault for the resulting injuries.

Even if you were partially to blame for a car accident, providing you weren't more than 50% at fault, you still may be entitled to valuable compensation for your damages. Fifty percent of something is a whole lot better than not receiving a penny.

Serving the Residents of Tennessee

If you have been injured in a car accident that was caused by the negligent acts of another, such as drunk driving, then you will greatly benefit from the legal assistance of a personal injury representative from The Bowlin Law Firm. Our firm will be able to help you fight for your rights, your goals and your desires regarding the outcome of your case in Morristown, Knoxville, Knox County, or Hamblen County. You may be entitled to collect monetary compensation for your injuries and our firm will be able to help you pursue these damages.

Contact our firm today to discuss your case and how a Morristown car accident lawyer can help you.