Car Accident Attorneys in Chattanooga, Tennessee

1. The McMahan Law Firm

Practice Focus: Car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, traumatic brain injury, dog bites, Social Security disability

Case Types Handled: Auto and car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, boat and jet ski accidents, pedestrian accidents, traumatic brain injuries, dog bites

Legal Services: Free case review, personal injury claims and settlement negotiation, litigation when a claim cannot be settled out of court

Background: The McMahan Law Firm has helped injured Chattanooga residents since 1992 from its office on Cherokee Boulevard. Its attorneys include James Kennamer and Brent Burks.

Location: 701 Cherokee Blvd, Chattanooga, TN 37405

Contact: 423-265-1100 | https://mcmahanlawfirm.com/

Consultation: Free case review, no win, no fee

2. The Hamilton Firm LLC

Practice Focus: Car accidents, truck accidents, school bus and commercial vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, personal injury in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama

Case Types Handled: Car accidents, trucking accidents, school bus and other commercial vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries

Legal Services: Free case evaluation, 24/7 consultations, personal injury claims against drivers and trucking companies

Background: The Hamilton Firm is a Chattanooga personal injury firm that represents accident victims in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. Its attorneys include Patrick Cruise, who handles trucking and commercial vehicle cases.

Location: 601 E Main St, Chattanooga, TN 37408

Contact: (423) 634-0871 | https://www.thehamiltonfirm.com/

Consultation: Free consultation, no fees until the firm wins

3. Cory Watson Attorneys

Practice Focus: Car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, nursing home abuse, defective products

Case Types Handled: Car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, nursing home abuse, defective products, food poisoning

Legal Services: Negotiation with insurers for a fair settlement, trial when an insurer will not treat the client fairly

Background: Cory Watson is a Birmingham-based personal injury firm with Tennessee offices in Nashville and Memphis, and it serves clients across Hamilton County and the Chattanooga area.

Location: 1033 Demonbreun St., Suite 300, Nashville, TN 37203 (serves Chattanooga)

Contact: (877) 562-0000 | https://www.corywatson.com/areas-we-serve/chattanooga-tn/

Consultation: No fee unless the firm wins

4. Woodard Injury Law

Practice Focus: Car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and fall accidents, workplace accidents, wrongful death

Case Types Handled: Rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, T-bone accidents, drunk driving accidents, distracted driving accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, premises liability

Legal Services: Insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, medical expense recovery, lost wage claims, pain and suffering damages

Background: The firm received recognition from the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys (NAOPIA) as a Top Ten firm for 2024. Selected to Super Lawyers 2023. Woodard Injury Law serves clients throughout Tennessee with a focus on motor vehicle accidents and personal injury claims requiring litigation.

Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee

Contact: (615) 216-5757 | https://www.woodardinjurylaw.com

Consultation: Free consultation, no fee unless recovery

5. Morgan & Morgan

Practice Focus: Car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, wrongful death, workers compensation, premises liability

Case Types Handled: Rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, T-bone accidents, multi-vehicle pileups, drunk driving accidents, distracted driving accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, rideshare accidents

Legal Services: Insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, medical lien resolution, property damage claims, lost wage recovery, pain and suffering claims, wrongful death claims

Background: Morgan & Morgan is the largest personal injury law firm in the United States with over $25 billion recovered for clients nationally. The firm has a dedicated Chattanooga office with a local team of attorneys and staff. They handle cases of all sizes from minor injuries to catastrophic accidents.

Location: 200 W. Martin Luther King Blvd, Suite 1000, Chattanooga, TN 37402

Contact: (877) 667-4265 | https://www.forthepeople.com

Consultation: Free consultation available 24/7, contingency fee arrangement

Uninsured Motorist Coverage, Scene Duties and Injured Minors for Chattanooga Car Crashes

A Chattanooga car crash claim can turn on whether the injured driver’s policy still carries uninsured motorist coverage, what the other driver had to do at the scene, and what insurance evidence the officer requests. Tennessee also extends the filing period for a person who was a minor when the crash happened.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Under Tennessee Code 56-7-1201(a), every automobile liability policy issued in Tennessee must include uninsured motorist coverage at limits equal to the bodily injury liability limits. Any named insured may reject it in writing or select lower limits not below the minimums in 55-12-107, that document binds every insured under the policy, and the rejected coverage need not be added at renewal unless the named insured later requests it in writing.

The Other Driver’s Duties at the Scene

Under Tennessee Code 55-10-101, the driver in a crash causing injury or death on a highway or premises frequented by the public must stop and remain until meeting the duties in 55-10-103; a violation is a Class A misdemeanor, and a Class E felony when the driver knew or should reasonably have known that death resulted. Under 55-10-102, a driver in a property-only crash must also stop and remain until those duties are met.

Insurance Evidence at the Scene

Under Tennessee Code 55-12-139(b)(1), at a crash for which notice is required under 55-10-106, the officer must request evidence of financial responsibility from all drivers involved, without regard to apparent or actual fault.

Injured Minors

Under Tennessee Code 28-1-106(a), a person under 18 or adjudicated incompetent when the cause of action accrues may sue after legal rights are restored, within the limitation period for that claim, but no later than three years from restoration if the period is longer.

Chattanooga Car Accident Questions

How long do I have to sue the other driver?

One year after the cause of action accrues for injuries to the person under Tennessee Code 28-3-104(a)(1), or two years when criminal charges are brought against the person who caused the injury and the other conditions in (a)(2) are met.

Can I recover if I was partly at fault?

Yes, when your negligence is less than the other driver’s. In McIntyre v. Balentine (1992), the Tennessee Supreme Court held that “so long as a plaintiff’s negligence remains less than the defendant’s negligence the plaintiff may recover”, and the damages are reduced by the plaintiff’s share. For example, imagine $90,000 in damages and 20 percent of the fault on the injured driver: the recovery would be $72,000. In apportioning noneconomic damages among defendants, Tennessee Code 29-39-102(b) also bars recovery for any damages if the plaintiff’s comparative fault, or in a wrongful death action the decedent’s fault, is equal to or greater than 50 percent.

Is pain and suffering capped?

Yes, with exceptions. Under Tennessee Code 29-39-102(a) and (e), all noneconomic damages for each injured plaintiff may not exceed $750,000 in the aggregate, and under (c) and (d) the limit is $1,000,000 for a listed catastrophic loss; under (h), no limit applies in listed cases, including specific intent to inflict serious physical injury and substantially impaired judgment under the influence of alcohol, drugs or another intoxicant, other than lawfully prescribed or over-the-counter drugs taken as directed.