The October 2, 2013 church bus accident on Interstate 40 near Dandridge, Jefferson County, Tennessee that left eight dead and fourteen people injured will result in lots of people on the ground investigating what happened. The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be present, as well representatives of the liability insurance companies…
Private companies, daycare centers or churches that put passenger buses on the road have a responsibility to exercise reasonable care for the safety of bus passengers. That rule not only applies to bus drivers, but also the duty of bus owners to maintain the bus in an appropriate condition. As…
If you look around it seems like there are thousands of lawyers who say that they represent people who have personal injury and wrongful death cases. In Tennessee and many other states, any lawyer, regardless of their experience, can say that they do personal injury and wrongful death litigation. Thus,…
Personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against the State of Tennessee can arise from car accidents, slip and fall accidents, medical negligence, and a host of other circumstances. Special rules apply to bringing claims against the State of Tennessee and there are limits on the amount of damages that can…
A scheduling order is a pretrial order that governs the progress of a case as it proceeds toward a trial. A scheduling order provides deadlines for taking depositions, conducting written discovery, identifying and deposing expert witnesses, filing certain types of motions, and other deadlines appropriate to the case. It may…
A new law in Tennessee limits the amount of damages that can be awarded in a Tennessee wrongful death case. Under the new law, the family of a person who has died as a result of the negligent conduct of another person or company is limited to recovery of…
Tennessee law requires almost always requires that a medical expert testify that a health care provider improperly treated the patient. This expert must be familiar with the standard of care applicable to the health care provider at the time of the alleged wrong and must explain how the care actually…
Pedestrian deaths in traffic accidents nationally increased from 4109 in 2009 to 4432 in 2011, according to the United States Department of Transportation. Deaths to men numbered deaths to women (3086 versus 1345) and 19% of the deaths were a result of hit and run accidents. In Tennessee, 1221 pedestrians…
Rumor has it that some lawyers have "relationships" with tow truck operators. These tow truck operators encourage people involved in Tennessee car or truck accidents to hire their lawyer friend. The ethics of these type of relationships are questionable and, depending on the circumstances, are just plain wrong. However, from…
Tennessee law requires that appropriate action must be taken to initiate a Tennessee medical malpractice lawsuit (now known as a health care liability action) within one year of the date of the incident that causes an injury. Cases are initiated by serving a formal notice on the persons or entities…