Sullivan County, TN Car Accident Lawyer

Car accidents are estimated to claim the lives of more than 34,000 people annually, which amounts to an average of around 100 fatalities every day.  While car accident deaths have declined significantly since the 1970’s (in which there were routinely more than 50,000 deaths per year), statistics are meaningless if you’re the one who has been injured or who has lost a family member in a car crash.

We understand.

As Sullivan County, Tennessee car accident lawyers, we demand justice and full compensation on behalf of injured clients and the families who have lost a loved one.  We learn and appreciate the individual circumstances of each of our clients and their families.

In some cases, injury or death is caused by an intoxicated driver.  In these circumstances we will not only seek to hold the other driver liable, but we will also conduct a thorough investigation and seek to hold bars and restaurants liable if they overserved an intoxicated patron.

Often, the person injured will be responsible for providing for a family.  We understand the difficult financial circumstances that can result when a person is suddenly not able to work for an extended period; meanwhile, mortgage and rent payments, utility expenses, and other household expenses continue to become due.  For those who may have disability insurance, as part of our representation we can assist in seeking such benefits.

In cases of death, we know that the person killed may have also been responsible for a family – as a provider, and for the emotional support for a spouse and children.  Tragically, this loss cannot be undone.  In the case of a car or vehicle crash death, our role is to seek full compensation for the lost compensation and for the loss of companionship that otherwise would have been provided to a spouse and family.

We take our representation seriously in both injury and wrongful death cases, as we understand exactly what is at stake.

What You Should Know About Our Representation

If you have been injured in a car crash in Sullivan County, or if your family has had the misfortune to have lost a loved one due to the negligence or wrongful conduct of another person or entity, please note the following about Mark T. Hurt representation:

• We offer a free, no-obligation consultation. We believe that it is critical for injury victims and families to be able to meet with a potential lawyer about their case before making a decision to retain the lawyer.  The choice of a lawyer is highly personal.  Every client will want to have a lawyer whom they can trust completely to handle their case; the only way to gain such confidence (we believe) is to meet the attorney and learn about their experience and the representation they will provide.

• We work on a contingency fee basis in injury and wrongful death cases. A contingency fee means that we are only entitled to a fee if a settlement or trial award is achieved.  You will have nothing to risk with respect to our fee.  If compensation is not achieved, you owe us nothing for our time and efforts.

• We advance all expenses of litigation. Litigation can sometimes be costly, especially in cases of severe injury or death.  If you retain us, you will not need to be concerned about paying these expenses (such as expert fees, deposition costs, or court fees) while your case is ongoing – we will pay these expenses on your behalf.  Normally, these expenses are then paid back to our firm out of a settlement or award.

• We have obtained favorable results for clients at numerous state court and federal court levels, including before the United States Supreme Court. Firm founding attorney Mark Hurt is one of less than one-tenth of 1% of lawyers who have ever argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.  Additionally, Mark has tried numerous cases through state and federal trial courts, and has recovered tens of millions of dollars for clients in settlements and at trial.

• Your case is our most important case. We do not rest on our past victories and achievements.  Instead our focus is always on the case we are currently working on, and we are tenacious in seeking to win.

• We are driven in seeking every penny that our clients deserve. We operate with a simple principal – our clients have been wronged, and they deserve full and fair compensation.  We do not accept cases with the intent of achieving “nuisance value” settlements, whereby an attorney does little work and clients receive a settlement significantly below what they should receive based upon the facts and circumstances of a case.  

Why It’s Critical to Contact a Lawyer As Soon As Possible

In Tennessee, accident victims and the families who have lost a loved one normally will have one year from the date of the crash to initiate litigation under what is known as the “statute of limitations.”  While a person could theoretically hire a lawyer to file a lawsuit the day before the statute of limitations expires, this is usually not the best course of conduct.  Instead, it is often critical to seek representation as soon as possible after a crash in order to:

• Preserve crashed vehicles and event recorders. Today, most vehicles are equipped with what are known as “black boxes” (which are called “event recorders”).  Event recorders continuously record information about vehicle driving, such as the speed at which a vehicle was being driven immediately prior to a crash, and whether the brakes were applied.  

When a crash occurs and vehicles are totaled, insurance companies (especially those for the driver causing the crash), will want to get the vehicles demolished at a scrap yard.  This demolition will destroy all potential event recorder evidence.  It will also destroy other important evidence, such as information about the positions of the vehicles at the point of impact, and how each vehicle was damaged as a result.

When severe injury or death occurs, we will want to get a court order to have the vehicles preserved so that we can conduct a thorough investigation concerning the cause of a crash.  If we are not contacted until much later after an accident, it may be too late, as the vehicles may have already been scrapped.

• Crash Scene Investigation. It will also be helpful to conduct a thorough investigation of a crash scene as soon as possible after a crash.  Often, skid marks are quickly washed away by rain, and other repairs are made to traffic light poles, fences, and other roadway items.  Conducting an investigation before such changes occur can be helpful in determining how a crash occurred.

• Witness Statements. It’s important that witnesses are interviewed as soon as possible after a crash, as memories can also quickly fade.

• Protecting client rights against harmful statements. After a crash, insurance companies for the driver believed to be at fault will typically contact the driver who was hit in order to obtain a “recorded statement.”  The purpose of the recorded statement is not to develop information so that a payout can quickly be made, but rather to see if a driver can be enticed to make a statement against their interests.

As an example, the insurance company may see if the driver will say that they may have been at fault, or that they were not all that seriously injured.  Often these calls will be made within hours after a crash, where a victim may be somewhat in shock from adrenaline from an accident, and not realize how badly they are actually injured.  When we represent clients, they can instruct insurance companies not to contact them, and to call our office instead.

We Invite You to Call Us to Learn How We Can Help

During our free consultation, we can explain how we can help and the options that you may have for obtaining a financial recovery.  Please call us today to get started.