Knoxville Personal Injury Lawyer

Most injury cases that come out of Knox County begin the same way: a crash on I-40, I-75, or Kingston Pike, a fall in a parking lot, a worker hurt on a job site, and a one-year clock that starts running before the first medical bill arrives. Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette is a Tennessee personal injury law firm that represents injured people and their families in Knoxville, throughout Knox County, and across East Tennessee and the rest of the state.

If you are looking for a Knoxville personal injury lawyer, the decisions in the first weeks matter more than most people realize. What you say to an adjuster, whether you keep treating, whether evidence is preserved, and how soon you talk to a lawyer can shape what your claim is worth. The firm handles car and truck crashes, motorcycle and pedestrian cases, wrongful death, slip and fall injuries, brain and spinal cord injuries, and third-party claims arising from workplace injuries.

How Tennessee Law Shapes a Knoxville Injury Claim

Tennessee gives injured people one year from the date of injury to file a lawsuit in most cases. That deadline is among the shortest in the country, and it is the rule, not the exception. There are narrow extensions. If the person who hurt you is criminally prosecuted within that first year, such as in a DUI case, the window to sue that person can stretch to two years. A minor’s deadline is paused until the child turns 18. Claims against a city or county government under the Governmental Tort Liability Act must be filed within 12 months, and health care liability claims have their own one-year period with a three-year outer limit. Property damage claims get three years.

Wrongful death cases follow the same clock, and it surprises families. The one-year period runs from the date of the injury that led to the death, not from the date the person died. If someone is hurt in a crash and passes away weeks or months later, the deadline still counts from the crash. The right to bring the claim belongs to the surviving spouse first, then to the children or next of kin, or to a personal representative of the estate.

Fault matters just as much as timing. Tennessee uses modified comparative fault. You can recover as long as you are less than 50 percent responsible, and your award is reduced by your percentage. At 50 percent or more, the claim is barred. Fault can also be assigned to people who are not even in the lawsuit, and Tennessee has done away with joint and several liability in most negligence cases, so each defendant generally pays only its own share. Insurance companies know all of this, which is why adjusters work to nudge your share of blame upward from the first phone call.

Damages are treated in two groups. Economic damages, such as medical bills and lost income, are not capped. Noneconomic damages, which cover pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life, are generally limited to $750,000. The limit rises to $1 million for a defined catastrophic loss: a spinal cord injury causing paraplegia or quadriplegia, amputation of two hands, two feet, or one of each, third-degree burns over 40 percent of the body or face, or the wrongful death of a parent who leaves minor children. The cap is not told to the jury; the court applies it afterward. It does not apply at all when the defendant intentionally caused the harm, was intoxicated, destroyed evidence, or was convicted of a related felony. Punitive damages, where available, are limited to the greater of two times the compensatory award or $500,000.

Why Choose Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette for a Knoxville Injury Case

The firm has represented injured people and their families for more than two decades, and its attorneys bring more than 170 years of combined experience to serious injury work. Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette serves clients in Knoxville and Knox County, along with Blount, Sevier, Anderson, Campbell, and surrounding counties, and takes cases from Johnson City to Memphis. Clients pay no attorney fees unless the firm recovers compensation, every consultation is free, and the firm will meet you at home or in the hospital if your injuries make travel hard. Hablamos español; trial attorney Michael C. Beehan is fluent in Spanish and represents Spanish-speaking clients in their own language.

Co-founder Bruce D. Fox has tried more than 125 jury trials in state and federal court, and that courtroom record is the reason an insurer should take a demand seriously. He is a past president of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025 and its Paladin Award in 2011, and belongs to the American Board of Trial Advocates. He also served on the Tennessee Advisory Council on Workers’ Compensation from 2008 to 2021, which informs how the firm handles injured workers’ third-party claims.

Partner Brad C. Burnette holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, sits on the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association Board of Governors, and is a graduate of the Keenan Trial Institute. Partner John Willis also serves on that board and is a past president of the Anderson County Bar Association. Two of the firm’s partners spent the early part of their careers defending insurance companies, trucking companies, and businesses, so they understand how the other side values and attacks a claim. Co-founder Michael S. Farley, a former Anderson County sheriff’s deputy and Clinton police officer, focuses on criminal defense, and the family law attorneys Landie Maness Kitts and Lauren Scieszinski Morse handle divorce and custody matters when a serious injury or loss spills into family life.

Results show how that experience translates. The firm recovered $3.4 million for the family of a man killed in a Morgan County rear-end collision caused by a construction company driver, $2.3 million for a Knox County motorcyclist who lost his leg when a driver struck him and fled, $1.9 million after a Sevier County crash that killed a mother and seriously injured her daughter, $1.6 million for an Anderson County man hit head-on by a commercial delivery truck, and $1.5 million for a Knox County roofer who suffered a traumatic brain injury when his safety harness failed. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any other case.

What to Do After an Injury in Knoxville

Start with your health. Get evaluated, even if you feel okay, because adrenaline hides injuries and gaps in treatment give insurers an argument that you were not really hurt. Knoxville is served by major hospital systems, and the emergency records created there become the first documentation of what the collision or fall did to your body. Follow through on referrals and keep every discharge paper, bill, and prescription receipt.

If a crash was involved, make sure a police report exists. Whether the Knoxville Police Department, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, or the Tennessee Highway Patrol responds depends on where it happened, and the report number is what insurers will ask for. Photograph the vehicles, the road, skid marks, signage, and your injuries before anything is repaired or cleaned up. Get names and numbers for witnesses. For a fall at a store or rental property, photograph the hazard and report the incident to the owner or manager in writing, and keep the shoes you were wearing.

Be careful with insurance companies. You will likely hear from the other driver’s insurer quickly, often asking for a recorded statement. You are not required to give one, and casual comments like “I’m fine” or “I didn’t see him” get quoted back later. Do not sign medical releases that open your whole history, and do not accept a quick check until you know the full cost of your care. Tennessee only requires drivers to carry 25/50/25 coverage, meaning $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage, and a serious injury can exhaust those limits fast. That is why your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage should be reviewed early.

If you or a family member has already filed or may need to file suit, know where the case will go. Civil injury lawsuits in Knox County are generally filed in the Knox County Circuit Court, part of Tennessee’s Sixth Judicial District, and smaller claims can go through the Civil Sessions Court. Cases that involve parties from different states or federal law can land in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, whose Northern Division sits in Knoxville. A lawyer can tell you which forum fits and can calendar the one-year deadline so it is never in doubt. Call early: evidence such as trucking logs, vehicle data, and surveillance video is routinely overwritten.

Common Knoxville Injury Cases and Where They Arise

• Car and Truck Crashes: Heavy traffic on I-40, I-75, I-640, and Kingston Pike produces rear-end and lane-change collisions, and tractor-trailers moving through the Knoxville corridor raise cases that turn on driver logs, maintenance files, and electronic data that must be preserved quickly.
• Motorcycle, Pedestrian, and Bicycle Cases: Riders and people on foot have little protection when a driver fails to yield, and hit-and-run cases can depend on the injured person’s own uninsured motorist coverage.
• Wrongful Death: When a loved one is killed, the claim can include lost income, medical and funeral expenses, and the value of the life taken, and the one-year clock starts on the date of injury.
• Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries: These injuries carry lifetime care costs, and whether the case qualifies as a catastrophic loss affects the noneconomic damages limit.
• Slip and Fall and Premises Liability: Wet floors, broken pavement, poor lighting, and icy walkways at stores, restaurants, hotels, and rental properties are the usual causes, and the question is what the owner knew or should have discovered.
• Workplace Third-Party Claims: Workers’ compensation is generally the only remedy against an employer, but a negligent driver, equipment maker, or other contractor can be sued separately for damages workers’ compensation does not pay.
• Government-Related Claims: Injuries involving a city or county vehicle or property fall under the Governmental Tort Liability Act, with a 12-month filing deadline and statutory damage limits.

Drunk Driving, Phones, and Proving What Really Happened

Many serious Knoxville collisions trace back to two choices a driver made: drinking or looking at a phone. Tennessee’s per se alcohol limit is 0.08 percent, but impairment can be proven at lower levels, and there is no per se number for prescription drugs. When a fatal crash involves a suspected impaired driver, officers are required to look into where the driver was served and notify the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which can open the door to claims against others in the chain. A defendant’s intoxication also removes the noneconomic damages cap, which is a significant reason to preserve toxicology and arrest records.

Tennessee’s Hands Free law makes it illegal to hold a phone, read or send text-based messages, watch video, or reach for a device out of a seated and belted position while driving. Phone records, app activity, and vehicle data can show whether a driver was breaking that law. An attorney can request that evidence before it is lost. Because a criminal case against the at-fault driver may be running at the same time, coordination also matters for the two-year extension that applies when charges are filed within the first year.

Frequently Asked Questions About Knoxville Injury Claims

How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Knoxville?

In most cases you have one year from the date of injury. That can extend to two years when the person who hurt you is criminally charged within the first year and you sue that same person. Government claims have a 12-month deadline, and property damage claims have three years.

What if I was partly at fault for the accident?

You can still recover if you are less than 50 percent at fault. Your award is reduced by your percentage of responsibility. At 50 percent or more, Tennessee bars the claim, so how fault is investigated and argued is often the central fight.

How much does it cost to hire the firm?

Nothing up front. Personal injury cases are handled on a contingency basis, so no attorney fees are owed unless compensation is recovered, and the first consultation is free.

Is there a cap on what I can recover?

Economic losses like medical bills and lost wages are not capped. Noneconomic damages are generally limited to $750,000, or $1 million for catastrophic losses as Tennessee defines them. The cap does not apply in cases involving intentional harm, intoxication, destroyed evidence, or a related felony conviction.

Who can bring a wrongful death claim?

The surviving spouse generally has the first right, then the children or next of kin, or a personal representative of the estate. A spouse can lose that right if the family proves the spouse abandoned the deceased or willfully stayed away for two years.

Does the one-year deadline for a wrongful death case start at death or at injury?

It starts on the date of the injury, not the date of death. If someone survives for a time after a crash, the clock keeps running from the crash date.

The other driver only had minimum insurance. Am I stuck?

Not necessarily. Tennessee’s minimum is $25,000 per person for bodily injury, which is often far below the cost of a serious injury. Your own underinsured motorist coverage, other responsible parties, and the at-fault driver’s personal assets can all come into play.

Will my health insurance cover treatment while the claim is pending?

Often yes, and it is usually wise to use it so you do not delay care. Health insurers and some other payers may have reimbursement rights against a settlement, which is one reason medical bills and liens should be tracked from the start.

Can I sue if I was hurt at work in Knoxville?

Workers’ compensation is generally your only remedy against your employer. But if a negligent driver, equipment manufacturer, or another contractor contributed to the injury, you may have a third-party claim that can include pain and suffering and full lost earning capacity. The employer or its insurer may have a right to reimbursement from that recovery.

Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a minor crash?

A free consultation will tell you. Injuries that seem small can turn into surgeries or lingering pain, and settling early can close the door on future costs. A lawyer can also tell you whether the one-year deadline and fault arguments put your claim at risk.

How long does an injury case take in Knox County?

It depends on the injuries and the insurer’s willingness to pay. A claim can settle after treatment ends, while a disputed case that goes to the Knox County Circuit Court takes longer. The firm prepares cases for trial from the start, which often shapes how seriously the other side negotiates.

What if the crash involved a government vehicle?

Claims against a city or county fall under the Governmental Tort Liability Act, which requires filing within 12 months and limits damages to $300,000 per person and $1 million per occurrence. Missing that deadline can end the claim entirely.

Do you represent people who were hurt in Knoxville but live elsewhere?

Yes. The firm handles the investigation, insurance negotiations, and court filings here while keeping out-of-state clients informed by phone and email, so you do not need to travel back for every step.

Serving Knoxville Injury Clients Across Knox County and East Tennessee

From Downtown Knoxville, the Old City, and Fort Sanders through Sequoyah Hills, Bearden, and West Knoxville, Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette represents injured people throughout Knox County. The firm also serves clients in South Knoxville, East Knoxville, North Knoxville, Fountain City, Halls, Powell, Karns, Farragut, and Corryton. Along the I-40, I-75, and Kingston Pike corridors, where so many crashes happen, the firm’s attorneys work with families from across the region.

Beyond Knox County, the firm’s reach covers Anderson County and Clinton, Blount County and Maryville, Sevier County including Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg, and Campbell County including LaFollette. It also represents clients from Roane, Claiborne, Morgan, Jefferson, and Monroe counties and from Johnson City, Nashville, and Memphis. Whatever part of East Tennessee you call home, the attorneys can review your case, explain your options, and travel to you when your injuries make it difficult to come to them.

Talk With a Knoxville Personal Injury Attorney Today

The one-year deadline, the fault rules, and the damages limits all reward people who act early and punish those who wait. A Knoxville personal injury attorney at Fox, Farley, Willis & Burnette can explain what your claim may be worth, who may be responsible, and what needs to be preserved right now. The consultation is free, you owe nothing unless the firm recovers compensation for you, and the team will come to your home or hospital room if you cannot come to them. Call today to talk through what happened and what comes next.