If you were involved in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, or any other type of accident while driving or riding a vehicle that caused you to become hurt, you might be waiting to hear back from an insurance company about your personal injury compensation. Or maybe you already received a compensation settlement from the insurance company, faster than originally expected. Whatever the case may be, you should still consider retaining representation from a personal injury attorney for the following reasons.

3 Ways a Lawyer Can Help You Get a Better Settlement

When the insurance company makes its decision, your options are not limited—you still can hire an attorney to help you obtain a higher settlement, among other things. Just be sure you do not agree to that original settlement. Do not sign anything if you suspect you are getting taken advantage of. In cases like that, you will want to reach out to a lawyer. Here are a few reasons why hiring an attorney after receiving a mediocre settlement offer is possible, reasonable, and greatly beneficial:

Whether you have been in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, or any other type of accident while driving or you are simply just curious, it can be interesting to know how common traffic accidents are in Tennessee, especially over the last year relative to other years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By seeing and processing this data, you can become more aware of how serious of a problem vehicle crashes are in Tennessee and hopefully, figure out ways to avoid them in the future so you are not faced with any severe personal injuries. 

6 Facts About Tennessee Vehicle Accidents

1. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there was nearly a 5 percent increase in traffic accident fatalities in 2020 relative to 2019.

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In Tennessee, motorcycle crashes rank Campbell County close to the upper half relative to other counties in terms of high frequency. In addition, the state of Tennessee alone has seen spikes in motorcycle accidents and related personal injuries over the last few decades. Many people are aware of the risks involved with riding motorcycles, but there are some important safety laws and other tips that you might want to consider before hopping on that bike this spring.

How to Stay Safe on Your Motorcycle This Spring in Tennessee

With the pandemic figures getting better and improved weather conditions on the way, you might be tempted to ride your motorcycle more. This is a great choice, but you need to be a defensive motorcyclist and stay safe out there by doing the following things in order to avoid major accidents:

No one ever wants to think about this happening: Your loved one gets involved in a car accident while driving. It was not your family member’s fault, and the resulting personal injury from the collision caused him or her to become incapacitated, at least temporarily. You may believe that your relative should seek compensation in a court of law, but how? A coma or other mental incapacity could prevent a personal injury case from being initiated. Worse yet, your loved one might eventually die, making you wonder if a wrongful death lawsuit would be necessary on the family’s behalf. Not many people anticipate such dreadful thoughts and scenarios nor do they prepare for them. However, there are some things you can do if faced with such a situation that can help you protect your relative’s rights and obtain a positive outcome.

What to Do Before Pursuing Compensation through a Personal Injury Claim

So you know that your family member’s incapacitating injuries are the other driver’s fault, and you and your attorney agree that a personal injury lawsuit would be very appropriate in such a situation. Do you even have the right to file on your loved one’s behalf? That depends. Before attempting to litigate anything, you should look at your family member’s will, if he or she has one. Here are some things to consider first:

Chain-reaction accidents are usually caused by rear-end collisions. Tennessee has a history of some very serious chain-reaction crashes or pileups of multiple cars, often on the highway, that can lead to fires and even deaths. In fact, 15 people died in such a pileup on a Tennessee highway back in 1990. Last August, more than 30 cars were involved in three different chain-reaction accidents in one day, and just a few days ago, a rear-end collision in Tennessee led to a destructive fire that not only damaged cars and hurt drivers but also destroyed a building in the fire. As suggested, these multi-vehicle accidents are dangerous and consequential. Winter weather conditions, including fog, could lead to these types of crashes occurring even more often. That is why it is imperative to be aware as a motorist and the steps to take if you are involved in this type of crash.

4 Tips to Help You After a Chain-Reaction Accident in Tennessee

If you are involved in a chain-reaction accident, especially if you are injured or your car is damaged, consider the following tips to help you get through this traumatic experience:

Despite the pandemic putting many of the usual activities of life on pause for the greater part of 2020, the Tennessee legislature did manage to pass a few laws that take effect in January of 2021. One such law took root in House Bill 1593 and Senate Bill 2207. These bills were primarily meant to tax peer-to-peer car-sharing programs, in which a car owner lends his or her car to someone else who will borrow it to drive using the program for a fee. It is the gig economy’s version of a car rental company in much the same way Airbnb is the hotel or timeshare of its age in this “sharing economy.” But what happens if you suffer a personal injury from a car accident involving a driver who is borrowing an automobile through a peer-to-peer car-sharing program? The 2021 peer-to-peer car-sharing program law has a lot to say about the insurance process, but what if the auto insurance policy does not fairly compensate you for your injuries or damages?   

What to Do After a Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing Program Accident in Tennessee

Essentially, as a personal injury victim, you will want to handle a peer-to-peer ride-sharing accident in much the same way you would any other car accident:

DUI charges during the winter holidays can be a frequent occurrence and accidents caused by drunk driving are also very common, but there are plenty of other reasons that drivers in Tennessee might be involved in car accidents this winter holiday season. Here is an overview of the data concerning the most common reasons for car accidents in Campbell County. Keep them in mind should you ever be involved in a car accident with personal injuries. Doing so will help you better understand whether you have a strong case, what type of compensation you might be entitled to, and how an experienced attorney can help you with your claim.

Frequent Reasons for Car Accidents in Tennessee

While driving drunk, texting while driving, driving recklessly or aggressively, and countless other reasons for car accidents are common across the nation, they are not nearly as common as the following categories are in Campbell County, TN, at least over the last decade. Each of these reasons for car accidents has resulted in hundreds of times more accidents than most other reasons:

Whether you have been in a vehicle collision, truck accident, motorcycle crash, or any other type of accident and sustained a personal injury as a result, you are probably going to want to seek compensation for your injuries and other damages in court, especially if the costs of medical bills and your own trauma are preventing you from moving forward with your life. However, before you proceed with hiring a personal injury attorney, you should know what to expect from them to ensure they are working in your best interests.   

What to Expect from Your Personal Injury Attorney 

From analyzing your case to determine compensation to filing paperwork and arguing your case in order to expedite its settlement, your personal injury attorney can do many important things for you to make sure everything goes smoothly and you obtain the best possible outcome. Here are a few examples of how your personal injury lawyer can assist you:

As the technology for self-driving vehicles continues to improve and such vehicles become more common on the road, especially for commercial purposes, the likelihood of being involved in an accident with a self-driving vehicle increases. While the general argument for using self-driving vehicles is safety since the majority of vehicle accidents are caused by human error, there have been instances over the last five years when pedestrians and other drivers were either injured or killed by self-driving automobiles. Self-driving accidents might include car collisions and truck crashes, and more. Fortunately, Tennessee law has defined self-driving vehicles in order to assist with personal injury cases that result from such accidents.

Self-Driving Vehicles = Automated Driving System (ADS) in Tennessee

In Tennessee, self-driving vehicles are defined under the umbrella of “automated driving systems.” Automated driving systems (ADS) are vehicles with advanced technology installed that have the capability to take full or partial control of a vehicle without intervention or supervision from a human operator. In this sense, the driving of ADS vehicles can be completely automated (self-driving). 

While it is true that truck accidents are not the most common type of vehicular collision, truck crashes are often the most severe in terms of personal injuries sustained. In fact, trucks account for approximately 1 in 10 deaths on the highway. In certain cases, truck accidents can result in fatalities due to the force of the impact. This is why it is so important to be cautious, especially when driving around trucks. These are, after all, thousands of pounds of metal sometimes careening down the road at 70 miles per hour. Victims who suffer injuries or those who lost a loved one in a truck accident may be entitled to compensation if the crash was caused by a negligent truck driver.

9 Common and Serious Truck Accident Injuries

Before discussing specific injuries and other severe repercussions associated with truck accidents, it is worth noting that truck accidents are more likely to result in multiple different types of serious injuries than other types of collisions. The sheer size and velocity of these trucks relative to cars make even the slightest accident that more devastating. Among the most serious injuries sustained from truck accidents are:

Tennessee is a “fault state,” so whichever driver in a car accident is found to be at fault will be responsible for paying any damages. If you get into a car accident, it is up to you to prove that the other driver is at fault if he or she is to properly compensate you for any property damage or personal injury. If there are no medical issues that should be addressed immediately, you should try to secure testimony from any witnesses in the area. This is not as simple as approaching witnesses and asking them if they will offer their statement in your defense. There are several strategies you can employ to improve your chances of stating your case to the police or in court. Capitalize on any testimonies that you gather by working with an experienced personal injury attorney in your area. By staying proactive in proving that you are not at fault for a car accident, you have a better chance of being compensated by the other driver’s insurance provider.

How to Approach a Car Accident Witness

The atmosphere at the scene of a car accident can be chaotic and disorienting. To help ensure detailed testimony from witnesses, ask for their contact information so that you and your attorney can communicate with them in the near future when they may be calmer and more focused. Although it can work in your favor to reach out to witnesses after the accident, remember not to wait too long. You want to get their perspectives while they still clearly remember the accident’s details. 

Being a defensive driver is one of the best ways to stay safe on the road, so it is important to stay up to date on how a lot of people are driving in your state so that you do not get careless. The coronavirus pandemic has changed how and how often people drive, and it will not hurt to be aware of how these changes render the driving of others and potentially even your own unpredictable. If you ever get into a car accident, you will be able to better fight for the damages you are owed if you work with an experienced car accident attorney in your area. 

COVID-19 and Car Accident Rates in Tennessee

Believe it or not, even though COVID-19 has resulted in fewer concurrent drivers on the road at any given time, car accident rates are rising. Compared to 2019, car accident fatalities rose 18.5 percent this March when compared with the previous year. Officials theorize that this could be due to a few reasons. First, with fewer cars on the road, more drivers could be encouraged to speed. Second, this increase in speed combined with the lack of a seatbelt could easily explain the rise in fatalities. Also, many drivers have not been behind the wheel in days, weeks, or maybe even months. That unfamiliarity could pose significant threats to safety.

If you get into an accident or are pulled over for any other reason in Tennessee, you will always need to provide proof of insurance. However, unless you buy your vehicle from a private seller and fail to get insured beforehand, you should always have some form of insurance on your vehicle. We will explain why below, but remember that if you face charges for any traffic violation or need to secure fair compensation after a car accident, seeking the help of a seasoned personal injury attorney can go a long way in achieving a favorable outcome. 

Temporary Insurance in Tennessee

Tennessee law requires that all drivers have auto insurance that covers at least the following: 

Tennessee is a state that requires all motorcyclists and passengers over the age of 21 to wear a helmet while riding on a motorcycle. If they do not, they will be violating the law, and this may make it more difficult to receive compensation for injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Since Tennessee measures the fault of each driver after a collision, a motorcyclist who was not wearing a helmet may still be able to seek damages if he or she was hurt. However, there are certain circumstances in which motorcyclists cannot collect compensation.

Tennessee’s Helmet Law

Not only are Tennessee motorcyclists required to wear helmets while operating their vehicles, but they cannot wear just any helmet. Their protective gear needs to comply with the following federal safety regulations: