What Do Injury Victims Deserve Under Tennessee Law?

We’re often asked what are damages in a personal injury case?  When you’re injured in an accident it’s hard to know what losses are compensable.  Without getting too complicated, Tennessee divides damages into two categories, economic and noneconomic. 

Economic damages are often medical bills and lost wages or earnings.  Noneconomic damages include those damages that are hard to quantify, such as pain & suffering, and lost enjoyment of life.  Other noneconomic damages can relate to permanency of the injury and emotional-related trauma.

When you’re injured after an accident, always get the advice of an experienced personal injury lawyer.  An experienced personal injury lawyer will know what damages may apply to your situation.  The attorney will also have an idea of what jury’s tend to award, most often specific to the Tennessee county where the accident occurred.

Here are a few tips to remember after your injury-accident to help your injury attorney quantify damages.  Keep track of every medical provider you visit.  The lawyer will likely obtain your medical records and bills for you, but having a record of all medical providers helps tremendously.  Also, keep a journal following the accident documenting your day-to-day activities and overall physical condition.  Sometimes depositions occur years after the accident occurred.   Having a journal describing the pain and limitations you endured can help provide real-time documentation.

An experienced injury attorney will not only take the time to talk to you about your damages, but also what you could expect a jury to award.  Taking a case to trial is like gambling.  It’s a roll of the dice, because you never know what a jury will decide.  That’s why it’s important your injury lawyer is organized.  Gathering all the proof and evidence needed to win your case is vital to a successful outcome.