An interesting question is whether or not you can recover for an injury when you’re involved in a hit and run accident. There are a couple of factors that come into play and need to be considered.
One is, whether or not there was an impact with your vehicle. If there was an actual physical impact, then yes, you can recover. In the event there wasn’t an impact – say someone cut you off and you swerved and had to leave the roadway, and were involved in an accident within an inanimate object, such as a tree – then, there has to be an independent witness to the actual negligent act of the other driver outside of your vehicle.
An independent witness, defined under Tennessee law, is someone that is not in the vehicle. The importance of preserving evidence also comes into play, because you need to get the witnesses’ name and as much information as possible, either during the time that law enforcement is there investigating the accident, or prior thereto.
Hopefully, you don’t find yourself confronted with this type of situation – but if you do, contact me, T. Scott Jones, at Banks & Jones. I can be reached at 865-546-2141. When you need a Knoxville car wreck lawyer you can trust to Fight 4 you, I’ll be here.
T. Scott knows the importance of interacting with colleagues to stay abreast of developments and changes in the legal world. T. Scott frequently teaches CLE courses on trial strategy, teaching other lawyers his methods for success in the courtroom, and is certified as a Rule 31 Mediator in the Tennessee Supreme Court. He is a member of the Knoxville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, the National Trial Lawyers, and both the Tennessee and American Associations for Justice.
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