Aggressive Knoxville Lawyers for ATV Accident Victims

We’ll Fight 2 Win your all-terrain vehicle accident case

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that Tennessee ranked 7th in the county for ATV fatalities during a 30-year period (1982-2012). The popularity of ATVs is continuing to increase even though the dangers, especially for children, are well-established. While these vehicles can provide fun and enjoyment, they require skill and training to properly operate them. ATVs accidents cause death, spinal cord damage including paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, amputations, bruises, cuts, and other severe injuries.

Our Knoxville ATV lawyers are highly respected trial attorneys. We prepare each case for a trial before a jury. We only recommend settlements if we believe the offer justly compensates you, or a family, for the harm that was caused. We have obtained numerous high verdicts and settlements including damages of millions or hundreds of thousands of dollars. We are able to obtain these strong verdicts because we precisely and persuasively detail why the ATV use was negligent. At Banks and Jones, our attorneys show the full range of your pain, suffering, worries, and agony to juries, judges, and insurance adjustors.

Common causes of ATV crashes in Tennessee

ATVs aren’t allowed on most state roads and highways, though there are exceptions: Huntsville allows it between Rte. 63 and US 27, and so does Oliver Springs for sections of Rtes. 61 and 62 by Wind Rock Road and Winter Gap Road. For a lot of folks, though, ATV rides mean trails: either Ride Royal Blue Resort or Wind Rock Park, or the ones that aren’t legally sanctioned by the state.

Regardless of where you’re riding, you can still get really hurt on an ATV. Some of the more common causes of ATV accidents include:

  • Driving recklessly
  • Going at unsafe speeds
  • Having more than one rider on an ATV built for just one driver
  • Not wearing protective equipment
  • Defective parts
  • Operating the ATV on roads and sidewalks instead of trails and off-road locations
  • Failing to obey Tennessee’s ATV laws
  • Operating the ATV in bad weather
  • Riding the ATV over hills and trails that are too muddy, too steep, too sandy, or too rocky

Of all the causes of these crashes, it’s kids who tend to do a lot of damage. Children under 16 should not operate an ATV. They lack the maturity, the skills, the strength, and the dexterity to safely operate all-terrain vehicles. Underage children often take unreasonable risks, especially when parents are not around to supervise them. Many children think they and the ATV are indestructible, when nothing could be further from the truth.

Tennessee’s ATV laws

There are several Tennessee laws that regulate the operation of ATVS.

  • They must have the proper equipment including headlights and taillights.
  • The headlights must be strong enough to permit a driver to see someone 200 feet ahead.
  • ATVs can’t be driven more than ½ hour before sunrise or ½ hour after sunset
  • All drivers and passengers must wear a helmet and protective eyewear while on a highway, road, or street

4-wheel ATVs can’t be used in state parks. All ATVs should be titled through the Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicles.

Types of ATV accident claims in Knoxville

Our Knoxville lawyers bring different claims depending on how the ATV accident happened and who was involved. Our attorneys are respected by other lawyers and many former clients for handling the following types of actions with great success:

  • Personal injury. We demand that anyone who acted negligently and caused your injuries or a death be held accountable. We sue the drivers and the owners. If a child caused your injuries, we almost always assert that the parents were negligent too.
  • Product liability. If the brakes, tires, steering mechanism, or other part of the ATV failed to operate due to a product defect, our Knoxville attorneys sue the makers of the defective part. In product liability cases, we don’t have to prove fault. We just need to show a part was badly designed or poorly made and that the defect caused your injuries.
  • Wrongful death. If a parent, child, or spouse was killed in an ATV crash, we demand that the wrongdoers pay:
    • The funeral bills
    • The loss of income the deceased would have used for family members
    • The loss of the society and support the deceased would have given each family member
  • Workers’ compensation. If the ATV was used for farming or other work, then our Knoxville attorneys demand that the employer’s insurance company pay for your medical treatment and for all the lost wages Tennessee work injury law permits.

If a driver was extremely negligent, we may also seek justice by demanding the payment of punitive damages for this outrageous lack of care for others.

Talk with Knoxville attorneys who never back down

At Banks and Jones, our lawyers fight to get our clients all the compensation they deserve. We exhaustively prepare each case for trial and assert each argument in your favor. We contest the tricks and denials of insurance companies and defense counsel. We Fight 2 Win every case we handle. If you were injured in an ATV accident, our lawyers have the experience you need. Judges, juries, and insurance companies respect our abilities and arguments. For help now, please phone us at 865-546-2141 or contact us. Consultations are free.