John began the general practice of law in Winchester, Tennessee and for several years was a partner in a southern middle Tennessee law firm. In 2001, Mr. Colvin opened his present law office as a solo practitioner in order to focus on helping individuals who are seriously injured or have become disabled.
“I would say he is the best lawyer we have ever used. We have had some pretty bad experiences with lawyers in the past – John has changed our mind. There are some good one’s & he just happens to be one of the best.” – Maybelle Barnes
Centrally located in Winchester, TN, John offers personalized legal services to communities throughout the Tennessee Valley.
Winchester, TN Personal Injury Lawyer
My goal is to aggressively pursue a positive outcome for my clients. Being accessible to all my clients allows me to give every client the personal attention their case deserves. You deserve an attorney who will fight for you.
Tennessee personal injury lawyer, John R. Colvin, is a practicing trial lawyer who uses his legal training and experience to help individuals and families throughout the Tennessee Valley region cope with and recover from the hardships brought on by disability, injury, or the loss of a loved one. His practice concentrates primarily in the areas of Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Premises Liability, and Social Security Disability. Here we discuss John’s services in the area of personal injury.
In the specific areas that I focus my law practice as a personal injury attorney, I have the opportunity to help individuals throughout the Tennessee Valley in Alabama and Tennessee who have suffered a tragic loss or have been injured through no fault of their own. In representing my clients, my primary objective is to help them navigate the complex and often confusing legal system in order to assist them in recovering some financial independence and quality of life following a personal injury, vehicle crash or other circumstance resulting in injuries or disability. With more than 20 years of experience in this area, I have the experience of a big law firm with the personal care of a small one.
One of the many things I enjoy about being a solo practitioner is that it allows me to work directly with all of my clients, allowing me the opportunity to get to know my clients as individuals.
Being admitted to practice law in both Tennessee and Alabama gives me the flexibility to work with a wide range of individuals in the Tennessee Valley, without being constrained by geographical limitations. While most of the legal descriptions you’ll find in this webpage have to do with law specific to Tennessee, rest assured that I practice in Alabama, too.
I have also gained admittance to practice before the United States Supreme Court in order to have the ability and means to take my client’s case to the highest level of justice available, if necessitated and merited. Not every attorney is able to make that claim.
If you have been injured through no fault of your own, you may be facing medical costs and be unsure of which direction to turn. Contact John R. Colvin toll-free at (931) 962-1044 or send us an email at this website. We’re always ready to schedule a free consultation.
What to Expect in a Tennessee Personal Injury Case
If you’ve been injured in an accident, this may be the first time in your life that you’ve considered any type of legal action. You may be coping with serious injuries, you may be dealing with medical bills and other issues, and you may have no idea how to move forward or get started. This section will help you learn the basics of what you need to know about personal injury cases in Tennessee.
Personal Injury
If you’ve been injured in an accident, when you file a lawsuit there will be four things you need to prove as part of your case. Here they are:
- That there was some type of harm received by the plaintiff (you). This can include things like physical injuries, loss of ability to earn, property damage, etc.
- That the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care. For example, every driver owes every other driver the duty of care to abide by the rules of the road, drive attentively, avoid driving while impaired, etc.
- That the defendant failed to fulfill the duty of care—in other words, that the defendant was negligent. Whatever the duty of care was, you must prove that the defendant did not fulfill it.
- That the defendant’s failure in the duty of care caused the harm the plaintiff received. This means it’s not enough that the defendant happened to be negligent in some way at the time the accident took place. You have to show that the negligence directly contributed to the harm received.
Time Limits in Personal Injury Cases
The statute of limitations for personal injury cases in Tennessee states that you have one year after the date of an accident to file your lawsuit. If you fail to file your lawsuit within that period of time, the court may refuse to hear your case. Because the process of filing your lawsuit may take several months, it’s important for you to get in touch with a skilled attorney as soon as you feasibly can after an accident.
Comparative Negligence
Tennessee is a comparative negligence state, meaning that state law allows more than one driver in a car accident to be responsible. In cases like this, the question is a matter of assigning a percentage of how much one driver or the other contributed to the accident. For example, you could be in an accident where the other driver was 90 percent at fault, while you were 10 percent at fault. In a case like this, you would receive 90 percent of the damages you would otherwise be eligible for from the other driver.
If you’ve been injured, the clock is ticking to file your case. To set up a free initial consultation, give us a call at (931) 962-1044 or send us an email today. We’ll go over the details of your case and help you get an idea of your options moving forward.
Types of Damages in a Tennessee Personal Injury Lawsuit
There are two main types of damages in a Tennessee personal injury case: economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover things such as medical costs, which are easily assigned a straightforward monetary value. Non-economic damages cover things like physical pain and mental anguish, which are very real effects of an accident but are hard to express in monetary terms. In the state of Tennessee, non-economic damages are usually strictly limited to a maximum of $750,000.
Here are a few of the major types of damages that may be awarded in a Tennessee personal injury case:
- Medical Costs – Your injuries are not your fault, and you should not have to pay for them. Damages for medical costs are meant to compensate the plaintiff for any medical bills related to the injury he or she suffered. This includes things like medical bills, ambulance bills, medications, rehabilitation, and expected costs of ongoing medical care in the future. In the case of severe injuries, such as spinal injuries, the expected lifelong medical costs can rise to several million dollars. Medical costs are considered to be economic damages, and can often be added up simply by coming up with the total amount spent on medical care.
- Property Damage – Property damages are a form of economic damages that are meant to compensate the plaintiff for the cost of repairing or replacing any property that was damaged in an accident. One example of this would be damages covering the value of a vehicle that was damaged or totaled in a car accident or truck accident. This type of damages would require the defendant to pay the costs of getting the vehicle repaired or the costs of replacing the vehicle (in the case that it was totaled). Vehicle damages are a clear example of property damage, but this type of damages can cover the value of any property damaged or destroyed through someone’s negligence.
- Loss of Income – Any physical injury is likely to force someone to take some time off work, and a severe injury may permanently reduce someone’s productivity or even render them unable to work. Damages for loss of income are a form of economic damages that compensate the plaintiff for the reduction in his or her ability to earn. In the case of minor injuries, this can mean covering the losses incurred by having to take a couple of days off work, while in the case of more serious injuries it can cover the expected earnings over the course of the plaintiff’s future career.
- Pain and Suffering – Damages for pain and suffering are a form of non-economic damages; in the state of Tennessee, they are limited to a maximum of $750,000. Damages for pain and suffering are meant to compensate the plaintiff for any physical pain or mental anguish he or she experienced as a result of an injury. In the most extreme cases of catastrophic injury, the maximum allowable amount for pain and suffering is raised to $1,000,000. Pain and suffering is awarded at the court’s discretion and often relies on testimony from medical and mental health professionals, as well as medical records for any painkillers the plaintiff may have been prescribed. In March of 2015, a Tennessee circuit court ruled that the cap on damages for pain and suffering is unconstitutional. It is anticipated that the Supreme Court of Tennessee will soon take up the constitutionality of the damages cap in Tennessee and issue a ruling on the current state of the law.
- Punitive Damages – Punitive damages are a form of damages that are awarded to the plaintiff in order to punish the defendant. This can happen in cases where the defendant was malicious, fraudulent, or reckless, leading to the injury. Generally, the limit for punitive damages is $500,000 or double the amount of the other damages involved. However, if you can show that the defendant intended to seriously injure the plaintiff, falsified or destroyed evidence in order to hide fault, or was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident, the limit on punitive damages no longer applies.
If you’ve been injured because of another person’s negligence, get in touch for a free consultation. Give us a call at (931) 962-1044 or send us an email today. In your consultation, you can learn about the legal options you’re facing and decide what you’re going to do as you move forward with your case.
5 Ways Our Personal Injury Attorney Will Help Your Case
1. Help You Get the Maximum Possible Compensation
Skilled accident attorneys know the law well enough to find all the sources of compensation in your case. The law for personal injury is complex in Tennessee, and an inexperienced attorney or a non-legal professional may miss things. Trying to go it alone or selecting an inexperienced attorney could be a costly mistake. Especially in cases where you or a loved one has been seriously injured, it can be crucial to your financial future to find all the sources of compensation available to you. Make sure you find an attorney who knows the law and can find these sources.
2. Identify all the Parties Liable in Your Case
Closely related to the last point, it’s important to find an attorney who can help you find all the parties liable for a case. For example: if you were injured in a car accident, there are multiple parties who could be negligent. Another driver, a mechanic, a vehicle manufacturer, or even the city government (or whoever is responsible for maintaining the road you were injured on) could all be negligent in a way that contributed to the auto accident. An experienced attorney will be able to investigate and create a strong case for whatever forms of negligence apply to your injury.
3. Make the Strongest Case Possible for You
The main service a skilled attorney offers is the ability to investigate your accident and create a strong case that the other party was negligent. This is important because the defense attorney is also preparing a case that attempts to throw every part of your case into doubt. With a strong knowledge of the law, the rules of evidence, and the way personal injury cases work, an experienced personal injury attorney will be able to create the strongest possible case, giving you the best possible chance of getting the compensation you deserve. That is the benefit of an experienced personal injury attorney.
4. Decrease the Time, Effort, and Cost of Filing a Case
Legal processes are complex, lengthy, and highly technical. Simply filing the lawsuit takes a lot of paperwork, not to mention the process of investigating the accident to create a strong legal case. In theory, you could do all these things by yourself. In practice, though, you’re much too busy with medical concerns and recovering from your injuries to have the time to file a lawsuit, and even if you did have the time, very few people have the knowledge required to create a strong case. In addition, because we work on a contingency basis, our services don’t cost anything up front, and they won’t cost anything unless we win or settle the case.
5. Guide You Through the Process, Helping You Understand Your Rights and Options
There are decisions you’re going to have to make during the legal process. It’s the job of your personal injury attorney to help you understand these decisions and advise you on how to make the best of your options. This is a difficult time for you and your family members, and the last thing you want to do is spend your time and energy understanding a complex legal process. The right personal injury attorney can be a trusted guide, helping you make the best decisions for your future and that of your loved ones.
The legal process is complex, and it can help immensely to get guidance from a skilled personal injury lawyer. If you’ve been injured, give us a call at (931) 962-1044 or send us an email today. We encourage you to contact us to find out more about our practice areas and legal services. You can set up a free case evaluation and learn about the decisions you consider filing a personal injury claim.
Contact a Winchester Personal Injury Lawyer. Call Today! (931) 962-1044
Negligence can change a life in a moment. If you’ve been injured and it wasn’t your fault, give us a call at (931) 962-1044 or send us an email as soon as you can. In your free case review, you can learn about the legal options you’re facing and get the tools to make an informed decision.
Nursing Home Injury
When elderly people reside in nursing homes or depend on the assistance of a visiting nurse or caregiver, families expect their relatives are in good hands. But that’s not always the case.
Personal Injury
Claimants in personal injury cases may seek compensation for economic losses, such as property damage and medical costs, as well as non-economic losses, humiliation, and grief.
Social Security Disability
This program covers people who develop a disability, including workers injured on the job, their children and spouses. In April 2015, SSDI paid benefits to 10.9 million people.
My office also has a dedicated legal assistant who has specific knowledge and experience that aids in assisting our clients with competence, sensitivity and dignity.
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