Find the answers to your frequently asked asked personal injury questions. Contact a personal injury attorney at Keith Williams Law Group if you or a loved one has suffered an injury in an accident due to the fault of another person, product or business.

Five types of grief that may indicate that a person who has experienced a trauma in their lives may need additional help in processing their pain are:

(a) Inhibited grief: The person grieving appears numb, their responses and activities appear almost robotic and they convey little emotion in response to any stimuli, whether positive or negative. People may think they are actually handling everything great and being “stoic”, but this surpression of grief is a key cause of depression

(b) Distorted grief: The person grieving is angry – at everything and everyone. This person lashes out at people who love and care for them the most. This type of anger can cause the person to spiral out of control and lose the support of loved ones, their jobs, and lead to substance abuse.

(c) Chronic grief: The person grieves constantly. They cry and express fear and sadness, loss and hopelessness in every situation and can find no comfort. This type of grief can lead to suicide.

  1. d) Depression: The person stops functioning. They sleep all the time, may not bathe or get dressed. They may stop going to work or to social functions like church or other activities. Their entire personality seems to shift and they become emotionally “unrecognizable” to people who love them. Short term medication can be exceptionally helpful for depression.

(e) Excessive guilt: The person believes it was their fault their loved one was lost. “If I had only” . . . is the catchphrase for this problem. They will punish themselves by denying themselves joy or anything they perceive as a “reward” because they believe something they did or didn’t do caused their loved one to die. This is another trap that can lead to substance abuse and suicide.

If you have lost a loved one in an accident or disaster, or someone you know has, and you or they are experiencing any of the above 5 unhealthy reactions to loss, please let your doctor and loved ones know.  Expressing these feelings and finding help for them is the best way for you or they to live healthy productive lives – which is the best way to honor a lost loved one!

Depending on what type of law they practice, attorneys get paid for their services in different ways. Criminal attorneys usually get their fees in a lump sum up front, or allow payments before a court date. Divorce attorneys usually require an up front retainer (a lump sum of money) which they will bill against hourly. Personal injury attorneys (like us) usually get paid on a “contingency” basis. That means the client doesn’t have to have any money up front. The attorney pays for the medical records, expert witnesses, depositions, etc. and, once the settlement or award is reached, they get their fee out of that lump sum. Over and above their fee for taking the case is the expenses aforementioned in putting the case together. We screen our cases very well because we want to be sure we can win the case! Be wary of attorneys who take every case that comes their way. While you may not owe them a fee if they don’t win your case, you will still owe for any expenses they incurred in your case from depositions to court costs and that can easily reach several thousand dollars.

Do not be afraid to talk to an attorney about fees and costs PRIOR to hiring them. We have nothing to hide from our clients nor should any ethical attorney.

‘First thing, your attorney should spend time with you prior to the deposition to walk you through what to expect beforehand. At Keith Williams Law Group, we bring our clients in, go over the facts of the case to refresh their memory, and try to anticipate what questions the other side will be asking them.  Preparation is everything! While we can’t know every item or bit of information the other side’s team will feel is important, our 20+ years of injury law experience allows us a really good idea of what you can expect. Plus, we will meet with you just prior to the deposition to talk through any “nerves” and we will be with your through the whole meeting.

I think the most important piece of information I would give my client is: Remember this is not a friendly conversation or an episode of “This is Your Life”.  You are only expected to answer the exact question you are asked. No more – no less. Don’t be afraid to ask the person to repeat the question, or to rephrase it if you don’t understand exactly what they are asking.  Take a minute and a few breaths before answering. Form your answer in your mind before actually saying it aloud. Do not offer anymore information than necessary. If they don’t feel that your answer isn’t satisfactory, or does not go into enough detail, let them come up with the follow up question. Finally, if you don’t remember, just say “I’m sorry, I don’t remember”.  There is no law against it.If you feel overwhelmed or confused, don’t be afraid to ask for a break to stretch your legs or talk to you attorney.

In Tennessee, as in other states, there are time limits on the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit for different types of cases.  This time limitation of time is called the “Statute of Limitation.”

The statute of limitation for filing a civil lawsuit for an accident or injury case in Tennessee is one (1) year from the date of the event causing the injury.  A good example of this would be – you have one year from the date of a car accident

There are exceptions to this strict rule of law.   If the injury is one that is not necessarily easily discoverable, (i.e. a sponge left inside during surgery and not discovered until later) then the statute of limitation is one year from the date when you “knew or should have known” of the act causing the injury.

As you can see, these rules are not without exception, but they are very strict and you should not assume exceptions will occur in your case.  If you have any questions please contact an attorney at Keith Williams Law Group to see how we can help!,

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Toll Free – 1.866.820.4457
Nashville – 615.313.3999
Lebanon – 615.444.2900

Being included in the Nashville Area Best Lawyers in America 20th Edition of the Best Lawyers in America 2014 Edition is a big honor for Keith due to the fact that he was nominated for it by other attorneys in the field of injury law.  Keith’s specific nomination was for the Best Lawyers in Nashville: Products Litigation Division (representing people who have been injured by dangerous of defective products).  Attorneys from the across the State of Tennessee were polled as to who they felt the most talented injury attorney would be in the Nashville area for dangerous products cases and Keith was rated the highest.

So, as you can see, it is a great honor to be recognized by his peers. However, as Keith always says, he just wants to do the best job possible for his clients. While industry recognition is nice, their success and happiness is his greatest motivator.

You should research the firm before you consider hiring one of the attorneys.  In deciding on representation, families should seek a lawyer that has substantial experience in successfully handling similar cases. It is important to not only verify the reputation and experience of the law firm as a whole but to be sure that your case will be handled by individuals with appropriate experience. Finally, some cases can be extremely expensive to litigate and the firm you choose should have the resources to conduct the case through trial and appeal if necessary.

There is no charge for our review of your case. If we decide we can represent you, we will discuss our contingent fees (calculated as a percentage of the recovery we obtain) and provide a written contract for us to agree on.

95% of cases across Tennessee are settled prior to trial.  Today many cases are resolved quickly through other forms of  dispute resolution such as mediation and arbitration. At Keith Williams Law Group, our attorneys will discuss all available options with you as your case progresses towards a resolution.
Accepting a settlement offer can be a difficult decision. We always present you with the pros and cons of settling your case before trial. We provide you with information regarding the fairness of the settlement offer, but the final decision is always yours. We will explain clearly to you the factors which play a part in evaluating your claim. After taking all the factors in your case into consideration, we will make recommendations to you and try to clearly explain to you the reasons for the recommendations. Since our lawyers have experience in settling cases and know what juries and judges generally award in a similar case, clients usually follow our recommendations.  But again, the final decision is always yours. If we, or you, do not feel the settlement offer is in “good faith” or fair, we won’t hestiate to take your case to court and fight for your right to a complete recovery in front of a Judge or Jury.  And our happy client testimonials and case results speak for themselves – we are successful!

You will meet with one of our team of experienced personal injury attorneys at the time of your first appointment with us. We will make every attempt to get you in to one of our conveniently located offices (in Nashville or Lebanon Tennessee) at the earliest possible convenience.  If you are too injured to come to us – we will be happy to come to you. Our attorneys and staff are professional and courteous, and we do our best to make you feel at ease. We allow plenty of time to meet with you and discuss your potential claim. We will discuss the facts of your case and explain the personal injury laws as they might apply to your case. Based in Tennessee, our lawyers handle cases throughout the country and the initial consultation with our team is always free.

Please contact The Williams Law Group to see how we can help!

Contact Us Online @ Tennessee Injury Attorney

Toll Free – 1.866.820.4457
Nashville – 615.313.3999
Lebanon – 615.444.2900  

We cannot give any guarantees. Each case is different. In some instances, a case will settle to your satisfaction shortly after it is filed, or perhaps even before.  Mediation or arbitration may significantly speed up settlement of a case.   Rest assured that because Keith Williams Law Group earns no fee until you make a recovery, we work efficiently and swiftly to obtain maximum compensation to our clients and bring your case to a successful conclusion.

A freak accident is simply the term used for an accident that happens “outside of the normal” activities of day to day life.  We’re all used to car accidents, plane crashes, accidents at work, etc. But people are hurt in odd or unusual circumstances every day and they require legal help as well.  That’s why you should always make sure that your attorney is a “trial lawyer” (like we are) because the more unusual the circumstances, the harder it may be for you to recover your losses if you are injured in a so-called freak accident.

Some accidents that can fall under this category are: falling from high elevations such as off a cruise ship or if a balconey gives way at a local nightclub; things falling onto you from shelves in a store, out of a window or even from a plane; getting injured by an animal (yes, we all know about dog bites, but what about getting trampled by horses?); faulty equipment that can result in burns or electrocution at businesses or public areas; unsafe building structures like escalator or elevator malfunctions; and then the odd explosions, boat sinking, building collapse and catastrophic amusement park ride malfunctions.

The world is a dangerous place!

But, we can’t let fear dictate our lives – we want to experience life and enjoy it! So, by all means, get out there and live life to the fullest and, in the rare event you or a loved one are injured in a “freak accident” let our highly skilled injury trial attorneys fight to protect your rights and your recovery.  Because, just because it was strange and out of the blue, doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt!

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What is the value of a life?

If the life lost is that of your loved one, there is no value that can be put on your loss. No amount of money can mend your broken heart or take the pain away of missing them each and every day.  However, the justice system recognizes that the loss of life can financially impact those left behind and it provides ways to compensate, monetarily, those who are left behind when someone is killed through no fault of their own in an accident, these types of cases are called Wrongful Death cases.

There are 5 types of damages that can be compensated and those are medical expenses, funeral bills, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of earnings capacity and the pecuniary (or monetary) value of life.

Now the funeral bills are pretty cut and dried, they are what it costs to bury the deceased, from services to cemetary plots etc.  The medical expenses are from the time of accident to the time of death.  You might think the pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment would not be restricted because you are going to suffer them for the rest of your life.  However, in the eyes of the law, they are only compensable from the date of the injury until the time of death.  Only the last type of damages is uncapped and that is the financial value of the life.  There are a number of variables that go into figuring out how much a life is worth and it depends on the age of the person who died, what they did for a living, the relationship of the person who is bringing the suit and other variable factors.

An experienced injury and accident lawyer can help you understand all the factors that go into successfully pursuing a wrongful death case, and, if you think we can help, please call us for caring, compassionate, and successful representation of your loss.

This is a short and easy answer. A good attorney will provide you a free no hassle consultation for your case. If, after the first meeting, you decide to hire that attorney, they should take your case on a “contingency” basis. That means you don’t have to pay any money prior to your case being settled or a judgment awarded at court. Your attorney should able to provide any up front costs (without borrowing the money – which will result in increased costs to you). If you hire Keith Williams Law Group, we have the money on hand to pay for depositions, expert witnesses, investigators, medical records and any other expenses that may come up before court (such as court costs).  We get paid out of the settlement or judgment we obtain for you.  We will go over our easy to read, no small print, agreement with you so you know exactly how the expenses will be paid and when during your case.  If you should hire someone else, please make sure to go over your contract with them carefully and ask about anything you don’t understand.

1. A duty owed to you buy the one you are suing (the defendant).   2. Breach of that duty by the defendant.  3. The cause of your injuries were caused by the negligence of the defendant; and  4. You must prove you have been damaged in some way.
The answer to this question merits a year long class in law school.  Each element of negligence has it’s own section of tort law.  Also remember every case of negligence is different.  Each case needs an independent analysis by an attorney to determine whether a case exists.

Please contact The Williams Law Group to see how we can help!

Contact Us Online @ Tennessee Injury Attorney

Toll Free – 1.866.820.4457
Nashville – 615.313.3999
Lebanon – 615.444.2900