Personal Injury Practice Areas

Trusted Chattanooga, Tennessee Personal Injury Attorneys

When it comes to handling complex legal issues, experience matters

For more information about the particular personal injury cases our Chattanooga law firm handles, please click on the topics below:

Motor Vehicle Accidents

While motor vehicle accidents comprise a significant portion of personal injury and wrongful death claims, it would be wrong to think that they are always simple to resolve. Our car accident lawyers understand the "rules of the road" and the special duties imposed on commercial and public carriers. We also consult with traffic and accident reconstruction experts who have detailed understanding of the complex scientific and engineering principles often necessary to unravel just how an auto accident occurred and demonstrate who was at fault. We consult with medical specialists when needed to evaluate what injuries were or were not caused by an accident, as well as with forensic accountants who can evaluate past and future income loss, medical expenses and other economic losses.

Trucking and transportation liability cases involve a complicated group of laws and large amounts of evidence. Because the trucking industry is heavily regulated, an accident involving an 18 wheeler is significantly more complex than an automobile accident case. Frequently, an action can be brought against both the driver and the insurance company. Consequently, you need an attorney that has the experience and specialized knowledge to lead the investigation into the cause of the accident and to help you collect the maximum amount allowed under the law. We have extensive experience in representing the victims of accidents involving semis.

We handle all types or motor vehicle accidents, including:

• Car Accidents
• Rear-end Collisions
• Head-on Crashes
• Semi-truck and Tractor Trailer Crashes
• Intersection Accidents
• Pedestrian and bicycle accidents
• Alcohol-related Vehicle Crashes
• Accidents Caused by Drunk Drivers
• Hit-and-run accidents
• SUV Rollover Accidents
• Motorcycle Wrecks

We are well trained in evaluating car and truck accident claims so that our clients can anticipate and appreciate realistic outcomes in their case. When injury claims can be resolved fairly through mediation, arbitration or other Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods, our attorneys can aid in achieving that result. When cases must be tried, our firm recognizes that as well and can tap into our lawyers' extensive experience in the courtroom. Whatever the practical or legal issues that arise out of a motor vehicle accident, we are prepared to address them in order to met and exceed client objectives and goals.

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Medical Malpractice

A medical malpractice case involves injuries or death caused by negligent or substandard medical care or treatment. Medical providers include doctors, physicians, nurses, hospitals, psychologists, x-ray technicians and a variety of other medical professionals. There are many different kinds of medical malpractice, but some examples are:

• Birth Injuries - infant brain injury, cerebral palsy, Erb's palsy, shoulder dystocia, stillbirth, or other neonatal injuries to baby caused by preventable birth trauma, failure to properly monitor fetus or perform emergency caesarean (C section), and other negligent medical or obstetrical care in the labor and delivery room before, during or shortly after birth
• Medication Errors — dispensing the wrong medicine or the wrong dose of medicine
• Radiology and Lab Errors — Improper reading of x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, or other tests; failure to properly perform or lab or pathology tests; inaccurate reading or reporting of medical tests or results
• Misdiagnosis — Failure to diagnose cancer or misdiagnosis of a life-threatening condition;
• Surgical Mistakes — surgery on the wrong limb or body part, leaving sponges or surgical instruments in patient, and other negligence by surgeon or operating room nurses or technicians
• Anesthesia Mistakes — Injuries caused by negligent administration of anesthesia during surgery or procedure
• Infections — infections caused by failure to follow infection control measures in a hospital or clinic
• Burns, falls and pressure ulcers (bedsores)

If you believe you've been the victim of a medical mistake, you should contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney to evaluate your case as quickly as possible. There are complicated and stringent statutes of limitations for medical malpractice cases which limit the amount of time an injured individual has to file a medical malpractice lawsuit.

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Product Liability

Our firm has years of experience and an excellent track record of successfully representing individuals who have been injured as a result of an unsafe product. We hold companies responsible for the design, manufacture and sale of dangerous and defective products. We assist people who have been injured by defective auto parts, such as seatbelts, airbags, tires, or brakes. Many workers are injured every year by dangerous equipment such as cranes, saws, drills, presses, and power tools. Often products fail to properly warn of known dangers, are negligently manufactured, or defectively designed. Through product liability litigation, we help injured individuals receive fair compensation for their injuries.

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Workplace Injuries

If you have been injured at work, you may think that the only legal action you can bring against your employer or co-workers is a claim for workers' compensation. We represent injured workers and seek all benefits for lost wages, permanent or partial disability, medical expenses and other workers' compensation benefits. Unfortunately, work comp payments in Tennessee are often low, are usually limited in duration, and do not necessarily provide any form of lump sum payment. Additionally, compensation for the worker's pain and suffering or other types of losses is generally not allowed under Tennessee workers' compensation law.

In some instances, you may also have a claim against a "third party," such as the manufacturer of unsafe equipment, the owner of the premises where the injury occurred (if different from your employer), or against another company whose employee caused the injury. These third party personal injury cases can be brought in addition to a workers ' compensation case. Unlike a workers' compensation case, however, third party actions can include recovery for pain and suffering and future damages. Some types of third-party claims we competently handle include:

• Exposure to Toxic Industrial Chemicals If you have been injured by exposure to asbestos, toxic mold, lead paint, poisonous cosmetics, chemicals, pesticides, hazardous waste or other toxic chemicals or substances, we have the expertise and skill to help you pursue compensation for your injuries or occupational disease. We have handling many occupational disease and toxic injury cases, including employees and others with mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural disease, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related cancers.
• Construction Accidents If you are an injured construction worker, or simply a visitor, who was injured on a construction site, our attorneys will pursue fair and just compensation from the parties responsible for your injuries. Construction sites are dangerous places and some common causes of injuries are: heavy equipment accidents, explosions, falls, forklift or crane accidents, falling objects, and scaffolding collapse.

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Premises Liability

Premises liability cases arise from injuries occurring in residential and commercial buildings, shopping centers and parking facilities, hotels and casinos, amusement parks, airports, healthcare facilities, nightclubs and bars, as well as universities and public schools. The general rule of law is that the owner or operator of the premises has a duty to keep the premises in reasonably safe condition or at least to warn customers or visitors of a dangerous condition of which the owner or operator either caused, knows about, or should know about. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured as a result of dangerous property conditions then you may have the right to file a legal action. Some examples of premises liability cases are:

• Dog Bites - Many dog owners do not take the necessary steps to train and supervise their dogs or prevent them from attacking innocent people, especially children. Dogs — particularly some breeds such as Pit Bulls, Chows, German Shepherds, Rottweillers, and Akitas — can, and often do, cause serious, permanent and extremely painful physical and emotional injuries. In most circumstances, a dog owner will be financially liable for any injury their dog causes.
• Slip and Fall Accidents — Property owners may be liable if visitors to their property slip and fall as a result of a slippery surface, unlit stairwell, broken handrail, foreign object on the floor, or other hazardous property condition.
• Negligent Security — Property owners may be liable if individuals are assaulted on their property (such as a parking lot, garage, or apartment building) as a result of inadequate security measures, or inadequate security.

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Boating Accidents

We help injured merchant seamen, fishermen, longshoremen, harbor workers, passengers and pleasure boaters utilize Federal Maritime laws to achieve maximum compensation for their injuries at sea and shore side. Federal Maritime law treats injuries in maritime cases differently from land-based accidents that result in bodily harm. The Jones Act provides an injured seaman a remedy against employers for injuries arising from negligent acts of his or her employer or co-workers during the course of employment on a vessel. Claims brought under the Jones Act can also raise claims against a vessel's owner that a vessel was not seaworthy. If a seaman dies, a wrongful death claim may be based on the Jones Act, general maritime law, or the Death on the High Seas Act.

We work in association with highly-qualified marine safety investigators, naval experts, injury experts, Board-certified medical experts, physical capacities experts, rehabilitation experts and economists to insure a maximum recovery for our clients who have been injured at sea or in maritime situations.

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Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

The most common types of neglect and abuse in nursing homes are malnutrition, falls, dehydration, pressure sores, infections, burns, and assaults. Staffing and training deficiencies often contribute to these injuries. If your loved one has been neglected or abused in a nursing home or senior residential facility, there are probably other residents who are also being neglected or abused; in fact there is probably a continuing pattern of neglect at the facility. The facility's history of violations of both federal and state law can show this pattern. Our firm will aggressively pursue compensation and justice for elderly victims of all forms of nursing home neglect, abuse or assault.

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Contact the Attorneys at Stulce & Yantis

If you have been injured, you need an attorney with the skill and expertise to provide comprehensive legal advice and representation. Contact Stulce & Yantis. When it comes to handling complex legal issues, experience matters.

Our lawyers represent clients throughout east Tennessee, including in these counties: Hamilton County, Bradley County, Polk county, and Marion County, and in the cities of Chattanooga, South Pittsburg, Dunlap, Dayton, Cleveland, Jasper, Athens, Decatur, Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, Nashville, Murfreesboro, Lebanon, McMinnville, Soddy-Daisy, Knoxville, Alcoa, Morristown, Maryville, Cookeville, Algood, Johnson City, Kingsport, and Shelbyville. Additionally we routinely represent people from the Georgia cities of Trenton, Lafayette, Ringgold, Rossville, and Ft. Oglethorpe.

* John G. Yantis and Arnold A. Stulce, Jr. have been designated as Board Certified Civil Trial Specialists by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and are certified as Specialists in Civil Trial Law by The Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization.