Memphis Personal Injury Lawyer

Trusted personal injury lawyers with over 20 years of experience.

Patterson Bray PLLC has been a trusted Memphis, TN personal injury lawyer for more than two decades. We handle everything from car wrecks and construction site injuries to wrongful death claims, and we fight to recover the full value of what our clients have lost. Contact us for a free consultation.

Personal Injury Lawyer Memphis, TN

If you have been injured in an accident, a personal injury attorney steps in to protect your legal rights, build your case, and pursue compensation from the party responsible for your harm.

Tennessee personal injury law covers a wide range of situations. A driver blows through a red light on Poplar Avenue and T-bones your car. A landlord ignores a broken staircase that causes a fall. A trucking company pushes a fatigued driver onto I-40. In every one of these scenarios, the injured person has a legal right to hold the responsible party accountable. A Memphis injury attorney investigates the facts, calculates the full scope of damages, and either negotiates a fair settlement or takes the case to trial.

Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle in Memphis

Memphis is one of the busiest metropolitan areas in Tennessee, and accidents happen across Shelby County every day. According to NHTSA crash data, motor vehicle accidents remain a leading cause of preventable injury and death nationwide. Patterson Bray PLLC represents injured clients in a wide range of personal injury claims.

• Car accidents. Distracted driving, speeding, and red-light violations cause the majority of the injury cases we see in Memphis. We pursue full compensation for medical costs, lost income, and long-term rehabilitation. Common car crash injuries include whiplash, broken bones, and traumatic brain injuries that may not show symptoms for days.
• Truck accidents. Memphis sits at the crossroads of major freight corridors, and crashes involving 18-wheelers often cause devastating injuries. These cases frequently involve multiple liable parties, including trucking companies and their insurers, and FMCSA safety regulations set standards for driver hours, vehicle maintenance, and cargo loading.
• Motorcycle accidents. Riders face disproportionate risks on the road. Adjusters often try to shift blame to the motorcyclist regardless of what actually happened. We investigate the facts and fight that bias.
• Bicycle accidents. Cyclists struck by motor vehicles can suffer broken bones, spinal cord damage, and head injuries. Tennessee law gives bicyclists the same rights as other vehicles on the road, and drivers who fail to respect that share responsibility for the crash.
• Pedestrian accidents. A pedestrian hit by a vehicle has almost no physical protection. These cases often result in severe or fatal injuries, and determining liability requires a thorough investigation of the scene and circumstances.
• Slip and fall. Property owners in Tennessee have a legal duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions. When they ignore hazards and someone gets hurt, we hold them accountable.
• Construction accidents. Falls, equipment failures, and electrocutions at job sites leave workers with permanent disabilities. These claims may involve workers’ compensation, third-party liability, or both.
• Wrongful death. When negligence takes a life, surviving family members can pursue a wrongful death claim to recover damages for funeral expenses, lost financial support, and the loss of companionship.
• Dog bites. Tennessee holds dog owners liable when their animal attacks or bites someone. These injuries can cause lasting scarring, infection, and emotional trauma, particularly in cases involving children.
• Medical malpractice. When a healthcare provider’s negligence causes harm, the consequences can be life-altering. These cases carry specific procedural requirements under Tennessee law, including pre-suit notice obligations.

Why Choose Patterson Bray PLLC for Personal Injury in Memphis, TN?

More Than Two Decades of Litigation Experience

Chris Patterson serves as Managing Partner at Patterson Bray PLLC and has spent more than 20 years handling catastrophic personal injury cases and complex litigation. He earned his J.D. from the University of Memphis School of Law and currently serves on the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, appointed by Governor Bill Lee. He is a member of the National Crime Victim Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Will Patterson focuses on tort litigation, personal injury, and construction disputes. He has been named to Best Lawyers in America for Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs) across the 27th through 32nd editions and for Commercial Litigation from the 30th through 32nd editions.

Results and Accessibility

Our Memphis injury law firm has helped clients throughout Shelby County recover millions of dollars in personal injury settlements and verdicts. We offer free consultations for personal injury cases, so there is no cost to discuss your situation, review the facts, and understand your legal options before deciding how to move forward.

Memphis Personal Injury Infographic

Personal Injury Case Overview

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Personal Injury Cases

In a Tennessee personal injury case, compensation typically falls into two broad categories. Economic damages cover the financial losses you can measure and document. Non-economic damages address the losses that are harder to assign a dollar value.

The types of recoverable damages depend on the specifics of your case, but they generally include:

• Medical expenses, both past and anticipated future costs
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Property damage
• In fatal cases, wrongful death damages for surviving family members

Liability in a personal injury claim depends on proving four elements: duty, breach, causation, and damages. The at-fault party owed you a duty of care, failed to meet that duty, and the failure directly caused your injuries and financial losses.

Tennessee follows a modified comparative fault rule. If you share some responsibility for the accident, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. And if you are found to be 50 percent or more at fault, you are barred from recovery entirely. This makes establishing liability early in the process critical.

Important Aspects in Your Personal Injury Case

Several factors can affect the outcome of an injury claim in ways that people often do not anticipate.

• Evidence preservation matters more than most people realize. Medical records, photographs of injuries and the accident scene, witness statements, and police reports form the foundation of your case. The sooner this evidence is gathered and organized, the stronger your position.
• Insurance carriers are not neutral. They use lowball settlement offers designed to close your case quickly and cheaply. Recorded statements, unnecessary delays, and disputed medical treatment are common tactics. An attorney understands these strategies and knows how to counter them.
• Medical documentation ties your injuries directly to the accident. Gaps in treatment give insurers room to argue that your condition is not as serious as claimed or that something else caused it.
• Tennessee’s one-year statute of limitations is among the shortest in the country. If you do not file within that window, you lose the right to recover compensation. Period.

Personal Injury Case Timeline

Every case moves differently, but most Tennessee personal injury claims follow a general progression.

• Medical treatment and recovery. No case should settle before you have reached maximum medical improvement. Settling too early risks undervaluing your future medical needs.
• Investigation and evidence collection. This includes police reports, medical records, witness statements, and available video or electronic data.
• Demand and negotiation. Once damages are calculated, a demand letter is sent to the insurance company. Negotiation can take weeks or months, depending on the insurer’s willingness to offer a fair number.
• Filing a lawsuit. Tennessee’s statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is one year from the date of injury, so timing is not flexible. If negotiations stall, we file.
• Discovery and trial preparation. Both sides exchange evidence, take depositions, and prepare for trial. Many cases settle during this phase, but we prepare every case as though it will go to a jury.

What to Bring to Your Personal Injury Consultation

Before your first meeting with a Memphis, TN personal injury attorney, gather whatever you can from this list:

• Police or incident reports related to the accident
• Medical records and bills from the treatment you have received
• Photographs of your injuries, the accident scene, and any property damage
• All correspondence from insurance companies, including written settlement offers
• A written account of what happened, while details are still fresh in your memory

The initial consultation gives us a chance to evaluate the strength of your claim, identify who is responsible, and outline what comes next. Patterson Bray PLLC offers these consultations at no charge.

Tennessee Legal Resources for Personal Injury

Tennessee law governs every personal injury claim filed in Memphis and across the state. The following resources can help you research the legal standards and procedures that apply.

• The Tennessee General Assembly publishes Tennessee Code Annotated, where you can find the one-year statute of limitations for personal injury actions and other filing requirements.
• Tennessee Courts provides information on court rules, filing procedures, and local Shelby County court details.
• Tennessee follows a modified comparative fault standard, which reduces a plaintiff’s recovery by their percentage of fault and bars recovery entirely at 50 percent or greater.
• The state caps non-economic damages in most personal injury cases, though exceptions apply for catastrophic injuries.
• The CDC injury data page tracks national statistics on preventable injuries and their causes.

Reach Out to Patterson Bray PLLC to Schedule a Consultation

If you’ve been injured in an accident in Memphis, do not wait to get legal advice. Tennessee’s one-year filing deadline is one of the shortest in the country, and early action protects both your claim and your evidence. Patterson Bray PLLC offers free consultations for all personal injury cases. Contact us to schedule a time.