Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee is a well known tourist community. Located between Gatlinburg and Sevierville, Pigeon Forge lies in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains and is home to many attractions, including Dollywood, Wilderness at the Smokies, Dixie Stampede, and countless other fun centers and attractions. Pigeon Forge has over 14,000 hotel rooms, cabins, and camp sites. There are over 300 shopping locations, 90 restaurants, and about 50 attractions. Pigeon Forge is a popular tourist location. It’s great fun until you get hurt as a result of someone else’s negligence. Each year, tourists in Pigeon Forge can be hurt in car accidents or slip and falls. If this happens to you, an attorney at the Hartsoe Law Firm can discuss your legal options and help you pursue any compensation that may be appropriate.
Assert Your Right to CompensationNegligence can occur in a vast range of situations, but some of the most common examples involve careless driving and hazardous conditions on property. For instance, a store that dangerously stacks merchandise that falls on a customer and injures him or her might be deemed negligent. Similarly, a driver who speeds excessively and ends up causing an accident as a result possibly could be held liable for any damages that resulted.
This area of the law is designed to hold people and entities accountable when they act recklessly and cause harm to others. To establish negligence, a victim must demonstrate that the defendant owed him or her a certain duty of care, that this duty was breached, that the defendant’s careless conduct caused an accident, and that the victim incurred damages.
Although it varies in some situations, the duty of care most often refers to the obligation to take reasonable precautions that avoid posing foreseeable risks of harm to others. Reasonable care is defined as how a prudent or sensible person would act in the same or similar situation. A breach consists of any conduct that falls short of this standard, such as when a driver violates a traffic rule or a property owner fails to properly maintain a path that is open to the public. The victim needs to draw a direct causal link from the breach to the accident, showing that he or she would not have been hurt if the defendant had met the appropriate standard of care.
If the elements of a negligence claim are established, damages for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other objective and subjective forms of harm may be available. However, it is important to remember that a claim must be filed within one year of the accident, or the victim’s right to seek compensation generally will be barred.
Under Tennessee law, family members of a person who has died in a tragic accident may be able to bring a wrongful death claim. The theory behind these lawsuits is that the decedent would have had the right to take legal action if he or she were still alive, and this right passes to family members who were harmed by the loss of their loved one. Damages in wrongful death cases usually depend on the relationship of the victim to the relatives bringing the claim.
Consult an Attorney after an Accident in Pigeon ForgeAt the Hartsoe Law Firm, our vehicle collision and premises liability lawyers have helped numerous individuals in Pigeon Forge and other communities across Tennessee. We have the experience that is required to handle virtually all types of personal injury cases, and we can guide you through every step of the legal process. To set up a free consultation, you can contact us online or call us at 865-804-1011.