Tennessee Car Accident Settlement Calculator
Enter your medical bills, lost pay and share of fault, and this calculator applies Tennessee’s own rules: billed charges count in full, fault reduces the award and ends it at 50 percent, pain and suffering stops at $750,000, and the money you can reach is measured against the state’s 25/50/25 minimum and your own uninsured motorist coverage. A fracture with $12,000 in bills and $3,000 in lost pay works out to $33,000 to $45,000, more than a minimum policy pays.
Tennessee car accident settlement calculator
Run your numbers through Tennessee law
Five steps. The result updates as you type, every line shows the rule that moved it, and nothing you enter leaves this page.
Rather talk it through? Tell Sarah what happened and get a Tennessee estimate in about a minute
Inside the calculator
How the calculator turns your numbers into a Tennessee figure
The calculator uses the same multiplier method as our national car accident calculator, so the two give the same answer until a Tennessee rule changes it. These are the steps in the order the calculator applies them, with the law behind each one.
- Add up the medical bills at the billed amount
Use the totals printed on the itemized bills from every provider: ambulance, emergency room, imaging, specialists, therapy and prescriptions. A Tennessee jury may see the full charges even when health insurance paid a discounted rate, so the billed figure is the right input.
Dedmon v. Steelman, 535 S.W.3d 431 (Tenn. 2017) - Multiply by a range that fits the injury
The multiplier stands in for pain, the limits on daily life and the length of recovery. It runs from 1.5 for sprains and bruises that heal in weeks to 5 for surgery, brain or spinal cord injury and permanent harm. Everything above 1 is the pain and suffering share: a 2.5 multiplier means the bills themselves plus one and a half times the bills.
FairSettlement methodology - Add lost pay in full
Wages, salary, tips and commissions you missed because of the injury. Lost income is economic damage, and Tennessee places no cap on economic damage.
T.C.A. § 29-39-102(a)(1) - Hold pain and suffering to the Tennessee limit
Noneconomic damages stop at $750,000 for each injured person, or $1,000,000 for a catastrophic injury, unless an exception applies, such as a driver whose judgment was impaired by alcohol or drugs.
T.C.A. § 29-39-102(a), (c) and (h) - Take off your share of the fault
A jury that finds you 20 percent at fault awards 80 percent of the value. The slider in step 3 does this arithmetic.
McIntyre v. Balentine, 833 S.W.2d 52 (Tenn. 1992) - Apply the 50 percent bar
When your share reaches 50 percent, the value falls to zero. Tennessee lets an injured person recover only while their share of the fault stays under 50 percent.
McIntyre v. Balentine, 833 S.W.2d 52 (Tenn. 1992) - Measure the insurance you can reach
The other driver’s per person limit, plus whatever your own uninsured motorist coverage adds after Tennessee subtracts their policy from yours.
T.C.A. §§ 55-12-102, 56-7-1201(d), 56-7-1202 - Match the number to a court and a deadline
Up to $25,000 fits General Sessions Court; above that, Circuit Court. Either way, an unsettled claim needs a lawsuit on file within one year of the crash.
T.C.A. §§ 16-15-501, 28-3-104
The five injury ranges, on $10,000 of billed charges
| Worst injury | Multiplier | Value on $10,000 of bills |
|---|---|---|
| Soft tissue, whiplash, sprain, bruising | 1.5 to 2.5 | $15,000 to $25,000 |
| Whiplash with months of physical therapy | 2 to 3 | $20,000 to $30,000 |
| Fracture, herniated disc, concussion | 2.5 to 3.5 | $25,000 to $35,000 |
| Injections, ongoing back or neck care | 3 to 4 | $30,000 to $40,000 |
| Surgery, brain or spinal cord injury, permanent harm | 3.5 to 5 | $35,000 to $50,000 |
Before lost pay, fault and insurance limits. The calculator rounds its final range to the nearest $500.
The number that limits most claims
The insurance ceiling: what a Tennessee claim can actually collect
A fair value and a collectible value are two different numbers. Tennessee requires drivers to carry only $25,000 of injury coverage for each person and $50,000 for each crash, and 21.3 percent of the state’s drivers had no insurance at all in 2023, among the highest rates in the country. For most people hurt by another driver, the real ceiling is set by two policies: the other driver’s liability coverage and your own uninsured motorist coverage. The calculator’s step 4 measures both.
How Tennessee puts the two policies together
For your policy, Tennessee treats a driver as uninsured whenever that driver’s liability limits are lower than your uninsured motorist limits. Your insurer then owes the difference between your limit and theirs, not your full limit on top of theirs. A $25,000 policy on their side and $100,000 of uninsured motorist coverage on yours reaches $100,000 in all: $25,000 from their insurer and $75,000 from yours. If your limit is no higher than theirs, your coverage adds nothing.
| Other driver’s policy | Your coverage: none | $25,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $250,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No insurance | $0 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $250,000 |
| $25,000 minimum | $25,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $250,000 |
| $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $100,000 | $250,000 |
| $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $250,000 |
Most one injured person can collect from the two policies, before any umbrella or employer coverage. Green cells are where your own uninsured motorist coverage adds money. Computed from T.C.A. § 56-7-1201(d).
Five things to know about uninsured motorist coverage in Tennessee
- You probably have it. Every Tennessee auto policy includes uninsured motorist coverage equal to its liability limits unless the named insured rejected it, or chose lower limits, in writing. The number is on your declarations page.
- A hit and run needs proof. When the other driver is never identified, the coverage applies only if there was physical contact with the other vehicle, or if someone other than the people in your car establishes it by clear and convincing evidence.
- Your insurer must be served. If you sue the other driver and plan to rely on this coverage, a copy of the lawsuit has to be served on your own insurer, which may then answer in the other driver’s name or its own.
- It pays what the other driver would owe. The coverage protects people “legally entitled to recover” from the uninsured driver, so your fault share and the 50 percent bar apply to it as well.
- Your own insurer owes you good faith. When an insurer refuses to pay its policyholder within 60 days after a formal demand, and the refusal was not in good faith, Tennessee allows a penalty of up to 25 percent of the loss on top.
T.C.A. § 56-7-1201(a), (e); § 56-7-1206; § 56-7-105.
When a government vehicle hits you
City and county vehicles fall under the Governmental Tort Liability Act. A city or county can be made to pay at most $300,000 to one person and $700,000 for everyone hurt in the crash, unless it bought insurance above those amounts, in which case its policy limits apply. Those limits count as the government’s insurance when your uninsured motorist coverage is measured. Crashes involving state vehicles go to the Tennessee Claims Commission, which can award up to $300,000 per claimant and $1,000,000 per occurrence, and no punitive damages.
When several people were hurt
The middle number in 25/50/25 is the most a minimum policy pays for everyone injured in one crash. If three people in your car are hurt by a driver with a minimum policy, the three of you share $50,000, and no one can receive more than $25,000 of it. The calculator works per person, so in a crash with several injured people the reachable figure can be lower than it shows.
The input most people get wrong
Billed charges count in Tennessee
When health insurance pays a hospital, it usually pays a negotiated rate far below the amount billed. In some states the smaller number is what a claim is built on. Tennessee is not one of them. In Dedmon v. Steelman, decided in 2017, the Tennessee Supreme Court held that an injured person may prove medical expenses with the full, undiscounted bills, and that the defense may not use the discounted amounts insurance paid for any purpose.
The figures in that case show what is at stake. Jean Dedmon’s medical bills totaled $52,482.87. Her insurer had paid $18,255.42. The defense wanted the jury to judge her expenses by the smaller number, and the court refused. The defense may still argue that a charge was unreasonable, using other evidence, but not by pointing to what insurance paid.
Why it matters in the calculator: the multiplier applies to whatever you enter. With the Dedmon figures and a fracture range of 2.5 to 3.5, entering the paid amount instead of the billed amount would shrink the estimate by $85,569 to $119,796.
Getting the billed totals
Ask every provider for an itemized statement, not a balance due notice. The hospital, the emergency physicians, the radiology group and the ambulance service often bill separately, so a single emergency room visit can produce four bills. Add future care only when a doctor has written down what it will be.
Before the check reaches you
Who is paid out of a Tennessee settlement
The fair value is the size of the claim, not the size of the check. Several parties can hold a legal right to part of a settlement, and Tennessee limits some of them.
| Who | Their right | Tennessee limits and deadlines |
|---|---|---|
| A hospital that treated you | A lien on your claim for reasonable and necessary charges (T.C.A. § 29-22-101) | Never more than one third of the damages recovered. The hospital must file a verified statement with the circuit court clerk before, or within 120 days after, your discharge, and mail a copy within 10 days to the people it says are liable (§ 29-22-102). It ranks behind your attorney’s lien and does not apply to workers’ compensation cases. |
| TennCare | The state is subrogated to your recovery for the care it paid, and accepting TennCare assigns your right to third party benefits (T.C.A. § 71-5-117) | Before a settlement or judgment, the injured person’s attorney must notify TennCare in writing to learn whether it has a claim. |
| Medicare | Payments it made for crash injuries are conditional and must be repaid from the settlement (42 U.S.C. § 1395y(b)(2)) | Federal recovery process; the amount is settled with Medicare’s recovery contractor. |
| An employer health plan | Reimbursement on the terms written in the plan | The plan document decides, not the summary card in your wallet. |
| A workers’ compensation insurer, if you were working | A lien on your recovery for the benefits it paid (T.C.A. § 50-6-112) | See the Tennessee workers’ comp calculator. |
| Your lawyer, if you hire one | The fee set in your written agreement | Tennessee requires a contingent fee agreement to be in writing and signed by the client (Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 8, RPC 1.5(c)). |
Taxes on a Tennessee car accident settlement
Federal law excludes damages received on account of personal physical injuries from income, including the part that replaces lost wages. Punitive damages and interest are taxable. Tennessee has no personal income tax at all: the Hall tax on interest and dividends was repealed for tax years beginning January 1, 2021, so the state takes nothing either.
From number to courthouse
Which Tennessee court your number belongs in
Most claims settle without a trial, but the court a claim would be filed in shapes the pace of the case and who decides it. The dollar value is what sorts it, and the calculator names the court for your figure and county.
Its civil limit is $25,000, not counting attorney fees and court costs. A judge hears the case without a jury. Either side can appeal within 10 days, and the appeal is a new trial in Circuit Court.
T.C.A. §§ 16-15-501(d), 27-5-108No dollar limit, and either side can ask for a jury. The suit is filed in the county where the crash happened or in the county where the other driver lives.
T.C.A. § 20-4-101When you and the driver live in different states and more than $75,000 is at stake, the case can be filed in federal court or moved there by the defense. Tennessee’s three districts hold court in ten places: the Eastern District at Knoxville, Greeneville, Chattanooga and Winchester; the Middle District at Nashville, Cookeville and Columbia; the Western District at Memphis, Jackson and Dyersburg.
28 U.S.C. §§ 123, 1332Suits against a city or county go to Circuit Court and are decided by the judge without a jury; in counties of more than 850,000 people, which today means Shelby County, General Sessions Court shares that jurisdiction. A claim against the state starts with written notice to the Division of Claims and Risk Management, which moves it to the Claims Commission if it is not paid or denied within 90 days.
T.C.A. §§ 29-20-307, 9-8-307, 9-8-402The county table at the end of this page lists the federal division for each of the 95 counties, and the calculator adds it to your result when you tick the box for a driver from another state.
The line that decides the most claims
Fault in Tennessee: 49 percent recovers, 50 percent recovers nothing
Since McIntyre v. Balentine in 1992, Tennessee has used modified comparative fault. A jury gives each person involved a percentage. Yours reduces your award, and if yours reaches 50 percent, you recover nothing. Drag the slider in the calculator across the red mark and the whole value disappears. That cliff is why fault is argued harder in Tennessee claims than almost anything else.
| Your share of fault | What you recover of a $100,000 claim |
|---|---|
| None | $100,000 |
| 10 percent | $90,000 |
| 25 percent | $75,000 |
| 40 percent | $60,000 |
| 49 percent | $51,000 |
| 50 percent | $0 |
| 60 percent | $0 |
Two drivers at fault: each pays only its own share
McIntyre also ended joint and several liability in most cases. When two other drivers caused your crash, each one pays only its own percentage. Suppose a jury values your claim at $100,000 and puts 60 percent of the fault on one driver and 40 percent on the other. The first owes $60,000 and the second owes $40,000. If the second driver has no insurance and no money, the first driver does not make up the difference. That is why the coverage behind every at fault driver matters, not only the main one.
When the defense blames someone you did not sue
A defendant can answer your lawsuit by pointing at another driver or a company that is not in the case. Tennessee then gives you 90 days from that answer to bring the named party in, even after the one year limit has run.
Seat belts do not count against you
Failing to wear a seat belt is not admissible as evidence of fault in a Tennessee injury case, except in claims against a product maker. Set the slider by how the crash happened, not by whether you were buckled.
McIntyre v. Balentine, 833 S.W.2d 52 (Tenn. 1992); T.C.A. §§ 20-1-119, 55-9-604.
Where the big numbers stop
When Tennessee’s damages caps change the number
Tennessee limits noneconomic damages, the pain, suffering and lost enjoyment of life in a claim, to $750,000 for each injured person. The limit covers everything arising from the injury combined, including a spouse’s or children’s claim for loss of consortium. The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld it in McClay v. Airport Management Services in 2020. Medical bills and lost income have no limit.
| Worst injury | Top multiplier | Bills at which the $750,000 cap starts to cut | With the $1 million catastrophic limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft tissue, whiplash, sprain | 2.5 | $500,000 | $666,667 |
| Whiplash with months of therapy | 3 | $375,000 | $500,000 |
| Fracture, herniated disc, concussion | 3.5 | $300,000 | $400,000 |
| Injections, ongoing spine care | 4 | $250,000 | $333,333 |
| Surgery, brain or spinal cord injury | 5 | $187,500 | $250,000 |
The pain and suffering share is the bills times the multiplier minus one. Below these bill totals, the cap does not touch the estimate.
For scale, the average bodily injury liability claim in the United States cost insurers $28,278 in 2024, by ISO’s count. The cap matters in a small number of very serious cases and not at all in a typical one.
The catastrophic limit: $1,000,000
- A spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia.
- Amputation of both hands, both feet, or one of each.
- Third degree burns over 40 percent or more of the body as a whole, or 40 percent or more of the face.
- The wrongful death of a parent leaving a surviving minor child.
When there is no cap at all
The limit falls away if the defendant intended to cause serious injury, intentionally falsified, destroyed or concealed records to escape liability, was under the influence of alcohol, drugs or another intoxicant that substantially impaired judgment, or was convicted of a felony for the act that caused the injury. Tick the impaired driver box in the calculator to see the cap lifted.
Punitive damages
Punitive damages need clear and convincing proof of intentional, fraudulent, malicious or reckless conduct. They are capped at the greater of twice the compensatory damages or $500,000, with exceptions that include an impaired driver. The calculator does not estimate them.
T.C.A. §§ 29-39-102(a), (c), (e), (h) and 29-39-104; McClay v. Airport Management Services, LLC, 596 S.W.3d 686 (Tenn. 2020); ISO claim data via the Insurance Information Institute.
Worked examples
Five Tennessee crashes, run through the calculator
These are illustrations, not real cases. Each one turns a different Tennessee rule so you can watch what it does to the number. Enter the same figures above and you will get the same results.
- Whiplash and eight weeks of therapy, billed
- $6,800
- × 2 to 3
- $13,600 to $20,400
- Lost pay
- + $1,900
- Fault on the injured driver
- none
- Fair value
- $15,500 to $22,300
The other driver’s minimum $25,000 policy covers the whole range. A claim this size fits General Sessions Court in Davidson County, where a judge decides it without a jury. The date that matters most is one year after the crash. More on the county in our Nashville guide.
- Broken wrist, billed
- $21,000
- × 2.5 to 3.5
- $52,500 to $73,500
- Lost pay
- + $4,200
- 30 percent fault for speeding
- − $17,010 to $23,310
- Fair value
- $39,690 to $54,390
A witness puts the injured driver 30 percent at fault, so the claim keeps 70 percent of its value. The turning driver carries $50,000, and the injured driver’s uninsured motorist limit is $100,000, so Tennessee’s offset makes $100,000 reachable: $50,000 from each insurer. The range fits inside it, and a suit would go to Rutherford County Circuit Court. See the Murfreesboro guide.
- Herniated disc, billed
- $15,000
- × 2.5 to 3.5, plus $2,500 lost pay
- $40,000 to $55,000
- At 45 percent fault
- $22,000 to $30,250
- At 50 percent fault
- $0
Each driver says the other changed lanes. Five points of fault separate a claim worth $22,000 to $30,250 from nothing. In a case like this, a dashcam clip or one independent witness is worth more than any argument about the multiplier.
- Herniated disc with injections, billed
- $28,000
- × 3 to 4
- $84,000 to $112,000
- Lost pay
- + $6,500
- Fair value
- $90,500 to $118,500
The driver had no policy, so everything rests on the injured person’s own uninsured motorist coverage. At $50,000, the claim falls $40,500 to $68,500 short. At $250,000, the same crash would be fully covered. If the coverage had been rejected in writing when the policy was bought, no insurer would pay anything. The Memphis guide has the Shelby County details.
- Spinal cord injury with paraplegia, billed
- $410,000
- × 3.5 to 5
- $1,435,000 to $2,050,000
- Lost pay
- + $85,000
- Value if the $1 million catastrophic cap applied
- $1,495,000
- Fair value, cap lifted for impairment
- $1,520,000 to $2,135,000
Coverage is the hard part. With $100,000 on the other driver and $250,000 of uninsured motorist coverage, $250,000 is reachable. In a case like this, lawyers look for more: the driver’s employer if the driver was working, and any business that sold alcohol to the driver while visibly intoxicated, which Tennessee requires proving beyond a reasonable doubt. If the driver is criminally prosecuted within a year, the suit against that driver can be filed within two years. Knox County details are in the Knoxville guide.
The calculator shows these ranges rounded to the nearest $500. T.C.A. §§ 28-3-104(a)(2), 57-10-102.
Dates that end claims
Tennessee deadlines for a car accident claim
Tennessee gives an injured person one year to file suit, one of the shortest limits in the country. Talks with an insurer do not stop the clock: if the claim has not settled, the lawsuit has to be on file in time. Enter the crash date in the calculator and it counts the days for you.
| What | Deadline | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Lawsuit for your injuries | 1 year from the crash | T.C.A. § 28-3-104(a)(1) |
| Same, against a driver criminally prosecuted for the crash within one year | 2 years | § 28-3-104(a)(2) |
| Damage to your car or other property | 3 years | § 28-3-105(1) |
| Suit against a city or county | 12 months, filed in court | § 29-20-305(b) |
| Claim against the state | Written notice to the Division of Claims and Risk Management within the one year limit | § 9-8-402 |
| Adding a party the defense blames | 90 days after the answer that names it | § 20-1-119 |
| Appeal from General Sessions Court | 10 days after judgment | § 27-5-108 |
| Hospital lien filing | Before or within 120 days after discharge | § 29-22-102 |
| Your own insurer’s payment after a formal demand | 60 days, or a bad faith penalty may apply | § 56-7-105 |
The two year rule is construed strictly: the prosecution must begin within one year, and the suit must be brought by the injured person against the person prosecuted. A lawyer confirms the date that applies to your facts.
Crash data for all 95 counties
Tennessee crashes by county, 2025
Tennessee recorded 172,769 crashes in 2025, 44,105 of them with injuries and 971 with a death, according to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s county rankings. That is 61.0 injury crashes for every 10,000 residents. Crashes are counted where they happen, so counties that draw commuters and through traffic show higher rates per resident.
Davidson County had the most injury crashes, 8,629, and the highest rate, 118.3 per 10,000 residents. Shelby County had the most crashes overall, 27,197. Statewide, crashes fell 10.5 percent from 2021 to 2025, and fatal crashes fell 21 percent, from 1,229 to 971.
| County | Crashes | Injury | Fatal | Injury per 10,000 residents | Since 2021 | Federal court |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby | 27,197 | 6,762 | 136 | 74.3 | −29% | Western, Memphis |
| Davidson | 24,909 | 8,629 | 103 | 118.3 | 0% | Middle, Nashville |
| Hamilton | 11,059 | 2,653 | 36 | 68.7 | −19% | Eastern, Chattanooga |
| Knox | 10,031 | 2,696 | 50 | 53.2 | −23% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Rutherford | 9,319 | 2,438 | 32 | 64.7 | −6% | Middle, Nashville |
| Montgomery | 6,159 | 1,264 | 23 | 51.4 | −1% | Middle, Nashville |
| Williamson | 4,895 | 991 | 13 | 36.8 | +9% | Middle, Nashville |
| Sumner | 3,992 | 860 | 10 | 40.6 | +21% | Middle, Nashville |
| Wilson | 3,942 | 964 | 21 | 56.7 | +1% | Middle, Nashville |
| Sullivan | 3,930 | 835 | 21 | 51.3 | +1% | Eastern, Greeneville |
| Sevier | 3,326 | 634 | 17 | 63.3 | −14% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Washington | 3,235 | 691 | 14 | 49.5 | −18% | Eastern, Greeneville |
| Madison | 3,224 | 761 | 19 | 75.8 | −19% | Western, Jackson |
| Blount | 3,015 | 583 | 19 | 41.0 | −6% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Bradley | 2,749 | 682 | 17 | 59.9 | −15% | Eastern, Chattanooga |
| Maury | 2,607 | 664 | 9 | 58.5 | +3% | Middle, Columbia |
| Putnam | 2,366 | 359 | 11 | 42.3 | −3% | Middle, Cookeville |
| Anderson | 1,925 | 457 | 14 | 56.1 | 0% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Robertson | 1,759 | 414 | 13 | 52.8 | −14% | Middle, Nashville |
| Hamblen | 1,559 | 306 | 7 | 45.2 | −4% | Eastern, Greeneville |
| Coffee | 1,547 | 356 | 11 | 58.1 | −3% | Eastern, Winchester |
| Greene | 1,490 | 442 | 10 | 60.2 | −10% | Eastern, Greeneville |
| Cumberland | 1,370 | 345 | 10 | 52.6 | +2% | Middle, Cookeville |
| Dickson | 1,363 | 331 | 11 | 57.4 | −7% | Middle, Nashville |
| Loudon | 1,353 | 260 | 9 | 41.8 | −7% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Jefferson | 1,336 | 299 | 10 | 50.5 | +10% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| McMinn | 1,245 | 346 | 10 | 61.0 | −13% | Eastern, Chattanooga |
| Bedford | 1,223 | 280 | 9 | 51.6 | 0% | Eastern, Winchester |
| Carter | 1,161 | 259 | 9 | 45.1 | 0% | Eastern, Greeneville |
| Roane | 1,153 | 255 | 10 | 44.9 | −10% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Campbell | 967 | 205 | 7 | 50.9 | −7% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Henderson | 958 | 205 | 7 | 72.7 | +25% | Western, Jackson |
| Giles | 881 | 181 | 7 | 58.4 | +4% | Middle, Columbia |
| Cocke | 868 | 175 | 6 | 46.5 | −10% | Eastern, Greeneville |
| Cheatham | 867 | 214 | 4 | 50.2 | 0% | Middle, Nashville |
| Monroe | 847 | 221 | 8 | 45.0 | +1% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Hawkins | 840 | 229 | 9 | 38.6 | −2% | Eastern, Greeneville |
| Lawrence | 797 | 185 | 11 | 39.8 | −2% | Middle, Columbia |
| Warren | 793 | 163 | 6 | 37.4 | +2% | Eastern, Winchester |
| Dyer | 773 | 226 | 2 | 62.1 | −3% | Western, Jackson |
| Tipton | 730 | 222 | 7 | 35.7 | −23% | Western, Memphis |
| Gibson | 727 | 225 | 4 | 43.8 | −9% | Western, Jackson |
| Lincoln | 717 | 171 | 6 | 46.5 | −11% | Eastern, Winchester |
| Marshall | 706 | 148 | 6 | 39.1 | −5% | Middle, Columbia |
| Fayette | 695 | 205 | 6 | 46.1 | −1% | Western, Memphis |
| Franklin | 636 | 148 | 7 | 32.8 | −3% | Eastern, Winchester |
| Rhea | 634 | 139 | 4 | 40.0 | −5% | Eastern, Chattanooga |
| Hardin | 614 | 169 | 6 | 61.2 | −4% | Western, Jackson |
| Henry | 545 | 198 | 4 | 60.2 | +9% | Western, Jackson |
| Obion | 545 | 134 | 8 | 44.3 | −15% | Western, Jackson |
| Marion | 533 | 123 | 7 | 41.2 | −20% | Eastern, Chattanooga |
| Haywood | 521 | 117 | 0 | 68.4 | −15% | Western, Jackson |
| White | 516 | 95 | 6 | 32.6 | +3% | Middle, Cookeville |
| Smith | 502 | 122 | 3 | 58.7 | −16% | Middle, Cookeville |
| McNairy | 501 | 137 | 9 | 52.5 | +7% | Western, Jackson |
| Overton | 490 | 124 | 2 | 52.7 | +32% | Middle, Cookeville |
| Claiborne | 467 | 137 | 9 | 41.4 | +2% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Carroll | 466 | 136 | 8 | 46.7 | +10% | Western, Jackson |
| Macon | 466 | 98 | 2 | 36.0 | +35% | Middle, Cookeville |
| Hickman | 433 | 115 | 7 | 44.5 | −15% | Middle, Columbia |
| Humphreys | 418 | 132 | 3 | 67.5 | +14% | Middle, Nashville |
| Weakley | 407 | 128 | 7 | 38.6 | −11% | Western, Jackson |
| Lauderdale | 393 | 103 | 7 | 41.8 | −17% | Western, Memphis |
| Unicoi | 384 | 85 | 2 | 47.6 | +26% | Eastern, Greeneville |
| Scott | 377 | 75 | 4 | 33.3 | +214% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Polk | 360 | 124 | 5 | 67.6 | +11% | Eastern, Chattanooga |
| Grainger | 345 | 96 | 2 | 38.3 | −1% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Johnson | 333 | 81 | 3 | 43.8 | −15% | Eastern, Greeneville |
| Chester | 327 | 65 | 4 | 36.4 | −5% | Western, Jackson |
| Benton | 326 | 107 | 4 | 66.2 | −9% | Western, Jackson |
| Sequatchie | 312 | 82 | 3 | 46.5 | +9% | Eastern, Chattanooga |
| DeKalb | 302 | 87 | 4 | 40.0 | −14% | Middle, Cookeville |
| Fentress | 302 | 84 | 5 | 41.7 | −14% | Middle, Cookeville |
| Decatur | 296 | 76 | 5 | 64.4 | +25% | Western, Jackson |
| Union | 292 | 81 | 4 | 38.5 | +51% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Hardeman | 291 | 89 | 5 | 35.0 | −32% | Western, Jackson |
| Cannon | 264 | 74 | 1 | 48.9 | +1% | Middle, Nashville |
| Trousdale | 256 | 46 | 2 | 37.8 | −7% | Middle, Nashville |
| Wayne | 239 | 64 | 3 | 40.1 | +2% | Middle, Columbia |
| Lewis | 219 | 56 | 2 | 41.7 | +15% | Middle, Columbia |
| Jackson | 214 | 51 | 1 | 41.2 | +102% | Middle, Cookeville |
| Grundy | 207 | 56 | 5 | 39.6 | −33% | Eastern, Winchester |
| Meigs | 167 | 57 | 8 | 40.9 | +2% | Eastern, Chattanooga |
| Stewart | 160 | 64 | 3 | 44.6 | −16% | Middle, Nashville |
| Morgan | 152 | 47 | 7 | 21.4 | −7% | Eastern, Knoxville |
| Crockett | 150 | 57 | 0 | 40.8 | −34% | Western, Jackson |
| Moore | 143 | 35 | 0 | 51.7 | +44% | Eastern, Winchester |
| Van Buren | 127 | 19 | 1 | 28.4 | −4% | Eastern, Winchester |
| Houston | 114 | 57 | 0 | 66.8 | −12% | Middle, Nashville |
| Bledsoe | 92 | 41 | 3 | 26.3 | +3% | Eastern, Chattanooga |
| Hancock | 74 | 20 | 1 | 28.4 | −18% | Eastern, Greeneville |
| Perry | 69 | 21 | 2 | 23.4 | +1% | Western, Jackson |
| Clay | 68 | 27 | 0 | 34.4 | +8% | Middle, Cookeville |
| Lake | 57 | 23 | 2 | 35.8 | −2% | Western, Jackson |
| Pickett | 50 | 12 | 0 | 23.5 | +2% | Middle, Cookeville |
Sorted by 2025 crashes. Injury and fatal columns count crashes, not people. Since 2021 is the change in total crashes from 2021 to 2025; federal court is the district and the city where its division sits. Sources: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, TITAN County Rankings 2021 to 2025 (revised February 12, 2026); U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 county population estimates; 28 U.S.C. § 123. Linked counties have a FairSettlement city guide.
Questions people in Tennessee ask
Tennessee car accident settlement questions
How much is a car accident settlement worth in Tennessee?
It depends on the medical bills, the injury and the fault split. The calculator multiplies the billed charges by 1.5 for minor soft tissue injuries up to 5 for surgery or permanent harm, adds lost pay, and reduces the total by your share of fault. A fracture with $12,000 in bills and $3,000 in lost pay comes to about $33,000 to $45,000. Settlements are private and no Tennessee agency publishes them, so the calculator works from the multiplier method rather than an average. For scale, the average bodily injury liability claim in the United States cost insurers $28,278 in 2024. Typical Tennessee amounts by injury are in our Tennessee car accident settlement guide.
How is pain and suffering calculated in a Tennessee car accident claim?
Tennessee law sets no formula. A jury decides the amount, and in negotiations it is commonly estimated as a multiple of the medical bills. In this calculator, the pain and suffering share is the bills times the multiplier minus one, so a multiplier of 3 on $20,000 of bills means $40,000 for pain and suffering. Tennessee limits it to $750,000 per injured person, or $1,000,000 for a catastrophic injury (T.C.A. § 29-39-102).
Does Tennessee cap car accident settlements?
Only the noneconomic part. Pain, suffering and similar losses are capped at $750,000 per injured person, including a spouse’s or children’s loss of consortium, or $1,000,000 for catastrophic injuries such as paralysis. Medical bills and lost income have no cap. The cap does not apply when the defendant was impaired by alcohol or drugs, intended serious harm, destroyed records to escape liability or was convicted of a felony for the act. The Tennessee Supreme Court upheld the cap in McClay v. Airport Management Services in 2020.
Can I get a settlement if I was partly at fault for a Tennessee crash?
Yes, as long as your share is under 50 percent. Your award is reduced by your percentage: at 30 percent fault you keep 70 percent. At 50 percent or more, Tennessee allows no recovery at all (McIntyre v. Balentine, 1992). Not wearing a seat belt cannot be used as evidence of your fault, except in a claim against a product maker (T.C.A. § 55-9-604).
What if the driver who hit me only has the $25,000 minimum?
Look at your own uninsured motorist coverage. In Tennessee it applies whenever the other driver’s limits are lower than yours, and it pays the difference: with $100,000 of your own coverage and $25,000 on their side, up to $100,000 is reachable in all. Every Tennessee auto policy includes this coverage at your liability limits unless it was rejected or reduced in writing (T.C.A. §§ 56-7-1201, 56-7-1202).
Should I enter what insurance paid or the full medical bill?
The full bill. In Dedmon v. Steelman (2017), the Tennessee Supreme Court held that injured people may prove their medical expenses with the full, undiscounted bills, and that the defense may not use the discounted amounts insurance paid. In that case the bills were $52,482.87 and the insurer had paid $18,255.42.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Tennessee?
One year from the crash to file a lawsuit for injuries (T.C.A. § 28-3-104). It is two years against a driver who was criminally prosecuted for the crash within one year, three years for damage to your car (§ 28-3-105), and 12 months for a suit against a city or county (§ 29-20-305). Talking with an insurer does not stop the clock.
Do I have to pay back my health insurance or TennCare from a settlement?
Often, yes. TennCare is subrogated to your recovery for the care it paid (T.C.A. § 71-5-117), Medicare must be repaid its conditional payments, and employer health plans are repaid on the terms in the plan. A hospital can hold a lien on your claim, but never for more than one third of the recovery, and only if it files within 120 days after your discharge (T.C.A. §§ 29-22-101, 29-22-102).
Is a car accident settlement taxable in Tennessee?
Not by the state: Tennessee has had no personal income tax since the Hall tax ended for tax years beginning January 1, 2021. Federally, damages for physical injuries, including the part for lost wages, are excluded from income, while punitive damages and interest are taxable (26 U.S.C. § 104(a)(2)).
Which court hears a Tennessee car accident case?
General Sessions Court for claims up to $25,000, decided by a judge without a jury, with a 10 day appeal to Circuit Court for a new trial. Circuit Court for anything larger, with a jury if either side asks. Federal court is possible when the other driver lives in another state and more than $75,000 is at stake. Suits against a city or county are decided by a Circuit Court judge without a jury.
What changes if the other driver was drunk?
Three things. The cap on pain and suffering no longer applies (T.C.A. § 29-39-102(h)). Punitive damages become possible, and their cap does not apply to an impaired driver either (§ 29-39-104). If the driver is criminally prosecuted within a year, you have two years to sue that driver instead of one (§ 28-3-104(a)(2)). A business that sold alcohol to the driver while visibly intoxicated can also be liable, but only on proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the sale caused the injury (§ 57-10-102).
Where every number comes from
Sources
- Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, TITAN: Tennessee Traffic Crash Data, County Rankings and crash counts by severity, 2021 to 2025 (revised February 12, 2026). www.tntrafficsafety.org
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates, Tennessee counties. www.census.gov
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104, one year limit for personal injury actions and the two year rule after a criminal prosecution. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-105, three years for injuries to personal or real property. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-39-102, limitation on noneconomic damages, catastrophic losses, derivative claims and exceptions. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-39-104, punitive damages. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-1201, uninsured motorist coverage: limits, written rejection, unknown motorists and the limit less amounts collectible. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-1202, definition of uninsured motor vehicle; governmental limits as collectible insurance. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-1206, service of process on the uninsured motorist carrier. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-105, additional liability of insurers for bad faith refusal to pay. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-12-102, minimum motor vehicle liability limits. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-9-604, safety belt non-use not admissible in civil actions. codes.findlaw.com
- Dedmon v. Steelman, 535 S.W.3d 431 (Tenn. 2017), full undiscounted medical bills as proof of reasonable expenses (summary of the November 17, 2017 decision). mgclaw.com
- McIntyre v. Balentine, 833 S.W.2d 52 (Tenn. 1992): modified comparative fault and the end of joint and several liability. tennesseeencyclopedia.net
- McClay v. Airport Management Services, LLC, 596 S.W.3d 686 (Tenn. 2020), upholding the noneconomic damages cap. www.tncourts.gov
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-501, civil jurisdiction of courts of general sessions ($25,000). codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 27-5-108, appeals from general sessions court, ten days, heard de novo. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-4-101, venue for transitory actions. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-1-119, adding a nonparty alleged to be at fault within 90 days. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-20-305 and § 29-20-403, Governmental Tort Liability Act: time for commencing action and minimum limits. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-20-307, circuit court jurisdiction without a jury. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-20-311, judgments limited to the minimum or purchased insurance limits. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 9-8-307 and § 9-8-402, Claims Commission jurisdiction, limits and notice to the Division of Claims and Risk Management. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 29-22-101 and 29-22-102, hospital liens: one third limit and 120 day filing. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 71-5-117, TennCare recovery from third parties and attorney notice. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-112, workers’ compensation subrogation lien. codes.findlaw.com
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 57-10-102, liability of sellers of alcoholic beverages. codes.findlaw.com
- Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 8, Rules of Professional Conduct, RPC 1.5(c), contingent fee agreements. www.tncourts.gov
- Insurance Research Council, Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists: 2017 to 2023 (Tennessee uninsured rate, 21.3 percent in 2023). www.insurance-research.org
- Insurance Information Institute, Facts and Statistics: Auto Insurance, bodily injury liability claim severity 2015 to 2024 (ISO, a Verisk business). www.iii.org
- 28 U.S.C. § 123, Tennessee federal judicial districts and divisions. www.law.cornell.edu
- 28 U.S.C. § 1332, diversity jurisdiction. www.law.cornell.edu
- 26 U.S.C. § 104(a)(2), damages received on account of personal physical injuries. www.law.cornell.edu
- 42 U.S.C. § 1395y(b)(2), Medicare secondary payer and conditional payments. www.law.cornell.edu
- Tennessee Department of Revenue, Hall Income Tax (repealed for tax periods beginning January 1, 2021). www.tn.gov
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