Slip and Fall Lawyers in Nashville

The one-year deadline and evidence that vanishes

Tennessee gives you only one year from the date of the fall to file suit under Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104, far shorter than most states. The proof disappears even faster: a spill is mopped, a broken step is fixed, and the bar's security video is recorded over within days. We move immediately to demand the property owner preserve the video and the incident report before the scene is cleaned up and the record is gone.

What Tennessee law requires you to prove

A property owner in Tennessee owes visitors a duty of reasonable care to keep the premises safe. To recover, you generally have to show that the owner either created the dangerous condition or knew, or should have known, about it and failed to fix it in time. We build that case with maintenance and cleaning records, staff testimony, and the video, showing the hazard existed long enough that a reasonable owner would have found and corrected it.

The fifty percent bar and the blame owners shift to you

Property owners almost always argue you should have watched where you were going. Under McIntyre v. Balentine, you recover nothing if you are fifty percent or more at fault, and your recovery is reduced by your share below that line, so this defense matters. We counter it by showing the hazard was hidden, poorly lit, or otherwise not reasonably avoidable, and the most seriously injured are treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the region's Level I trauma center.

Falls on government property

A fall on public property, such as a city building, a transit facility, or another government site, is handled differently than one at a private business. A claim against a government entity carries a strict, much shorter notice deadline than an ordinary premises claim, and missing it can bar the case. If your fall happened on government property, have the claim evaluated immediately so that deadline is protected.

Serving injured clients across Middle Tennessee

Premises liability claims are handled from our Nashville office at 912 Harpeth Valley Place, and we represent clients across Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Sumner, Cheatham, and Robertson counties. We serve people injured in Nashville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood, Hendersonville, Gallatin, Lebanon, Mount Juliet, Smyrna, and La Vergne.

Getting the report and building the case

After a fall at a business, ask a manager to create a written incident report and photograph the hazard before it is cleaned up. We help you obtain that report and your medical records from Vanderbilt or the hospital that treated you, and we file suit in Davidson County Circuit Court ahead of the one-year deadline.

Speak with a Nashville slip and fall attorney

If a property owner's negligence left you injured, you deserve dedicated legal help, and Tennessee's one-year deadline means you have limited time to act. Call (615) 697-6779 for a free, confidential case review. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.

Common questions

I fell on a wet floor in a Broadway bar with no warning sign. Is the bar liable?

Possibly. The absence of a warning is strong evidence, but under Tennessee law the question is whether the bar created the spill or knew, or should have known, about it and failed to clean it up in a reasonable time. We gather the cleaning records and video to show how long the hazard was there.

I was drinking when I fell. Does that end my claim?

Not necessarily. A property owner still owes a duty to keep the premises reasonably safe, and your own condition is weighed under Tennessee's comparative fault rule rather than automatically barring the claim. As long as you are less than fifty percent at fault, you can still recover, and we show why the hazard itself, not just your state, caused the fall.

I fell on a dark stairwell in a multi-level bar. Who is responsible?

The property owner or operator is responsible for keeping stairwells reasonably safe and adequately lit. If a poorly lit or defective stairway caused your fall, we investigate the lighting, the condition of the stairs, and any code issues to establish the owner's liability.