Knoxville Attorneys Fight for Your Rights When a Hunting Accident Leads to Serious Harm

Experienced trial lawyers for Tennessee victims of hunting accidents and defective products

All hunters must comply with Tennessee’s licensing laws and other relevant laws. Sadly, most shooting accidents are deadly. Survivors often suffer permanent injuries such as brain damage, spinal cord damage, paralysis, internal bleeding, and other catastrophic or serious injuries. Victims include other hunters and bystanders.

At Banks and Jones, we understand Tennessee’s hunting laws. Our attorneys understand what safety steps hunters must take before doing any shooting. When hunters fail to follow reasonable shooting standards, our Knoxville injury lawyers are Ready 2 Win your personal injury claim. We also bring lawsuits against the government and property owners if they failed to properly advise and regulate the hunters on their properties – under the theory of premises liability. And if the tree stands are poorly designed or improperly made, our Knoxville hunting attorneys demand that the manufacturers and other sellers be held responsible for all your pain, bills, and lost wages.

Why hunting accidents happen in Knoxville

Did you know that there are more than 7,000 acres of public hunting grounds in Tennessee? It’s true. Out here in East Tennessee, we have the Land Between the Lakes, which is great for white-tailed deer and turkey. Fort Campbell’s a bit of a haul, but you can’t beat it for dove, ducks or quail. If you find yourself in the Smokies, you can go after boar and grouse in Cherokee National Forest, too. And this doesn’t even consider privately-owned lands or clubs.

There are different rules and regulations depending on the type of game being targeted. Hunters are required to know these laws. Hunters are required to take a hunting education course before shooting anything. The course, which takes about two days’ time focuses on the proper handling, loading, and marksmanship of crossbows and firearms. It also instructs students on tree stand safety. Hunters are required to wear clothing and headgear that is visible from a long distance, and they must be licensed.

Still: people shoot themselves and their fellow hunters a lot. Most of the time it’s an accident, but sometimes it’s a defective part. The more common causes include:

  • Misidentifying the target
  • Missing the target
  • Shooting while intoxicated
  • Firearm discharge
  • Defective firearms
  • Defective ammunition
  • Shooting onto the property of someone else
  • Wet and slippery weather conditions
  • Shooting from uneven ground

But shooting accidents aren’t even the most common. Tree stand injuries are far more likely – and just as dangerous. When you’re 25 feet up in a tree looking for deer, and that stand has a faulty screw that cause a fall, you could find yourself paralyzed. You could wrench your neck and back, and end up needing surgery, living in chronic pain. You could break a bone hitting limbs on the way down, or break your back when you hit the ground. Falls from that height can lead to catastrophic injuries and death.

The legal grounds for a hunting accident claim

Our Knoxville lawyers understand what it takes to win a hunting accident personal injury claim. We have successfully obtained numerous large verdicts and settlements, including multi-million-dollar awards, in the following types of cases that apply to hunting accidents:

  • Negligence. We make hunters who fail to follow reasonable safety procedures pay for destroying or ruining a life. If you were legally on private or public property and the landowner failed to take steps to protect you, our Knoxville hunting accident attorneys demand that the landowners be held accountable.
  • Product liability. Our lawyers are Fight 2 Win your case by filing a product liability claim. We don’t even have to prove fault. We just need to prove the tree stand, firearm, ammunition or other hunting product was designed or built poorly and the defect caused the death or injury.
  • Wrongful death. The most tragic result of a hunting accident is that someone dies. One bullet can take a life. If a loved one dies in a Tennessee hunting accident, our lawyers demand compensation for
    • The loss of society, comfort and guidance the loved one would have provided family members
    • The loss of income the deceased would have provided the family members had he/she survived
    • Funeral bills
    • Medical bills

We bring most wrongful death actions on behalf of spouses and children.

Get help from Knoxville hunting accident lawyers you can trust

At Banks and Jones, we’re known and respected for tackling the tough cases. Winning hunting accident cases requires aggressive lawyers who understand the law, examine each piece of evidence, and prepare a winning strategy. We conduct extensive discovery. Our lawyers use every legal technique to help you get justice. To speak with a strong advocate, please call our attorneys at 865-546-2141 or contact us today.