ACCEPTING INJURY CASES IN EASTERN TENNESSEE & SURROUNDING AREAS

Serious personal injury, medical malpractice and/or the wrongful death of a loved one are highly personal family tragedies that produce a level of suffering and a sense of loss no one should have to bear. Tennessee serious injury attorneys, Thomas D. Dossett and Stephenson Todd, have the compassion and understanding to remain sensitive to human feelings while providing support, guidance and legal representation of the highest order.

With more than 50 years of experience, Todd & Dossett, P.C. has established a well-deserved reputation as one of the most effective and highly respected personal injury law firms in Kingsport, and throughout the entire State of Tennessee, and has a great deal of expertise in a number of different areas of law relating to personal injuries, including:

• Automobile/Truck Collisions
• Personal Injury
• Medical Malpractice
• Products Liability/Injuries resulting from defective products
• Wrongful Death
• Social Security Disability
• On the Job Accidents
  • Worker's Compensation
  • Railroad Injuries (FELA)
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Brain Injury
• Insurance Claims
• Nursing Home Abuse
• Slip and Fall Accidents

The Todd & Dossett law firm has handled many significant and high profile cases, consistently striving to fight injustice, expand the rights of clients, and make important changes in the law. In the legal community, Todd & Dossett, P.C. is recognized as an aggressive litigation firm renowned for its preparation, attention to detail and zealous advocacy for its clients. The Firm regularly appears before the Tennessee Appellate Courts, enforcing significant and important changes in the way municipalities, physicians, employers, and insurance companies treat personal injury and wrongful death victims throughout the State of Tennessee.

If you or someone you know in Kingsport or the surrounding areas in Tennessee need the counsel of an experienced personal injury attorney, please call the law firm of Todd & Dossett today at 866-435-3764, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

Practice Areas and Legal Definitions

Medical Malpractice:
Medical malpractice is the failure of a health care provider to follow the accepted standards of practice of his or her profession in the community where the service is rendered. If a physician was careless, lacked proper skills, or disregarded standardized rules resulting in injury to a patient, a jury may find the health care provider liable for negligence. Hospitals can also be held liable for the negligence of their employees, including staff nurses and technicians.

Examples of Medical Malpractice include:

• Failing to diagnose a tumor while reading an x-ray
• Puncturing a nearby organ or tissue during surgery
• Failing to order necessary and appropriate medical tests
• Failing to diagnose a condition in time to treat it properly
• Failing to refer a case to a medical specialist
• Prescribing incorrect medication
• Brain Injury
• Birth Injury
• Cerebral Palsy
• Incorrect diagnosis that results in a failure to treat a medical condition
• Failing to properly administer anesthesia
• Emergency room negligence
• Dental Malpractice
• Cosmetic Surgery Malpractice

Spinal Cord Injury:,br> Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when the nerves within the spinal canal are damaged. Most SCI's are caused by trauma to the vertebral column, affecting the spinal cord's ability to send and receive messages between the brain and the body's systems that control sensory, motor and autonomic function. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of SCI, followed by acts of violence, falls, sports injuries and diseases such as polio, spina bifida and Friedreich’s Ataxia. The spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss of functioning to occur. In fact, in most people with SCI, the spinal cord is intact, but the damage to it results in loss of function.

Traumatic Brain Injury:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a medical phrase used to describe the damage to the brain suffered by sudden impact or physical force to the head. Essentially, the human brain floats in a fluid substance called cerebrospinal fluid. TBI can result when the force of momentum causes the brain to impact against the skull. This type of injury, often the result of hitting your head on a windshield, pavement or other object, is frequently referred to as a "closed head injury." Whiplash can also cause TBI. These closed head injuries can result in lasting physical and mental problems.

Burn Injuries:
People who have suffered and survived the agony of second-, third-, and even fourth-degree burns describe the pain they experienced as among the most severe of all traumatic injuries. Personal injuries involving severe burns commonly result from explosions, premises fires, defective products, motor vehicle collisions, and electric shock, as well as accidental exposure to harmful chemicals and radiation.

Slip and Fall/Premises Liability:
Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere, and can cause serious personal injury. Most slip and falls happen in commercial settings, such as grocery stores, drug stores, office buildings, construction sites, gas stations and malls, but they also happen on private property. Premises Liability accidents can include toxic exposure, animal attacks, swimming pool accidents and amusement park ride accidents. In any event, there exist duties on the part of the property owners to maintain the property responsibly and avoid the existence of hazardous conditions.

Dangerous or defective conditions may be large or small, temporary or permanent. Therefore, investigation of the claim is essential to a successful case. Temporary conditions, such as water on the floor of a grocery store or snow and ice on the stairs of a restaurant, need to be investigated quickly.

Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect:
Americans are living longer than ever before. The fastest- growing segment in the United States is the elderly population. As a result of this demographic shift, many elderly Americans have become residents of nursing homes during their final years. As many of these nursing homes are under-funded and understaffed, a disturbing rise in the incidence of neglect and abuse is being reported. Injuries sustained by nursing home residents due to neglect and abuse often involve the inappropriate use of physical restraints, joint contractors, overuse of sedatives, unnecessary use of urinary catheters, loss of mobility, pressure sores and lack of nutrition with weight loss.

Vehicle Accidents:
Legal claims that arise from vehicle accidents are typically governed by the law of negligence. Any individual who negligently operates a motor vehicle may be required to pay damages to an injured victim. A personal injury case involving a vehicle accident may become formalized through civil court proceedings, or may be resolved through an informal settlement before a lawsuit is filed. Vehicle accidents can include:

• admiralty and maritime law
• ATV accidents
• automobile accidents
• aviation accidents
• bicycle accidents
• boating accidents
• commercial bus accidents
• cruise ship accidents
• intersection accidents
• motorcycle accidents
• pedestrian accidents
• rear end collisions
• semi-tractor trailer accidents
• school bus accidents
• SUV rollover accidents
• train accidents
• truck accidents
• yacht accidents

The surviving family members of a fatally injured accident victim may be able to bring wrongful death charges against the defendant.

Defective Products:
Products liability refers to a manufacturer or seller being held liable for placing a defective product into the hands of a consumer. Products liability cases may include defective or poorly designed machinery, tools, motor vehicles, recreational products, pharmaceuticals and other products and equipment. A person injured by a defective or dangerous product may be eligible to file a lawsuit for product liability. Damages can be recovered under one of the following categories: strict products liability, negligence, or breach of warranty.

Workers' Compensation:
Workers' compensation is insurance that an employer is required by law to carry in case an employee is injured on the job or becomes ill, temporarily or permanently disabled, or fatally injured due to circumstances surrounding his or her job. Although workers' compensation laws vary from state to state, covered medical care generally includes: medical, surgical and hospital services; dental services; crutches; hearing aids; chiropractic treatment; physical therapy; nursing care and prescribed medications. Additional monetary compensation may be provided if an injured employee is temporarily unable to work for more than a certain number of calendar days as set by state law, hospitalized as an in-patient, or becomes permanently disabled due to a job-related injury or illness. The right to receive medical treatment at the employer's expense typically continues as long as treatment is reasonable and necessary to treat the injury.

Wrongful Death:
A wrongful death occurs when a person is killed due to the negligence or misconduct of another individual, company or organization. A legal action for wrongful death belongs to the decedent's immediate family members (usually a surviving spouse and children, and sometimes parents). Under certain circumstances, unrelated minor children living with and supported by the decedent may also bring a claim for wrongful death. In order to bring a successful wrongful death cause of action, the following elements must be present:

• The death of a human being caused by another's negligent or intentional conduct.
• The survival of family members who are suffering the loss of financial support, love, care, comfort, supervision, guidance, household assistance and general society previously provided by the deceased.

The general rule in wrongful death cases is that one is entitled to recover both economic and non-economic damages that are suffered as a result of the loss of a loved one. Economic damages in a wrongful death case include an award for the financial contributions which the decedent would have made to his or her spouse, children and/or parents had he or she survived. It also includes the recovery for funeral service expenses in memory of the decedent and for burial cost. Non-economic damages include loss of love, society, companionship, comfort, affection, solace or moral support.

If you or someone you know in Kingsport or the surrounding areas in Tennessee need the counsel of an experienced personal injury attorney, please call the law firm of Todd & Dossett today at 866-435-3764, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

Professional Profiles

Thomas Dossett & Stephenson Todd understand the devastating impact personal injury or wrongful death can have on individuals and their families. Whether the injury is minor or catastrophic, each case receives their personal attention and dedication. Thomas Dossett and Stephenson Todd are committed to providing their clients with vigourous, expert representation, while simultaneously treating them with the genuine courtesy and respect they deserve.

If you or someone you know in Kingsport or the surrounding areas in Tennessee need the counsel of an experienced personal injury attorney, please call Todd & Dossett today at 866-435-3764, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

FIRM ADDRESS:
Todd & Dossett, P.C.
134 West Center Street
Kingsport, TN 37660
Phone: 866-435-3764
MEMBERS OF THE FIRM:


Thomas D. Dossett

EDUCATION:

• University of Tennessee College of Law - J.D. 1955
• East Tennessee State University - B.S.

• Tennessee State Courts
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
• United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
• United States 6^th Circuit Court of Appeals
• United States Court of Military Appeals

• Tennessee Bar Association
• Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
• American Trial Lawyers Association

STEPHENSON TODD

EDUCATION:

• East Tennessee State University - B.S.
• University of Tennessee College of Law - J.D. 1978

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE IN TENNESSEE: 1979

• Tennessee State Courts
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

• Tennessee Bar Association
• Appointed in 1999 by the Tennessee Supreme Court as the first Chair of the TLAP Commission
• American Bar Association
• Appointed by the President of American Bar Association as a member of the Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs.

HONORABLE JOHN R. TODD - CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE (deceased)

WILLIAM S. TODD - Retired 2003