Statute of limitations for car accidents in Tennessee

Rule or statute summary

In Tennessee, the default statute of limitations (SOL) period for the proceeding type tied to Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-111(e)(2) is 1 year.

This article uses your jurisdiction data as the baseline, and it’s important to state the constraint clearly: no claim-type-specific sub-rule was found for a narrower category within this brief. That means the 1-year period is treated as the general/default SOL for the referenced statute.

Practical workflow (how to use this)

If you are working on a matter associated with Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-111(e)(2), a practical way to think about it is:

1. Confirm the proceeding type
   Make sure your situation is actually the type covered by the statute referenced in your data (because the SOL clock depends on the statutory framework for that proceeding).

2. Identify the SOL “start date” (trigger)
   The SOL deadline generally runs from a trigger event defined by the statute or by related procedural rules. In many SOL calculations, the trigger is not automatically the car crash date—it’s whichever date the statute uses to start counting.

3. Count forward 1 year
   Once you have the correct start/trigger date, add 1 year to estimate the base deadline.

4. Check for timing changes
   Even if the base period is clear, the actual filing deadline can change due to tolling, service rules, or other procedural effects tied to the case facts.

Gentle disclaimer: SOLs are deadline-driven and fact-sensitive. This content is meant to explain the statutory baseline and show how to calculate a date, not to provide legal advice or guarantee an exact filing deadline for your specific situation.

Citations

• General/default SOL period (per your provided jurisdiction data): 1 year
• General statute: Tennessee Code Annotated § 40-35-111(e)(2)
• Source (Justia code): https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-40/chapter-35/part-1/section-40-35-111/

How to interpret this in your planning: because no claim-type-specific sub-rule was identified in the provided materials, the 1-year period from § 40-35-111(e)(2) is used as the default time limit in the calculator and in this summary.

Use the calculator

Use DocketMath with the statute-of-limitations tool to convert the statutory 1-year period into a deadline date.

Run the Statute Of Limitations calculation in DocketMath, then save the output so it can be audited later: Open the calculator.

What you input (US-TN)

To get useful output, enter:

• Jurisdiction: **Tennessee (US-TN)
• Statute selection: **Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-111(e)(2)
• Start date: the trigger date that starts the SOL clock under the applicable statute/procedure (this is the most important field)

What you get (the output)

DocketMath will calculate, based on the 1-year default:

• Deadline date = (start date) + 1 year
• A quick view of how the time window is counted (useful for planning)

How outputs change with inputs

Because the SOL period is a fixed length (1 year), the result is mainly determined by the start date you choose.

Key input warning: If you use the wrong start/trigger date, the deadline will shift accordingly. In car-accident-related matters, people often assume the crash date is always the start date—but SOL start dates are determined by the statute/process, not by assumption.

Run it now

Use DocketMath here: **/tools/statute-of-limitations

Quick checklist before relying on the date

Related reading

• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Vermont — How to choose the right calculator
• Statute of limitations in Singapore: how to estimate the deadline — Full how-to guide with jurisdiction-specific rules
• Choosing the right statute of limitations tool for Connecticut — How to choose the right calculator