Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana Accident Attorneys
A motor vehicle accident can change your life forever. Those who are seriously injured in an auto accident typically incur large medical bills, miss several days, weeks, or even months from work, and in the most severe cases, you may no longer be able to engage in any type of painful activity. When someone is injured or killed in a vehicle accident and another party was responsible, they deserve to be compensated.
Whether you have suffered serious injuries, lost a loved one, or both, the motor vehicle accident lawyers at Reeves & Mestayer, PLLC, are here to help. We will fight hard to get justice for you. We understand the physical, emotional, and financial devastation that can follow a motor vehicle accident and the challenging legal battle you face when seeking fair compensation. You do not have to face this battle alone. Please call us today and let us go to work for you!
Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents are not always as straightforward as they appear. Determining the underlying cause and all contributing factors in your accident is key to determining who can be held responsible and proving fault in your case. Our experienced Biloxi motor vehicle accident attorneys will thoroughly investigate your accident so that we can aggressively pursue all avenues of compensation for you.
Common causes of motor vehicle accidents in Biloxi and throughout Mississippi include:
- Driver negligence: Negligence is a legal theory that is commonly applied in car accident cases. Essentially, negligence means acting in a thoughtless or careless manner. A driver is supposed to exercise reasonable care to avoid accidents with other drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. When a driver’s negligence results in accidents with injuries, they can be held liable for damages.
- Distracted drivers: These days, one of the most common forms of driver negligence is distracted driving. Motorists have always had distractions, but in today’s digital age, the use of electronic devices while behind the wheel has brought this danger to a new level. Texting while driving and similar behaviors distract drivers in three ways; manually, visually, and cognitively. Distracted driving puts everyone on the road in danger, and those who cause accidents and injuries by engaging in this type of behavior should be held accountable.
- Speeding or driving too fast for the conditions: Another common form of driver negligence is speeding, going too fast during adverse driving conditions, or other types of reckless driving, such as tailgating, weaving in and out of lanes, making sharp turns from the wrong lane, and many others. Some motorists drive aggressively because they are in a hurry to get somewhere, while others drive this way out of a careless mindset in which they have wanton disregard for the rules of the road and the safety of others.
- Intoxication: Many motor vehicle accidents are caused by drivers who get behind the wheel while they are chemically impaired. When someone is driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, or even certain prescription drugs, it can cause them to become drowsy drivers, and become slow in their reaction times, making it more difficult to avoid hazards on the road. Driving while intoxicated can also have the opposite effect, putting a person in a mindset in which they willfully engage in reckless behavior.
- Defective vehicles or vehicle parts: Some auto accidents happen because of defective vehicles or faulty vehicle parts. Examples may include defective tires, faulty brake lines, malfunctioning computer systems, and many others. A faulty vehicle or vehicle part that malfunctions at the wrong time can result in an accident. When this happens, the party responsible may be the vehicle or vehicle part manufacturer, designer, supplier, or distributor.
- Defective roadways: Those who design, build, and maintain the roadways are responsible to exercise reasonable care to keep the roads free of hazards and defects. If a roadway does not meet minimum established standards and it results in an injury, the party responsible for designing, building, and/or maintaining the road might be liable. This is almost always a government entity, however, making these types of cases more complex and challenging to pursue.
Motor Vehicle Accident Injuries
Motor vehicle accidents can result in severe and catastrophic injuries, often leading to permanent impairment and chronic pain. Examples of common motor vehicle accident injuries include:
- Brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Whiplash
- Neck and back injuries
- Broken bones and fractures
- Soft tissue injuries
- Severe burns
- Amputations
- Crush injuries
- Organ damage or loss
- Vision loss
- Paraplegia
- Quadriplegia
- Coma
- Wrongful death
Full and fair compensation for your motor vehicle accident injuries can help you gain access to the best and most advanced medical care, so that you can make the fullest recovery possible and enjoy the best possible quality of life if you suffer from a permanent impairment.
Damages for Motor Vehicle Accidents in Mississippi
If you are injured in a motor vehicle accident and another party was responsible, the term for the compensation you receive is commonly known as “damages”. Compensatory damages can be divided into two general categories:
- Economic damages: These are losses the injured party sustains that can be quantified. Examples of economic damages may include hospitalization costs, cost for surgeries and other types of medical treatment, rehabilitation, ongoing medical care (in cases in which there is a permanent debilitating injury), lost wages, and loss of earning capacity.
- Non-economic damages: These are losses that are intangible and not as easy to assign a dollar figure to. Examples of non-economic damages include physical pain and suffering, psychological distress, loss of enjoyment, and loss of consortium. Mississippi has a cap of $1 million on non-economic damages for most personal injury lawsuits.
In rare cases in which it can be proven that the party responsible acted with actual malice, willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others, or committed actual fraud, punitive damages may be awarded to punish the wrongdoer and help deter them (and others) from committing similarly egregious acts in the future. In Mississippi, punitive damages are capped based on the net worth of the defendant(s).
Contact a Seasoned Mississippi Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident in Biloxi or anywhere in Mississippi, please call Reeves & Mestayer, PLLC at 228-374-5151 or toll free 1-855-558-2977. You may also send us a message through our web contact form. The initial consultation is free of charge; and if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.
