Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49 generally dictates that the statute of limitations for a car accident claim in Mississippi is three years from the accident date. The statute of limitations for a wrongful death claim is also typically three years.
While three years may seem like a long time, countless accident victims allow this filing deadline to expire before filing a claim. If you miss the filing deadline, you may be unable to secure the compensation you deserve for accident-related damages. Secure the services of a Mississippi car accident lawyer today, as delaying could pose serious risks. Consulting a law firm promptly not only strengthens your case but also promotes your mental well-being.
How to Avoid Missing the Statute of Limitations for Your Car Accident Claim
There is a surefire way to avoid missing the filing deadline for your car accident case: Hire a lawyer, and don’t wait to do it. Attorneys:
- Know the laws around the statute of limitations for car accident cases
- Understand when the clock for the statute of limitations starts
- Have the resources to draft and file car accident claims quickly
Once you hire your car accident attorney, it will be their duty to file your case before the statute of limitations expires. If there are any issues related to the filing deadline, your attorney will inform you immediately.
More Reasons to Hire Your Car Accident Lawyer as Soon as Possible
Your attorney needs to file your claim before the statute of limitations expires. There are other reasons to hire your lawyer as soon as possible, including:
- The urgency of the evidence-gathering process: Your attorney will aim to build the strongest claim possible, and evidence will be a key component of their case. Some evidence, like traffic camera footage, may not be available for long after the accident. Hiring your lawyer as soon as possible allows them to secure all useful evidence.
- The need to protect yourself from bad-faith tactics: Some car accident victims may face bad-faith tactics by insurers and other liable parties. Your lawyer will handle all communications with those involved in your case. Once you hire your legal team, they will begin protecting your rights and case.
- The importance of resting and recovering: You may stress about your financial recovery while your claim is unresolved. Once your lawyer takes over your case, you may find it easier to rest and recover as you need to.
There is no reason to wait before hiring your car accident lawyer. As soon as you have identified a firm that is qualified to represent you, don’t wait to hire that firm.
Your Attorney Will Immediately Investigate the Accident
Your lawyer will begin investigating your car accident as soon as possible. Urgent steps your legal team will complete include:
- Securing all evidence related to your claim: Video footage, eyewitness accounts, and a reconstruction of the accident may all be key evidence in your case. Your lawyer will obtain this evidence right away and piece the evidence into your greater case for compensation.
- Providing information to insurers: Insurance companies may need your account of the accident, details of your injuries, and certain other information. Your lawyer will obtain and provide such information to insurers so the claims process can move forward.
- Overseeing the claims process: Insurance companies do not always handle claims efficiently. Your legal team will be in frequent contact with insurers. Your lawyer will insist that insurers handle your claim efficiently.
- Documenting your accident-related damages: Proving your damages will be one of your lawyer’s most important responsibilities. Expect your legal team to speak with your doctors and secure all available documentation of your accident-related damages.
Attorneys understand the high cost of traffic accidents. Your lawyer will also be aware that you need your settlement or verdict as soon as possible. From the moment you hire a law firm, expect your legal counselors to urgently build your case.
Other Responsibilities Your Attorney Will Handle for You
Car accident lawyers enable their clients to focus on their health by handling every step of the claims process. If your case leads to a lawsuit, your lawyer will handle that responsibility, too.
Some of the many services car accident lawyers provide are:
- Protecting the client: Your attorney will protect your case by handling all communications. They will speak with insurance representatives, preventing you from making any statements that can negatively affect your claim. Your lawyer will also provide reliable advice, leaving nothing to question or doubt.
- Painting a clear image of the client’s damages: Your attorney will secure any medical records, bills, expert testimony, and other documentation that illustrates your damages. Attorneys often have strong relationships with medical professionals and other experts, and these relationships may directly benefit your case.
- Calculating a fair settlement: Your lawyer’s settlement demands will reflect the economic and non-economic harm (like pain and suffering) that often results from car accidents. Considering that many accident victims experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a lawyer’s ability to calculate many different damages accurately will be a great benefit.
- Negotiating on the car accident victim’s behalf: Your attorney will represent you in settlement negotiations with liable parties. These negotiations may involve insurance companies or civil defense lawyers, depending on whether you file a lawsuit.
- Filing a lawsuit, if necessary: If your case requires filing a lawsuit, you will be in good hands with a car accident lawyer. Your attorney should have an extensive history with car accident lawsuits and should prepare for the possibility of a lawsuit from the case’s outset.
- Going to court, if necessary: Your attorney should not hesitate to take your case to trial if it is the most appropriate course of action. Your legal team will prepare the case, complete discovery, and oversee every other aspect of the trial process.
When you hire a car accident lawyer in Mississippi, you don’t have to wonder or worry about the direction of your case. Your law firm will provide frequent updates while doing everything possible to obtain the compensation you deserve.
Recoverable Damages in a Mississippi Car Accident Claim
For many victims, car accidents are traumatic events that leave deep, costly scars. Your damages may reach many corners of your life and can include:
Pain and Suffering
Motor vehicle accident victims face a greater risk of psychological problems, which is one type of pain and suffering. Such damages may also include:
- Acute pain
- Chronic pain
- PTSD
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Sleep disruptions
- Lost quality of life
Scarring and disfigurement can also qualify as pain and suffering. Your car accident lawyer will consult mental health experts to evaluate your pain and suffering, recommend treatment, and determine the financial cost of such damages.
Medical Expenses
Your healthcare costs may be among the most expensive damages from your auto accident. Your legal team will account for emergency services, medical imaging, rehabilitation, and all other accident-related medical care.
Property Expenses
Your lawyer’s settlement demands will include the cost of:
- Repairing or replacing your vehicle
- Repairing or replacing any other property damaged because of the car accident
- Getting you temporary transportation
- Purchasing any necessary medical equipment
- Any other property-related expenses from your accident
You should seek a detail-oriented law firm with a reputation for securing large financial recoveries. Such a firm will account for all your damages and fight tirelessly for a fair financial recovery.
Mental Health Services
You may need counseling and other mental health services to ease your pain and suffering and seek normalcy after the accident. Your lawyer will include the cost of such services in their settlement demands.
Disability-Related Damages
Disabling injuries are notoriously expensive because they may:
- Cause lifelong pain
- Cause you to suffer psychological and emotional hardship while disabled
- Require you to purchase medical equipment
- Require you to purchase a wheelchair-friendly vehicle
- Prevent you from working while disabled
Attorneys work alongside doctors who understand the all-encompassing toll of a disability. Before negotiating a settlement, your lawyer will determine the specific cost of any disabling injuries you have suffered.
The Loss of a Loved One
A loved one’s death is the most tragic possible outcome of a car accident. If your loved one has passed away from accident-related injuries, a lawyer will handle a wrongful death claim on your behalf.
Fatal car accident cases in Mississippi may involve many damages, including:
- The deceased’s pain and suffering
- Survivors’ pain and suffering
- Loss of the decedent’s income
- Loss of the decedent’s contributions to loved ones (including handiwork, security, accounting, and other household services)
- Funeral expenses
- Burial or cremation expenses
- Loss of consortium (which is the non-economic benefit survivors lose when a loved one passes away)
Many car accident lawyers also handle wrongful death cases. If you need an attorney for a fatal car accident case, make sure the firm regularly handles wrongful death claims.
Your Lawyer Will Lead Your Case with No Upfront Payment from You
Hiring a car accident lawyer comes with no direct financial obligations. These attorneys typically offer a contingency fee arrangement to shield the client from financial liability.
When you hire your car accident lawyer on a contingency basis, you:
- Don’t have to pay the firm any fees or costs upfront
- Rely on the law firm to build your case using its own resources
- Agree that your lawyer will receive a percentage of the financial recovery they obtain for you (which must be a reasonable percentage)
- Allow the law firm to take the financial risk that comes with any car accident case
If your law firm does not win, it does not receive payment. Therefore, you can expect the firm to invest significant resources in your claim. Meanwhile, you don’t have to worry about paying a lawyer out of your own pocket—the contingency fee approach prevents that.
What Qualities Should I Seek in a Mississippi Car Accident Lawyer?
Your choice of a lawyer can have monumental ramifications for the outcome of your case, so you want to make the right choice. You may narrow down the pool of prospective lawyers by considering the following:
- Reviews: Clients see past a law firm’s initial pitch. For better or worse, former clients can tell you their true thoughts about a lawyer or firm. Pay attention to reviews from former clients, as they can reveal much about the firm’s character.
- Results in car accident cases: Civil law is a results-based field. Seek a law firm with a proven track record of securing large settlements and verdicts for car accident victims. While past results do not guarantee a large financial recovery in your case, results should carry weight during your search for an attorney.
- The firm’s location: Law firms can travel to clients, accident sites, and other case-related locations. However, all things being equal, you may want to hire a law firm close to you.
- Your free consultation: You can complete free consultations with prospective law firms, ask questions, and hear the firm’s pitch for leading your case. You can use these experiences to evaluate your quality of fit with specific firms and attorneys.
If you ever question whether a law firm prioritizes your case or acts in your best interests, you can change law firms. While you should make a thoughtful choice of a law firm, remember that there are many reasons to hire your lawyer sooner rather than later.
How Much Money Will My Mississippi Car Accident Attorney Seek for Me?
The value of each car accident claim in Mississippi is unique. Your lawyer will build a detailed record of your accident-related damages and assign a precise financial value to each. Factors that can affect the value of a car accident case include:
- The details of your injuries
- The severity of your injuries
- The severity of psychological and emotional suffering
- The specific medical services you require
- The length of any work absence
- The severity of damage to your vehicle
You don’t have to involve yourself in such details. Your lawyer and their support staff will investigate your damages in-depth and demand fair compensation from liable parties.
Hire your Mississippi personal injury lawyer today, as waiting comes with serious risk. Not only does consulting a law firm right away benefit your case but also your mental well-being.
