by diazlaw | Jun 25, 2019 | Blog, Personal Injury
Mississippi has the dubious distinction of having the highest car accident fatality rate in the country. In 2017, the fatality rate was 23.1 per 100,000. That might not sound very much until it is compared with other states. Nowhere else tops it. What’s worse is that despite a slight dip in the fatality rate back in 2014, the statistics seem to be showing an increasing trend. So what’s the reason for this alarming state of affairs? Like many things in life, there is no easy answer and several factors are at play. Some people cite the fact that Mississippi is a predominantly rural state and that means that there are a lot of roads that are relatively narrow and winding, perfect for accidents to occur. However, other states are also just as rural as Mississippi and don’t have anything like Mississippi’s severe accident rate. Car accidents don’t just occur “by accident.” The vast majority of traffic accidents are caused by negligence. One driver or another is responsible for causing the accident, because they were drunk, they were under the influence of drugs, they were too tired to drive, they were using a cell phone at the time, they were speeding or any one of several other reasons. The fact that they were doing these things on a rural road is not an excuse. They are all preventable reasons for a car accident. If Mississippi drivers are ignoring common sense and driving dangerously and/ or ignoring state traffic rules and regulations that might help to explain why there are so many serious accidents, but what are state law enforcement agencies...
by diazlaw | Jun 14, 2019 | Blog, Personal Injury
Were you riding around as a passenger in a vehicle in Mississippi with someone else when an accident occurred? If so, you may now have some serious injuries that have taken away from your quality of life, keeping you from working, running around with the children, or even participating in any of your usual activities. Although your injuries may eventually heal over time, you still have the right to sue when you are injured in someone else’s car. What Are the Proper Steps to Take? There is a statue of limitation in Mississippi when filing lawsuits against a negligent driver that caused the accident. You will need to file a claim against the individual within three years. Even if it is not the first thing on your mind now that you have injuries and are worried about getting better, you should still focus on finding a personal injury lawyer to help you out with the case. It is better to get started with the lawsuit as soon as you can instead of waiting until the very last minute to seek compensation for everything you have been through. Upon finding a personal injury lawyer to assist with your case, you can sue the driver of the vehicle. When you get in a car with someone, you expect them to drive carefully and follow any rules, such as stopping at the stop sign and yielding at a yellow light. If the driver of the vehicle was speeding, distracted while behind the wheel, ran through a stop sign or was doing something that he or she should not have been doing, those...
by diazlaw | May 21, 2019 | Blog, Personal Injury, Truck Accidents
There are a lot of varied reasons why truck accidents happen. Anything that can reduce the results of a big rig crash must be applauded if it really makes a difference. New technology won’t solve all problems, but it can certainly address some of them. The most recent innovation that is being trialed by a number of trucking companies is the use of cameras that are mounted on the sides of trucks to monitor what is around the back and sides of a truck at any given time. The cameras function in a similar way to the cameras that have already been installed on many new cars that allow the driver to have a better view of what is behind their vehicle when reversing. Specifically, the cameras being trialed help truck drivers when turning, reversing and parking, maneuvers that can all lead to accidents if visibility is reduced when using conventional side mirrors. The cameras have been given the thumbs up from those truck drivers who have been involved in trials by two truck fleets, Schneider and Maverick Transportation. Drivers report that the Mirroreye technology provides a much improved performance in bad weather and at night as well as in normal daytime conditions. Some of the problems associated with the use of ordinary truck side mirrors is that they do not provide all round views of what is around the back of the truck, making turning and reversing potentially dangerous as well as maneuvers such as passing smaller vehicles. Side mirrors are also prone to fogging in cold, damp weather and are often useless in heavy rain or snow....
by diazlaw | May 7, 2019 | Blog, Personal Injury
The number of auto accidents is increasing across the country, and Mississippi is no exception. Auto accidents injured over 431,000 individuals in the United States in 2014 alone. The victim should file a personal injury lawsuit to claim for his/her injuries, medical bills, and lost wages. Filing a personal injury claim is trickier than it sounds. The victim should be aware of the personal injury claim process before filing an injury lawsuit in Mississippi. It will increase your chances of succeeding in the process. This article provides information on the process of a personal injury lawsuit in Mississippi. Whether you are involved in a car accident, slip and fall accident or any other injury caused by the negligent and reckless actions of another party, you should claim compensation for the injuries and loss you have experienced. You should know that filing a personal injury lawsuit and claiming compensation for your injuries involve several crucial steps. Failing to follow these steps can negatively affect your chances of succeeding in the process. Pay close attention to these steps to obtain the best outcome possible. Taking too long to file a case is a mistake made by most injury victims in Mississippi. In Mississippi, the victim is given three years from the date of the accident to file an injury lawsuit in a civil court. After three years, the “Statute of Limitations” will come into effect and the victim won’t be able to claim compensation. But if you are a victim of medical malpractice, you have only two years to claim compensation for your injuries. This is the first thing you need...
by diazlaw | Jan 29, 2019 | Blog, Personal Injury
Cruises are considered as one of the popular entertainment and holiday activities places that vacationers experience. Given the variety of activities that passengers perform, there are various technological equipment and devices involved that might be defective causing injury to someone- the crew or passenger. When a person is harmed due to such defective maritime equipment, the victims’ subsequent legal action is called product liability. The victim seeks legal assistance in order to understand how to claim compensation, how much amount is considered as fair compensation and who is responsible for the usage of the faulty product in the cruise. Such cases also involve foreign maritime law if the accident occurred in a foreign land. What is considered as a Defective Product? A product might already have a defect given its design or batch and later could harm the passengers when they use such products or objects. The defect can also exist in cruise ship equipment which is used to run the whole ship and not the other items that cause damage and physical injury even causing an explosion or even sinking the ship. Various Injuries from Defects of Products: Cruise ships have various equipment that runs the ship. Any defect, even a minor one, can lead to the major injury to the crew members. If the injury is not near the product, it is minor, however, if a pressure of some sort ousts a certain tool or a part of it which hits directly to a muscle or skin of a passenger or crew, the injury will be considered as severe or serious one. The bigger or sharper the...
by diazlaw | Jun 18, 2018 | Blog, Personal Injury
Personal injury lawsuits in Mississippi are like they are in any other state. They are designed to compensate an innocent victim of an injury for the harm that the injury has caused. Occasionally, the victim may have suffered from a wrongdoing that was particularly deliberate and intentional. If this can be proven, then the plaintiff may be awarded a separate payment on top of any others that have been paid out as a result of the lawsuit. This extra payment is known as punitive damages and its main purpose is to punish the wrongdoer for his or her actions, or for the actions of a company, if this is the wrongdoer. Economic and non-economic damages in a Mississippi personal injury lawsuit Punitive damages are not regarded as non-economic damages in Mississippi, even though like these damage awards, the amount awarded cannot have an easily determined monetary value, like medical treatment, the use of an ambulance or the repair to a vehicle or other property. Generally, a personal injury claim for damages is divided up between economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages are the easier of the two categories to define and show evidence for. The usual economic damages in a personal injury lawsuit include: medical treatment, including an amount for any future treatment if needed; transport costs related to the injury, especially if the plaintiff has lost the use of his or her vehicle after a car crash; lost earnings, wages, etc. as a result of not being able to work as normal including future lost earnings if necessary; repair or replacement of personal property damaged at the...
