In many Mississippi pedestrian accident cases, the driver may be liable. However, there are times when an employer, a government entity, a vehicle or parts manufacturer, a property owner, or even a pedestrian can be responsible.
A Jackson pedestrian accident lawyer can evaluate your case and help you identify any responsible parties.
How to Determine Who May Be Liable for Your Mississippi Pedestrian Accident
Your Jackson personal injury lawyer may watch traffic camera footage of the incident, interview witnesses who saw it happen, read police reports, and do other things to investigate and assess liability.
At the same time, they may gather accident scene photos and videos, witness statements, and other evidence. Your attorney may use their collection of evidence to show a judge or jury that a party committed a careless or reckless act that contributed to your pedestrian accident, injuries, and losses.
Once your lawyer finds out who may be liable for your pedestrian accident, they may help pursue compensation through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
How to Get Compensation from Anyone Who May Be Liable for Your Mississippi Pedestrian Accident
Many pedestrian accident cases are resolved through insurance claims. After you file a claim, the insurance company of the liable party may investigate your accident. Ideally, the insurer offers you a settlement that covers your tangible and intangible accident losses.
Unfortunately, in some cases, an insurance company may dispute or delay your claim or say that you may be partially liable for your accident. The business may do these things to try to reduce your claim’s value or deny your claim.
Outside of this, an insurer may offer a settlement that may cover only a fraction of your pedestrian accident losses. The business may make this offer shortly after your accident in the hopes that you’ll accept the proposal right away.
Your pedestrian accident attorney may handle settlement negotiations with an at-fault party’s insurance company. If you get a settlement offer, you can weigh its pros and cons with your attorney before you decide on it.
Even if someone may be liable for your pedestrian accident, insurance claims and settlement negotiations offer no guarantees of getting compensation for your losses. If you don’t get a pedestrian accident settlement offer that you feel is sufficient, you may sue for compensatory damages.
Per Mississippi Code § 15-1-49, you may have up to three years to file your personal injury lawsuit.
If the statute of limitations for filing your personal injury lawsuit closes, you may lose the right to seek compensation for your pedestrian accident losses at a later time.
What Is Your Mississippi Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit Worth?
You may be able to recover economic and non-economic damages from any parties that may be liable for your pedestrian accident. Reasons you could receive damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
According to Mississippi Code § 11-7-15, you may be subject to pure comparative negligence in your lawsuit. With this, if you sue someone for a pedestrian accident and are found to be 1-99% liable, your damages may be reduced by your percentage of fault.
Pedestrian accident lawyers can build your case for compensatory damages by collecting evidence from a wide range of sources and taking other steps to prove negligence.