Mendenhall
Car Accident Lawyer

How The Mendenhall Car Accident Lawyers at Ringer Lingold & Spencer Can Help

When car accidents result in serious injuries or death, it is the victims and their loved ones who are left to pick up the pieces. This is why if you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, it is important to work with an experienced attorney to ensure that you are compensated fairly.

A car accident happens so fast that, in the rush of it all, vital information is often left out of the police report. But even the smallest detail can make a difference in who is at fault for the accident and the amount of compensation available to you.

Enlisting the services of an experienced Mendenhall car accident attorney will give you peace of mind, knowing that you have a knowledgeable professional working to obtain for you the maximum amount of compensation possible.

Our knowledgeable and experienced Mendenhall car accident attorneys will thoroughly evaluate your claim, perform a comprehensive investigation, collect evidence, and present your claim in a manner that shows how and why the other driver was responsible.

Contact us to request a consultation to discuss the facts of your case and determine the best way to proceed. Call us today at (601) 845-5050.

Why Should You Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in Mendenhall, MS?

The laws that govern car accident claims in Mississippi are complicated, and strict time limits apply. Any mistakes made in the process can jeopardize your ability to recover the compensation you deserve. Working with an experienced Mendenhall car accident attorney can help you ensure that your claim is filed properly and on time.

Mississippi is an at-fault state with regard to auto insurance, meaning that the party whose actions caused the accident is responsible for any resulting injuries and losses. If you were injured in an accident in Mendenhall that was caused by someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, you may be eligible to pursue one of the following courses of action:

• Filing a claim with the other driver’s insurance company
• Filing a claim with your insurance company, if the at-fault driver has no insurance
• Filing a lawsuit against the driver who caused the accident.

The more severe your injuries and the greater your financial losses, the more your claim is worth. On the other hand, it may take more time to resolve your case, since the liable insurance company will try even harder to deny or limit your recovery.

Moreover, Mississippi follows the rule of comparative negligence (Mississippi Code § 11-7-15), whereby if your own actions contributed to the accident in which you were injured, the amount of your recovery will be reduced by your own percentage of fault. The insurance companies know this and will go to great lengths to prove liability on your part.

Insurance companies are also notorious for making smaller settlement offers to claimants who are not represented by an attorney. This is why it is important to be represented by a reputable Mendenhall car accident attorney who can help you maximize your financial recovery. Our team is ready to fight for you, so give us a call to learn your legal options.

We Handle the Insurance Company for You

Our Mendenhall car accident lawyers will handle every aspect of your car accident claim. This way, you can focus on recovering from your injuries.

Along with handling all communications with the insurance companies, our Mendenhall car accident lawyers will …

• Evaluate the circumstances of your case to determine whether you have a valid lawsuit and what a fair settlement amount should be
• Investigate your case and gather evidence, such as photos and videos from surveillance and traffic cameras
• Interview witnesses and first responders
• Examine police, ambulance and medical reports and documents
• Handle communications and negotiate with insurance companies and their attorneys to get you a fair settlement
• Build your case and take it to trial if necessary.

The sooner you get us involved, the more we can do to maximize your financial recovery. Also, the statute of limitations for filing a Mendenhall car accident lawsuit is generally only three years from the date of the accident. YOU MUST FILE ON TIME OR THE COURTS WILL REFUSE TO HEAR YOUR CASE.

We’re here to help you at every step in the process. Call Ringer Lingold & Spencer today at (601) 845-5050 to get started.

Compensation a Car Accident Lawyer in Mendenhall, MS, Can Win for You

In a successful Mendenhall car accident case, you may win compensatory damages that cover your costs, losses, and injuries from your car accident. There are essentially two types of damages that you can recover in a car accident injury case:

ECONOMIC (or monetary) damages cover losses and expenses, including:

• Medical, hospital, and therapy bills
• Lost wages if you are unable to work, as well as lost future earning capacity
• Property damage, such as vehicle replacement.

NON-ECONOMIC damages cover losses from the accident that do not have a specific dollar value and are difficult to quantify monetarily, including:

• Physical, emotional, and mental pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium and companionship
• Disability or disfigurement
• Wrongful death.

PUNITIVE DAMAGES. In some rare cases of extreme wrongdoing, punitive damages may also be awarded. This is a monetary award to punish the wrongdoer and to deter such behavior in the future.

Mississippi does not cap the amount of economic damages that can be awarded, but it does limit non-economic and punitive damages.

How Much is My Mendenhall Car Accident Claim Worth?

After you have been injured in a car accident due to someone else’s negligence, this may be your first and most pressing question. There are websites, articles, and online damage calculators everywhere, telling you that there is a simple mathematical formula for figuring out what your claim is worth. But these “tools” are often completely misleading and provide information that can make the successful resolution of your claim more difficult.

There is no simple and easy way to accurately estimate the value of a Mendenhall car accident case. Many factors must be considered, and because each case is different, these factors will vary dramatically from case to case.

With that in mind, here are just some of the many factors that our Mendenhall car accident attorneys will need to consider when determining the value of your case:

• The severity of your injuries and whether you will be left with a permanent disability and require continuing care in the long term
• Whether you will be able to return to work and be able to earn what you did before the accident
• The value of the property destroyed in the accident
• Your age, earning potential, and family responsibilities
• Whether a death is involved
• The availability of insurance and assets of the defendants
• How the accident happened and whether you contributed to it
• The inclination of the individual judge and jury to make generous awards
• The facts involved and the strength of your case and your attorney’s ability to present it.

How Our Mendenhall Car Accident Attorneys Prove Negligence

Determining whether the defendant is liable for your damages is the first and most important factor to evaluate when assessing your Mendenhall car accident claim. In Mississippi, liability for damages sustained in a car accident is based on negligence. In other words, you must prove that negligence on the part of the defendant makes them at fault for the accident and liable to compensate you for your damages.

To prove the defendant’s negligence, you must show that the following elements exist:

• Duty. This refers to the legal standard of care that all people owe one another. For you to succeed in a Mendenhall car accident lawsuit, you must prove that the defendant owed you a duty to drive with reasonable care for your safety and well-being. For example, all drivers owe other motorists and pedestrians a duty to drive carefully and responsibly.
• Breach. You must establish that the duty of care owed to you by the defendant was breached. A breach occurred when the defendant failed to act reasonably with regard to your safety and well-being. Texting on a cell phone while driving is widely considered to be irresponsible behavior and a breach of a driver’s legal duty of care for the safety and well-being of others.
• Causation. Once it has been established that the defendant breached their duty of care, you must prove that this breach of duty resulted in the accident in which you were injured. For example, the use of the cell phone in the example above may have led to the driver being distracted and rear-ending your vehicle.
• Damages. Finally, you must prove that you suffered actual damages due to the defendant’s actions. These damages can be economic, such as lost wages, medical bills, and damage to your vehicle, or non-economic, such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.

Can More Than One Party Be at Fault?

Yes. Multiple parties may be held liable to compensate you for injuries and losses you sustained in a car accident. These may include:

• The driver of the automobile that hit you if their actions caused or contributed to the accident;
• The manufacturer of a vehicle or part, such as defective brakes or an airbag that did not deploy properly; and
• The municipality responsible for maintaining the road and putting up traffic signs if it failed to do so properly.

Steps Taken by Our Team to Prove Negligence

To prove negligence, our Mendenhall car accident lawyers will investigate your case, interview witnesses, and gather and preserve all evidence. We work with experts to examine the accident scene, reconstruct what happened, and testify as to the negligence of the at-fault parties. In addition, we may work with engineers to testify about road problems and with medical experts to testify on the extent of your physical and mental damages and how they will affect the rest of your life.

While our attorneys are trying to prove other parties were negligent and at fault for causing the accident, their attorneys will try to show that you were negligent as well. In some situations, both drivers involved in an accident share some of the fault. In Mississippi, even if you did something that contributed to the car accident, our attorneys may still be able to get you some compensation. Your settlement will be reduced by the proportion of fault the courts decide is yours. You can still collect the proportion that the other parties are found to be at fault. Our team of Mendenhall car accident lawyers will aggressively fight to ensure that you get every bit of compensation you deserve for the injuries you suffered in the accident.

Get Help from a Mendenhall, MS, Car Accident Attorney

When you’re involved in a car accident, let the Mendenhall, MS, car accident attorneys at Ringer Lingold & Spencer take the burden off you. We’ll handle all legal matters, paperwork, insurance matters and negotiations, and court appearances, so you can concentrate on your recovery. We are available to answer your questions and concerns and will be there to walk you through all steps involved with your case.

For winning results, call us today at (601) 845-5050 to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation with a knowledgeable and experienced Mendenhall car accident attorney. Let us fight for justice and the compensation you deserve.