If you are involved in a Mississippi car crash, you may be overwhelmed with pain and anxiety. The aftermath of a Mississippi car accident can result in financial challenges and uncertainty about the future, especially if the personal injury victim suffers serious injuries that result in long-term or permanent loss of household income. If you or your loved one suffers catastrophic injuries that require lifelong supportive care, the financial implications for a family can be daunting. These issues are compounded when the negligent driver in your auto accident flees the scene of the accident. Hit and run auto accidents can leave an accident victim with the challenge of locating and identifying the other driver.
A driver who is involved in an auto accident in Mississippi that results in bodily injury is required to remain at the scene, exchange information and render aid. If the other driver fails to stop and render aid, the driver may be convicted of a felony. Our experienced Mississippi hit and run accident attorneys work closely with law enforcement to identify negligent drivers that cause serious injury or wrongful death to innocent accident victims. There are many ways that a thorough investigation can help identify a negligent driver in a Mississippi auto accident including interviewing witnesses to the accident, talking with homeowners and business owners n the area, reviewing surveillance footage from cameras on local business premises and other methods of investigation.
The attorneys at our Mississippi auto accident law firm also carefully investigate hit and run auto accident cases to identify other possible parties who may be liable for your accident including:
Public Entities: If the design or condition of the roadway contributed to your Mississippi car accident, the public entity responsible for making the roadway safe may share liability for your accident. The public entity may be a viable defendant when the negligent driver in a hit and run accident cannot be identified.
Automaker: Sometimes defects in your vehicle may contribute to your car accident making the manufacturer or retailer of the vehicle a responsible party in your auto accident. For example, faulty brakes, defective tires or other defects in the vehicle may be partially responsible for the accident.
Repair Shop: If you have recently had your vehicle serviced, the failure to do the repairs properly may also mean the repair shop shares liability for the accident.
Even if the only responsible party to your accident flees and cannot be identified, you may still be able to seek compensation from your own insurance company if you are injured in a hit and run accident. Because Mississippi is among the states with the most uninsured drivers, most insurance companies in Mississippi encourage drivers to get the minimum amount of uninsured motorist coverage (UM). If you have uninsured motorist coverage, it will provide compensation that you could have received from the other driver in the hit and run in a Mississippi personal injury lawsuit.
If you are seriously injured, UM coverage can protect your family from financial disaster following a serious auto accident so it is advisable to get the maximum UM coverage that you can. If you have multiple vehicles, Mississippi law even permits you to buy the maximum coverage on each vehicle and stack the coverage.
At the Barrett Law Office, our Mississippi accident attorneys represent those injured in serious car accidents with hit and run drivers throughout Mississippi. We offer a free initial consultation so if you have questions about UM coverage, hit and run accidents or any other car accident related issue in Mississippi call us at (662) 834-2376 so that we can answer your questions and advise you of your rights.