Serious auto accidents occur daily in Mississippi involving drivers that disregard safe driving practices and violate the speed limit, text and drive, drive while intoxicated and otherwise engage in dangerous driving behavior. While you may have a legal right to pursue compensation in a Mississippi auto accident claim, sometimes identifying a viable defendant in a position to satisfy a judgment or settlement. Even when a Mississippi auto accident results in devastating permanent injuries that involve enormous medical expenses or permanent disability from employment, it may not be feasible to pursue a personal injury lawsuit if there is not source of funds to satisfy a Mississippi auto accident settlement or verdict. Our experienced Mississippi auto accident attorneys carefully investigate our clients’ cases to identify potential defendants and employ creative litigation strategies to obtain a fair financial recovery for our personal injury clients.
Many times there is a third-party that may also have contributed to your Mississippi auto accident. Depending on the facts and circumstances of your case, a wide range of third parties may be liable for your injuries. If the person who was at fault in your auto accident was performing a work-related function, the company that employs the driver may be responsible for your injuries. These cases can be complex because many times the employer will dispute whether the particular tasks that the driver was engaged in were within the scope of employment. It is not necessarily dispositive that the task occurred after hours or even that the employee voluntarily decided to undertake the errand.
Even if the driver of a vehicle does not have insurance, the owner of the vehicle who entrusted the driver with the vehicle may be liable for your injuries. When someone entrusts their vehicle to someone who lacks the maturity, competence or responsibility to drive safely, he or she may be liable for negligently entrusting a vehicle to a third-party. For example, someone who lends one’s vehicle to a friend that he or she knows has a history of driving under the influence of alcohol or a pattern of past traffic accidents may be liable for your injuries.
Other parties that may be liable for your injuries include public entities, which may have designed or maintained a defective roadway and vehicle manufacturers that may have produced a defective automobile. Our experienced Mississippi auto accident attorneys always explore the possibility of liability of a public entity or vehicle manufacturer, but this is especially important when the at-fault driver is not a viable defendant. Public entities that know or should know of dangerous roadway conditions may be liable for failure to make a roadway safe or failure to provide adequate warnings of potential hazards. An automaker that produces a defective automobile may also be liable for your injuries if the defective component contributed to your Mississippi auto accident.
If there is no other viable party against whom you may recover for your injuries, our Mississippi auto accident attorneys may be able to help you file a claim against your own uninsured motorist UM or underinsured motorist UIM coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage is optional supplemental insurance coverage that may provide compensation for the same types of damages you might recover from a negligent driver if you are involved in a hit-and-run accident or an accident with an uninsured driver. Uninsured motorist coverage is typically available for a relatively modest additional premium and can be invaluable if you find yourself involved in a serious car accident in Mississippi with no viable defendant to compensate your for your injuries.
Underinsured motorist coverage is slightly different in that it provides additional compensation when there may be a viable defendant in your case, but the defendant does not carry enough insurance coverage to compensate you for all of your loss. If you are faced with this situation, underinsured motorist coverage can provide additional compensation on top of the insurance coverage of a negligent driver.
Anytime you are involved in an auto accident in Mississippi you may face challenges in identifying a viable defendant with sufficient insurance to compensate you for all of your loss. The Mississippi auto accident law firm of Barrett Law carefully investigates the circumstances of our clients’ Mississippi auto accidents so that we can identify all potential defendants and assess the best possible litigation strategy. At Barrett Law, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi. Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.