Gulfport Parking Lot Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one was injured in a parking structure or garage, you might benefit from speaking with a skilled and compassionate Gulfport parking lot accident lawyer. Depending on the circumstances of a wreck, you may be able to pursue compensation against a negligent motorist, pedestrian, or other entity.
Speaking with a dedicated car crash attorney may help you to clarify some of the issues associated with many civil lawsuits, as well as prepare you to move forward with a case. While many collisions in parking garages are written off as not severe enough to warrant a civil injury claim, the effects can be serious, meaning the counsel of a legal professional could be vital for you to receive full and complete recovery for your losses.
Reporting an Accident and Filing a Claim
Usually, the driver of a vehicle is responsible for reporting an accident when the wreck leads to the injury or death of any person. Following the filing of a police report, the next step for anyone injured could be to initiate an insurance claim.
If an insurance claim is unsuccessful in resolving the case through settlement talks, the victim might then be able to file a lawsuit. A lawsuit must be filed no later than three years after the date of the accident for an injured individual to protect his or her right to recover potential compensation. (In some cases the deadline for filing a lawsuit is only one year, an experienced Gulfport Accident Lawyer can help make sure the proper deadline is identified, and not missed.)
While damages might be brought up by the insurance company, a suggested settlement offer might not cover the full scope of a victim’s losses and expenses. Depending on the severity of a crash, reasonable damages might include lost wages, pain and suffering, distress, diminished earning capacity, loss of consortium, and medical expenses, among others. Depending on the scope of these injuries, the victim might also have serious financial losses that could be raised in an injury claim. These and other losses could be calculated and assessed by a well-versed parking lot accident lawyer in Gulfport.
Negligence Issues in Injury Cases
For a successful injury claim, a plaintiff must be able to demonstrate that the defendant was at fault. Usually, this is done by establishing that the defendant owed the claimant a duty of care, for example, to abide by the safety rules of the road that are designed to protect us all; and that this duty was breached.
This might be done by establishing that a driver was distracted or intoxicated at the time of the collision. Then, it must be shown that this breach of duty led to the wreck which injured the claimant. Even when injuries are apparent, however, proving negligence in a parking lot accident case often takes the skill and determination of a tenacious Gulfport attorney.
As a person prepares to go to court for a Mississippi car wreck case, it is also important for them to understand the state’s comparative negligence rule, outlined under Mississippi Code Section 11-7-15. Essentially, any claimant’s award might be reduced if he or she is found to share some of the blame for a wreck. Therefore, if an injured claimant is found to be 25 percent at fault for a crash, he or she could still recover 75 percent of the awarded damages.
Seek the Services of a Gulfport Parking Lot Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one was injured in a collision within a parking garage, you might be traumatized and overwhelmed. However, a Gulfport parking lot accident lawyer might be able to help. By reviewing the evidence during an initial (and free) consultation and answering your questions, to bringing a viable claim forward, an experienced attorney could prove to be an essential legal ally during this difficult time.
During an initial consultation, it could be helpful to bring copies of the police report, your relevant medical records, contact information for witnesses, or even a written statement about your interpretation of the accident. Speaking with a legal professional as soon as possible after a wreck might help to prevent the statute of limitations, which sets a three-year (or in some cases one-year) deadline from the day of the crash, from expiring. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.