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MISSISSIPPI INJURY LAWYERS
LITIGATORS WHO UNDERSTAND HOW TO RESOLVE YOUR ISSUES.

New 2019 Premises Liability Bill in Mississippi

Published on Apr 24, 2019 at 10:13 am in Legal Information.

As a Mississippi citizen, it’s important to stay on top of current law changes. The lawyers at Pittman, Roberts & Welsh, PLLC also pay close attention to new laws so we can represent our clients to the best of our abilities.

We’re not even halfway through 2019, but there have been some important changes to laws and amendments in our state within the first few months of the year. Here is a brief summary about one of the most crucial changes we’ve seen so far, about a new bill that was passed that may affect those considering filing a premises liability claim. Here’s what we know about this bill so far:

The Issue of Phone Manipulation While Driving Still Raises Concerns

Published on Apr 17, 2019 at 11:04 am in Car Accidents.

With today’s technology, it’s easy for a negligent driver to get distracted behind the wheel. One of the primary distractions is cell phones. With notifications for text messages, emails, news alerts, phone calls, and more, drivers are often tempted to pick up their phones to attend to matters that could undoubtedly wait until they’re off the road.

When a driver doesn’t have their eyes, mind, and hands simultaneously focused on their vehicle and the road, the chances for an accident increases significantly. If a driver glances away from the road for five seconds while traveling 55 miles per hour, they will have traveled the entire length of a football field without processing what’s going on around them.

While there are many cars that offer hands-free cell phone options and phones that allow for voice commands, the issue of phone manipulation while driving is still a concern. Recognizing the dangers of distracted driving and making sure to drive responsibly is critical in preventing collisions.

How Are Pain and Suffering Damages Calculated?

Published on Apr 10, 2019 at 12:09 pm in Personal Injury.

After an auto accident causes injuries, you can file a claim to potentially get compensation for what you’ve been through. When going through the process of filing an injury claim, you want a trusted legal representative at your side who will make sure that your settlement is fair and will cover the costs of your injuries.

While some costs, often referred to as damages, may be obvious to you, such as the totals of your medical bills or damages to your vehicle, you have to consider the other effects of an auto collision. You may have suffered from significant emotional stress and this may continue to affect your life. These kinds of damages are called non-economic damages. These are difficult to assign a numerical value to, but your lawyer will be able to expertly calculate a fair settlement based on both your economic and non-economic damages.

A Brief History of Medical Malpractice in Mississippi

Published on Apr 3, 2019 at 11:53 am in Medical Malpractice.

Physicians and medicine have been mentioned in some of the earliest laws ever discovered by historians. Medical malpractice litigation spans back thousands of year. There’s even a Babylonian code dating back to 1794 BC that mentions the repercussions for medical mistakes and promoting the idea that doctors should face punishments if they wrongfully harm a patient.

In the United States, however, the first case came about in 1794 after a patient died during an operation. The victim’s husband brought the case forward and won because the physician did not operate as skillfully as promised. After that, there was a large increase in med mal claims and the American Medical Association was founded. The litigation process has been designed to promote extensive discovery and negotiations between the opposing parties to encourage a resolution without going to trial.

How to Help a Loved One Who Was Injured in a Car Accident

Published on Mar 27, 2019 at 9:47 am in Car Accidents.

Hearing that a loved one was in a car accident is a terrifying thing. It’s natural to worry about their injuries and how the recovery will affect them. You may find that their injuries can take a while to heal. It’s also completely natural to wonder what you can do to help.

There are plenty of ways you can support your loved one. Here are some tips:

Where Do Most Car Accidents in Mississippi Happen?

Published on Mar 20, 2019 at 10:45 am in Car Accidents.

Thousands of accidents happen every year on Mississippi’s roadways. As a result, people are injured, lives are lost, and families are changed forever. From distracted drivers to poorly designed roads, there are a number of reasons why car accidents happen. While drivers generally understand why crashes occur, there’s not as much emphasis put on where they occur. Understanding where wrecks are most likely to happen can help drivers remain vigilant behind the wheel. In Jackson and all over Mississippi, most collisions occur on highways and at intersections.

Dangerous Highways in Mississippi

Highways and interstates provide drivers with a quick and efficient means of travels. In general, drivers don’t have to worry about varying speeds or traffic lights. There are, however, dangers that drivers might not think about – like speeding and erratic merging. The following are the most dangerous highways in Mississippi.

5 Tips To Protect Your Rights After a Car Accident

Published on Dec 14, 2018 at 10:32 am in Personal Injury.

Unfortunately, car accidents happen. When they do, the actions taken by those involved immediately following the accident play a very large role in the outcome. It is important for drivers and passengers to be informed and prepared in the event of an accident. They can protect themselves by following these five tips.

Tip 1: Remain at the scene of the accident

Always stay at the scene of the accident. Make sure that no one is seriously injured in the accident and if they are, call 911 immediately. If someone is injured and you leave the scene, you can be criminally charged. You will also need to exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver. Make sure to write down the names of any passengers involved as well. You should also gather information from any witnesses and speak with the police when they arrive on the scene.

Look Out for Delayed Injury Symptoms—Even After Minor Crashes

Published on Dec 14, 2018 at 10:31 am in Personal Injury.

Regardless of the severity of car accidents, they will always be traumatic experiences. While severe injuries are usually immediately evident, yours may only manifest over time. Even low-speed rear-end bumper-bashing incidents can cause whiplash that can lead to years of neck or back problems or one of several other delayed car accident injury symptoms. You may want to refuse medical evaluation immediately after a crash because there is no evidence of broken bones or bleeding wounds. However, this could make it much more difficult to include undiagnosed injuries in any personal injury claim that you want to pursue following the wreck.

Was Your Child Injured by an Attractive Nuisance?

Published on Oct 3, 2018 at 9:34 am in Personal Injury.

Living in a rental property often means having less control over your environment than if you owned a home. You may be able to live without the option to change the color of your living room in exchange for the convenience and affordability of renting a house or apartment. However, you also lack the control over making important safety decisions that may affect your children.

Your landlord is responsible for keeping the property as safe as reasonably possible. If your building has smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and flood lights, your landlord may feel he or she is doing enough to protect you and your family. What your landlord may not see are the attractive nuisances on the property.

What is an attractive nuisance?

An attractive nuisance is anything that may lure your child into a dangerous situation. Perhaps the most common example of this is a swimming pool. Your child may see an unattended swimming pool as delightfully enticing. Without adequate fencing and locks that meet the codes of Mississippi, many pools have lured children to a tragic end. However, even if there is no pool on your landlord’s property, other circumstances may create an attractive nuisance that could place your child in danger, for example:

  • A fountain, hot tub or well
  • Machinery such as riding mowers, ATVs, golf carts or tractors
  • Piles of debris such as materials your landlord is using for construction or renovations
  • Old appliances like freezers or refrigerators with the doors still attached and unchained
  • Unattended play equipment such as trampolines
  • Abandoned or dilapidated sheds or outbuildings
  • Dogs or other animals

It is not enough for the landlord to post a sign warning of the danger. Your child may not yet be able to read, and the enticement of the object may be enough that even a reading child misses the sign.

Dealing with the problem

The law may not consider natural features such as trees or ponds to be attractive nuisances, and your landlord may escape liability if the cost of removing or remedying the situation is prohibitive. However, if you landlord can reasonably conceive that a situation or object on the property could cause harm to a child, he or she may have an obligation to remove or secure it. Each case is unique, and the court takes many factors into consideration.

If your child suffers injury because of an attractive nuisance on your landlord’s property, you may wish to seek the counsel of an attorney who will review the details of the case and advise you on the best course of action for your situation.

Car Crash May Lead To Serious Brain Injury

Published on Jul 21, 2018 at 10:14 am in Personal Injury.

As you drive to town one morning, your brain mulls over all of the tasks you have planned for your seemingly ordinary day. Little do you know, however, that this same brain will soon take a hit — literally — in a motor vehicle crash resulting from a negligent driver.

Brain injuries are serious, with the potential to lead to lifelong complications. If you are involved in a car crash in Mississippi that causes you to suffer a traumatic brain injury, you have the right to seek to hold accountable the at-fault party through the civil court system.

Brain injuries

Each year in the United States, about 1.7 million emergency room visits, hospitalizations and deaths related to traumatic brain injury occur. You do not have to be traveling speedily or hit a hard object to suffer this type of injury. Any type of trauma affecting the neck or head region can actually cause your brain to swell, tear, bruise or bleed. Symptoms of these types of injuries include confusion, dizziness and nausea, a severe headache and even unusual sluggishness or tiredness.

Types of brain injuries

Two types of brain injuries exist: open and closed. You have suffered an open injury if you have fractured your skull, which may occur if your skull ends up making direct contact with an object or surface that is hard. Meanwhile, you have suffered a closed injury if the injury does not involve a fracture.

Closed injuries, however, may actually be more serious than open ones as a result of the potential for brain swelling as well as the formation of blood clots in the skull. Serious open and closed injuries may lead to the loss of consciousness, paralysis or death.

What to do

If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car crash as a result of a careless driver, you may opt to file a personal injury claim against the driver, seeking damages. A preponderance of the evidence is required to establish liability in civil court in Mississippi. No amount of monetary damages in a successfully fought claim can undo the events leading to a brain injury. However, financial damages may help with addressing ongoing medical costs and other expenses stemming from such an injury.

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