What Is a Civil Lawsuit?
You’re injured, and medical bills are starting to pile up. Maybe you’re also out of work or dealing with ongoing physical and mental pain. All you know is that you need help, and you need it now. So, what is a civil lawsuit, and can it help you address your damages and losses?
In This Blog, We’ll Answer Questions Like:
- What is a civil lawsuit, and what can it help me do?
- What kinds of injuries and accidents can a civil suit help with?
- How long do I have to file my lawsuit?
What Is a Civil Lawsuit in Mississippi?
A civil lawsuit is a legal process by which two parties attempt to resolve a legal dispute or disagreement. The lawsuit is filed by the plaintiff (injured party) against the defendant (at-fault party, or often their insurer). At Pittman, Roberts & Welsh, PLLC, we represent injury and accident victims who are seeking justice through civil claims and lawsuits.
These types of lawsuits often follow insurance or injury claims that could not be successfully resolved outside of court, although this is not always the case. If you’re unsure whether you should file a personal injury claim or lawsuit, we encourage you to speak with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney.
A Civil Lawsuit Can Help You…
In Mississippi, civil lawsuits can help you recover compensation, hold the at-fault party accountable for their actions, and secure a sense of justice for what you’ve been through. Let’s take a closer look at what this means.
Recover Compensation
If you were injured by the negligent, reckless, or wrongful actions of another person, you’ve likely incurred significant financial losses. A civil lawsuit gives you the opportunity to recover compensation that makes you whole.
This includes recourse for both financial and non-financial losses, which are referred to as economic and non-economic damages.
Your calculable financial losses are covered by economic damages and include:
- Past, current, and future medical bills
- Lost wages if you can’t work
- Reduced earning loss if you can’t work in the same capacity
- Property damage for damaged or broken items of value
Not every injury can be seen or is accompanied by a price tag, though. That’s why non-economic damages compensate you for losses like:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental and emotional anguish
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Loss of companionship and consortium
Defendants usually aren’t eager to fully compensate plaintiffs for their damages. To increase your odds of recovering full and fair compensation, you need to build the strongest possible case. This involves collecting and analyzing evidence, correctly valuing the worth of all damages, and going back and forth with the insurance company.
To avoid missing out on compensation that is vital to your recovery, we recommend working closely with an attorney.
Hold the At-Fault Party Accountable
Maybe you were hit by a driver who was looking at their phone instead of the road. Or perhaps you slipped and fell on a puddle of water that a worker failed to clean up. Or a doctor misread your test results and misdiagnosed you.
What happened to you was wrong, and it should have never happened.
What few people realize, though, is that acts of negligence or wrongdoing often fail to meet the threshold for criminal charges. This means that another person could seriously injure you or even kill a loved one and then face no consequences for it.
Civil law creates a pathway for accident and injury victims to hold at-fault parties accountable for their actions, even when they don’t rise to criminal acts.
What Kind of Accidents Can I File a Civil Lawsuit For?
You can file a civil lawsuit for a wide range of accidents and injuries, including:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Boating accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Dangerous and defective products
- Surgical errors
- Birth injuries
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Burn injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Wrongful death
- And more
Not sure if you have grounds to file a civil lawsuit or personal injury claim? We can help. Schedule a free informational meeting, and we’ll review the details of your case and what happened to you.
Is There a Time Limit for Filing a Civil Lawsuit?
Every state has the right to set statutes of limitations for civil claims. A statute of limitations is a time limit placed on your right to take legal action.
In Mississippi, the statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is three years from the date of the accident. You also have three years to file claims for product liability and wrongful death cases.
The statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims is only two years, although exceptions apply for victims who were injured as minors.
The discovery rule can also extend the statute of limitations in certain circumstances, delaying the start date for this time limit until the victim discovered (or should have reasonably discovered) the injury or the cause of the injury.
Don’t count on an exception applying to your case, though. To avoid missing out on your right to take legal action, it is strongly recommended that you begin working on your case sooner rather than later.
Take a Stand Against What Happened to You Today
You deserved better than to be hurt by another person’s or entity’s negligence. You have the chance to stand up and say, “What happened to me wasn’t right, and I should be compensated for all my losses.”
Pittman, Roberts & Welsh, PLLC is here to help you take a stand. We’ll guide you through every step of the legal process, from initially gathering evidence to demanding full and fair compensation from the insurance company. It doesn’t matter if you were hurt last week or last year—we want to talk to you.
Schedule your free consultation at our Jackson office today.
