A car accident can change your life in an instant. Serious injuries, mounting medical bills, lost income, and the long process of physical recovery are difficult enough without having to fight an insurance company that is motivated to pay as little as possible. At Tollison & Webb P.A., we represent car accident victims throughout Mississippi, handling the legal process so you can focus on getting better.

What to Do After a Car Accident in Mississippi

The steps you take immediately after an accident affect both your physical recovery and the strength of any legal claim. If you are able, you should stop and remain at the scene, call 911 and request emergency assistance, seek medical evaluation even if you do not feel seriously injured, document the scene with photographs and gather contact information from other drivers and witnesses, avoid speculating about fault when speaking with officers or other parties, and notify your insurance company promptly. Do not give a recorded statement to another party’s insurance adjuster before speaking with an attorney.

How Fault Works in Mississippi Car Accident Cases

Mississippi follows a fault-based system, meaning the party responsible for causing the accident is liable for the resulting damages. Determining fault is not always straightforward. Liability may rest with another driver, a business, a government entity responsible for road maintenance, or a vehicle manufacturer depending on the circumstances. Common causes of fault include impaired or distracted driving, speeding, reckless lane changes, poorly maintained roadways, and defective vehicle components.

Mississippi also follows a pure comparative fault rule, which means your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault but is not eliminated even if you share some responsibility for the accident. Insurance companies use this rule aggressively to argue that injured parties contributed to their own injuries. We push back on those arguments with evidence.

Building a Car Accident Claim

Proving fault and damages requires evidence. We investigate every accident thoroughly, drawing on official accident reports, photographs and video from the scene, dashcam and surveillance footage, black box vehicle data, cell phone records where distracted driving is at issue, eyewitness accounts, toxicology results, and expert accident reconstruction where the facts warrant it. This evidence-based approach allows us to counter insurance company tactics and present your claim with the clarity it deserves.

Compensation Available After a Car Accident

Mississippi requires drivers to carry minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident, but serious injuries frequently exceed these limits. We pursue full compensation through insurance claims and, where necessary, civil litigation.

Economic Damages

Economic damages cover the financial losses caused by the accident, including emergency medical care, surgery and hospitalization, ongoing rehabilitation and future medical expenses, lost wages, reduced future earning capacity, and vehicle repair or replacement.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages compensate for pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of quality of life, and permanent disability or disfigurement resulting from the accident.

Punitive Damages

In cases involving particularly egregious conduct, such as drunk driving or street racing, punitive damages may be available to punish the at-fault party and deter similar conduct.

Settlement vs. Litigation

Many car accident claims resolve through settlement negotiations without filing a lawsuit. However, initial settlement offers from insurance companies are almost always lower than the full value of the claim. Once you accept a settlement, you typically waive any right to pursue additional compensation, even if your injuries turn out to be more serious than initially understood. We evaluate every offer against the full value of your claim and advise you honestly on whether to accept, negotiate, or take the case to court. When litigation is necessary, we are fully prepared to try the case.

Mississippi’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is three years from the date of the accident. Claims against a government entity must be filed within one year. Waiting too long can bar your claim entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if the other driver doesn’t have insurance?

If the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured, your own uninsured motorist coverage may provide compensation. We review all available insurance coverage at the outset of every case to identify every potential source of recovery, not just the most obvious one.

What if I was partially at fault for the accident?

You can still recover under Mississippi’s pure comparative fault rule. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault but is not eliminated. If you are found to be 20 percent at fault, you recover 80 percent of your damages. Insurance companies will argue for the highest fault percentage they can justify. We counter those arguments with evidence and present the strongest possible case for the other party’s responsibility.

How much is my car accident case worth?

It depends on the nature and severity of your injuries, the impact on your ability to work, the clarity of fault, and the available insurance coverage. We assess the full value of your claim from the outset, including future medical expenses and long-term loss of earning capacity that are easy to undercount in the immediate aftermath of an accident.

How much does it cost to hire a car accident attorney?

We handle car accident cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. There are no upfront costs and no hourly charges.

Contact a Car Accident Attorney in Mississippi

If you have been injured in a car accident, contact Tollison & Webb P.A. to schedule a consultation. We represent car accident clients throughout Mississippi from our office in Oxford.

Call (662) 234-7070 or contact us online. There is no fee unless we recover for you.