Rear End Car Accidents in Mississippi

Getting into a rear-end collision can be scary. You may not have time to react to the accident and you could be dealing with serious injuries. If you are involved in a rear end car accident anywhere in MS, the Mississippi car accident attorneys at Giddens Law Firm can help you navigate the process.

How Common Are Rear-End Car Accidents in Mississippi?

Rear-end collisions are considered one of the most common types of car accidents in Mississippi. When a rear-end collision occurs, one vehicle is stationary while the other one is moving at a high speed. Because of this, there is no time to prepare for impact, leading to severe injuries in victims. Studies suggest that 29% of all car accidents are rear-end collisions. Further, they account for seven percent of all traffic-related deaths.

While on rare occasions, a rear-end collision can simply be an accident due to weather conditions, many times, these wrecks are a result of driver error.

Common causes of rear-end car accidents include:

• Tailgating: Sometimes drivers follow too closely behind the vehicle in front of them, so when a sudden stop or brake is made, the driver behind may not have the time to react to those changes. Further, aggressive drivers may intentionally tailgate another, leading to similar results when sudden changes occur.
• Distracted Driving: Anything that takes your attention away from driving can result in a collision. This can include texting, eating, talking on the phone, or falling asleep at the wheel.
• Speeding: Speeding can often lead to the most dangerous outcomes in rear-end collisions because the impact can be far greater when high speeds are at play, especially if the other driver is stationary.
• Weather Conditions: Weather conditions that make the road slick or make it difficult to see other drivers on the road can result in a delay in reaction time to stop a rear-end collision from occurring.

Anything that can delay your reaction time and cause an accident can cause a rear-end car crash.

How Is Fault Determined in a Rear-End Car Accident?

In general, the driver who collides with the vehicle before them is to blame for the rear-end car accident. However, there are cases where the driver in front can be at fault. This may include slamming on the brakes unnecessarily or failing to use turn signals.

In other cases, both drivers may share in the blame. Mississippi is a comparative fault state, which means that both drivers can be held partially at fault for causing a car accident, which reduces the number of damages the drivers can collect. So, if you are rear-ended but are 20% to blame for the accident, the damages you can collect would be deducted by 20%.

Because of this, you never want to admit fault for the accident. A car accident attorney in Mississippi will help you navigate the facts of the cause and determine what if any, liability you hold.

What Are the Common Injuries in Rear-End Car Crashes?

While we may not think of life-threatening injuries resulting from fender-benders, unlike a head-on car crash, the reality is that a rear-end collision can impact a person’s health. Despite seatbelts and airbags being meant to protect drivers if accidents occur, the impact of a rear-end collision can result in catastrophic injuries.

Common injuries in rear-end collisions include:

• Whiplash: Neck injury due to forceful, back-and-forth movement. Though whiplash may resolve in weeks, it can also leave victims with chronic pain.
• Concussion: Bruising of tissues within the brain resulting from the brain being jostled inside the skull. Concussions can have a delayed appearance, so seeking medical attention right away is critical.
• Spinal Cord Injuries: Considered one of the most serious injuries in a rear-end collision, a spinal cord injury impacts the nerves that transmit signals to the brain and the rest of the body. Spinal cord injuries may result in paralysis, loss of sensation, paralysis, and long-term implications on your career and social life.

How a Mississippi Car Accident Lawyer Can Help After a Rear-End Accident?

If you or a loved one are seriously injured in a rear-end collision, a Mississippi car accident attorney can help you through the process or handle it entirely on your behalf. While we may not think of rear-end collisions as one of the more catastrophic car accidents, the results could have lifelong repercussions for you and your family.

Calculate Total Damages

It’s easy to miscalculate all of the damages you may incur from a rear-end collision. Often, we look to the obvious, medical bills, property damage, maybe even lost wages. But your damages could supersede those categories.

In addition to these economic damages, you may also be entitled to pain and suffering-related costs, and punitive damages if the at-fault driver has committed behaviors that need to be punished by law.

Determine Fault

While fault may rest with you and the other driver in many rear-end collisions, there are situations where a third party may be held liable for the car crash. For example, if you are rear-ended by a commercial truck, not only could the driver be held responsible for your injuries, but the employer and respective insurance companies may have to shoulder some of the losses.

Further, a rear-end collision lawyer can also look to mitigate your percentage of fault by recreating the accident scene to ensure you are not held responsible for an accident you did not cause.

Negotiate with The Insurance Companies

If the rear-end collision only results in minor damage to your vehicle and no injuries, you may be able to handle the negotiations with the insurance companies on your own. However, if your case is more complex, you will likely benefit from a lawyer to handle the negotiations.

Sometimes, just having legal representation during these negotiations is enough to show the insurance companies you mean business, and you won’t settle for less than you are owed.

Represent You In Court

Roughly five percent of all personal injury cases go to trial which means the likelihood of your case entering the courtroom is unlikely. However, if the insurance companies can not come to an agreement on who holds most of the fault, nor can they compensate each driver fairly, the case may need a trial.

In those cases, a car accident lawyer can help you build a case to diminish your percentage of fault if any exists, collect evidence, and represent you if you have sustained severe injuries and cannot do so yourself.

Injured in a Rear-End Car Accident? Contact Gidden Law Firm.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a rear-end collision or another auto accident, call our Mississippi car accident lawyers right away. An experienced rear-end car accident attorney can help navigate the process during this difficult time in your life. We can help you pursue a claim for damages on behalf of yourself and your family, while you focus on recovery from your injuries or losses.

The initial consultation is always free of charge, and you pay nothing upfront. Our lawyers work on a contingency fee basis meaning we only get paid for our services after your case is settled. If you do not get the results you deserve, you don’t pay us a dime.