Mississippi Personal Injury Lawyers

Mississippi Personal Injury Lawyers

Fighting for the compensation that injury accident victims deserve for more than 40 years

An accident can change a life or end a life in an instant. Most accidents are preventable. Most accidents are due to someone who puts their needs ahead of the needs of others. At Merkel & Cocke, P.A., our lawyers have the experience, working relationships with liability professionals and damage experts, and the advocacy skills to hold the people who hurt you accountable. If you’re injured by a car accident, slip and fall, due to medical negligence, or another personal injury in Jackson, Clarksdale, Greenville, Oxford, or Meridian, you should contact an attorney to discuss your ability to file a claim for damages.

Our Mississippi personal injury lawyers demand compensation for all your medical bills, lost income, physical pain, emotional suffering, property damage, and all your financial and personal damages. With more than 200 years of combined personal injury litigation experience, our trial attorneys are qualified to represent accident victims. We also represent families when an accident is fatal. Call us now for a free case review.

Some of our top verdicts include the following:

  • A $23.6 million jury award in a medical malpractice case. Our law firm, in collaboration with two other law firms, obtained this jury verdict against a physician and her medical practice for the failure to make a timely diagnosis of breast cancer.
  • A $20 million jury award. We obtained this amount for our client who suffered permanently disabling brain damage when our client was struck by a police vehicle at a construction site. A stop sign was down at the time of the accident and construction equipment obscured our client’s line of vision.
  • A $12.9 million settlement in a vehicle rollover accident. We brought a product liability claim when our client suffered paralysis because our client’s vehicle’s roof support structures did not meet crashworthiness standards, causing the roof to crush our client’s neck.

How can we help?

What is a personal injury claim?

A personal injury claim allows plaintiffs to recover compensation for their injuries from a person who negligently caused them harm. It often starts by going through an insurance company – for instance through a negligent driver’s car insurance policy. However, if the insurance company isn’t willing to offer a reasonable amount of compensation for the injuries, it’s often necessary to file a civil lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit doesn’t mean that the case will go to trial. Most claims will settle, but the lawsuit will put some pressure on the insurance company to offer something reasonable instead of attempting to resolve the claim for a lowball offer. An attorney can help throughout that process, from negotiations with the insurer through a trial, if one takes place.

How liability is determined in Mississippi?

Every personal injury claim requires that you prove liability or fault. Essentially, this means proving that the party responsible for your injuries was negligent and caused you harm. At Merkel & Cocke, P.A., we work with our investigators, speak with the police, consult with product safety experts, talk with traffic reconstruction experts, seek explanations from physicians, and obtain expert advice from many other professionals to support your personal injury claim.

Proving liability in a personal injury claim in Mississippi requires that you show:

  • The defendant owed you a duty of care. Examples include driving safely, ensuring that drivers have the necessary skills, inspecting property that the public uses, designing safe products, and providing competent medical care.
  • The defendant breached that duty of care. We have the experience and working relationships to show the drivers sped or drove while distracted, truck companies failed to train their drivers, property owners failed to warn customers of known dangers, manufacturers designed products that were defective, and doctors failed to meet acceptable Mississippi medical standards.
  • The breach of the duty of care was a proximate cause of your injuries. We work with your doctors and our network of doctors, if necessary, to show that the person/company that breached your duty of care caused your injuries or the death of your loved one.

Steps to take after an accident

Following an accident, it’s important to put your physical well-being first. However, there are other things you need to consider as well. So once you’ve addressed immediate and emergency medical concerns, consider these additional steps:

  • Contact law enforcement: Especially in the case of car crashes, you’ll want to make sure police arrive and create a report. The report can provide important information like contact numbers and names for witnesses.
  • Follow medical advice: If your doctor tells you to follow up or take it easy, listen to them. Your medical records will help build your claim, but if you don’t follow your doctor’s orders, the defense may claim your injuries aren’t as serious as you said they were.
  • Be careful who you talk to: Sharing too much with the other party, insurance company, or online can come back to haunt you. It’s best to avoid talking about the accident, and let your lawyer handle your communications for you.
  • Speak to an attorney: Your lawyer can handle communications with insurers and give you valuable advice on how to approach your claim and what your options are for recovering compensation.

What types of personal injury cases do you handle in Mississippi?

Our Mississippi personal injury lawyers handle the following types of accident cases:

Vehicle accidents

We file claims against negligent drivers, employers, vehicle owners, the manufacturers of defective vehicle parts, and others for the accidents they cause. Our lawyers work to show car accidents are due to drunk driving, distracted driving, driver fatigue, speeding, other traffic violations, improper inspections, lack of training, and many other causes.

We handle all types of vehicle accidents, including:

  • Car accidents. At Merkel & Cocke, P.A., we handle head-on crashes, rear-end collisions, broadsides, single-vehicle accidents, multiple-vehicle accidents, and intersection accidents. From fender benders to catastrophic crashes on major highways like I-55, we’re ready to fight for those injured by negligent drivers.
  • Truck accidents. We handle truck accidents that involve jackknifes, rollovers, wide-turn accidents, blind-spot accidents, improperly loaded cargo, and the same types of accidents as car accidents. We handle truck accidents involving tractor-trailers, semis, 18-wheelers, dump trucks, flatbeds, and all other types of trucks.
  • Motorcycle accidents. Our lawyers represent anyone who suffers injuries due to rider inexperience, accidents due to riding in groups, the failure of car drivers to recognize the rights of motorcycle riders, and all other causes.
  • Pedestrian accidents. We represent pedestrians and families when drivers drive through crosswalks, fail to respect the right of way of pedestrians, and many other causes.
  • Other types of vehicle accidents. We handle cases involving recreational vehicle accidents, including those involving defective products or boat accidents on the Mississippi River. A few common types of claims our Mississippi motor vehicle accident lawyers handle include:

Medical malpractice

Our firm has also built a national reputation in the area of medical malpractice. When you or a loved one is in the care of a medical professional, you expect them to act in your best interests. Proving physician negligence or malpractice takes skill and knowledge. At Merkel & Cocke, we are experienced at handling complex medical malpractice cases, including the following:

Product liability

Our team is skilled in the area of defective product litigation. We handle product liability cases involving dangerous drugs, medical devices, vehicle parts, construction equipment, and consumer products. We also file toxic exposure and other mass tort claims. We hold manufacturers accountable for defective design, defective workmanship, the failure to provide warnings, and improper instructions.

Premises liability

At Merkel & Cocke, P.A., we hold property owners accountable when their negligence (such as the failure to conduct regular inspections or make timely repairs) causes slip and fall accidents, negligent security attacks, elevator/escalator accidents, or other accidents.

Wrongful death

We represent families when a close family member dies due to the negligence or fault of others. We help clients obtain wrongful death compensation for the family’s funeral and burial costs, the loss of financial support your loved one would have provided, and the loss of personal support (love, comfort, education, and guidance), your loved one would have provided for each family member.

These are just a few of the many different areas of personal injury law we also handle:

What types of injuries do you handle?

Our Mississippi personal injury lawyers handle all types of catastrophic and permanent injuries. We also handle chronic injuries and injuries that heal with appropriate medical care.

Some of the many types of injuries we handle when accidents occur include the following:

What compensation is available for personal injury claims?

At Merkel & Cocke, P.A., we work with your doctors to verify your injuries, understand the full range of medical care you will need, anticipate the complications that may develop, and appreciate just how life-changing your injuries are. Our Mississippi personal injury lawyers demand that the responsible defendants pay for all your current and future damages, including all your:

  • Medical bills of every nature for as long as you need help.
  • Lost income, lost benefits, and long-term disability compensation.
  • Physical pain and emotional suffering.
  • Property damage, such as the cost to fix or replace your car, truck, or motorcycle.
  • Loss of bodily function.
  • Inability to enjoy life’s pleasures.
  • Scarring and disfigurement.

In egregious cases, we can seek punitive damages.

We also seek wrongful death damages if an accident is fatal.

Why choose Merkel & Cocke, P.A.?

We have offices in Clarksdale, Jackson, and Tupelo, and our lawyers have deep roots in Mississippi. We represent clients at every stage of their case. From the start, we’re prepared to investigate what happened and who is responsible – with the help of our professional relationships and through the formal discovery (question and answer process). We review your damages. Our lawyers can work to achieve a fair settlement (subject to your approval). If your case does not settle, we are always ready and able to argue your case in court before a jury.

If you want more information about how we’ve helped clients in the past, take a look at our verdicts and settlements page. We can’t guarantee any specific outcomes in a case, but our track record shows how we’ve effectively handled many high-stakes personal injury cases for past clients.

What to expect in a personal injury case

While each case is different, there are a few things you might expect when handling a personal injury claim. Here are some of the phases involved:

  • Consultation with a lawyer: You can schedule a consultation with an attorney to discuss your case. This initial meeting is at no cost to you. You can learn more about your legal options through this case evaluation.
  • Investigation: Once you have an attorney, your legal team can start investigating what happened. This process may involve interviewing witnesses, reviewing your medical records and consulting with experts who might help build your case.
  • Negotiations: When your attorney has enough information, they can start negotiating with the insurance company to try to reach a favorable settlement.
  • Litigation: If the negotiations prove unsuccessful, your next step would be to file a lawsuit. The litigation process involves several steps, including discovery (gathering and sharing of information). Most cases will settle, but if yours doesn’t, the litigation process can end with a trial.

Mississippi personal injury FAQ

It’s common to have questions after suffering a personal injury in Mississippi. Here are a few common questions we get from prospective clients. For more case-specific information, contact our office to schedule a consultation.

How much does a personal injury lawyer cost in Mississippi?

The good news is, our lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. What this means is that you don’t get charged up front for attorney fees. Your lawyer will instead take their compensation for their work out of your settlement or verdict. During your consultation with your lawyer, they can explain how this fee structure works and what percent they will recover if your claim is successful. If you don’t recover for your injuries, your attorney does not recover pay for their work on your case. This policy helps to reduce the burden on injury victims and allows you to file even if you don’t have the money to pay up front for representation.

What is the average settlement for a car accident or other personal injury claim?

There is no meaningful way to give an average settlement for a personal injury case in Mississippi. The results are based on case-specific factors like how serious your injuries are, how costly the treatment will be, and your share of fault.

What happens if I’m partly at fault for my personal injuries?

The good news is, if you share liability for the accident that caused your injury in Mississippi, you can likely still recover from the other party or parties who played a role in your injuries. Mississippi’s pure comparative negligence policy (under MS Code § 11-7-15 (2024)) allows you to recover even if you are mostly at fault. The catch is, the court will reduce your damages based on your share of fault. So, if you are 60% at fault, you can only recover 40% of the damages.

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Mississippi?

Generally, you must file your car accident claim within three years (two for medical malpractice claims), from the date of the negligence. Shorter time limits and exceptions may apply, such as if you file a claim against the state of Mississippi or another governmental entity/agency.

We recommend that you contact us immediately so we can speak with witnesses while their memories are fresh, investigate the cause of the accident before any changes are made, and review your medical needs.

Do you have a Mississippi personal injury lawyer near me?

Yes. Our lawyers meet personal injury victims and families throughout Mississippi at the following locations:

  • Jackson Office (Hinds County): 2630 Ridgewood Road, Suite D. Jackson, MS 39216
  • Clarksdale Office (Coahoma County): 30 Delta Avenue. Clarksdale, MS 38614
  • Greenville Office (Washington County): 540 Main Street, ICON Building, Suite 302. Greenville, MS 38701
  • Oxford Office (Lafayette County): 2084 Old Taylor Road, Suite 110. Oxford, MS 38655
  • Meridian Office (Lauderdale County): Regions Bank Building, Suite 205, 406 22nd Avenue. Meridian, MS 39301

 

Whether you’re injured on I-55, I-20, Highway 61, or at one of the state’s landmarks, like LeFleur’s Bluff State Park or the Old Capitol Museum, we’re prepared to listen to you. If you cannot physically come to one of our offices, we can make arrangements to meet you away from the office. We also consult with clients by phone and through online video consultations.

We’ve helped many people like you obtain strong recoveries.

Contact Merkel & Cocke, P.A. to assert your right to compensation after an accident

We understand how upset and frightened you are. You’re spending a lot of time seeing doctors. You have bills to pay even though you likely have not returned to work. You’re naturally worrying about your family. At Merkel & Cocke, we’ve earned the respect of former clients, insurance companies, and the legal community for our dedication to our clients and our impressive record of verdicts and settlements.

We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you have no upfront costs and that we only receive compensation if your case is successful. We represent clients across Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. Call our law firm or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation.

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