Personal Injury Lawyers in Biloxi

Every day, avoidable accidents injure numerous Mississippians, disrupting lives and causing pain and suffering for many. When another person’s oversight, mistake, or irresponsible behavior caused or contributed to an injury-causing accident, victims have the right to pursue compensation for their financial, physical, and emotional damages.

At the Gardner Law Firm, our practice is driven by helping people get the money they deserve. Since 1978, we have proudly served the people of Biloxi, working tirelessly to help them recover maximum compensation for their injuries. Personal injury is a complex area of the law, and there are numerous factors that contribute to the success or failure of a case. Our lawyers practice almost exclusively in this area, and over the years, we have dealt with nearly every scenario that can arise with this type of case.

Common Types of Personal Injury Claims

We have successfully represented victims who have been injured in all types of traffic-related events, including but not limited to:

• Car Accidents: Passenger cars are the most common type of vehicle, and they are the vehicle that is most frequently involved in crashes.
• Truck Accidents: Trucking accident cases are some of the most complex types of personal injury claims.
• Motorcycle Accidents: Motorcyclists who are involved in crashes are at greater risk of serious injuries.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents: Like motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians have very little protection when they are involved in collisions with motor vehicles.
• Bus Accidents: Accident cases involving large buses have a unique set of dynamics.
• Bicycle Accidents: Accidents involving cars hitting bikes.
• Construction Injuries: While the construction industry is highly regulated, it still remains hazardous.

Along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, offshore accidents also occur frequently and give rise to many types of personal injury claims. If you have been injured during the course of working on a barge, fishing vessel, oil rig, or other maritime vessel, please see our offshore injuries page. We can also help if you were involved in a shipyard accident.

Dangerous Premises

In stores, parking lots, restaurants, hotels, and other public buildings, property owners and managers are responsible for your well-being with regards to maintaining a safe premises. If you were injured after slipping on a wet floor, tripping on torn carpeting or uneven flooring, or another situation involving poorly maintained premises, our Mississippi personal injury lawyers can help you win compensation from responsible parties.

Damages Recoverable in Mississippi Personal Injury Claims

When someone suffers an injury that was caused (either totally or in part) by another party, they deserve to be compensated. Compensatory damages for personal injuries can be divided into two general categories:

• Economic Damages: These are direct monetary losses incurred by the victim, such as property damage, medical costs, lost wages (both present and future), and funeral and burial expenses (in the case of a wrongful death).
  • Medical expenses. The cost of healthcare is incredibly high, and without a personal injury settlement, you will be left covering those expenses on your own. From the very beginning of your claim, it is important to keep track of everything related to your medical costs. Keep track of medical bills, explanations of benefits, copays, mileage to your doctors’ appointments, and any other documentation of your medical expenses.
  • Lost wages. Lost income is common after a personal injury, and it can become a serious issue if you are severely injured. Those with major injuries often run out of paid time off long before they have finished recuperating, leaving them without income to care for their families.
  • Property damage. If any of your property was damaged or totaled during an accident, you may be able to seek compensation after a crash. This includes cars, motorcycles, jewelry, and other items.

• Noneconomic Damages: These are losses that are more intangible and difficult to quantify, such as pain-and-suffering, emotional distress, diminished quality of life, disfigurement, and permanent injury. In Mississippi, there is $1 million cap on noneconomic damages.
  • Pain and suffering. The pain you endure as a result of your injury can leave lasting trauma, and you deserve to be compensated for that.
  • Disability refers to any loss of physical mobility or use of specific body parts.
  • Disfigurement may refer to the loss of a body part, scarring, or anything that impacts the appearance of your body or its function. Disfigurement often causes substantial emotional damage and causes an individual to spend less time in public or around people.
  • Mental anguish. A serious accident may leave you with PTSD, anxiety, or difficulty sleeping.

In rare cases in which the actions of the party responsible for the injuries were willful, wanton, fraudulent, or grossly negligent, punitive damages may be awarded to punish the wrongdoer and help discourage similarly egregious actions in the future. Mississippi places a cap on punitive damages using a complicated formula that is based on the defendant’s net worth.

How Long Does it Take to Settle a Personal Injury Claim?

Waiting to Reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) One of the most time-consuming parts of the personal injury claim process is waiting for your injuries to heal to the point that you reach MMI, or Maximum Medical Improvement. MMI is the state at which your condition is not expected to improve any further and a plateau in treatment has been reached. Waiting until you’ve reached MMI to settle your claim is essential; you may not understand the full value of your claim and the extent of future medical expenses, lost wages, and the like that you may suffer otherwise. Depending upon the extent of your injuries, reaching MMI may take weeks or months.

Initiating the Investigatory Process As your injuries are healing, your lawyer will begin the investigatory process, which is the process of gathering evidence related to your case and putting together the pieces of your claim. Your attorney’s main goal is to prove that:

• The accident would not have occurred but for the negligent actions of the defendant; and
• The damages you’ve suffered are a direct result of that negligence and the accident.

Your attorney will also be tasked with proving the extent of damages you’ve suffered. The amount of time that the investigatory process takes varies on a case-by-case basis. When fault is clear, the process may be wrapped up in a matter of days or weeks. When fault is disputed or there are multiple parties involved, it could take months.

Negotiating Your Claim After you have reached MMI, fault has been determined, and the value of your damages has been calculated, the next step is demanding a settlement award, reviewing a settlement offer, and either rejecting or accepting the settlement. Most first settlement offers should be rejected, as they rarely offer claimants what they deserve. As such, negotiations will likely ensue. Depending upon the value of your claim and how much you’re asking for, negotiations may be resolved in a few weeks or a few years. Claims where more money is involved typically take longer to settle.

Filing a Lawsuit Finally, if your claim is not settled out of court through negotiations, you may file a lawsuit and decide to litigate your case. If so, you can likely expect for your case to take at least another year to resolve, as there are a number of steps and procedures along the way. For example, a lawsuit will involve a discovery process, mediation, and perhaps even a trial. As a note, you must file your suit within three years of the date that your accident occurred.

Contact the Personal Injury Attorneys at Gardner Law Firm

If you have sustained a personal injury due to another party’s negligence or reckless actions, please contact Gardner Law Firm to schedule a free initial consultation. For more than 40 years, our attorneys have helped individuals and families get the money they deserve from insurance companies and at-fault parties.

In addition to motor vehicle accident cases, we also have a proven track record helping victims who have suffered catastrophic injuries, such as severe burn injuries and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). These types of cases are be far more complicated as they involve extensive damages and insurance companies tend to push back harder and spend more resources to avoid paying the compensation victims deserve. We routinely go up against well-funded adversaries such as large insurers, and we are not intimidated by their vast resources or the common tactics they employ to try and undermine a claim. We also handle railroad accidents.

We also handle the following cases:

personal injury cases in Pascagoula.

We handle all personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only receive attorney fees if we recover compensation on your behalf