Have you recently suffered the painful and unexpected death of a family member in an accident in Jackson, Mississippi? You don’t have to figure out the next steps on your own. You have rights, and the experienced Jackson injury lawyers at Singleton Schreiber can offer compassionate support and winning legal representation as you forge ahead.
Singleton Schreiber is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm dedicated to fighting for the best interests of accident victims and families. Our award-winning Mississippi trial attorneys have decades of combined experience handling sensitive, high-stakes legal disputes. As fearless advocates for grieving families, our law firm has recovered over $3 billion in monetary awards.
Discover how our top-rated legal team can make a difference in your family’s life in the wake of a tragedy by calling our Jackson, MS, law office today. Your first consultation is free.
Why Families Trust Singleton Schreiber After Fatal Accidents in Jackson, MS
Your wrongful death case reflects so much more than a quest for compensation. It’s your story. It’s your grief. It’s your opportunity to hold those responsible for your loved one’s death accountable. It’s perhaps even a way to get closure and help you move on with your life.
It’s important that you work with an experienced Jackson, MS personal injury lawyer who’ll be invested in helping you make the most of it.
That’s why families in Jackson, MS, choose Singleton Schreiber for wrongful death representation.
We’re local Mississippi trial attorneys with access to our law firm’s considerable national resources. Our clients receive honest, compassionate, and caring legal representation that’s also powerful enough to take on big corporations and win.
In a time when you don’t know where to turn for help or who to trust, know that you can count on Singleton Schreiber. Call our Mississippi wrongful death attorneys in Jackson to schedule a free consultation today.
What is a Wrongful Death Case?
When you get hurt because of another person’s harmful actions, you reserve the right to pursue damages through a civil tort claim. Your personal injury claim can seek compensation for things like medical bills, lost wages, and other damages you suffer because of the defendant’s negligent or criminal conduct.
What happens when an accident is fatal and the victim doesn’t survive their injuries? The right to sue can’t be lost. If that happened, the at-fault party wouldn’t be held accountable, and the consequences of their actions would linger.
Under Mississippi’s Wrongful Death Act, the right to pursue a personal injury claim shifts from the decedent to another party.
As stated in Miss. Code Ann. Section 11-7-13, a wrongful death lawsuit can be raised when:
- “The death of any person or of any unborn quick child shall be caused by any real, wrongful or negligent act or omission, or by such unsafe machinery, way or appliances,” and
- The decedent would have had the right to file a personal injury lawsuit for damages if they’d survived.
In Mississippi, a wrongful death lawsuit can be brought by any one or more of the following parties:
- Spouse
- Parent
- Child
- Sibling, and/or
- Personal representative of the decedent’s estate.
Damages are either awarded directly to the surviving family members (with spouses and children taking priority) or to the decedent’s estate, where the money is distributed pursuant to the victim’s will or as directed under Mississippi intestacy law.
What’s the Difference Between a Wrongful Death Claim and a Survival Action?
There are actually two different types of personal injury claims that can arise when a person dies in an accident: wrongful death claims and survival actions.
Wrongful death claims are filed to compensate the decedent’s surviving family members for the consequences they experience because of their loved one’s passing. It can be filed by family members or the estate.
Survival actions, on the other hand, are intended to compensate the decedent for the costs and suffering they experienced before passing away. In Mississippi, a survival action is only appropriate when the victim isn’t killed on impact. Instead, they survive their fatal wounds for a period of time. The survival action, which the personal representative files, seeks damages that the decedent themself experienced before death.
Representing Families in All Types of Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Jackson
You might have a wrongful death claim if a close family member has recently died in an avoidable accident or as the result of a criminal act of violence in Jackson, MS.
At Singleton Schreiber, we stand up and fight for the rights of families who’ve lost family members because of:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Train accidents
- Airplane accidents
- Uber and Lyft rideshare accidents
- Boating accidents
- Swimming pool accidents
- Dog bites and animal attacks
- Slip and fall accidents
- Premises liability
- Negligent security
- Assault
- Sexual assault
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Nursing home abuse
- Medical malpractice
- Birth injury
- Wildfires
- Defective products
We bring the kind of knowledge, experience, and resources to the table that your family will need to win your wrongful death case and recover the kind of financial award you deserve. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our award-winning legal team in Jackson to discuss the details of your case, learn about your legal options, and discover how we can have a real impact on your fight for compensation.
What is My Jackson, MS Wrongful Death Case Worth?
It depends. Several factors will affect the types of damages that can be awarded and how those damages are valued. Ultimately, it really hinges on the facts and circumstances that make your situation unique.
It’ll be important to consider the following information when calculating what your wrongful death claim might be worth:
- Did you rely on the victim for financial support?
- If so, how much of your support was provided by them?
- What was the victim’s income and earning capacity?
- How much will their death affect your potential inheritance?
- How old was the victim at the time of their wrongful death?
- What was their life expectancy before they passed away unexpectedly?
- Did the victim play a valuable role in the household?
- Were they responsible for raising young children or taking care of disabled family members?
- What was the nature of your relationship with the victim?
- How much of an emotional toll has their death taken on you?
- Did the victim share responsibility for their fatal injuries?
- What insurance benefits are available, and what are those policies’ limits?
The more you relied on the victim financially and for household support, the more your wrongful death claim can potentially be worth. However, it’s also important to evaluate how your quality of life and emotional well-being are affected in the wake of their death. Those harder-to-value struggles are also compensable under Mississippi’s Wrongful Death Act.
Wrongful death claims are notoriously difficult to value. The insurance company will work hard to downplay your damages and limit your financial recovery. Knowledge is power when negotiating a wrongful death settlement. The more you understand the underlying factors that drive your claim’s value, the better prepared you’ll be to identify a fair settlement and reject unfair offers.
The best way to empower yourself is by hiring an experienced Mississippi wrongful death lawyer in Jackson to help you navigate your case. Singleton Schreiber helps clients achieve the best possible case results. Call our Jackson, MS, law office for assistance today.
What Damages Can I Get If I Win My Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
Mississippi permits plaintiffs in wrongful death actions to pursue two types of compensatory damages: economic and non-economic.
Economic damages are designed to help you navigate the objective financial consequences of your family member’s death, which can include:
- The value of lost wages, income, job benefits, and business interests
- The value of household services provided by the decedent
- Funeral expenses
- Medical bills incurred before death
- Property damage
Non-economic damages are intended to help you deal with the more personal and subjective life changes and trauma you experience because of their death, such as:
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of care and protection
- Inconvenience
- Loss of parental guidance and support
Through a survival action, compensation for your loved one’s pain and suffering before their death can also be awarded.
Compensation for economic damages can be awarded without limitation. However, non-economic damages are capped by state law. Current limits permit up to $1 million in non-economic damages in most wrongful death cases, except for those related to medical malpractice, which are usually limited to $500,000.
Punitive damages can also be awarded in wrongful death lawsuits under Mississippi state law, but only when a jury finds by clear and convincing evidence that a defendant “acted with actual malice, gross negligence which evidence[d] a willful, wanton or reckless disregard for the safety of others, or committed actual fraud.”
Can Contributory Negligence Affect a Mississippi Wrongful Death Settlement?
Yes. Mississippi’s pure comparative negligence doctrine applies to most civil personal injury lawsuits, including matters of wrongful death.
The decedent’s shared fault will adversely affect a family member’s ability to recover compensation through a wrongful death claim.
Damages are reduced proportionate to fault. The more a decedent contributed to their fatal injuries, the less compensation their spouse, child, or parent will be able to get when a related civil lawsuit is resolved.
It’s common for insurance adjusters and defense attorneys to raise claims of contributory fault as a defense in wrongful death claims. They might allege that your family member is partly or wholly responsible for the accident that caused their death. If you don’t dispute these claims, you can watch your ability to get compensation slip away.
Our Mississippi personal injury attorneys in Jackson will have a plan in place to counter these tactics and fight to protect your family’s best interests. The sooner we can begin to strategize, the better. Call our Jackson, MS, law office to discuss your wrongful death case today.
What Will it Cost to Hire a Wrongful Death Attorney in Jackson?
The unexpected death of a family member can affect many aspects of your life. It can certainly cause significant financial stress and hardship. Hiring a wrongful death attorney in Jackson, Mississippi, shouldn’t make things more difficult for you. That’s why Singleton Schreiber handles wrongful death cases on a contingent basis.
It costs nothing to hire our personal injury law firm unless we win your wrongful death claim.
You only pay when we secure a settlement or win a verdict for your family at trial. When we’re victorious, our attorney fees are simply paid out of the money we win for you.
Is There a Statute of Limitations For Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Mississippi?
Mississippi imposes a three-year statute of limitations on wrongful death litigation. This provides up to three years from the date of your family member’s passing to seek damages in a civil lawsuit.
There are some exceptions, but they’re few and far between. Cases involving government agencies may have shorter deadlines. If you allow the statute of limitations to run without taking action, you lose the ability to demand damages from a negligent party or their insurance company.
Call an Experienced Jackson, MS Wrongful Death Attorney at Singleton Schreiber For Help Today
You’re navigating the devastating loss of a family member because someone else was careless. Now is the time to make sure that they’re held accountable. Singleton Schreiber can help.
Our Jackson, MS wrongful death lawyers are experienced and knowledgeable advocates for justice with a proven track record of success. We’ll investigate your wrongful death case, gather compelling evidence, consult with expert witnesses, and work hard to negotiate the best possible terms in a settlement agreement for you and your family.
If the defense won’t negotiate fairly, we’ll be more than ready to reject lowball offers and take your wrongful death lawsuit directly to trial.
There’s limited time to assert your rights and fight for justice, so don’t hesitate to call our Jackson law office for help. There’s no charge for an initial case evaluation.
