Jackson, MS Parking Lot Car Accidents

Many different forms of accidents can occur in a parking lot. For example, a driver trying to pass you to claim a parking spot could accidentally collide with your vehicle. Someone may abruptly reverse out of their parking spot and ram into the side of your car as you are looking for a parking space at the Mississippi Children’s Museum, Northpark Mall, or Jackson-Evers International Airport. There may even be an instance where someone hits a light pole, and it falls over and hits your vehicle. No matter what form the accident takes, in order to recover damages, you will need to prove that the defendant was responsible for the wreck in parking lot car accidents.

You should always contact the police in the event that another car hits you. However, the police handle accidents that occur on private property differently. Officers at the scene may decide to not issue any citations or tickets on private property if there are conflicting statements. The police may instead opt for creating an incident report comprised of a statement of the facts, each party’s contact information, and insurance information. Ultimately, if the officers do not craft one, it is crucial that you provide other documentation to prove your claim.

Under Mississippi law, the plaintiff (injured victim) must prove the defendant’s negligence in order to recover damages. This may be quite difficult in the event that the police do not create a police report. Lack of documentation from the police may even encourage the other driver to place blame on you for contributing to or causing the accident. Mississippi operates under a negligence doctrine known as pure comparative negligence. Under this doctrine, you could assume a percentage of the blame that is attributed to you, which would be reduced from your recovery. The plaintiff can still recover damages even if found partially responsible for the crash. The only instance under pure comparative negligence in which the plaintiff would not be able to recover is if they were found by a jury to be the sole proximate cause of their injuries. In a situation like this, you could greatly benefit from an experienced Jackson personal injury lawyer who could help minimize your suffering and maximize your recovery by assisting in the leg-work of procuring evidence, asserting your rights, and strategizing how best to prove your claim.