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Meridian Driver Fatigue Car Accidents
Car Crash Lawyers Serving Meridian and Beyond
Have you ever dozed off while driving or driven when you were too tired to do so? If so, you are not alone. In fact, 6 out of every 10 adult drivers admit to driving while feeling drowsy, and more than 3 out of 10 admit to falling asleep while driving at times. This means that millions of drowsy drivers are behind the wheel each day, causing countless motor vehicle crashes. If you have been injured in a driver fatigue car accident, call our Meridian car accident attorneys today for a free case evaluation. Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz is a large personal injury law firm dedicated to providing injured victims with the individual care they deserve in their time of need.
Holding a Fatigued Driver Responsible for Your Bodily Injuries
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that more than 100,000 crashes are caused by drowsy drivers each year in the United States. These crashes result in more than 1,500 fatalities, 71,000 injured victims, and over $12 billion in monetary losses.
If you have been involved in an accident and suspect that the at-fault driver fell asleep behind the wheel or was driving drowsy, it is important that you contact an experienced attorney to begin working on your case immediately. Driver fatigue car accidents are typically just as dangerous as drunk driving accidents; however, it is much more difficult to prove a driver was tired than to prove he or she was intoxicated. There is no test such as breathalyzer to measure fatigue levels, so you may have to rely on the testimony of eyewitnesses and other evidence to prove that fatigue or drowsiness caused the accident. The auto injury attorneys at NST can assist you in gathering the necessary evidence to prove the other driver’s fatigue caused the collision and your losses.
In order to recover for your injuries following a driver fatigue car accident in Meridian or Lauderdale County, you will need to show that the fatigued driver’s negligence caused the crash. This will allow you to seek monetary compensation for your economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include medical bills, lost wages, vehicle repair costs, and any other losses that have a specific monetary value.
For example, if another driver dozed off and swerved into your lane of traffic at the intersection of 39th Avenue and 8th Street, and you had to be rushed to Anderson Regional Medical Center, you can pursue reimbursement for the medical bills you incurred as a result of the crash. Medical bills can include emergency room treatment, prescriptions, physical therapy, and other courses of treatment prescribed by a physician. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, include those losses that do not have a specific monetary value, such as disfigurement, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life.
In Mississippi, you generally have three years from the date of the accident to sue for any bodily injuries sustained in a car accident or to settle the claim out of court, or your claim will expire. An exception applies if your car accident involved a Mississippi governmental entity. Our motor vehicle accident lawyers are familiar with the relevant statutes of limitation and other cutoff dates that may apply to a Meridian car accident case and can help make sure that you do not lose out on your right to recover merely due to missing an important legal deadline.
You should contact an attorney to discuss your case even if the other driver tries to blame you for the crash. Mississippi is a pure comparative negligence state, meaning that you may seek recovery for your injuries even if you bear some degree of fault for the accident. Suppose you are ultimately deemed 20% at fault for the accident and the fatigued driver is held to be 80% at fault. In this case, your recovery will be reduced by your comparative negligence – here by 20%. The other driver will be responsible for the 80% of fault that is attributed to him or her. Part of our firm’s job in representing a Meridian auto accident victim is gathering evidence, identifying the other driver’s negligence, and minimizing comparative fault allegations against our client.
Discuss Your Car Crash Claim with a Meridian Attorney
If you have suffered injuries in a driver fatigue car accident, call Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz today. We have more than 30 automobile accident attorneys and 100 support staff members available to assist you when you call. To date, we have recovered more than $1.5 billion in compensation for our clients and their loved ones in cities across the South, including Meridian, Tupelo, Oxford, Jackson, Corinth, Starkville, and Ripley. Let us work diligently to help get you the compensation you deserve. Call us toll-free at 800-529-4004 or complete our online form to set up a free consultation today with a Meridian lawyer.
Most car accidents are preventable and occur as a result of errors by one or more drivers. To prove liability, you will need to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the driver owed you a duty of care, which was breached, and that your injuries resulted from the driver’s carelessness. Damages that may be available in these cases often include medical expenses, lost income, mental anguish, loss of consortium, and pain and suffering.
Truck drivers are required to follow numerous detailed regulations, including rules related to hours of service, keeping a logbook, and maintenance procedures. Many of these regulations are intended to protect other people on the road from harm. In some states, if a driver violated a law that was enacted to protect the public, the violation can create a rebuttable presumption of negligence. Trucking companies are also required to follow a number of regulations, including rules related to background checks of drivers and proper supervision. They often may be held directly or indirectly liable for a truck accident.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates applications for disability benefits. Although many people pay into this system throughout their lives, many legitimate claims are initially denied, and this process may be less straightforward than claimants expect. The SSA uses a five-step sequential evaluation to determine whether to grant benefits to an applicant. Each step is considered in a set order. We can present your case in a persuasive manner and help you appeal a denial of a meritorious claim if needed. This could include representing you in a hearing before an administrative law judge.
Workers’ compensation functions slightly differently in each state. In Tennessee, for example, businesses that employ five or more employees must carry workers’ compensation insurance. If you are injured on the job, you may recover benefits, such as medical costs and disability. Neither your employer’s nor your own culpability for your injuries will prevent you from collecting these benefits. However, it may still be a struggle to obtain benefits from your employer’s insurer. We can help you navigate this challenging process.
If you were harmed by a health care professional’s failure to use the appropriate level of care in providing treatment to you, you may be able to recover compensation. Most medical malpractice lawsuits require retaining an expert to determine the accepted standard of care and explain what the defendant did that fell short of this standard, as well as how the inappropriate conduct caused the patient’s injuries.
When you buy a toy, car, medication, or other product, you do not expect to be hurt. If you are injured, you may have grounds to file a product liability lawsuit. There are three types of defects that may be actionable: manufacturing, design, and marketing (also known as failure to warn). Manufacturers may be held accountable under multiple different theories, including strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty, and concealment. For example, if you take a drug that causes you to develop cancer, but you were not told that a potential side effect of the drug was developing cancer, you may have grounds to hold the manufacturer strictly liable for its failure to warn you of the risk.
Nursing home residents are often elderly or disabled, and thus they are especially vulnerable to neglect, physical abuse, and exploitation by staff members. Unfortunately, many nursing homes are understaffed or employ staff members who are inadequately trained to deal with potentially frustrating situations. Nursing homes are required to protect their residents from physical, mental, and emotional harm by providing a safe environment, as well as adequately training and supervising staff. A failure to do so may be grounds for a nursing home negligence lawsuit for damages.
Property owners have a duty to keep their property reasonably safe. In most situations, this includes an obligation to inspect the property for dangerous conditions and fix them or provide warnings about them so that visitors are not harmed. One type of dangerous condition, which may present a particular problem in apartment complexes or shopping centers, consists of inadequate security measures such as broken locks, poor lighting, or a lack of security guards. A failure to take security measures when appropriate may allow third-party criminals to assault, rob, rape, or otherwise harm visitors and tenants. You may be able to recover damages if you can prove that the defendant knew or should have known about a history of attacks similar to yours and taken appropriate security measures to reduce the risk of further incidents.
Consult a Personal Injury Lawyer in Memphis or the Surrounding Regions
If you are dealing with a devastating injury or medical condition, the Memphis personal injury attorneys at Nahon, Saharovich & Trotz can evaluate and explain your options. Our firm has 30 attorneys and more than 100 staff members, and we serve injured people in many areas of Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky, including Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Jackson, Meridian, Tupelo, Columbus, Grenada, Starkville, Oxford, Hayti, and Caruthersville. Contact our office toll-free by calling 800-529-4004 or by completing our online form to set up a free consultation with a personal injury, workers’ compensation, or Social Security Disability lawyer. Once you have learned more about our vigorous advocacy for the rights of the injured, you will realize that NST is the way to go.
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