Mississippi Wrongful Death Attorneys Talk About Pedestrian Accidents

Did you know that pedestrian accidents often result in wrongful death actions? Many collisions with pedestrians occur when the driver of a motor vehicle is behaving recklessly or negligently. Motorists who strike pedestrians with their vehicles are also often operating their vehicles in violation of the law. Pedestrian accidents are tragic, and they happen more frequently than most people realize. In America, one pedestrian is killed by a motor vehicle every two hours. That amounts to twelve pedestrian deaths every day. While some pedestrians who are involved in motor vehicle accidents survive and suffer from a range of injuries, many pedestrians do not survive accidents with motor vehicles. The force of an impact from a motor vehicle can throw or crush a pedestrian, causing immediate death, or life-threatening injuries which eventually result in death.

Families of the victims of pedestrian accidents often seek two forms of civil damages as the result of their losses. One type of civil action that a family may bring after losing a family member in a pedestrian accident is a survival action against the at-fault driver. A survival action serves the purpose of enabling the victim’s family to recover the damages that the victim suffered as a result of the accident. The second type of civil action that a  pedestrian accident victim’s family is likely to bring against the at-fault driver is a wrongful death action. Wrongful death actions help the victims’ families recover damages that they have experienced due to the losses of their loved ones, including funeral expenses, loss of support, and loss of companionship.

Pedestrian accidents often occur when the at-fault driver is breaking one or more laws. This means that in addition to the survival and wrongful death actions that are pursued by the family of an accident victim against an at-fault driver, the state may also pursue criminal charges. Driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding are two examples of unlawful behavior which often cause pedestrian accident. Sometimes, the conduct of an at-fault driver in a pedestrian accident is so extreme that it requires special treatment under criminal laws. For this reason, vehicular manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter charges may be filed in cases of extreme recklessness.

Giddens Law Firm, P.A.: Mississippi Wrongful Death Attorneys

A pedestrian accident can rob a family of someone that they love in the blink of an eye. If someone that you love was killed in a pedestrian accident, it is essential that you speak with an attorney as soon as you can in order to protect your rights. A Mississippi Wrongful Death Attorney can help you to understand the process of pursuing a survival action and a wrongful death claim, and what you might expect to happen as your case progresses from start to finish. The knowledgeable Mississippi Wrongful Death Attorneys at the Giddens Law Firm, P.A. invite you to contact us. Call the Giddens Law Firm, P.A. today at (601) 355-2022 to schedule your free consultation.