How Mississippi Protects a Child’s Share of a Wrongful Death Recovery Key Takeaways: Mississippi generally requires chancery court approval before a child’s wrongful death settlement can be finalized. Miss. Code Ann. § 93-20-431(1)(b) may trigger court review whenever the sum owed a minor is not a liquidated sum certain, which describes most tort recoveries, with…
One Death, One Lawsuit: How Mississippi Consolidates Wrongful Death Claims Key Takeaways: Mississippi’s one-suit rule under Miss. Code Ann. § 11-7-13 requires only one wrongful death lawsuit per death, brought for the benefit of all parties concerned. A widow, parent, and sibling in Jackson cannot each maintain separate cases against the same defendant. The action…
The Paper Trail That Can Prove a Truck Company Knew About a Dangerous Defect Key Takeaways: A DVIR, or driver vehicle inspection report, is a federally required record under 49 CFR 396.11 documenting whether a commercial truck’s core safety systems, brakes, steering, tires, coupling devices, lighting, and more, were working at the end of a…
Alabama Code 6-5-410 Punitive Damages Only: What a Fatal Highway 36 Wreck Means for Grieving Families Key Takeaways: A recent fatal collision on Alabama Highway 36 near Hartselle has renewed attention on how Alabama handles death claims after a crash. Alabama law splits wrongful death into separate statutes for adults and minors, and it applies…
How a Hospital’s Filing Clock Can Shape Your Memphis Crash Recovery Key Takeaways: Tennessee’s Hospital Lien Act requires hospitals to file a verified written statement before discharge or within 120 days after discharge. The filing goes to the circuit court clerk in the county where the hospital is located and, for Tennessee residents, the county…
Understanding How Multiple Vehicles Can Multiply Your Uninsured Motorist Protection in Mississippi Key Takeaways: Uninsured motorist stacking means combining UM limits across multiple vehicles or policies for greater coverage after a crash with an uninsured driver. Mississippi Code § 83-11-102 permits insureds with policies covering four or more vehicles to elect single-limit, nonstacking UM coverage,…
The Steel Bar That Should Have Stopped the Trailer Key Takeaways: FMVSS 223 sets federal performance requirements for rear impact guards on large trailers, while FMVSS 224 requires qualifying trailers (GVWR 4,536 kg or more) to have compliant guards installed per manufacturer’s instructions. In Memphis truck crash claims, a missing, defective, or improperly mounted guard…
Inside Mississippi 85-5-7 Several Liability Apportionment After the Latest Broker Verdicts Key Takeaways: Broker-liability disputes are putting Mississippi’s several-liability rules under a microscope, and the outcome can dramatically change what an injured victim actually recovers. Under Mississippi Code 85-5-7, joint and several liability has generally been abolished for fault-based cases, so each defendant is usually…
The Rising Cost of Spinal Cord Injury and What 2026’s 311,560 Figure Means for Mississippi Families Key Takeaways: New 2026 data indicating that roughly 311,560 Americans live with a traumatic spinal cord injury underscores how common and costly these catastrophic injuries have become. The cost of spinal cord injury reaches far beyond the emergency room,…