Barbara Blackmon | Nov 04 2026 14:00

Being told you were partly to blame for a crash feels like the end of the conversation. Adjusters deliver that verdict quickly, usually by phone, and often before anyone has looked closely at what happened. Mississippi law treats partial fault far more generously than most drivers expect, and the person assigning you a percentage does not get the last word.

 

Being Blamed and Being Proven at Fault Are Different Things

 

Anyone can assert that a driver caused a collision, but proving that assertion takes evidence.

 

Insurance companies often settle on a fault split within days, working from a short crash report, the other driver's version of events, or a recorded statement you gave before you understood your own claim. Those early conclusions shift more often than people expect once the full record comes together.

 

Evidence That Shapes a Fault Decision

 

Photographs of the scene and the vehicle damage show where the impact landed and how the cars ended up. Law enforcement crash reports add measurements, citations, and whatever the responding officer observed.

 

Witnesses fill gaps that photographs cannot, medical records show when your injuries appeared and how serious they became, and repair estimates put a number on the damage. Dashcam video, traffic camera footage, and your written exchanges with insurers often settle questions about sequence and timing.

 

What Insurers Usually Argue

 

Adjusters tend to claim you were speeding, changed lanes improperly, followed too closely, or could have reacted in time to avoid the crash.

 

Every one of those arguments rests on facts that can be measured, including skid marks, damage patterns, signal timing, and where the vehicles came to rest. We test those arguments instead of accepting them.

 

Mississippi Follows Pure Comparative Negligence

 

Mississippi Code Section 11-7-15 says contributory negligence does not bar a recovery, and that damages are reduced in proportion to the negligence attributable to the injured person. Mississippi applies that rule with no percentage cutoff.

 

Picture a claim worth $100,000 where you are assigned 30 percent of the fault. You recover $70,000 rather than nothing.

 

Since those percentages control what your claim is worth, the evidence behind them shapes everything that follows.

 

Your Case Turns on Your Facts

 

General rules cannot tell you what happened on one road, at one moment, between two particular drivers.

 

Comparative negligence questions depend on those details, which is why we review the police report, medical documentation, damage evidence, and insurance correspondence before offering any opinion about responsibility. Most Mississippi injury claims must be filed within three years under Mississippi Code Section 15-1-49, so an early review protects the evidence along with the claim.

 

How We Handle Disputed Fault

 

We start with a free consultation and listen to your account of the crash. We then investigate the scene and the records, identify and interview witnesses, evaluate your injuries and financial losses, and respond directly to the insurance company on your behalf. We prepare cases that cannot be resolved fairly through negotiation for trial.

 

Speak With a Canton Car Accident Attorney

 

Blackmon & Blackmon PLLC has served Mississippi families from Canton since 1989. Call 601-859-1567 or request a consultation if an insurance company has told you that you were partly at fault.