One significant benefit of having a trusted and dependable law firm is the ability to maintain case consistency, even if a team member becomes ill or leaves the firm. Recently, our firm faced the simultaneous departure of two lawyers due to illness and retirement from private practice. Despite this challenge, no client experienced any disruption. Founding partner Rogen K. Chhabra personally stepped in, handling each case with urgency and treating every client like family. He efficiently resolved numerous cases in a short time frame, securing substantial settlements.

In one notable case, the initial offer was under $10,000 for a carbon monoxide exposure claim against an allegedly uninsured hotel. Rogen identified available insurance and built a coverage argument that resulted in a $150,000 settlement, much to the clients’ satisfaction.

Another case involved a workers’ compensation claim against a furniture factory. Initially, no offers were made, and the employer argued that the claimant was entitled to minimal compensation despite termination. Rogen prepared the case for trial, compelling the employer and carrier to negotiate seriously. The case settled for over $200,000.

In a car accident case with limited insurance coverage from the at-fault driver and a larger uninsured motorist policy held by our client, Rogen navigated complex negotiations. He demonstrated that our client’s damages exceeded those of the other driver and managed to secure policy limits from both insurance companies without the need for protracted litigation.

Finding a trustworthy and dependable law firm is crucial for ensuring that your legal matters are handled with the utmost care and expertise. Look for a firm that demonstrates consistency in client service, resilience during transitions, and a proven track record of achieving favorable outcomes. This blog post highlights why Chhabra, Gibbs & Gustavis, P.A. stands out as a reliable choice. Our firm’s ability to maintain exceptional service despite challenges, secure substantial settlements, and effectively navigate complex cases underscores our commitment to client success. For those seeking a law firm that combines reliability with results-driven representation, Chhabra, Gibbs & Gustavis, P.A. is the firm you can confidently trust and depend upon.

If you have been harmed due to business negligence, and injury at work, or even a car wreck, don’t hesitate to contact us for expert advice and assistance.

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1. Seek Medical Attention

The first and most important step is to seek medical attention for your injuries. Even if you feel fine, it’s important to get checked out by a doctor as soon as possible. Some injuries may not become apparent until later, and delaying treatment can make them worse. Additionally, getting prompt medical treatment can help document the extent of your injuries, which can be important if you decide to pursue a personal injury claim.

1. Contact the Police

Call the police and report the accident. When the police arrive, provide them with as much information as possible about the accident. Be sure to get the name and badge number of the responding officer, as well as a copy of the police report.

1. Exchange Information

Exchange information with the other driver involved in the accident. Get their name, address, phone number, driver’s license number, insurance information, and the license plate number of their vehicle. It’s also a good idea to get the contact information of any witnesses to the accident.

1. Document the Accident Scene

Take photos of the accident scene, including any damage to your vehicle and the 18-wheeler, as well as any visible injuries you sustained. This documentation can be important evidence in your personal injury claim.

1. Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer

Contact a personal injury lawyer who has experience with 18-wheeler accidents. An attorney can help protect your legal rights and ensure that you receive fair compensation for your injuries and losses. They can also help you navigate the complex legal process and deal with insurance companies on your behalf.

In conclusion, if you’ve been involved in an accident with an 18-wheeler in Mississippi, it’s important to take the right steps immediately after the accident. Seek medical attention, contact the police, exchange information with the other driver, document the accident scene, and contact a personal injury lawyer. These steps can help protect your legal rights and ensure that you receive fair compensation for your injuries and losses.

At Chhabra & Gibbs P.A. our dedicated team of lawyers has the experience needed to get you maximum compensation in an 18-wheeler case. We are standing by 24/7 to help you in during this difficult time. Contact us for a FREE consultation at 601-948-8005. Visit msinjurylaw.com for more personal injury news.

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I dug around to find out.  No fancy research was used here; just plain Google.com.  I found some interesting theories.  Some old terms have been battle tested in court and are no longer vague. Even though these words or phrases are not used in common English, they have a firm meaning that one can rely on in a court document. Old words like chattel or mandamus may not be normal to hear at the factory break room, but they have firm meanings in legal speak.  I can see the point of that.  Another theory is that normal language leaves people trying to understand what is being said, while legal language causes people to try to misunderstand what is said.  This makes sense, but it highlights a sad reality of the mischievous goal that lawyers have when they write.  Truth should come before trickery.  Wordsmith gamesmanship may have been effective or cute a century ago, but modern society and our reading audience deserve better from us.

Let’s accept that some legalese has some meaningful purpose in legal documents where Judges who have law degrees are the primary audience.  But even the modern lawyer prefers an easy read over a King James Version of a brief.  We can do better.  Lawyers should be cognizant of whether a legalistic word has to be used or whether reader friendly words can have as firm of a meaning.  Where plain language can be used, it should.

There are many words used in almost all pleadings by almost all lawyers that are silly.  For example, the phrases “comes now” and “wherefore premises considered” are weaved into the fabric of our pleadings. Why?  If a pleading is filed by a party, is it not clear that the party is “coming now” to ask for relief?  And at the end of the document, does a party really need to say “now that you’ve considered the basis of my argument, here is what I am asking for?  Why not start every document with a cite to the rule which permits or directs its filing and end every legal document with a pointed request of what you are asking for?  This had bothered me for a long time.  Yesterday, I decided I had enough.  I deleted the legalese nonsense from a pleading I filed.  The irony is I am mildly insecure about it.  Will the reader think I’m stupid because I’m not acting in compliance with hundreds of years of unnecessary habits?  Or will these judges be grateful that I skipped all the nonsense and got straight to the point?  I hope it’s the latter.  I may never know, but we have to start the change somewhere.

A similar and related issue is how lawyers use unnecessary words or phrases.  These may not be legalese, but they are lawyerly junk words just the same. Some examples of meaningless phrases often used are “as you are aware” or “‘it is my understanding.”  Other words that add nothing substantive are “‘essentially” and “basically.”  All of these words and phrases have one thing in common: they project insecurity.  Why would lawyers be insecure?  I don’t know, but the majority of us are.  We want to be careful not to be judged for lying or dumb.  So, we use hedge words even when we know we are telling the accurate truth.  The irony here is that I’ve gotten to the point that when I see the hedge words, I assume the lawyer is not telling me everything.  Now, I’m consciously eliminating insecure words from my language, whether written or spoken.  If you hear me say one or if you read one I write, please tell me.

How do we stop it?

The bench and the bar should encourage each other to untether from centuries of meaningless but annoying tradition.  We should not talk above people or try to sound smarter than we are.  We shouldn’t fill pages of space with words that don’t meaningfully add to the document.  Our profession should be relatable to all those we claim to care about and represent.  The way we stop legalese is to have open discussions about it and implement legalese deletion as often as possible in documents until we all get used to using normal language.

At Chhabra Gibbs P.A. we strive to make the legal process as easy as possible for our clients to understand. We handle all types of personal injury claims from car accident claims, and slip and fall cases, to workers’ comp claims, and more. Our firm has been helping those that are injured get the compensation they deserve for over 25 years. If you or a loved one is injured, contact us for a FREE consultation at 601-948-8005. We are available 24/7 and ready to Fight for You!

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The Association awarded Rogen with the Beyond the Call Trial Lawyer Emeritus award for his dogged passion in working with the organization to pursue justice for all Mississippians in the Mississippi Legislature. Ray was awarded the Legacy of Leadership award and the New Lawyer of the Year Award.

Chhabra, Gibbs & Gustavis, P.A. represents people in car wrecks, 18-wheeler crashes, work injuries, offshore injuries, disability claims, and many other injury claims in state, federal, and administrative courts across Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Colorado.  The firm and its lawyers spend significant time working to make sure the laws are fair before even getting to court.  In states like Mississippi, where corporate interests often trump people’s rights, this is no easy task. The firm congratulates Rogen and Ray on these well-deserved awards presented by the Mississippi Association for Justice.
If you or a loved one was inured in a vehicle accident, at work, or any other personal injury scenario contact the dedicated firm of Chhabra & Gibbs. Our experienced legal team is standing by to get you the compensation you deserve, call us at 601-948-8005 for a Free consultation.

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Was this chase legal?  Probably not.  The Pearl Mayor conducted a press conference where he vehemently defended the actions of the police officers.  But when he was asked the questions that determine whether the chase was legal or not, he refused to answer stating that “it was under investigation.”

In our society, communities expect all people to be reasonable with their actions.  If a suspect has a kidnapping victim and a gun in his car, the dangers are clearly imminent.  Police should do everything in their power to stop the suspect, even if it could bring harm to other innocent citizens in the community.  However, if the suspect is stopped for speeding and is not suspected of being involved in an imminent threat of violence, then it is not reasonable to engage in a high-speed pursuit that creates a dangerous risk to the community.

Police officers should chase only when it is reasonable under the circumstances.  Police departments should have written policies available to the public that describe the circumstances when the dangers of a chase are outweighed by the dangers of apprehending the suspect in a more controlled environment.  When asked about the policy, the Pearl Mayor told the reporter to contact the city clerk’s office.  The policy does not appear publicly available on the city’s website.  The Mayor apparently takes the position that any time a suspect flees, it necessarily implies he’s a danger to the community and that any high speed chase is reasonable.  The Mayor is wrong.  He fails to consider the time of day, the weather conditions, whether violence is imminent, and a host of other factors that should be determined to decide whether to risk the death of a postal worker to give someone a traffic ticket or arrest them on some old warrants.  The mayor assumes that just because a suspect is being unreasonable that the police officer can also take unreasonable actions.  Two wrongs do not make a right.

In this particular case, the Pearl Police officers chased the suspect into the City of Jackson.  Much ado has been made about whether it is ok to chase a suspect into another jurisdiction.  This is really not the issue.  There is law that allows officers to chase into another jurisdiction, but that doesn’t change whether the chase was reasonable to begin with.

In this case, with an apparent bad policy of chasing anytime a suspect flees without any regard to balancing the risks to the community, the City of Pearl is likely just as liable under the law as the person they chased.

So, while it is appropriate for police to give chase in limited circumstances, it is not reasonable to do so when more harm is likely to be done to the community by chasing.  From the facts given at the Mayor’s press conference it appears the City of Pearl may very well be liable to the family of the postal worker for initiating the chase that ended his life.

If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of a high-speed police pursuit, contact the experienced attorneys at Chhabra, Gibbs & Gustavis, P.A. Where we have achieved positive results for families under similar circumstances.  We can be reached at 601-948-8005.  And as always, evaluation of your case is free, and we charge no fees unless we collect for you.

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So, what can you do when the accident report is wrong? First, it is important to note that accident reports are not usually admissible in court, so what the report says should not matter. But it is unrealistic to just disregard a wrong accident report because insurance companies will throw them in your face and use them against you. They do not care whether the report is actually admissible.
The best and most effective way to address the problem is likely to file a lawsuit and take the deposition of the officer that worked the accident and filled out the report. A skilled and experienced personal injury lawyer in Mississippi should know the right questions to ask to clear up the discrepancies. A lawyer might also be able to persuade the officer to amend the accident report without litigation, but that is less likely. In some cases, injury lawyers in our office have been successful in persuading adjusters to disregard the accident report and pay the claim fairly without any litigation.

Rogen K. Chhabra

If you have been in a car wreck and the accident report is wrong, call Chhabra Gibbs at 601-948-8005 for a free consultation today. It costs nothing to discuss your case with us. We will not pressure you to hire us. In fact, in some cases you do not even need us. We will be honest with you about that. But if you do need us, we still will not charge anything unless we get you a successful recovery. But do not wait, because as time passes, memories can be lost and even worse, your rights can be lost. There is no reason to delay.

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When it comes to a car wreck there are common things that drive the value and make it possible to get the most money. They are listed here in no particular order of importance:

• Fault – the easier the fault is to prove the more likely it is to recover full damages.
• Medical treatment – if you wait or delay treatment you are less likely to get fully compensated. Don’t wait or delay.
• Pain and suffering – the more invasive the treatment (broken bones or surgery) the more likely you are to get a higher allocation for pain and suffering. Also the length of treatment is a significant factor. The longer you have to treat, the more pain and suffering you can likely recover for.
• Lost wages – if a doctor takes you off work, you can make a claim for lost wages past and future.
• Insurance available – hopefully you have made a smart decision by getting the most uninsured motorist coverage you can afford. But even if you didn’t, the carrier for the person at fault will hopefully have enough coverage. In most cases if the limits are low and the damages are high, it will be difficult if not impossible to recover over the limits.
• Ability and reputation of your lawyer – most insurance companies will see your claim as more valuable if they know that you have the ability to take it to court and get a big verdict. The best way to leverage that is to get a lawyer with the experience and ability that will incentivize the insurance company to pay more up front rather than have a long drawn out fight. There are no guarantees either way, but getting an experienced lawyer is likely to lead to a better result in most every situation.

Rogen K. Chhabra

If you have been in a car wreck in Mississippi, Louisiana, Colorado, Tennessee or Alabama, the personal injury lawyers at Chhabra Gibbs will be glad to provide a free consultation. There is no obligation to hire us. And even if we take your case, we don’t charge anything unless we get you a successful recovery. Call us at 601-948-8005. There are time limits, so don’t wait.

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If you were hurt in a private business and not on the job, it will be up to the business whether they want to make a report. If they do, it will be private. They can turn it over if they want, but many times they refuse. The only way to get it if they refuse is to file a lawsuit and request a copy of the accident report in the lawsuit. They will have to provide the report as part of the lawsuit.
If you were hurt in a car accident, a public law enforcement agency may have taken the accident report. The report can usually be requested from the agency for a small fee without much legal hassle. But sometimes a lawyer may have to seek the report under the Mississippi Open Records Act or through some subpoena or litigation process.

Rogen K. Chhabra

If you or a loved one have been injured, the report documenting what happened will be an important part of your case. You should seek legal advice from an experienced Mississippi personal injury attorney sooner rather than later. There are time deadlines. Memories begin to fail. The sooner you act, the more likely it is that you will get a maximum recovery. Call Chhabra, Gibbs & Gustavis, P.A. at 601-948-8005 or reach us by live chat on our website for a free no obligation consultation. Our team of Mississippi personal injury attorneys have handled thousands of injury cases over the years, and we are ready to fight for you today.

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Mississippi law provides workers’ compensation benefits for people who get hurt at work regardless of the cause. There are a few requirements that have to be met. For example, the employer must have 5 or more employees in order for the workers’ compensation coverage mandate to apply. The employee also must not have been engaged in horseplay at the time of the injury. But fault is otherwise not an issue.

Healthcare workers get attacked by patients more frequently than one might expect. While the worker may have a direct right to sue the patient for the harm, it will likely be impractical, since there won’t likely be insurance or any other money to cover a verdict. Workers’ compensation in Mississippi is, in most cases, going to be the best way to proceed.

There are many potential snags along the path of a workers’ compensation case. The Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission is located in Jackson, Mississippi. The Commission is charged with overseeing all claims and settlements. If an injured worker is not careful they can end up in the hands of the wrong doctor or be told by an adjuster that they are entitled to less than what the law really allows for. The best way to overcome the potential pitfalls is to hire a Mississippi personal injury law firm who has significant experience in workers’ compensation to give you some advice.

Rogen K. Chhabra

At Chhabra, Gibbs Gustavis, P.A., initial consultations are always free. If you are a healthcare worker or any other kind of worker who got hurt at work in Mississippi, call 601-948-8005 . The call is free. The consultation is free. The fact that you called us will be kept confidential. There is no downside to getting the free information. And honestly, we can’t help everybody. But even if we can’t help you we will give you the best free advice we can. And if we can help you, we will be honest about what our plan is. And as always, we don’t collect any fees unless you win.

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Thank you to everyone who voted for us in the Jackson Free Press, Best of Jackson: Legal 2020.

Teresa is an Associate Attorney for our CG Law Group which handles Estate, Social Security Disability, and Discrimination cases. She has been with our law firm since 2011. CG Law Group, P. A., an affiliated firm of Chhabra, Gibbs Gustavis, P.A. that was formed by the founding members of Chhabra, Gibbs Gustavis, P.A. to meet the growing needs of the firm’s clients without compromising the attorney’s abilities to focus on a particular area of law. Chhabra, Gibbs Gustavis, P.A. is able to give top rate competent service to people who have been injured, while the affiliated CG Law Group, P.A. is able to meet the other legal needs of injured people like estate and chancery work, social security disability, and discrimination cases. Together, we strive to assure that our client’s rights are upheld and that their best interests are served.

Rogen Chhabra is one of the founding partners of the law firm and leads our workers’ compensation department. Darryl Gibbs is one of the founding partners of the law firm and leads our personal injury department. Angela Trehan leads our CG Immigration Team which handles a wide variety of immigration cases across the United States and joined the firm in 2020. Marshall Goff is one of our associate attorneys, and also handles Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury cases and joined the firm in 2019.

If you need legal assistance from any of our attorneys at Chhabra Gibbs, contact us today by calling 601-948-8005 or by using our live chat.

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