Mississippi Accidents Glossary

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

Miss this term in a claim, and a person can end up paying out of pocket for basic daily function - or going without the tool that keeps them safe at work, at home, or on the...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-21

beneficiary designation

The part that trips people up most is this: a beneficiary designation usually overrides whatever a will says. It is the instruction attached to an account or policy naming who...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-01

captain of the ship doctrine

You just got a letter that says the surgeon is not responsible for what happened in the operating room because a nurse, anesthetist, or tech made the mistake. The captain of...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-22

delayed diagnosis

You may see this phrase in a medical record, an insurance denial, or a lawyer's letter saying a condition "was not identified in a timely manner." It means a health problem was...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

durable power of attorney

A well-drafted one can protect bank access, bill payments, insurance paperwork, and even the handling of a legal claim if someone is badly hurt or becomes mentally unable to...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-26

executor vs administrator

You just got a letter that says the court has opened a loved one's estate, and now you are seeing two words that sound nearly the same: executor and administrator. Both are...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-27

failure to supervise

Like leaving a toddler near a busy street and assuming nothing will happen, supervision is the basic act of watching, guiding, and stepping in before preventable harm occurs....

GLOSSARY 2026-04-03

generation-skipping trust

The part that throws people off is the word "skipping." It does not mean children are cut out completely. A generation-skipping trust is a trust set up so money or property can...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-28

healthcare proxy

After a crash, stroke, or sudden medical emergency, families often learn too late that "next of kin automatically decides" is shaky advice. A healthcare proxy is a person...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-03

hospital-acquired infection

You just got a letter that says a loved one developed a "hospital-acquired infection" during treatment, and now the chart is full of initials nobody uses in normal...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-22

intestate succession

The legal rules that decide who inherits when someone dies without a valid will. "Intestate" means no enforceable will controls the estate. "Succession" means the order in...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-24

irrevocable trust

The part that trips people up most is loss of control: once property is transferred into this kind of trust, the person who created it usually cannot take it back or change the...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-28

lack of informed consent

Did my doctor have to tell me the real risks before treatment? Yes. A lack of informed consent means a patient agreed to a procedure or course of care without being given...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

last will and testament

The part that trips people up most: a signed paper saying who gets what after death does not avoid probate, and it does not control every asset a person owns. A last will and...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-26

letters testamentary

Getting paid from an estate, transferring a vehicle title, closing a bank account, or filing a lawsuit after someone dies can stall immediately without these papers. They are...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

living will vs advance directive

A living will is one kind of advance directive. That short distinction matters because the two terms are often used as if they mean the same thing. An advance directive is the...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

medical review panel

Defense lawyers and malpractice insurers often invoke this phrase to suggest that a claim must first survive a special medical gatekeeping process before it can move forward....

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

occupational therapy

A form of rehabilitative care, occupational therapy helps a person rebuild the physical, mental, and practical skills needed for everyday life, work, and independent...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-22

pain management program

People often confuse a pain management program with physical therapy, but they are not the same. Physical therapy is mainly aimed at restoring movement, strength, and function...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-22

payable on death account

Insurance companies and defense lawyers may point to one of these accounts to argue that a family already had immediate access to money after a death and therefore suffered...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-25

physical restraint

What trips people up most is that a physical restraint is not limited to straps or handcuffs. Any device, equipment, or method that restricts a person's freedom of movement and...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-03

pour-over will

What happens if someone creates a trust but forgets to move every asset into it before death? A pour-over will is a will that directs any probate assets still owned in the...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-24

power of attorney

People often mix up a power of attorney with an executor, but they do different jobs at different times. A power of attorney lets one living person give another person legal...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

probate court process

A court-supervised procedure for settling a deceased person's estate, paying valid debts and taxes, and transferring remaining property to the people or organizations entitled...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

Requests for Admissions

Miss the deadline on these, and a bad fact can become "true" for your case without any witness ever taking the stand. You just got a letter that says you must answer "Requests...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-21

revocable living trust

Not a will substitute that makes all legal problems disappear, and not a tool for hiding assets from creditors, taxes, or a nursing home. A revocable living trust is a written...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

testamentary capacity

Think of it like driving a dark two-lane road and still knowing exactly where you are, what you're carrying, and where you mean to go. In law, testamentary capacity means a...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-31

testamentary trust

The part that trips people up most is that it does not exist while the person is alive. A testamentary trust is a trust created by a will and brought into effect only after the...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-29

transfer on death deed

Can a house pass to someone automatically after death without going through probate? In some states, yes. A transfer on death deed is a recorded deed that names a beneficiary...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-28

trust amendment vs restatement

Neither one is a brand-new trust, and that mix-up causes trouble. People often think any change to a revocable trust means starting over, but a trust amendment and a trust...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-26

undue influence on a will

This can decide who gets the house, the land, or the bank account after someone dies. A lot of families assume a will must stand just because it was signed, notarized, or...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-02

vocational rehabilitation

This can directly affect how much income a person gets back after an injury - and, in some cases, how a claim is valued. If someone cannot return to the same job after a crash...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-21