Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorney Talks About Accidents on Rural Roads

This past summer, an early morning head-on collision between a box truck and a van turned into a catastrophic wreck that claimed the lives of eight people. The eight people who lost their lives in the crash were in the van, riding to work. The van is owned by a Mississippi forestry company, and the workers were on their way to a job site in Alabama to cut trees. The passengers in the van were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision. The truck was owned by an Alabama company whose ninety-one commercial drivers operate a fleet of eighty-five trucks. Nine crashes involving trucks owned by that same company were reported during the past two years. The van driver received a ticket for not having a driver’s license. At the time of the writing of this article, no other charges were filed in connection with the accident.

The driver of the van survived, as did the driver of the truck. The van driver claims that although he swerved to avoid the box truck, it hit his van. An official investigation into the accident validated the van driver’s claim with a finding that the box truck crossed the center line before colliding with the van on June 3, near Scooba. The truck came to rest on the van, which it had pushed backwards into a guardrail.

Rescue workers who responded to the wreck say that the road where it happened is in a rural area and that drivers must use caution when driving on country roads late at night or in the early morning. The roads in much of rural Mississippi are very dark, and they are two-lane highways with one lane traveling in each direction, separated in most places only by a centerline. That’s not the only danger present on Mississippi’s rural roads, where higher speeds can lead to more forceful collisions than occur in areas where there is more traffic and lower speed limits.

Accident investigation data from across the nation shows that rural roadways like the one where this crash happened are four times as deadly as city streets. Mississippi often tops lists of the most dangerous places to drive, and the amount of rural roads in the state is a major contributing factor. Law enforcement agencies do what they can to keep the road safe, but the number of officers is small, considering the number of miles of roadway that they are responsible for policing. When motor vehicle wrecks occur on Mississippi’s rural roads, there may be a significant delay between the time of the crash and the time someone sees it and reports it, if the driver or passengers cannot report the accident themselves. It may also take rescue workers a while to get from where they are to the site of the wreck, which could be miles and miles away from where they are when they get the call. The crash scene could also be many miles from a hospital, which could mean the difference between life and death in some cases.

To learn about how you can file a claim for damages that you suffered in a Mississippi truck crash, call the knowledgeable Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorney at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (800) 707-9577 today.

 

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Experienced Mississippi Personal Injury Attorney Explains Truck Accident Claim Basics

If you have driven the roads of Mississippi, you have seen 18 wheelers, big rigs, or long haul truckers hauling cargo across our state. Most of these drivers are responsible and are actually better drivers than your average passenger car driver. But too often I have had to meet with the family of a person killed or severely injured in a trucking accident. Because of the massive weight of these vehicles, there is no such thing as a minor trucking accident, and they are usually catastrophic.  In my first meetings with families of those injured in trucking accidents, I often review the essential elements of a trucking accident.  Because this is, unfortunately, such an ordinary conversation, I have written the following blog post to help people understand the general overview of a truck accident claim.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed as a result of a trucking accident, you will need to have experienced counsel help you attain your fair share of compensation for your injuries, loss of work, pain and suffering, and recovery. Barrett Law has the experience you need.  Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.

Overview of a Trucking Accident Case

After a trucking accident, the first step is to hire an experienced trucking attorney.  The sooner you hire personal counsel, the better, as an experienced attorney has a team of experts ready to move in and photograph the accident site, take pictures of the vehicles involved, and take statements while witnesses’ memories are fresh.  The longer you wait to hire counsel, the more “stale” all of this vital evidence becomes. Another important task is for your attorney to speak on your behalf while you or a loved one recover.  The trucking company’s insurer will contact you and try to pin down a story, maybe while you are still healing. An attorney acting on your behalf can prevent insurance companies from pestering you with questions while you are trying to recover.  You should not make any statement until you have spoken with your attorney.

Most trucking accident cases are taken on a “contingency fee” basis. This means that you do not pay your attorney for his services.  Instead, your attorney works on your behalf for free but receives a percentage of any judgment or settlement you receive at the conclusion of your case.  If you receive no compensation, your attorney receives nothing as well.

After you retain an attorney, he or she will do a tremendous amount of work investigating the crash, usually with the help of experts.  The goal is to establish that the trucking company was negligent, meaning that they had a duty to protect other motorists from harm and did not act reasonably to meet that duty.

You always have the option to go to trial or settle your case for an agreed-to amount.  While there is far more risk in going to trial—a jury may award you nothing—the financial reward is also potentially much more significant.  The vast majority of cases end in some form of settlement, where the parties agree to a monetary award that satisfies them both. While settlements can also be substantial, they usually represent a dollar amount less than if the plaintiff were to win at trial.

What Should You Do If You or a Loved One Has Been Injured in a Trucking Accident?

If you or a loved one was injured as a result of a trucking accident, you should be compensated for your injuries, loss of work, pain and suffering, recovery and other expenses.  Let experienced personal injury counsel take care of preserving medical records, taking pictures of the accident site, attaining expert opinions, and dealing with the trucking company’s attorneys. These are essential tasks that only a seasoned personal injury attorney can handle for you.

Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi personal injury law firm, to represent you if you have suffered an injury from a trucking accident or any other kind of accident. Contact our seasoned Mississippi Personal Injury Attorney today at (800) 707-9577.

 

 

 

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Experienced Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorney Explains Tractor Trailer Accident Evidence Issues

Being injured in a trucking accident can be a life-altering or, worse, a life-ending event. Receiving the full compensation you deserve for your loved one’s death, or your injuries, loss of work, and loss of lifestyle will depend in large part on what evidence you can preserve that shows that the trucking company was at fault for your accident. There are many ways a company can be liable, ranging from improperly trained drivers, distracted or sleepy drivers, or poorly maintained trucks. Regardless of the reason for your accident, being made whole will depend on accessing evidence regarding the accident’s cause. The problem is that the evidence in your case—the truck itself, the truck’s black box, and important records—can either be destroyed in the normal course of business or intentionally to weaken your case.

If you have been injured in a trucking accident, you will need to have experienced counsel help you attain your fair share of compensation for your loss of income and injury. Barrett Law has the experience to help you if you have been injured and knows how to prevent important evidence from being destroyed after a truck accident.  Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.

Types of Evidence in a Trucking Accident

There are a wide variety of sources of evidence in a trucking accident, all of them important:

The Truck—after a crash occurs, it is understandable that the truck that hit you is one of the most important pieces of evidence in your case. However, if it was only lightly damaged, it may be repaired and quickly returned to the road, losing its evidentiary value completely. On the other hand, if it was badly damaged in the accident, it may be scrapped, also ruining its evidentiary value. As a result, it is vital that your team photographs the truck, an effort that must be directed by an experienced trucking accident attorney.

Trucking Company Records—the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration mandates that trucking companies keep detailed records of post-accident drug test results, driver logs, personnel files, maintenance logs, and other vital documents. It is crucial that these records be requested immediately after an accident to prevent their destruction or loss.

Truck Data—modern trucks have “black boxes” that record their location, speed, and other data regarding their travel. This is vital to establish how long the driver had been driving without sleep, what speed it was going before impact, and breaking. As you can imagine, this data is vital to proving negligence, the legal standard in this sort of accident case.  Negligence is established when it is shown by a preponderance of the evidence that a truck driver did not reasonably meet the industry or legal standards for safety at the time of the crash.

In the end, it does not matter what the truck driver or trucking company says happened—the evidence your lawyer attains will tell the true story. For a person severely injured in an accident, an attorney’s ability to attain that evidence and understand its technical aspects is critical. Only experienced trucking accident counsel will suffice.

What Should You Do If You or a Loved One Has Been Injured in a Trucking Accident?

If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, you deserve compensation for your loss—loss of life, injuries, loss of work, and other pain and suffering. Let experienced counsel take care of preserving trucking company records, attaining expert reports, and dealing with the trucking company’s attorneys. These are important tasks that a personal injury attorney can handle for you while you concentrate on healing.

Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi personal injury law firm, to represent you if you have suffered a truck-related injury. Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.

 

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Experienced Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorney Explains Common Tractor Trailer Accident Injuries

Anyone who spends any time on Mississippi’s highways knows that they are filled with trucks. Whatever you call them—big rigs, long-haulers, eighteen wheelers—they are large, moving fast, and, unfortunately, prone to devastating accidents. Unfortunately, I frequently meet clients who have been injured or had a loved one killed in an accident with one of these trucks. I am often asked what sort of injuries result from these accidents. The answer is that injuries range considerably, from cuts and scratches to death.  That said, I created the following blog post to describe the most common injuries I see.

If you have been injured in a trucking accident, you will need to have experienced counsel help you attain your fair share of compensation for your loss of income and injury. Barrett Law has the experience to help you if you have been injured.  Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.

Head Injuries

Head injuries are both the most common and the most misunderstood truck accident injuries.  Because there is no blood or broken bone involved, people often treat concussions lightly and do not think of them as particularly severe. We now know, however, that concussions and other brain trauma have far-reaching, devastating effects on a person. But concussions are only one type of head injuries. Bleeding on the brain, nerve damage, and traumatic brain injuries can all be life-altering. Even if you do not feel that your head was injured in a crash, I advise seeking a medical professional’s assessment immediately after the accident to attain a professional assessment, and baseline data in case problems develop later.

Neck and Spine Injuries

A big rig weighs 70,000 to 80,000 pounds, while an average car weighs about 4,000. That difference in weight can mean incredible force on a car passenger’s body in an accident with a truck. That trauma and force often wreak havoc on the passenger’s neck and spine.

The neck and spine are a series of vertebrae, bones stacked from the buttocks to the bottom of the skull.  Inside the vertebrae is the spinal cord, a thread-like nerve that communicates messages between the brain and the nervous system. The vertebrae are held in place by muscles and ligaments that keep the “stack” of vertebrae in line.

Injuries to the spine can vary greatly in severity but are almost always debilitating for a period. Even minor injuries such as whiplash and strains to the back’s ligaments can mean soreness, loss of sleep, and missed work. More serious injuries, such as cracked or crushed vertebrae can mean years of recovery and even permanent disability. Severing the spinal cord can result in paralysis and death. 

Broken Bones

The force generated by a tractor-trailer accident often results in broken bones.  Breaks can be minor, such as simple breaks in the fingers, nose, or other extremities, or significant, such as skull fractures, broken bones in the back, or bones that are crushed to the point that they cannot heal with time. Compound fractures that break the skin are common and particularly dangerous, as they can result in dangerous bleeding and, later, infection.

Lacerations

Because of the force of a truck hitting your car, there is often broken glass and metal being quickly compressed around the car’s passengers. Those sharp metal or glass pieces can cause significant injury. Lacerations are all varieties of cuts, from minor scrapes or abrasions requiring only a bandage, to large lacerations requiring stitches, to life threatening injuries that sometimes require plastic surgery to repair.

What Should You Do If You or a Loved One Has Been Injured in a Trucking Accident?

If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, you might have a claim for compensation for your injuries, loss of work, and other losses. Let experienced counsel take care of preserving medical records, attaining expert diagnoses, and dealing with your employer’s attorneys. These are important tasks that a personal injury attorney can handle for you while you concentrate on healing.

Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi personal injury law firm, to represent you if you have suffered a truck-related injury. Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.

 

 

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Experienced Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorney Explains How Wind Causes Trucking Accidents

Long haul trucks weigh 70,000 to 80,000 pounds and can move down the highway at high rates of speed. With those factors at play, accidents can be sudden and devastating. One factor in crashes that I commonly see is wind. Given trucks’ incredible weight, many of my clients here do not suspect that wind can play a significant role in trucking accidents, leading to roll-overs, loss of control and loads breaking loose.

If you have been injured in a trucking accident, you will need to have experienced Mississippi counsel help you attain your fair share of compensation for your loss of income and injury. Barrett Law has the trucking accident experience that can mean the difference between attaining your compensation and receiving nothing at all.  Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.

Wind’s Role in Trucking Accidents

It is just plain physics. As Archimedes said, “give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand and I will move the Earth.” The same forces are at play as eighteen-wheelers roll down Mississippi highways. While the truck’s weight is great, so is their trailer’s surface area. As a result, when crosswinds start blowing at 40 miles per hour or greater, the wind catches the trailer like a sail.  The wind uses the trailer as a lever, pushing the heavy mass from side to side. Once a vehicle starts moving from side to side, the oscillation can increase in frequency, causing the vehicle to fishtail. With tractor trailers, the truck’s extreme length compounds this oscillation. Once the truck’s back end starts moving from side to side, it can become incredibly difficult to control. And once a driver loses control, rollovers can cause extreme collisions with much smaller passenger cars.

Are Wind-Related Accidents Preventable?

Wind cannot be prevented, but a driver and company can reduce the odds of a wind-related accident. In a trucking accident, the injured party or plaintiff has to prove that the truck driver or trucking company’s negligence. To establish negligence, the plaintiff has to show that the defendant driver or company failed to take reasonable steps to meet the industry standards for safety. Regarding wind, there are several steps that a driver and company can be expected to take to prevent wind-related accidents.

When I represent a client in a wind-related trucking accident, I always carefully look through the driver and trucking company’s logs to determine several important facts:

Speed—slowing down is the easiest way to prevent wind-related accidents and is also likely to reduce any accident’s magnitude.  I analyze the truck’s black box data to determine whether the trucker was speeding at the time of the crash.

Weather Forecast—did the driver check the weather forecast prior to driving? Did the trucking company send out a weather advisory as wind speed climbed into the 40 mile per hour range?

Pre-Trip Inspection—did the driver conduct a pre-trip inspection? Wind that would normally not cause an accident can wreak havoc on a trailer with loose tarps or an open door. When wind catches open doors or tarps, they act as a sail, pushing the truck dangerously from side to side.

Empty Trailers—usually, heavy trucks are more dangerous than lighter ones, but that is not true in the case of wind. In high wind situations, the empty trailer’s high surface-area-to-weight ratio makes for a particularly dangerous situation. In periods of high winds, truckers should not take empty trailers onto the highway.

These factors may not individually cause a tragic accident, but they often combine and act in concert to cause a tragedy. Similarly, traditional factors in truck accidents—poor truck maintenance, distracted driving, and drowsy driving—can all be exacerbated by wind, when responsiveness is even more critical.

What Should You Do If You or a Loved One Has Been Injured in a Trucking Accident?

If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, you deserve compensation for your injuries, loss of work, and pain and suffering. Let an experienced trucking accident attorney take care of preserving truck records, attaining expert opinions, and dealing with the trucking company’s attorneys. These are important tasks that a personal injury attorney can handle for you while you concentrate on healing.

Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi personal injury law firm, to represent you if you have suffered a truck-related injury. Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.

 

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Trucking Accidents in Mississippi

Images of a Toyota Camry that rear ended a semi-truck this August on Highway 61 North are a disturbing reminder of how dangerous accidents involving tractor trailers and passenger vehicles can be. Even though the truck in this accident was stopped at a red light at the time of the collision, the car suffered serious damage and the five passengers of the car sustained injuries. Damage to the truck was minor.

Accidents involving trucks can be absolutely devastating. For one thing, trucks weigh about 20-30 what passenger vehicles weigh creating a serious risk for people travelling in the smaller vehicles. Additionally, the size and weight of trucks makes them harder to stop. In the event that a truck driver has to stop abruptly, they will continue to travel around 20 to 40 percent farther than a car would. This situation can be even further exasperated by inclement weather. Not surprisingly, when accidents between trucks and passenger vehicles result in fatalities, it is far more likely that the person or people killed will be those in the passenger vehicle. Of course, not every accident involving a truck is the fault of the truck driver as opposed to the other driver.

Truck driving risks

There are certain things about driving a truck that increase the chance of these drivers causing an accident. For instance, commercial truckers often spend long hours behind the wheel of their vehicles. Federal laws regulating trucking allow for drivers to work for up to 11 hours at a time, and 77 hours in a week. As if 11 hours straight behind the wheel was not a long enough stretch, many truck drivers admit that they will at times work even longer than permitted. Maintaining focus for such long periods of time is not easy, which makes the likelihood of fatigue and inattention greater. Add a tired driver into the mix with bad weather and a vehicle that takes much longer than others to stop, and the chances of an accident occurring can increase greatly.

Liability in trucking accidents

The damage caused in trucking accidents is often extremely serious, and when a passenger vehicle and truck collide, the people in the smaller vehicle will likely suffer the brunt of the harm. Even still, in order to show that a truck driver is liable for damages, the driver must have been negligent.  The people or person seeking damages will have to show that the truck driver did not act as a reasonably prudent person would given the circumstances. Of course, it is also possible that the driver of the smaller vehicle negligently caused the accident, in which case the truck driver would not be liable, even if the other vehicle and individuals suffered greatly as a result of the accident. Another possibility is that both drivers were negligent.

In Mississippi, if the injured person was negligent, but the other driver was also negligent, it is still possible for the injured person to collect damages. If the driver of the passenger vehicle was 80% responsible for the accident, and the truck driver was only 20% liable, Mississippi law would permit the injured person to collect 20% of the total damages.

Trucking accidents can lead to extremely serious and costly injuries. If you were involved in an accident with a truck, it is important to speak with the experienced Mississippi Trucking Accident Lawyer at Barrett Law, PLLC to learn your rights, and to develop a strategy for handling your claim.

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Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorney Talks About Accidents Involving Power Lines

Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorney Talks About Accidents Involving Power Lines

Recently, a section of Hewes Avenue in Gulfport was closed for a few hours after a dump truck hit a power pole. The crash caused intermittent power outages in the area near the accident scene, but service got fully restored to most customers within three hours after the incident. As the power company worked to make repairs, police kept the area near the crash scene closed to protect everyone’s safety.

Any vehicle could potentially get into a collision with a power pole. Power lines run along streets all across America, and power poles line the roads almost everywhere we go. It is essential that drivers know how to keep themselves and their passengers safe in the event that they hit a power pole because accidents involving power poles are situations in which what you are likely to think is the right thing to do could be dangerous and deadly.

For example, most people, after getting into a car accident would get out of the vehicle as soon as possible if they were physically able to do so. However, if your car hits a utility pole or collides with a tree or other object that brings a power line down, getting out of your vehicle is usually the wrong thing to do. There are a few situations in which getting out is the better choice, but in most cases, drivers should stay in their vehicle and instruct their passengers to do the same until they get told that the power line has been de-energized.

Drivers need to know that a downed power line is not necessarily a dead power line. If you get in a car accident that takes down a power line, stay in your vehicle until the utility de-energizes the line. Getting out of the car could result in death by electrocution as electricity from the downed power line travels through your body.

It is safe to use your cell phone while you are in your car, so call for help right away. If you can open your window, do so, and shout to warn any people that you see nearby to stay away from the area. Some wrecks involving power poles cause drivers and passengers to have to make risky choices. If your vehicle is on fire or you smell gasoline, you might have to take a risk by exiting the vehicle in an attempt to avoid death by fire or explosion. To give yourself and your passengers the best chance of getting out of the situation alive, hop out of your car with both feet hitting the ground at the same time while every other part of your body does not touch the vehicle. Instruct your passengers to do the same. Similarly, hop with both feet together to get yourself as far away from the source of the electricity as you possibly can.

Barrett Law PLLC:   Help and Hope for the Victims of Mississippi Trucking Accidents

Accidents involving trucks and power lines can cause serious injury, death, and property damage. To learn about how you can file a claim for damages that you sustained as the result of a Mississippi truck crash, call the knowledgeable Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorney at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (800) 707-9577 today.

 

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Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys Talk About Dump Truck Accidents

A recent accident at a landfill in Shreveport has claimed the life of one man. The man got trapped inside the cab of his dump truck when another dump truck, which was dumping at the same time, tipped over onto his truck and crushed the cab. This tragic workplace accident required immense effort from rescuers, with over twenty firefighters spending two and a half hours working to get him out of his truck as emergency medical personnel provided what care they could to him while he was still trapped inside of it. The accident, which is being investigated by OSHA, serves as a somber reminder that those who operate dump trucks as part of their work face similar dangers every day.

It is not easy to forget that you could become trapped inside of your truck. After all, dump trucks are bigger than many other vehicles, and they are built to withstand the rigors of heavy work. However, the strength and size of dump trucks can work against their operators or others who are working near them if an accident occurs. In the aforementioned situation, one massive truck toppled onto another. Other dump truck operators have gotten killed when loads from other trucks were dumped on top of them, and there are many other ways in which dump trucks and the loads that they carry can cause injuries and deaths in the workplace.

For example, dump trucks that are working at construction sites pose a risk to site workers, who could be run over or dumped on if they or the dump truck operator are not careful as they go about their work. Dump trucks must often travel on roads and highways, so there is always the risk of a motor vehicle accident during a dump truck operator’s work day. Operators can be injured or killed in accidents on roadways, in the same ways that drivers and passengers in other types of vehicles can. The places where dump trucks work are as varied as the workers who drive the trucks. Job sites include landfills, construction sites, quarries, fields, farms, forests, waterways, and many other types of places. Each type of job site poses its unique risks to dump truck drivers and other site workers.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Support for Mississippi Workplace Accident Victims

When a dump truck accident occurs in the workplace, there may be multiple parties involved besides the injured worker and his or her employer. For example, a trucking company may be party to the accident even if the worker is not the dump truck operator. Likewise, dump truck operators sometimes get hurt or killed at job sites that are not owned by their trucking company, which can occur in situations like the aforementioned landfill accident. If you got injured or lost a family member in a workplace dump truck accident, Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys could help you pursue a claim for damages so that you can focus on healing from your injury or our family’s loss. To learn more, call the Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule an initial consultation.

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Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys Discusses Tractor Trailer Wrecks

A recent tractor trailer crash on I-55 claimed the life of one man, the truck’s driver. The early morning accident occurred when the truck, which was hauling a double trailer, left the roadway and collided with a tree. Tractor trailer accidents can cause serious injury or death and significant amounts of property damage. If you were hurt or if someone you love got killed in a tractor trailer wreck, it is important that you understand how tractor trailer accidents differ from accidents involving one or more non-commercial motor vehicles.

Tractor trailers have a size and shape that is unique among vehicles that travel along the roadways where you drive. They handle differently than passenger vehicles and specialized training and licensing is required for a driver to have permission to drive them. It is not surprising, then, that they collide with other vehicles or objects in a way that is similar to yet slightly different from other types of vehicles. To truly understand what may have happened during an accident involving a tractor trailer, the accident scene and evidence from the accident scene must be assessed by officials and others who have experience in examining tractor trailer accident scenes. The evidence in a trucking accident includes business records, cargo, and other items that are not a part of most other motor vehicle accident cases. Trucking accident attorneys understand how tractor trailers work, the types of malfunctions that can occur as they travel along the road, and the ways in which they can move during collisions.

When an accident involves a tractor trailer, there are more parties involved in the crash than may meet the eye. In addition to the drivers and passengers who were directly involved in the accident, the company that owns the truck as well as that company’s insurer are all parties to the wreck. This can make for a complicated set of facts, but it can also provide more avenues from which plaintiffs can recover for their injuries or losses. Trucking accident attorneys understand how the various parties in trucking accident cases are related to each other and they know how to engage with each of the types of individuals and business entities involved in your trucking accident case.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Supporting Trucking Accident Victims and Their Families

If you or someone that you love got hurt or killed in a crash involving a tractor-trailer or some other type of commercial vehicle, it’s essential that you select the right attorney to represent you and your family in your trucking accident case. The differences between trucking accidents and other motor vehicle accidents illustrate why it is best to select an attorney who has plenty of experience in handling trucking accident cases. The Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC may be able to help you with your trucking accident case. To find out more about how we might be able to help you, please call our office today, at 1 (800) 707-9577, to schedule a free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Talk about Weather-Related Accidents

Two recent accidents in Jones County are thought to have been caused by rainy weather. The first wreck involved two vehicles and injured two women. The second accident occurred when an SUV hit a tree, injuring the two people who were inside of the vehicle. People who were near the scene of the second accident heard it when it occurred and rushed to the scene in a golf cart to try and help. Unfortunately, the golf cart ended up going off of the road near the accident scene, but the passengers were not hurt.

Rain increases the risk of car accidents in two ways. When it is raining, visibility is reduced, and drivers cannot see well enough to drive safely. Also, road surfaces can become slippery when they are wet, which increases the risk that a driver will lose control of their vehicle. Some road surfaces even accumulate water on the surface, creating the risk of hydroplaning.

When it is raining, or the road is wet, drivers can do a few things to decrease their accident risk. Driving slower than you would drive on dry roads gives you more time to see vehicles, signs, and other things, thereby increasing visibility a little during a time when the weather is working against your ability to see things. Driving slower can also reduce the risk of hydroplaning. Remember that stopping a car on a wet surface requires more distance, so leave yourself plenty of space when you need to stop. Also, leave lots of room between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you so that you have more time to react to that vehicle’s movements.

As the weather gets colder, rainy weather can give way to sleet, snow, and ice that can make the roads even more slippery than rain can. Accidents caused by winter weather can be disastrous, whether it is a single car sliding off of the roadway or multiple vehicles piling on to each other when they cannot stop due to ice on the road. Use similar safe driving techniques in the winter as you would for driving in the rain. Also, when the weather is particularly severe, be sure to evaluate whether you need to make that trip. Sometimes, staying at home in a winter storm is the best way to stay safe.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Serving Accident Victims Across Mississippi  

Sometimes, a driver cannot avoid a weather-related automobile wreck no matter how careful they are. If you got hurt in a car crash, contact a knowledgeable Mississippi Automobile Accident attorney right away. Your attorney can help you to pursue a claim for financial compensation for your injuries while you focus on healing. The Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you. Please call us at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule a free, initial consultation.

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