A tragic single vehicle crash that resulted in the death of two passengers in George County provides an example of how accidents involving single vehicle road departure collisions can create a claim against the driver by passengers of a motor vehicle. Media reports indicate that the vehicle ran off the road and rolled over several times. Two passengers in the vehicle died at the scene of the accident while two more were injured. While the cause of the single car accident was unclear the families of the two passengers that died may have a claim for wrongful death against the driver. The passengers that were injured may also have a personal injury claim against the driver.
When passengers in a vehicle are injured by the negligence of the driver of the vehicle in which they are traveling, the driver may be liable if the vehicle left the roadway because of negligent driving. While roadway departure accidents are commonly caused by driver negligence, defective tires and poorly designed roadways can also contribute to Mississippi road departure accidents. Forms of driver negligence that may cause dangerous road departure collisions include:
- Driver inattention which results in the vehicle drifting out of the roadway
- Tired drivers that fall asleep at the wheel
- Alcohol or drug impaired drivers that lack the coordination or perception to keep the vehicle on the roadway
- Driving too fast to negotiate turns or curves
- Failing to adjust ones driving to wet or icy roadways
Road departure accidents are among the most deadly types of crashes. As in the George County collision, vehicles that leave the roadway and end up on uneven terrain frequently rollover. Once a vehicle rolls over, the risk of catastrophic injury and wrongful death is extremely high because vehicle occupants are often ejected from the vehicle or crushed when the roof of the vehicle collapses. Road departure accidents also are extremely dangerous because they may result in the vehicle falling off of the side of elevations.
Many Mississippi drivers do not realize that roadway departure accidents are extremely common. These fatal forms of vehicle collisions account for over half all motor vehicle accidents. In a recent year, roadway departure accidents accounted for more than 16,000 collisions and in excess of 18,000 car accident fatalities. Despite this high number of road departure fatalities, there are counter-measures that public entities can install to reduce the risk of such collisions, including but not limited to the following:
- Concrete barriers and guardrails
- Road surfaces with a high degree of road friction
- Rumble strips to warn drivers that they are at risk of departing the roadway
- Safety edges on the roadway that mitigate steep drop-offs
If you or a close family member is injured of a loved one dies in a single vehicle road departure accident in Mississippi, our compassionate and dedicated team of attorneys at Barrett Law may be able to assist you in obtaining financial compensation. At Barrett Law, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi. Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.