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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Remind Drivers and Passengers That Seatbelts Save Lives

A woman is dead after a single-vehicle rollover wreck on Interstate 55. The early morning crash happened as the woman was traveling south. As her vehicle rolled, she was ejected from it. She died from the injuries that resulted from the crash. An investigation into this terrible accident indicates that the woman was not wearing her seatbelt. It is unclear why the wreck occurred, and authorities continue to investigate.

For years, messages concerning seat belt use have been all over the news, especially whenever there is news coverage of an ejection accident, such as the one described above. Despite the frequent, tragic reminders of what can happen when someone does not use a seatbelt, people continue to drive and ride without them. Seat belt use has increased over the years, but it is still not at one hundred percent. Highway safety agencies and law enforcement officials plan to continue enforcing and reinforcing the importance of seat belt use as long as there are people on the roads who are not buckled up.

In Mississippi, as in many states, seat belt use is required by law. Under Mississippi law, drivers and passengers in the front seat who are age seven or older must wear seat belts. Kids who are over four and under seven years old must buckle up no matter where they sit in a vehicle. Small children who are less than four years old must be buckled in a properly-fitted, properly-installed child safety seat. Drivers who do not ensure that they and the other occupants of their vehicle follow the seat belt law may be required to pay a fine.

Seat belts have proven to be the device that prevents more car accident deaths and injuries than any other vehicle safety feature. One way that seat belts save lives is by keeping people inside of vehicles. Ejectment accidents like the one described above are horrific, and the survival of drivers and passengers who are ejected is uncommon. When someone is ejected from a vehicle during an accident, there is a seventy-five percent chance that they will die. Their death may be instantaneous, or it may occur hours or even days later, as a result of their injuries. The effectiveness of seatbelts in preventing ejection is overwhelming – fewer than one percent of the people who wear seatbelts are ejected from wrecked vehicles.

In addition to decreasing the risk of death by ejectment, seatbelts also lessen the severity of injuries that result from car accidents. Automobile accident victims who do not wear seat belts report medical bills that are, on average, fifty percent higher than the medical bills reported by car accident victims who were wearing their seat belts.

Adults who drive or ride with children in a vehicle are responsible for ensuring that they wear seatbelts or are buckled into properly-fitted, correctly-installed child safety seats. Children are more likely than adults are to be hurt or killed in car crashes. Child safety seats and seat belts can prevent up to eighty percent of the child and infant deaths that result from motor vehicle wrecks .

If you were hurt or you lost a loved one in a car crash, we’re here to help. Call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys of Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (800) 707-9577 to arrange a consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Warn Against Drowsy Driving

A woman died after she was ejected from her vehicle in a recent rollover accident on I-20 near Bovina. An investigation into the wreck revealed that the woman might have fallen asleep at the wheel. She was also not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the early morning wreck.

Approximately fifteen hundred people die, and thousands more are hurt every year in crashes caused by drowsy drivers. While fatigue can cause a driver to have any motor vehicle accident, many drowsy-driving wrecks are similar to the single-car rollover crash described above. Unfortunately, despite the media coverage of these horrible crashes, many Americans continue to drive when they are fatigued.

Sleep habits affect driving in much the same way that alcohol use affects driving, yet many people who would not dare to drink and drive think nothing of getting behind the wheel when they are tired. Sleep deprivation is a significant problem in America, but most people do not believe it is that big of a problem since they and many people they know are tired almost all of the time. It is a significant concern, and researchers have been working hard to understand the impacts that sleep, or the lack thereof, has on our bodies and our minds.

Research has revealed that driving drowsy is very similar to driving drunk. Everyone knows how often drunk drivers cause death and destruction. People must learn to make the connection between drowsy driving and drunk driving and think twice before driving when they are tired. As does a drunk driver, a tired driver moves along the road in a state of decreased awareness and impaired judgment. Tired drivers’ reaction times are slow, just like drivers who are intoxicated, creating a delay in their response to everything from curves in the road to vehicles or pedestrians in their path.

One crucial point that Americans must understand about drowsy driving is that it is not only the chronically sleep-deprived who are at risk for a crash caused by fatigue. Even a single instance of not getting enough rest can increase your risk of a wreck. If you think that stay-awake strategies like coffee, gum, mints, or energy drinks can help you stay alert enough to avoid an accident, know that they do not decrease your crash risk. You might feel alert for a short time following the use of those items, but your body is still tired, and that tiredness may overtake you without you even knowing it. Remember – no one tries to fall asleep at the wheel. If you start to feel tired, the safest thing you can do is stop and rest.

If you were hurt or someone that you love died in an accident involving a tired driver, contact a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney right away. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to serve you and your family. Call us at 1 (800) 707-9577 to learn more.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Talk About Accidents Involving Animals

A person and a cow are dead following a recent motor vehicle wreck on Highway 18. A man was driving a van westbound on Highway 18 when he struck a cow that was on the road. His van then went off the highway and hit a tree. The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.

Livestock does not often go on the road. The owners of cows, horses, sheep, and other domestic animals keep their livestock inside of barns, fenced pastures, or other contained areas to protect the animals from harm. Unfortunately, cows and other livestock occasionally escape from their shelter or enclosure and wander around loose. When one or more animals escape, they create a risk of harm to themselves and people.

The risk of harm increases when livestock wanders into a road. Drivers are not expecting to encounter livestock on the highway, and they may attempt to swerve to avoid the animal that has suddenly appeared in their path. Unfortunately, swerving can sometimes cause a driver to lose control of their vehicle and have a wreck. Also, even if a driver swerves, the animal could continue moving in a way that makes a collision unavoidable.

Any collision with a wild or domestic animal has the potential to cause injury or death to the people and animals involved in the crash. Large animals like moose, deer, horses, and cows pose the greatest threat because of their size and weight. When a vehicle strikes an animal, the animal may be tossed into the air before it lands on the vehicle’s hood, roof, or windshield. Animals that are large and heavy can crush cars and shatter windshields, severely injuring or killing vehicle occupants.

Collisions with animals are dangerous and often deadly. Fortunately, drivers can sometimes avoid having a vehicle wreck when they encounter an animal on the road. If you see an animal in the street, slow down if it is at all possible. Look carefully at the area around you. Both escaped livestock, and some wild animals like deer tend to travel in groups. When one animal moves into the road, others may be following it.

If you can avoid hitting the animal or animals that are on the road without swerving so hard that you wreck your vehicle, that is the best possible result. However, due to traffic, weather conditions, or other circumstances, you may not see the animal or animals that are on the road until a collision is inevitable. In that situation, if you can hit the animal at an angle rather than head-on, it is a good idea to do so. Hitting an animal at an angle increases the chance that the animal will be deflected from your vehicle instead of onto it.

If you were hurt or someone that you love was killed in an accident involving a wild animal or livestock, contact a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney right away. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to serve you and your family. Call us at 1 (800) 707-9577 to learn more.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Want You to Know What to Do if Your Vehicle Catches Fire

Automobile accidents are one cause of vehicle fires, but they are not the only cause. Did you know that collisions cause only about five percent of vehicle fires? Many vehicle fires are caused by the failure or malfunction of one or more of the vehicle’s mechanical or electrical components. Over one hundred and seventy thousand vehicle fires are reported in the United States each year, which makes vehicle fires a safety concern that every driver and passenger should know about.

Vehicle fires can start quickly and without warning. If you notice smoke coming through the air vents of your vehicle or flames or smoke coming out of the hood, find a safe place to pull over right away. Turn your car off, to stop the flow of fuel within the vehicle. Exit your vehicle quickly, and ask anyone else who is in the car with you to do the same. Do not open the hood or the trunk if you suspect that the fire is in one of those areas – increased access to air can cause a fire to burn even more intensely. Do not try to put the fire out – people are often injured when they try to put out vehicle fires, and some people have died trying to extinguish vehicle fires. Make sure that you and anyone who is with you move to an area that is at least one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet away from your vehicle and call for help. If you or the others with you do not have a cell phone, or if all of you left your phones in the vehicle, flag down someone driving by and ask them to call for help. Do not return to your car to retrieve items that are inside of it.

Some vehicle fires are preventable. Keeping your car, truck, or SUV maintained properly could prevent a vehicle fire. Check fluid levels regularly, and get any leaks repaired promptly. Many problems that lead to vehicle fires, such as frayed electrical wires or shorts in a vehicle’s electrical system may cause fuses to blow repeatedly or make a smell of burning plastic. As you are driving, be sure to look at your gauges occasionally. If your vehicle experiences sudden changes in the fuel or oil level or a sudden rise in engine temperature, that could be a sign of a problem.

When multiple fires are reported by people who own similar vehicles, the manufacturer of those vehicles must determine if a faulty component involved in the production and assembly of the cars is the reason that they are catching fire. If a vehicle manufacturer discovers that a component used in the manufacture of some of its vehicles is causing fires, the automaker must recall any cars manufactured using that part. They must then repair the affected vehicles with a part that does not create the risk of fire, at no cost to the vehicle owners. If you receive a recall notice for a car that you own, it is essential that you make time to have the recall work done as soon as possible, whether the recall is because of a fire risk or some other safety concern.

If a vehicle fire hurt you, we’re here to help. Call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys of Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (800) 707-9577 to arrange an initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Fires Resulting From Car Accidents

Fire resulting from an automobile wreck can cause severe injury or death. An off-duty Mississippi police officer recently rescued a woman from a burning vehicle after her car collided with the rear of a tractor-trailer. The early morning accident happened on the westbound side of I-20, near the I-220 exit.

Automobile accidents can cause injury or death in many ways. One dangerous and potentially deadly aspect of many motor vehicle wrecks is fire. When vehicles collide, gasoline, diesel fuel, and other flammable substances are often released from the parts of the vehicles that usually contain them, and they may come in contact with heat sources, creating the risk of fire or explosion. The risk of fire is one reason why it is critical that anyone who is involved in a car crash exit their vehicle if they can do so safely and move to a location that is away from the road and the wrecked cars.

Vehicle fires caused by collisions can start at any time, even as soon as the moment of impact, and they can get out of control quickly. Automobiles contain many flammable and combustible materials, and a vehicle that begins to burn may be destroyed by fire before rescue workers can arrive at the crash site and extinguish the blaze. Vehicle occupants who are unable to exit their vehicles because of injury or unconsciousness, or because they are trapped inside by crushed doors or other things are at risk of being hurt or killed by flames, smoke, or an explosion. Severe burns and smoke inhalation are common injuries in automobile accidents where one or more of the wrecked vehicles catch fire. Additionally, all people who are involved in a crash that leads to a fire may suffer psychological trauma in connection with the horrific event in addition to any physical injuries caused by the wreck.

While not every automobile accident results in a fire, drivers and passengers should be aware that a fire can start at an accident scene at any time. If you have already exited your vehicle and you are waiting in a safe place for help to arrive, it may be tempting to return to your car to retrieve things that are inside of it. Do not return to your vehicle. Doing so creates a risk of being hurt or killed by a fire or an explosion. Wait for help to arrive, and allow the emergency workers to assess the accident scene and take any necessary action. Only return to your vehicle after a rescue worker tells you that it is safe to do so.

Automobile accidents and fires that can sometimes result from them can cause severe injury or death. If you were hurt or if a family member died in a Mississippi automobile accident, call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (800) 707-9577.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Report Increase in Automobile Accident Injuries and Deaths During Holiday Travel

November 27, 2019 to December 1, 2019 was a dangerous time to be on the road in Mississippi. The Mississippi Highway Patrol reports a total of ten fatalities and forty-nine injuries during that time. In those same few days, the Mississippi Highway Patrol also issued nearly seven thousand traffic citations and arrested ninety-five people suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The ten fatalities and forty-nine injuries that occurred on Mississippi roads during the Thanksgiving holiday period are the results of one hundred and eighty-five motor vehicle wrecks that happened during the five days mentioned earlier in this article. While some of the wrecks occurred during the late-night and early morning hours, many of the accidents the Mississippi Highway Patrol investigated happened during the late afternoon and early evening hours.

Many different kinds of accident scenarios occurred during the Thanksgiving travel period, and all sorts of vehicles, from passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs to tractor-trailers, were involved in crashes during that time. The ages of the drivers involved in the wrecks vary widely. The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating all of the accidents, and they have reported on some of them.

At least four of the fatal accidents were single-vehicle wrecks where the vehicle left the roadway. In one of those crashes, the driver of the vehicle was ejected and died at the accident scene. In three of the four fatal, single-vehicle accidents detailed in one report from the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the vehicle collided with a tree after leaving the roadway. In the fourth crash, the car left the road and flipped several times before coming to a stop.

At least two of the fatal wrecks that happened during the holiday travel period were head-on collisions. In both situations, one vehicle was traveling northbound while another was traveling southbound. In both cases, one vehicle left its lane and entered into the path of the other vehicle, hitting it head-on.

One of the fatal holiday season accidents involved a motorcycle. The person riding the motorcycle was ejected from it when a vehicle struck the motorcycle from behind. Another crash involved two vehicles that were traveling the same direction but in different lanes. The vehicles made contact with each other, and the impact sent one of the vehicles off of the road. Pedestrian accidents can happen any time of year, including the holidays. A man was hit and killed by a pickup truck while he was walking alongside the interstate.

Motor vehicle accidents can take many different forms, and all kinds of accidents are more likely to happen when the roads are crowded. Roads in Mississippi and elsewhere are more dangerous during peak travel time, such as holidays. The statistics regarding holiday travel accidents are concerning, but many wrecks can be avoided by preparedness and caution. Holiday travel can be an excellent way to connect with the people you love, so take extra care to ensure that you arrive at your destination safely. Be sure to plan extra time into your trip for rest breaks and traffic. Stay alert and maintain a constant awareness of what is going around you, because traffic can be unpredictable. If you were hurt in a Mississippi automobile accident during the holidays or at any other time of the year, call the Mississippi Automobile Accident attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (800) 707-9577.

 

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Want You to Know What to Do if You Have an Accident

Automobile accidents are not part of anyone’s plan for their day. Unfortunately, motor vehicle wrecks happen all across Mississippi and all over America every day, at all hours of the day and night. If you have an accident, take the following steps to ensure that you care for the needs of yourself and others and comply with the law.

The first thing you must do if you are involved in a motor vehicle wreck is to stop your vehicle. It is a crime to fail to stop at an accident scene, so do not even think about continuing on your way. Next, check yourself for injuries. Call 911 if you can, or if you are unable, ask someone to make the call for you. If you are unable to move or if it hurts to move, wait for emergency personnel to arrive. If you’re injured and you are not too hurt to move about, proceed with as many next steps as you can before first responders arrive. When they arrive, be sure to get your injuries evaluated before doing anything else, in case you need to go to the hospital.

If you can move, check on others in your vehicle and the other vehicle or vehicles involved in the wreck. Describe any injuries that you see to the emergency personnel on the phone, because information about what is happening at the accident scene is helpful to dispatchers.

Next, If your vehicle came to rest in the road, move it to the side if it is safe to do so to avoid creating a situation where oncoming traffic collides with it. Also, if people can get out of their vehicles, gather everyone at a safe place.

If you notice that no one has called 911 because no one is hurt, make the call to let police know about the crash. Police reports and accident investigations are essential documents that can help you pursue claims for injuries and damages after a motor vehicle wreck. More importantly, calling the police after a crash is a requirement of the law in many places.

After you have called for help, wait for help to arrive. While you wait, exchange information with the other drivers and share insurance information with them. You’ll want to exchange names and telephone numbers, insurance contact and policy information, and vehicle information such as the year, color, make, and model of each car involved in the crash. Don’t forget to note where the accident happened. Be sure not to make any statements claiming responsibility for the crash, even if you know it was your fault. Likewise, do not blame the other drivers or get into a shouting match with them.

If you have a camera on your phone, take pictures of the accident. These pictures can be valuable during the insurance claims process. Also, write down the name and badge number of all officers who respond to the accident and ask them where you can go to obtain a copy of the accident report.

If you were hurt or if someone in your family was killed in a motor vehicle wreck, we’re here to help. Call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys of Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (800) 707-9577 to arrange an initial consultation.

 

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss What Automobile Accident Attorneys Can Do For Accident Victims

Automobile accidents can cause a lot of stress and strain on top of any pain you are experiencing as a result of the crash. Your life was busy before you got in a wreck, and you may wonder how you’ll handle all of the responsibilities that were already on your plate as you recover from your injuries. Fortunately, you do not have to bear the burden of getting your life back on track after a car crash on your own. Mississippi automobile accident attorneys can help you with some of the daunting tasks that you are facing.

To receive the greatest amount of benefit from working with a Mississippi automobile accident attorney, contact several attorneys as soon as you can after your accident. Look for someone who is available to handle your automobile accident case, and meet with one or more attorneys that are available before selecting the attorney that you feel is best able to help you. When you turn over the tedious and frustrating work of pursuing an automobile accident claim to an automobile accident attorney, you free up your time so that you can focus on doing what you need to do to heal from any injuries you received in the accident.

Automobile accident attorneys are skilled professionals who are adept at navigating the automobile accident claims process. They know when a proposed settlement offer is not adequate, and they know how to negotiate with insurers to obtain a more fair result. Automobile accident attorneys know how to obtain the information they’ll need to support the claim that they make on your behalf, and they know how to present that information to the insurer in a way that supports your claim.

Some automobile accident victims attempt to contact the insurance company themselves and pursue an automobile accident claim. While insurers would have you believe that you, as an individual, can file a claim for damages, they make it difficult to do so successfully. For example, it is often difficult for people to locate and obtain medical records and other types of evidence that they could use to support their claim. Because the insurance claims process is so hard to navigate, many accident victims who have filed their own claims end up frustrated, exhausted, and without a settled claim for much longer than they need to. If you are in this situation, an automobile accident attorney may be able to help you. They can pursue a claim for damages on your behalf, and they can spend their time calling, emailing, and otherwise pursuing the insurer until your case is resolved.

If you were hurt or if someone in your family was killed in a motor vehicle wreck, you do not have to bear the burden of pursuing an automobile accident claim during this difficult time in your life. We’re here to help. Call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys of Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (800) 707-9577 to arrange an initial consultation.

 

 

 

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Remind Drivers to Be Careful in Parking Lots

While many motor vehicle accidents happen on the road, collisions do occur in other places such as parking lots. As many as one in five car crashes occurs in a parking lot. With the holiday shopping season in full swing, parking lots everywhere are busier than usual, and accident risk in parking lots is at its peak. Approximately five hundred people die, and sixty thousand people are hurt in parking lot collisions each year.

Before you embark on your next journey to the store, the mall, your work parking garage, or any other place where you’ll be parking in a lot, take time to learn more about parking lot accidents and how you can reduce the likelihood that you will be involved in one. Understanding the causes of parking lot accidents can help you make safe choices as you navigate parking lots. For example, it is estimated that distracted drivers cause up to two-thirds of parking lot accidents. In addition to distractions like cell phones that can cause trouble for drivers both on the road and in parking lots, drivers in parking lots are often so focused on locating a parking space that they fail to see vehicles and pedestrians nearby. Driving in a crowded parking lot can be frustrating. Still, it is worth taking the extra time to reduce your accident risk by driving slowly and maintaining an awareness of everything that is going on around you as you navigate the busy aisles looking for a parking space. Sometimes, drivers are inappropriately aggressive when attempting to claim a parking spot. If this happens, it’s not worth risking a collision by trying to pull into a parking place that an aggressive driver is trying to claim. Yes, it is frustrating, but it’s preferable to possibly being injured or damaging your vehicle in a crash.

When you arrive at the end of an aisle, or you locate your parking spot, do not forget to use your turn signal so that other drivers can anticipate the movement of your vehicle. If you manage to find a pull-through parking space amidst the holiday shopping chaos, here’s one more reason to celebrate – pulling out of a parking spot is much easier and safer than backing out of it. If you do park in a space that you must back out of, look behind your vehicle before backing up and check blind spots carefully.

Once you have safely parked your vehicle, you’ll want to make sure that you get into and out of the building safely. Keep your cell phone in your pocket or purse. If you’re distracted by looking at a screen while you are walking through the parking lot, you could step out into traffic or walk behind a vehicle that is backing out of a parking space. Children are often hurt in parking lot accidents because they are not tall enough to be seen out of the rear window of many vehicles. Keep kids close to you and hold their hand as you walk together through the parking lot.

Nearly fifteen percent of automobile accidents that cause damage occur in parking lots. If you were hurt or if your vehicle was damaged in a Mississippi parking lot accident, call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (800) 707-9577.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Talk About Passenger Vehicle and Train Crashes

A thirty-five-year-old man died after a train struck his jeep. He was traveling south on St. Paul Avenue in Pass Christian, and the train was traveling west. The gravely wounded man was taken to the hospital, where he died from the blunt force trauma that he experienced in the collision. There were no other injuries or fatalities as the result of this wreck.

While reports about the fatal crash did not specify whether the accident occurred at a railroad crossing, drivers must understand how dangerous and deadly accidents at railroad crossings are and how frequently they happen. A person who is in a passenger vehicle that hits or is hit by a train is forty times more likely to die than they would be if the other vehicle involved in the crash were a passenger vehicle.

Nearly six thousand collisions involving a train and one or more motor vehicles occur in America each year. Many of those crashes occur at railroad crossings, while some of the wrecks occur in other types of locations that are not railroad crossings.

When you add the number of car-train wrecks to the number of train- pedestrian accidents, statistics show that in the United States, one vehicle or person is hit by a train approximately every two hours. That’s an estimated twelve train-related collisions every day. What’s more, the frequency of train crashes has been increasing since 1997.

Railroad crossings are dangerous places. Some intersections do not have any safety devices to warn motorists of an oncoming train. Some have safety devices that don’t work correctly. It is estimated that eighty percent of America’s more than two hundred thousand railroad crossings have inadequate safety devices. Over half of all train accidents happen at these unprotected crossings. Drivers must pay close attention to what’s happening around any railroad crossing they encounter and make wise decisions about when to proceed through the crossing.

Accidents at railroad crossings often look different during the day than they do at night. At night, half of all vehicle-train collisions occur when a driver of a passenger vehicle runs into the side of the train as the train is passing through the crossing. During the day, three-quarters of the collisions that happen at railroad crossings result from a train hitting a passenger vehicle.

While many things can cause a train crash, some of the most common causes of train accidents are recklessness, human error, and negligence. Reckless actions by drivers or pedestrians such as walking on train tracks or trying to speed through a crossing before the train cause some train accidents. Human error by the train conductor or signal operator can cause a wreck. Negligence by the railroad, an equipment manufacturer, or a government agency can also result in conditions that cause a collision.

If you were hurt or if someone in your family was killed in a motor vehicle- train crash, call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys of Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (800) 707-9577 to arrange an initial consultation.

 

 

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