Mississippi 18-Wheeler Under-ride Accidents

Semi-truck trailers are naturally higher than the average passenger car, meaning that should a car collide with the rear of the trailer, it could slide under the trailer, causing serious injuries and death from decapitation. Unfortunately, rear-end collisions are not all that uncommon, and are often not the fault of the driver of the passenger vehicle. Because of this, there is a simple modification that the manufacturers and owners of big rigs can make, but few of them have taken the time to correct this hazard which could prevent a simple rear-end bump in from turning into a fatality.

Under-ride and Injury Severity in Real Crashes

While any collision between a passenger vehicle and a large truck is a risky event, under-ride makes death or serious injury much more likely as the upper part of the car will crush as the truck body intrudes into the vehicle’s safety cage. Rear guards are the primary means of reducing under-ride accidents. About 425 people driving passenger vehicles die each year when their vehicle strikes the back of a truck, and it is estimated that at least half of those were due to an under-ride which could have been prevented. Even though the front end of passenger vehicles are specifically designed to minimize injuries to the occupants, should your vehicle strike the back of a big truck without an under-ride guard, your chances of walking away are not good.

Factors at Play in a Mississippi Under-ride Accident

There are many factors involved in a serious under-ride accident, however the most common are inclement weather, driver carelessness, poor road conditions, poor road lighting or a truck driver making a wide turn or a u-turn. Fog and snow can mask the light color of many trucks, and poor lighting can form a sort of camouflage, especially on silver trucks. During nighttime hours a lack of lighting in the evenings can make it difficult to see the outline of a dark-colored truck trailer, making it nearly impossible for the driver of the passenger car to stop in time to avoid an under-ride. If the driver of the passenger car is momentarily inattentive they may miss seeing a truck which is inadequately pulled off the side of the road, or if the truck driver is inattentive he may brake suddenly, causing the car behind to collide.

When there is No Under-ride Guard or it Doesn’t Meet Safety Standards

Many of the under-ride accidents documented regarded trucks and trailers which were “exempt” from the necessity of installing the guards, or when the guards installed failed. Guard failure could be due to the attachment between the guard and the trailer being overly weak, or when the attachment between the guard’s supports and the trailer broke due to insufficient welding or bolting. In some instances the under-ride guard remained attached to the trailer, but the trailer chassis buckled, rotating the guard up. Other vehicles were simply exempt from having under-ride guards, including trailers which had the rear wheels set closely to the back of the trailer, or trucks with a cab and cargo body on one chassis. Dump trucks were a well-known hazard in this class, as few possess an under-ride guard, yet many are involved in fatal under-ride accidents.

If you or a family member has been injured in an accident involving a Mississippi18-wheeler, especially if the truck driver or his faulty equipment was at fault, you should contact our law firm to speak with a Mississippi truck accident attorney who is familiar with the laws governing the operation of commercial vehicles. Under-ride accidents are preventable, and if the trucking company or owner was negligent in the installation of guards, then an attorney from our law firm may be able to help you recover your losses for injury or death.

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Excuses Insurance Companies Use to Avoid Paying Accident Claims in Mississippi

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If you’ve recently been involved in an automobile accident in Mississippi and are already frustrated from the dealings you’ve had with the insurance company, be aware that first and foremost the insurance adjuster’s job is to save his or her company money. Adjusters are well-trained in providing any and every excuse which can somehow justify paying you less on your claim. Being ready for such excuses will give you an advantage when dealing with recalcitrant insurance companies.

  1. Blaming your vehicle’s condition for the accident. The insurance company may try to claim that your vehicle was not properly equipped with safety devices (seat belts, headrest, mirrors, etc.) which could have prevented the injuries you are claiming. They may also claim that although the safety devices were present, you neglected to use them, or used them improperly. The insurance company could also claim your tires were bald and should have been replaced, and that there would have been no accident if you had properly maintained your car.
  2. The insurance company may attempt to use your prior medical history against you. They can do this by saying you had other physical issues which were actually responsible for the accident (epilepsy, headaches, vertigo) because they impaired your driving ability or your reaction time. If you are claiming soft tissue injury, the insurance company could try to use the fact that you have been to a chiropractor off and on through the years, implying the injury was present prior to the accident. Supposing you have seen a therapist for depression in the past few months or are currently taking an anti-depressant—the insurance company may even claim that your level of depression caused you to be less than an alert driver, therefore you were responsible for the accident. Although most all of these excuses will be bogus, you will definitely need an experienced personal injury attorney to help you combat such claims.
  3. Minimizing your injuries is a common tactic of insurance companies, and if you waited very long following the accident to receive medical treatment, they will use this as well. They may claim there was nothing in the police report to substantiate your claim that you were injured, or that there were no overt signs of physical injury at the scene of the accident. If you did not go to the emergency room, the insurance company may use this to “prove” you were not injured, but made up your injury later. If you told anyone at the scene of the accident that you were “ok” then this simple word may be used against you now that you are clearly not ok. Soft tissue injuries are much harder to definitively prove, therefore the insurance company may claim you are not truly injured because there is no absolute medical “proof.” The insurance company may also claim that the level of damage to your car simply doesn’t justify your claimed injuries. If you can produce witnesses who can attest to the changes in your physical health before and after the accident, this will help your case.
  4. The insurance company may attempt to use your recollections of the accident against you. Although none of us has a perfect memory, and in the face of the trauma of an accident our memories can become even less reliable, insurance companies will use any discrepancy in your statements to discount everything you say. If you are unsure of the time of day, the color of the other car or the number of witnesses who saw the accident, it could be used against you.

The most important thing you can do following an auto accident—aside from getting immediate medical attention—is first to record every single detail of the accident, both through notes and photos, then to hire a knowledgeable Mississippi injury attorney who can aggressively defend your rights against an insurance company who is attempting to avoid payment of your claim.

Call us today to discuss your case.

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Facial Injuries and Scars Following an Auto Accident in Mississippi

Facial injuries, which result from an auto accident, can lead to mild or severe scarring on the face, and such scarring can cause lifelong trauma. Not only will you deal with the physical trauma and pain of surgeries and skin grafts, you will also deal with the emotional trauma of having scars that can be seen by everyone in your life. Facial scarring can lead to severe depression and self-consciousness, and can severely limit the opportunities in life.

Typical Facial Injuries Following an Auto Accident in Mississippi

Although some injuries which are sustained during an auto accident are relatively minor and will heal with little visible reminder, other facial injuries are much more severe, and result in permanent, life-changing facial scars which are devastating to the victims. During a car accident, a victim’s face can be cut from flying glass punctured by parts of the automobile, scraped, burned and bruised. There can be fractures to the jaw and cheekbone, temporary or permanent nerve damage, severe injuries to the eyes and nose, and damage to the mouth and teeth. In addition to these facial injuries being potentially disfiguring, there is likely to be considerable amounts of pain involved as well. Recovery times following severe facial injuries can be long, expensive and grueling, requiring multiple surgeries.

Immediately Following Your Mississippi Auto Accident

Following your auto accident emergency personnel will first address the immediate medical concerns such as ensuring your airway is clear, controlling your facial bleeding, preventing infection and dealing with your pain. Once these immediate issues are taken care of, your doctors will take the greatest care to minimize future scarring or disfigurement. You will likely be sent to X-ray to determine if there are any fractured bones in your face, you will receive stitches for any open lacerations, and may be sent for a CT scan which can rule out brain trauma. Surgery to treat broken facial bones can include the use of specialized titanium plates and screws, and immediate plastic surgery may be called for to reduce scarring and bone deformities. If the nose was the damaged part of the face, plastic surgery will re-sculpt the nose in an effort to make it look as close as possible to the pre-injury nose.

What Victims of Facial Injuries Lose

Victims of facial injuries will likely be unable to work for at least a period of time, losing income and possibly even their job. Not only are they vulnerable to present lost income, but future lost income as well. Because our identities are so closely tied to our appearance, any type of facial disfigurement can cause emotional trauma. Additionally, our American society is so tied to the perception of beauty, that we have been programmed to believe our outward appearance defines us in a way little else does.

People who are considered by society to be extremely pretty or handsome can have even more difficulty dealing with a facial scar or disfigurement because it alters everything they have learned to believe about themselves. Victims of facial injuries and scarring can experience frustration, anxiety, fear and depression when learning to deal with their injuries, all of which lead to a loss of enjoyment of life. The individual who has suffered facial trauma may lose their ability to socialize with others or engage in their normal, daily activities.

Where to Get Help

Unfortunately, first impressions do matter, and if you are a victim of facial injuries which led to scarring and permanent disfigurement, you are well aware of this. You have likely suffered through multiple painful and expensive surgeries, and you need to be fairly compensated for your medical bills as well as your lost wages and pain and suffering. It’s important that you find speak with an experienced Mississippi auto accident attorney from our law firm who will fight aggressively for your rights and get you the settlement you need and deserve.

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Mississippi Facial Injuries That Result From Serious Auto Accidents

The leading cause of facial trauma is auto accidents. Any auto accident can result in minor to serious injuries, leaving you with substantial medical bills, time away from work, pain, and possibly even emotional trauma, depending on the nature of the injury. Facial injuries in particular can have significant impact on your life and your future.

The Aftermath of Facial Trauma

Should your facial injuries be relatively minor, time and proper medical care can leave your face looking relatively normal. More severe facial injuries can result in psychological trauma and lifelong issues. After all, our very identity is tied to the physical appearance of our face, and when that appearance is altered during an accident, the emotional aftermath can be profound. Serious facial lacerations and injuries can leave you permanently disfigured, resulting in a disability which is not only financially costly, but also emotionally scarring.

Types of Facial Injuries

There are many commonly experienced types of facial injuries following an automobile accident such as bruising, fractures to the facial bones, deep cuts and lacerations which result in significant scarring, burns to the face, nerve damage, chipped and broken teeth, and the loss or damage to one or both eyes.

Treatment of Facial Injuries

Because our society is so focused on appearance, facial injuries can be difficult to overcome. Often, numerous surgeries are necessary to repair maxillofacial trauma, and many times a full recovery will not be possible. Aside from altering your looks, facial trauma can cause problems with breathing, eating, talking and vision, and in some extreme cases can affect the nerves which lead to the brain. Your immediate emergency treatment following an accident will first address the most immediate concerns such as controlling the bleeding, alleviating the pain and taking steps to prevent infection. Care will be taken to minimize scarring, and you will likely be referred to a maxillofacial surgeon who will do his best to ensure a favorable outcome. The specialist will probably x-ray the affected areas, or perform a CT scan, then once the best treatment is determined, he will walk you through the recovery process.

Airbags as a Cause of Facial Injuries

Although airbags do a good job of protecting those involved in a car accident, and, in many cases, save lives, they can also be the cause of facial injuries and head trauma. Your face is comprised of fourteen bones which make up the jaw, nose and skull, and in most auto accidents, your nose is in the most vulnerable area since it protrudes from your face. Noses are often broken when the airbag deploys which can result in a disfiguration of the nose as well as possible obstruction to the nasal septum which could potentially cause breathing difficulty. Other injuries commonly seen when an airbag deploys following an accident are loss of teeth, cuts and bruises, broken jawbone, fractures to the facial bones and brain trauma.

Why You Need a Mississippi Personal Injury Attorney

If you suffered scarring or disfigurement as a result of your auto accident, you need to contact an experienced Mississippi personal injury attorney who can help you obtain a fair settlement for your physical pain and your psychological pain as well. Some insurance companies may refuse to pay for cosmetic surgery which can reduce disfigurement and you will need a solid advocate in your corner to deal with this refusal. You will likely have time away from work, and mounting medical bills since plastic surgery is very expensive. The pain and suffering caused from dealing with substantial facial injuries can be extremely extensive and hard to get over.  You deserve the very best chance to recover the face you had prior to the accident, and the negligent party should be made to pay for your accident.

Call our law firm to discuss your case an experienced Mississippi personal injury attorney today.

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Fraudulent Medical Exams for Truckers as a Cause of Accidents in Mississippi

Although Federal law requires that all commercial truck drivers undergo a medical exam every two years, what the law does not specify is what type of medical professional may administer the exam. At this point, a chiropractor or nurse practitioner can sign off on the medical exam of a truck driver, meaning this is a considerable loophole which can allow truck drivers with physical impairments to remain on the road. A 2008 congressional investigation showed that as many as one out of three medical certificates issued to truck drivers cannot be verified.

These certificates were either issued by doctors who don’t exist, or were issued by a doctor who later denies ever examining the truck driver, meaning the certificate was fraudulently issued. Because certain governmental websites supply blank medical certificates, drivers may fill out the certificate themselves, forging the signature with a doctor’s name they’ve found in the phone book, and a medical license number they’ve looked up on the Internet.

No Authentication for Medical Certificates

Due to the fact that it rarely becomes necessary to authenticate a medical certificate, there are many drivers on the highways today with a forged medical certificate or one from a marginal medical professional with few medical credentials. The bottom line is there are no training requirements for the issuance of medical certificates for interstate commercial truck drivers, and only minimal standards for what medical issues must be examined. If a trucker is denied by one doctor, he can try another until he finds one who will sign off on his medical certificate.

No Electronic Database for Medical Certificates

Although there are databases for nearly everything these days, there currently exists no electronic database for the medical certificates of truck drivers. When a truck driver is stopped and an officer requests the medical certificate, they either don’t have the time to call the doctor and verify the signature, or if they do call, the doctor is prevented from revealing any medical issues regarding the truck driver because of medical privacy laws. The fine for driving a commercial truck without benefit of a medical certificate is negligible, meaning truck drivers will keep on driving regardless of whether or not they have a valid, properly issued medical certificate which gives them a clean bill of health.

Truck Drivers Who Drive Under Medically Impaired Conditions

A final finding of the congressional investigation was that over half a million truck drivers are currently receiving full medical disability benefits—a staggering statistic which tells you that there are a significant number of medically unfit truck drivers covering hundreds of miles each day on our nation’s highways. Hundreds of deaths occur each and every year when a medically unfit truck driver either falls asleep from exhaustion or suffers a stroke, or heart attack behind the wheel. Over five percent of commercial truck drivers have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, while as many as fifteen percent routinely get less than five hours of sleep per night.

There are over 16 million trucks on the road in the United States, and for every 100 million of miles these trucks drive on the nation’s highways, there are three deaths and over sixty injuries caused strictly by eighteen-wheelers. There is no contest between an 80,000 pound truck and a 5,000-8,000 pound passenger vehicle in the event of an auto crash, and although the truck drivers are generally unhurt in an accident, the people in the passenger vehicle fare less well. If you’ve been injured in an accident, which was the result of, a trucker who was driving impaired, driving under a falsified medical certificate, or simply driving in a negligent or reckless manner, you must contact an experienced Mississippi truck accident attorney immediately who is knowledgeable about trucking accidents specifically. You need time to heal, so let a qualified attorney handle the details of your claim while you try to regain your life.  Call us today for a free consultation.

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Getting Compensated for Your Chronic Pain Following an Auto Accident in Mississippi

An auto accident occurs in the United States almost every sixty seconds. Although this figure encompasses fender benders as well as serious and fatal accidents, you can see that your chances of being involved in an auto accident are actually quite high. While the injuries from such accidents can vary widely, most of the time there is pain involved. The “typical” car accident moves the human body in a violent manner resulting in head trauma, fractures and soft tissue damage to muscles, ligaments and tendons. While a car is specifically designed to withstand an accident to the fullest degree possible, the human body was never meant to be slammed around within the confines of an automobile.

How Often Does Chronic Pain Occur?

Chronic pain following an auto accident is relatively common, and research states that individuals are more likely to suffer from chronic pain than any other form of traumatic injury. In fact, being in a car accident places the average person at an 85% increased risk of traumatic pain as compared to others who suffered a work injury, bone fracture or hospitalization unrelated to an automobile.

Pain is Difficult to Quantify

Pain can be an extremely difficult thing to prove, since an injury which results in excruciating pain to one person can seem relatively mild to another. The person who is suffering the pain can become frustrated when others fail to understand the extent of the pain they now live with day in and day out. For the person who is suffering from pain following a car accident, this pain is extremely real and extremely debilitating. Medical professionals define chronic pain as any type of pain which persists longer than the normal healing process for a specific injury or disease. While the diagnosis may be problematic, chronic pain requires a definitive treatment plan.

Types of Injuries Which Can Lead to Chronic Pain

Whether your original injury was mild or severe, you may experience constant or intermittent pain long after the injury itself has healed. This pain can vary in intensity from mild to unbearable, and can have a significant effect on quality of life and day-to-day activities. There are several types of injuries which are more likely to lead to chronic pain, the first of which is a traumatic brain injury. Brain injury victims can find their life suddenly compromised by constant headache pain which can range from a dull, achy throb to a searing pain which can actually cause the victim to become suicidal. The only treatment available for the intense head pain which follows a brain injury is medication.

Spinal cord injuries which do not result in paralysis can lead to back pain which is so intense that it colors every aspect of the victim’s life. Pain from injuries such as this can include specific exercises, stretching and medication. A bone stress or fracture which results from an auto accident can cause the bone to infect or mend improperly, both of which can cause the victim to have a dull, constant pain in that particular area. The only treatments are surgery—which may or may not work—and medication.

Getting the Help You Need

If you are the victim of a car accident and are still experiencing chronic pain, remember—you did not ask to be in an accident. If the accident was due to another’s negligence, it can be even harder, mentally, to deal with your debilitating pain. Sufferers of chronic pain need help paying their medical bills and lost wages, but can run into opposition from insurance companies who may deny the claim, believing it is not legitimate. A knowledgeable Mississippi auto accident attorney can be your best advocate during this time; he or she will investigate the extent of your injuries and chronic pain, and then aggressively fight on your behalf for the compensation you need and deserve.

Call us today for a free initial consultation.

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Hard Evidence—Taking Photos Following Your Mississippi Auto Accident

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Photographs can literally mean the difference between receiving a fair settlement for your auto accident—and not. Photos clearly show the facts surrounding a case without the inconsistencies of human memory. Many times following an accident everyone involved in the accident has a different accounting of the sequence of events or who did what. Photographs can assist you in proving your report of the incident, allowing you to get an equitable resolution which will cover the damages and injuries sustained in your car crash.

Taking Photos after Your Car Collision

While your first order of business following your auto accident is to get appropriate medical care, the next thing you should think about is making sure the evidence is properly preserved in the event you find it necessary to file a lawsuit to recover damages. If you’ve determined you do not need to go to the hospital (make absolutely certain you are not hurt, otherwise should you determine injuries later they may not be covered because you said you were okay) then spend the time while you are waiting for the police to take accident photographs which will allow you to explain to the insurance adjuster much more efficiently.

What Should I Photograph?

Once you have your camera or cell phone ready, take photos of your car and the damage it sustained. Try to get several photos, from different angles, and watch out for the glare of the sunlight which can obscure the damage you are trying to capture. Take close-up shots at about 3-5 feet, then from further out at about ten to fifteen feet. Try to keep a landmark in the photographs. If you are limited in the amount of photos you can take, be careful to get the ones you need the most—the ones which tell the story of what happened.  Next, take photos of the car which hit you in case the driver later tries to say there was more damage than you actually observed.

If the accident took place at a road intersection, take photos of it in case you have to explain to the insurance adjuster just how it happened. Include the street name in the photo and any other traffic signs which are close to the scene of the accident. If there were any skid marks, be sure and take photos, or if there were no skid marks you could still take photos of the lack of skid marks to show the other person didn’t even try to brake before hitting you. Finally, if there were injuries to the people in your vehicle, document the cuts, bruises, swellings and marks to you or the passengers. Take photos close up and a few feet away.

More Reasons to Take Photos

Having photos which clearly document your accident can actually speed up the settlement process and aid you in filing your initial claim. No matter how small or insignificant the damage or evidence appears to be, photograph it anyhow as insurance against the unexpected. Don’t forget to take photos of the inside damage to your car as well, such as a broken or damaged stereo. If you have concise photos, your adjuster will probably have to spend less time asking you questions.  If you end up hiring an attorney to litigate your accident, the photos will be extremely beneficial to a positive end result.

In addition to taking photographs at the scene of the accident, it can be extremely helpful to keep a daily journal or log which records the pain you experience following the accident. You can also jot down any expenses incurred from the car accident including prescription costs, or any way the accident causes changes to your regular standard of living. Contact a Mississippi personal injury attorney from our law firm soon after your accident so we can give you more advice on what you need to document and build a strong case on your behalf.

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Have You Been Injured in an Airplane Crash in Mississippi?

Often the most devastating losses can result from a plane crash, yet many times the cause of the crash is a mystery. Aviation accident law is, as you can imagine, somewhat of a specialty, covering both major airline crashes as well as general aviation crashes such as small private planes, hang gliders, charter flights, helicopters and hot air balloons, to name a few.  Both negligence and product liability may come into play following an airplane crash which resulted in death and serious injury. Investigations may prove there was no pilot error involved, and, if this is the case, then the evidence will need to be meticulously sifted through in order to determine whether the plane suffered a specific defect in design or manufacture.

The reality is, planes generally don’t malfunction unless there was some type of equipment error and jet planes can actually be considered among the safest and most reliable modes of transportation. Smaller aircraft tend to perform less consistently, usually because of faulty maintenance. If you’ve been injured or had a loved one killed in a plane crash, you will need an attorney who can peruse the flight logs and the planes maintenance records when performing an investigation of the accident. Your lawyer becomes an investigator in cases involving airplanes, and will work closely with the National Transportation Safety Bureau in an effort to zero in on the agency at fault and prove liability.

Crash Statistics

While it is considered to be over four times safer to fly in an airplane than to drive a car, airline accidents usually have much more tragic consequences. If you discount terrorist threats, your chances of being in a commercial airplane crash are one in 7 million, meaning you could fly every single day for hundreds of years and avoid being in an accident.  Because of greatly improved aviation safety standards, even if you are in a plane crash, your chances of survival are much greater than in the past.

Causes of Aviation Accidents

As stated, pilot error and faulty equipment are the two primary causes of aviation accidents, however in some cases the accident and subsequent injuries are caused by violations of the FAA, structural issues of the aircraft, negligence of airline employees or air traffic controllers and dangerous or defective manufacture or design of aircraft. Pilot error is often divided into three sections: straight pilot error, weather-related pilot error and mechanically-related pilot error.

Injury Causes and Types

Obviously when a huge metal object falls from the sky and hits the ground there will be injuries and death to the people inside. Some of the more common injuries are actually the result of luggage or items which fall from the overhead bins onto passengers during an airplane crash. Even absent a crash, turbulence, flaws in bin designs or employee negligence can also cause objects to fall form the overhead bins and strike passengers, causing minor to serious accidents. Other crash victims will sustain permanently life changing injuries including burns, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and minor to severe disfigurement.

The Expertise of Your Mississippi Airplane Attorney

A knowledgeable airline attorney will have access to medical professionals and expert crash witnesses which will enable them to help you through your injuries, allowing you to obtain the compensation you need and deserve. Airplane attorneys are also well-versed in the FAA regulations which must be strictly followed by airlines and their pilots. Your attorney will ensure the evidence in your case is properly preserved, and will determine the exact cause of the accident as well as whether there was negligence involved. If there was, in fact, negligence in your airplane accident, you may also be entitled to punitive damages. Don’t hesitate—call our law firm so you can put all your energies into healing and getting your life back on track.

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Have You Suffered a Slip and Fall in a Public Place?

Over one million injuries each year in the United States are a direct result of a slip and fall, and, in fact, falls are consistently one of the leading causes of injury. Personal injury attorneys often use the term “slip and fall” in cases where a person slips or trips—usually as the result of a spill or other issue—generally on someone else’s property. When the fall and subsequent injuries were a result of negligence or failure to maintain property as required, the property owner can be held legally responsible. If you’ve been the victim of a slip and fall, and are still dealing with the medical and financial aftermath, it is crucial that you seek legal representation. Such cases can be complex, and require an experienced attorney who will work aggressively to prove your case and get you a settlement you not only need, but deserve.

Why So Many Falls?

There are so many falls with injuries in our nation in part because most of us do not fully understand the complexities of same-surface slip and fall accidents, assuming people fall because they are awkward or careless, or because they stepped on an object in their path. In truth, people fall for many reasons including the interaction between the walking surface and a person’s shoes as well as the surrounding environment with all its many distractions.

What Causes Slip and Fall Accidents?

There are a wide variety of typical causes for slip and fall accidents. There could be torn or frayed carpeting in a public area which the owner has neglected to repair, or changes in the height of flooring which can give the walker an unwelcome surprise and cause them to end up on the ground, possibly with serious injuries. Poor lighting, narrow or steep stairs and a wet or sticky floor can all cause slips, and stairway injuries can be quite serious. Public sidewalks may be broken or cracked to the point they cause falls, or hidden hazards such as a pothole in the ground can catch a person totally unaware, leading to injuries such as broken bones. Inclement weather, especially rain, ice and snow are also responsible for a number of slip and falls each year.

What are Your Rights Regarding a Slip and Fall?

When you are walking in a public place you have the absolute right to be warned of any hazards which could cause you to slip and take a tumble. If there are warning signs of hazards ahead and you proceed anyway, you must assume at least a portion of the risk. However, if a known hazard has been ignored or knowingly disguised, it can be assumed that an accident will likely occur. Poor lighting often disguises defects in walking surfaces or flat-out hazardous conditions, therefore changes in your “normal” walking environment must be made clearly visible to all pedestrians to safeguard their health. Walking surfaces should be properly illuminated with the necessary amount of contrast to enable walkers to see what lies ahead.

Determining Liability

The bottom line in determining whether someone else was legally responsible for your injuries following a slip and fall is whether or not the property owner exercised due care to avoid such accidents, and whether your own actions or careless behavior significantly contributed to your fall. Your lawyer can advise regarding whether a dangerous condition did in fact exist, and whether the owner or possessor of the property could have been reasonably expected to be aware of the that condition.  It must have also been reasonably foreseeable that negligence or failure to take action on the part of the owner would likely create such a dangerous condition.

Time will be a critical factor in this determination; if a customer spilled a soda on the floor of a fast food restaurant, and three seconds later you walked into the mess and found yourself on the ground, then the owner could not be reasonably expected to have removed the hazard before your arrival. If, on the other hand, the soda was spilled two hours ago, and it still has not been cleaned up, your case just became much stronger in proving negligence. It is incredibly important that you have photos of the scene of the slip and fall as well as witness statements to corroborate your own account of your fall.

An experienced Mississippi slip and fall attorney can ensure your rights are protected during this time.  Call us today for a free consultation.

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Mississippi Head-On Car Collisions

Approximately one out of every 50 auto accidents in the United States are head-on car collisions—the most deadly kind. The NHTSA estimates that ten percent of car accident fatalities are the result of a head-on collision. The survivors of a head-on car collision often suffer extensive injuries that can be life-altering. When the front ends of two cars collide there will likely be significant amounts of physical and property damage no matter what speed the automobiles were traveling.

Causes of Mississippi Head-On Collisions

Just as with any auto accident, there can be a myriad of reasons for a head-on automobile collision. The most common reasons are texting while driving or talking on a cell phone, although weather conditions such as ice, snow or rain can also be a factor. Other reasons for head-on collisions include passing in an unsafe manner, losing control of the vehicle, driving while impaired, and nodding off at the wheel due to fatigue. Some negligent drivers simply disobey posted traffic signs or signals, failing to stop at a red light, and others mistakenly drive down a one-way street, not noticing the posted warnings. The most common place head-on collisions occur are on two lane roads when one vehicle attempts to pass unsafely into oncoming traffic. Whatever the reason for the crash, whenever two cars collide there will likely be serious injuries to the drivers and passengers of both vehicles.

Physical Results of a Mississippi Head-On Collision

Those who are involved in a head-on car collision may suffer injuries which range from broken bones or whiplash to brain and neck trauma, serious spinal cord injuries or paralysis, burn injuries and multiple lacerations. You may have received facial injuries which could leave you with significant facial scars to deal with in the years to come, not to mention multiple surgeries to try and repair the damage.  You may either have soft tissue damage or catastrophic damage and injuries to your body, and could be subject to months or even years of medical treatments and rehabilitative therapy. The injuries you sustain as a result of your head-on collision could bring medical expenses that you are unable to pay, not to mention lost wages and other out-of-pocket expenses.

The Physics of a Mississippi Head-On Collision

It’s apparent that a head-on crash into another car will cause more damage than a rear-end accident or a side-swipe accident, but if you have the type of scientific mind that wonders exactly why this is so apparent, you can thank Sir Isaac Newton for the formula which explains the answer. If force = mass x acceleration, then you can assume the greater the force in the crash, the more serious the damage. Force can also be seen as any change in momentum, and a car either has forwards and backwards momentum or side to side momentum. Should two cars connect sideways, the impact is distributed between the front, back and sides, however in a head-on collision, the impact is concentrated in the front, meaning the people in vehicles are subject to 100% of the collision force.

Getting the Help You Desperately Need

Although we all want to believe we are safe when we are in our cars headed to work, picking up the kids from school, running errands or going on a family vacation, there is always the chance we can be involved in a car crash. If you should be in a head-on collision, who will be your advocate after the crash and look out for your health and financial interests? Who can better explain the complicated legal issues surrounding a head-on collision than an attorney who represents clients in such types of Mississippi personal injury claim? If you want to ensure your medical bills and future are covered and protected, and that the insurance companies do not take advantage of you, speak with one of our experienced Mississippi car accident attorneys today. We can help you successfully deal with the legal challenges you face, allowing you to heal and re-build your life.

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