Log Truck Driver Injured While Attempting To Avoid Deer

Recently, a log truck driver sustained minor injuries while attempting to avoid hitting a deer. The Mississippi Highway Patrol reports that the driver of an 18 wheeler log truck was traveling east on Mississippi 28 when he lost control and overturned, spilling logs across the roadway.  The driver informed troopers that he was trying to avoid hitting a deer.

Mississippi is Home to a Number of Deer Caused Car Accidents Annually

State Farm Insurance ranked Mississippi number five for one of the states with the highest rates of deer related crashes. According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, more than 3,400 vehicles were involved in accidents with deer in the state in 2014.  Some one in 88 drivers will statistically collide with a deer this year.  Sadly, these numbers are actually an improvement over prior years.

The Mississippi car accident attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC caution all drivers to be on the lookout for deer as we move into fall. We have witnessed the serious accidents that deer can cause and want to offer the following tips to help keep residents safe around this wildlife:

  1. Be on alert: Deer become more active during the months of October through January. It is particularly important during these months for drivers to be on the alert and drive defensively. About half of all car accidents involving deer occur during the hours of 5 p.m. to midnight, while another 20 percent happen in early morning hours.   During these hours, it is of the utmost importance to use caution and be on the lookout for deer.
  2. Watch for posted areas: When driving, watch for posted deer crossing signs. These signs have been placed in the area because it is a known area for large deer populations that may cross the road. Deer crossing signs are most likely to be found in heavily wooded areas.
  3. Look for eyes: Drivers will often spot deer by the shine of their eyes, especially at night or during the early morning hours. Slow down right away if you catch a glimpse of eyes by the side of the road.
  4. Wear your seatbelt and drive slow: If you do run into a deer, your seatbelt could save your life. Be sure to always wear your seatbelt each and every time you get into the car. Travel at a safe speed, slowing down even further than the speed limit when traveling around curves or through areas that show signs of deer activity.
  5. Use caution if you swerve to avoid a deer: Unfortunately, at times, drivers will forced to decide in a split second whether to hit a deer or swerve to avoid it. While avoiding the deer collision is always preferable, swerving can at times be dangerous. Before you swerve, check in your mirrors and in front of your vehicle to ensure you will not hit another vehicle or lose control of your car.If you have been injured in a car accident, contact the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC. Our preeminent Mississippi law firm has assisted injured car accident victims and their families for over 75 years. We fight for our injured clients to receive the coverage they deserve for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and much more. Do not delay in seeking legal assistance as you have a limited time within which to file a claim after your injury. Call Barrett Law, PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free initial consultation.

Barrett Law, PLLC: Put Our Decades of Experience to Work on Your Automobile Accident Case!

If you have been injured in a car accident, contact the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC. Our preeminent Mississippi law firm has assisted injured car accident victims and their families for over 75 years.  We fight for our injured clients to receive the coverage they deserve for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and much more.  Do not delay in seeking legal assistance as you have a limited time within which to file a claim after your injury.  Call Barrett Law, PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Hit and Run Accidents

The number of hit and run accidents is on the rise in Mississippi and across the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 1,449 fatal hit and run accidents occurred in 2011, a figure that is up significantly from prior years. This rise in the number of hit and runs also comes during a time when deaths from most traffic deaths are on the decline.  Pedestrians are frequently fatal hit and run accident victims due their vulnerability.

The Mississippi automobile accident attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC are saddened to hear that hit and run accidents are on the rise. We have assisted countless hit and run accident victims and witnessed firsthand the devastation these accidents can bring to a family.  We understand that hit and run accidents can occur due to a wide variety of circumstances, the most common of which include:

  1. Illegal driving: Many hit and run drivers are driving illegally. They may not have a license or their license is suspended. They may also lack insurance or a proper registration. They do not want law enforcement personnel to catch them driving illegally, so they flee the scene of the accident.
  2. Panic: Sometimes drivers reach such a point of panic that they flee the scene of the accident. The majority of hit and run fatalities involve pedestrians. In some cases, drivers may not see a pedestrian and when they realize they have hit someone, they panic and flee.
  3. Drunk driving or other illegal activity: Drivers who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time they hit someone may flee the scene of the accident in order to avoid prosecution. They are likely worried that they will fail a field sobriety test and in fear they flee. Other drivers may have illegal substances or firearms in the vehicle and flee out of fear these illegal items will be found and seized.
  4. Fear of the overall consequences of an accident: Drivers at times will flee simply to avoid the consequences that accompany any serious accident. They may be afraid of being charged for causing the accident due to breaking traffic violations. They may not wish to face increased insurance rates or deal with the police.

While all of these circumstances explain why someone may elect to flee the scene of an accident, they are never a valid excuse for engaging in this illegal behavior. All drivers have a legal responsibility to stop and wait for the authorities to arrive if they have been involved in a serious accident.  Failure to do so is a criminal offense, punishable by fines, points on your license, and much more.

If you have been injured by a hit and run driver, there are steps you can take to obtain the compensation you deserve. Often, hit and run drivers can be identified through witnesses, cameras, and other physical evidence left at the scene. Other times, you may be able to obtain compensation through your own insurance.  Contact a car accident attorney for more assistance.

Barrett Law, PLLC: A Preeminent Mississippi Law Firm

If you have been injured in a car accident, contact the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC. Our outstanding Mississippi law firm has assisted injured car accident victims and their families for over 75 years.  We fight for our injured clients to receive the coverage they deserve for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and much more.  Do not delay in seeking legal assistance as you have a limited time within which to file a claim after your injury.  Call Barrett Law, PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free initial consultation.

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Former Alabama Football Player Killed in Single Vehicle Crash in Mississippi

Recently, former Alabama running back Altee Tenpenny was killed in a single vehicle wreck in Mississippi. The Mississippi Highway Patrol reports that Tenpenny, who was 20 at the time of the accident, was traveling through Mississippi on Highway 1 when he crashed into a highway sign around 5 p.m.  The force of the collision caused his vehicle to become airborne and then rollover several times upon landing.  The car then collided with a utility pole, ejecting Tenpenny from the vehicle.  Emergency personnel rushed to the scene, but the former football player sadly perished from his injuries sustained in the accident.  As of now, Mississippi Highway Patrol and accident reconstructionists are still working to uncover the cause of the accident.

Causes of Single Vehicle Accidents

Each year, thousands of drivers and passengers across the country are killed in single vehicle accidents. There are a number of causes for single vehicle accidents, but some common circumstances seem to arise in the majority of these crashes.  Common causes of single vehicle accidents include:

  1. Speed: Driving over the speed limit is the number one cause of single vehicle crashes. Speed can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles and run off the road or hit obstacles near the road. Slow down and stay within the legal speed limit in order to prevent a single vehicle crash.
  2. Road conditions: Road conditions can in part lead to single vehicle accidents. Roads that are poorly maintained or contain inadequate warning signs can cause single vehicle crashes. All states and municipalities should ensure roads are maintained in a safe manner for travelers in order to prevent serious accidents.
  3. Distracted driving: Drivers who text, talk on the phone, browse the web, eat, drink, or engage in like distracted activities can cause accidents. Distraction draws a driver’s attention, vision, and possibly hands from the road for an amount of time sufficient to cause an accident. Pay attention to the road ahead and stow all electronic devices in a safe place.
  4. Driving while intoxicated: Alcohol is a major contributor to single vehicle accidents. Drivers who use drugs or alcohol will not be able to react properly to sudden obstacles or emergency situations. These drivers are also prone to using excessive speed and running off the roadways. Never drink and drive to protect your life and the lives of those around you.
  5. Tired driving: Drivers who are sleep deprived are unlikely to react appropriately to obstacles and may not swerve in time to prevent an accident. Drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel may run off the road, jump medians, or run into curbs.
  6. Mechanical defects: Cars that are defective can cause serious single car accidents. Defective brakes, tires, and much more are common causes of car accidents. If you are injured in a single vehicle accident, be sure your car accident attorney investigates the possibility of a mechanical defect leading to your accident. If you have been injured in car accident, contact the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC.  Our preeminent Mississippi law firm has assisted injured vehicle accident victims for over 75 years. We fight for our injured clients to receive the coverage they deserve for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and much more. Do not delay in seeking legal assistance as you have a limited time within which to file a claim after your injury. Call Barrett Law, PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free initial consultation.

Barrett Law, PLLC: Decades of Experience Representing Injured Car Accident Victims across Mississippi

If you have been injured in car accident, contact the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC. Our preeminent Mississippi law firm has assisted injured vehicle accident victims for over 75 years.  We fight for our injured clients to receive the coverage they deserve for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and much more.  Do not delay in seeking legal assistance as you have a limited time within which to file a claim after your injury.  Call Barrett Law, PLLC today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free initial consultation.

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New Uses of Cell Phones by Drivers Might Justify a Universal Cell Phone Ban

Although traffic safety experts and lawmakers have long recognized the danger posed by drivers using cell phones and portable electronic devices, legislative responses to this public safety threat have been uneven.  While some states bar use of a cell phone for calling or texting while driving, other states place no restrictions on receiving or placing cell phone calls.  Specifically, these other states take the approach of allowing cell phone calls but only with a Bluetooth hands-free device.  Said approaches taken by states in imposing cell phone driving restrictions have ranged widely, even as the debate was limited to texting and calling.  However, the massive growth of mobile phone “apps” now makes a ban of all electronic devices behind the wheel worth considering.

Cell Phone Distractions: Beyond Texting and Talking

Most states now have laws that address talking and/or text messaging activity while driving.  For example, Mississippi became the 45th state to ban texting and driving earlier this year.  However, our state has not prohibited making or receiving phone calls on cell phones or limited such use to hands-free calling.  As if the issue of protecting public safety from multi-tasking drivers was not complicated enough, an array of new distracted driving practices are now gaining popularity, such as:

  • Posting status updates on social media sites
  • Taking “selfies”
  • Playing games
  • Reviewing Facebook pages
  • Using GPS apps
  • Surfing the Internet

The expanding array of ways that motorists are distracted by cell phones makes it worth considering the merits of a complete ban on portable phones and other electronic devices while driving.  The practice of permitting certain uses complicates enforcement of banned activities because law enforcement officers often find it challenging to determine how a cell phone is being used.  Further, the use of a mobile phone to take a “selfie” or post a status update on Facebook would not seem to be any safer than text messaging behind the wheel.

Limitations on cell phone use by drivers makes Mississippi roads less dangerous.  The Mississippi Center for Health Policy has estimated that the ban on texting and driving that was recently enacted would have saved almost a hundred lives between 2008-2112 if the law had been in effect.  A global ban on all portable electronic devices while driving might save many more lives.  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that states take this aggressive approach, but none have gone this far as of the writing of this blog post.

While it is unclear whether such a universal ban will become law, our Mississippi Auto Accident Lawyers see the devastating impact of distracted driving far too often.  We encourage all drivers to abstain from using their cell phone, tablet, iPad, or similar devices behind the wheel.  Barrett Law PLLC represents victims of distracted drivers.  Contact our firm today at (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free consultation, so we can answer questions you might have regarding filing your personal injury claim.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Report: Mother and Child Killed in Wrong Way Accident

A mother and child were tragically killed after a wrong way accident closed a portion of I-55 in North Mississippi.  The Desoto County Sheriff’s Department reports that a SUV carrying a mother and child from Arkansas suddenly headed the wrong way near Coldwater Bridge.  It collided with a UPS truck head on.  Both vehicles quickly caught fire.  The mother and child perished in the accident and the UPS driver sustained minor injuries.  The interstate was closed for three hours as traffic was diverted around the flaming vehicles.  Police are still investigating the crash.

Wrong Way Accidents are Rare, But Often Deadly

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), wrong way accidents are less common than many other types of accidents, but when they do occur, fatal or serious injuries are highly likely.  The vast majority of wrong way accidents result in head on collisions, which have the highest percentage of fatalities.

One of the most common causes of wrong way accidents is alcohol or drug impairment.  Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol can cause drivers to become confused and disoriented, which can result in crossing over the center line or entering the roadway going in the wrong direction.  Police and automobile accident attorneys will generally investigate the potential for drug or alcohol use in any wrong way accident.

Another growing cause of wrong way accidents is distraction.  Distracted drivers may cross into the other roadway when they are looking down at their phone or engaging in another distracting behavior.  Researchers currently believe the incidence of wrong way crashes is on the rise and the increase in driver distraction is likely part of this unfortunate trend.

Other negligent factors leading to wrong way accidents include poor lighting or highway entrance ramps that are not well marked, allowing drivers to enter the road traveling in the wrong direction.  Road construction has been known to cause wrong way accidents when it interferes with the flow of traffic and unsuspecting drivers inadvertently enter the wrong lane.  At times, drivers visiting from out of state may become disoriented or focus on their GPS to the point of not noticing they have entered a roadway the wrong way.

Wrong Way Accident Victims Will Require Considerable Compensation

Most wrong way crashes will cause serious and considerable injuries due to their head on nature.  When two vehicles collided head on, it is the force equivalent of crashing into a brick wall.  This intense and sudden stopping of motion can result in serious head injuries, neck injuries, broken limbs, spinal cord damage, internal organ damage, and more.

If you have been injured in a wrong way accident, consult with an experienced automobile accident attorney as soon as possible.  Your attorney will assist you in obtaining compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more stemming from the accident.

Barrett Law PLLC:  A Mississippi Automobile Accident Law Firm of Distinction

Wrong way accidents often result in death and serious injuries.  If you have been injured in an automobile accident due to a wrong way driver or a driver behaving in any other negligent manner, contact the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC.  Our prominent Mississippi law firm has assisted injured vehicle accident victims for over 75 years.  Allow our zealous attorney team to fight for your full recovery following any traffic accident.  Do not delay in seeking legal assistance as you have a limited time within which to file a claim after your injury.  Call us today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Report: Driver Fell Asleep in Fatal Crystal Springs Accident

Recently, two adults and two children from New Orleans perished in a car accident in Crystal Springs, Mississippi.  The Mississippi Highway Patrol reports that the driver fell asleep behind the wheel just before the accident, which occurred at about 3:15 a.m. on Interstate 55 in Copiah County.  Authorities believe the 2014 Hyundai vehicle left the interstate as the driver fell asleep, hit a tree, and then caught on fire.  The driver was a 22 year old woman traveling with a 19 year old front seat passenger and two young children, ages 18 months and 4 months.  All were visiting the state from New Orleans.

The Dangers of Tired Driving

According to Drowsydriving.org, an initiative of the National Sleep Foundation, 60 percent of all adult drivers polled, or at least 158 million people, report feeling drowsy while driving in the past year.  A third of these drivers, or 103 million people, actually fell asleep behind the wheel.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that drowsy driving in 2013 caused at least 72,000 crashes, 800 fatalities, and 44,000 injuries.  Researchers believe that the true number of drowsy driving deaths could be far higher, as this is an underreported cause of accidents.  Unlike driving while intoxicated, there is no sure test to determine whether a driver is extremely tired.  As such, many accidents that were likely due to tired driving are classified as having a different cause.

Who is at Risk for Driving Tired?

Drowsy driving accidents occur most commonly among younger drivers, particularly men, young adults with children, and shift workers.  Here is an in-depth look at who is at risk of a tired driving crash:

  • Adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are most likely to be involved in a tired driving accident.
  • Men are more likely to drive while tired and also to fall asleep behind the wheel while driving.
  • Adults with children are about 10 percent more likely to drive drowsy than childless adults.
  • Sleep deprivation greatly increases your risk of being involved in an accident, and the less sleep you get, the more likely you are to be in an accident.
  • Shift workers are at risk of tired driving accidents because they are likely to drive tired more than once a month.
  • People who sleep six or seven hours or less are twice as likely to be injured in a car accident as those who obtain eight or more hours of sleep.
  • Being awake for 18 hours actually produces characteristics similar to driving while intoxicated, causing drivers to lack reaction time, awareness, perception, and much more.

If you have been injured in an accident and believe the other driver may have been driving drowsy, consult with an automobile accident attorney as soon as possible.  Your attorney can assist in investigating the accident and uncovering evidence of the other driver’s negligent behavior.

Barrett Law PLLC: Dedicated Representation for Car Accident Victims Across Mississippi

Driver fatigue can result in catastrophic accidents.  If you have been injured in an automobile accident due to driver fatigue or other driver negligence, contact the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC.  Our prominent Mississippi law firm has assisted injured vehicle accident victims for over 75 years.  Allow our zealous attorney team to fight for your full recovery following any traffic accident.  Do not delay in seeking legal assistance as you have a limited time within which to file a claim after your injury.  Call us today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Fatal Accidents Caused by Tired Drivers

Research and statistics provide information about automobile accidents that can help drivers understand the risks associated with driving and the types of accidents that can happen on the road. For example, statistics show that drowsy driving is a common cause of single-vehicle accidents involving serious injuries or fatalities and drivers who are not intoxicated. A tragic multi-fatality accident in Copiah County appears to be an example of this type of accident. The fiery early morning crash that killed two adults and two children occurred when a vehicle left the highway and hit a tree. An initial investigation of the accident scene indicated that the driver appeared to have fallen asleep at the wheel.

Accidents involving tired drivers are becoming more and more common on American roads, claiming the lives of approximately fifteen hundred people each year and injuring thousands of others. Despite ample media coverage of these tragic accidents, many people do not take sleep into consideration when they make choices about driving. As a nation, we are more sleep-deprived than ever before. Even in cases where people do not suffer from chronic sleep deprivation, accident risk can be increased by the occasional lack of sleep. It is also important to note that drivers who get adequate rest before they get behind the wheel experience an increased accident risk after they have been driving for a long time, as driving is an activity that can cause fatigue.

The effects of sleep deprivation and driver fatigue are similar to the effects of consuming alcohol. Tired drivers experience decreased awareness and impaired judgment, and they are slow to react to things like the movements of nearby vehicles, curves in the road, or animals that run out into the road. Unfortunately, the strategies that many of us use for keeping ourselves alert, including chewing gum, drinking coffee, or rolling down the windows, are only somewhat effective at increasing awareness and only work for a limited period of time. The safest thing that drivers can do when they notice that they are beginning to get tired is to stop and rest. Stopping to rest may not seem like an option, especially if you are trying to arrive at your destination at a certain time, but it is the best way to ensure that you get there safely.

Barrett Law PLLC: Serving the Needs of Mississippi Automobile Accident Victims  

Automobile accidents involving serious injuries and fatalities have a deep and lasting impact upon the lives of accident victims and their families. It can be difficult to know what to do if an accident has taken the life of someone in your family or has left them with a serious injury. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC may be able to help you if you have been injured in a Mississippi automobile accident, or if someone that you love was killed in a Mississippi automobile accident. To learn more, please call us today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule an initial consultation.

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Mississippi Car Accident Attorneys Talk about Passing Other Vehicles Safely

A recent accident involving an SUV and a pickup truck that was towing a flatbed trailer serves as a somber reminder that drivers must always use caution when passing other vehicles. It appears as though the driver of the pickup truck that was pulling the trailer passed the SUV and then struck it with the trailer while returning to the right lane to complete the pass. The driver of the SUV lost control of their vehicle and it rolled over multiple times into the median.

Drivers can reduce the risk of accidents by passing other vehicles carefully. If you would like to pass a vehicle that is driving in front of you, first make sure that you do so legally.  Many accidents occur when drivers pass in the no-passing zones that are marked with double yellow lines and “do not pass” signs.

If you are on a multi-lane highway or some other area where passing is permissible, choose a safe location to make your pass. Passing may be permitted in areas where there are curves or hills, however, it is best to exercise caution when doing so, as your visibility of oncoming cars may be limited.  Once you have found a safe location, double check the area around you to make sure that there are no vehicles trying to pass you, and that any other vehicles nearby are a safe distance away. It is best to wait if you see a car approaching quickly from behind you.

Once you see that it is safe to make the pass, use your turn signal to let other drivers, including the driver that you are passing, know that you are passing. Once you are in the passing lane, increase your speed and remain in the passing lane until you can see in your rear view mirror that it is safe to move back into the other lane. When you see that there is enough clear space behind you to move into the other lane safely, activate your turn signal and complete your pass.

Barrett Law PLLC: Caring Legal Assistance for Mississippi Automobile Wreck Victims

The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you if you have lost someone that you love because of a car accident or if you were injured in a car crash. Automobile accident victims who are severely injured may need a long time to recover from their injuries, and even those crash victims with minor injuries can experience significant interruptions in their day to day activities as the result of their accident. Families who have lost a loved one in an automobile wreck are likely to search for answers regarding their devastating loss, as well as seeking accountability from those parties who may be responsible for the death of their family member. To learn more, please call us today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule a free initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Causes of Rollovers and How to Avoid Them

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Rollover crashes are dangerous, and sometimes, even deadly. Because rollovers involve a mixture of factors such as weather, a driver’s reaction, vehicle type, and road conditions, there are a variety of things that can cause rollover wrecks. Fortunately, there are also a number of ways in which to address rollover causes through improvements in driving skills and technology.

Some physical features of vehicles can make them more or less likely to roll over. While any vehicle can roll over, the vehicles that have the highest rollover risk tend to be tall and narrow. These vehicles, which include many SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks, have a high center of gravity and can be rolled over with less force than it takes to roll over vehicles with a lower center of gravity, such as cars that have been designed with a low, wide stance.

Other factors that play a role in rollover crashes include speed, alcohol, and the driving environment. Fatal rollovers in particular often involve excessive speed. Alcohol consumption greatly increases the risk that you will make poor choices while driving, which includes the risk of losing control of your vehicle and rolling over. Approximately half of all fatal rollovers involve alcohol. Rollovers also occur more frequently on rural roads, where dividing lines are not as clearly marked and speed limits may be high despite the presence of curves.

As you can see, some of the causes of rollover crashes are directly tied to drivers’ behavior. This means that drivers can greatly reduce the risk of rollover accidents by making better choices regarding how they drive. Some examples of things that you can do to avoid rollover accidents include following posted speed limits, choosing not to drink and drive, choosing not to drive if you are fatigued, and avoiding distractions while driving. It is also important to remember not to make sudden, panicked movements with your steering wheel because those movements often lead to overcorrections and rollovers. Wearing a seat belt is always important, and it can save your life if your car rolls over. Close to seventy percent of rollover fatalities involve victims who were not wearing seat belts. Other things that you can do to decrease rollover risk include properly inflating and maintaining your tires and loading vehicles properly.

Vehicle design can also play a role in helping reduce the number of rollover accidents that occur. While it is essential that drivers learn how to reduce their rollover risk through making good choices, it is helpful when vehicles have additional features that reduce rollover risk even further. Stability control features have many different names, but they work in similar ways, detecting overcorrections and compensating for them by braking automatically. Side-impact or curtain-style airbags are another helpful technology that can reduce ejection risk and can reduce the amount of fatalities and the severity of injuries that occur during rollovers. It is important to note that side airbags that deploy during a rollover only work to reduce ejection risk if vehicle occupants are also wearing seatbelts. Variable ride height suspensions are another feature that can help vehicles adapt to changing driving conditions and make automatic adjustments to reduce the likelihood of a rollover.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Representing Mississippi Automobile Accident Victims

If you were injured in a rollover, the experienced and dedicated Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC would like to help you. Please call us today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Worker’s Compensation Attorneys Discuss Highway Construction Accidents

There are many dangerous workplaces where the risk of severe injury or death almost always looms large. Highway construction work is one of these jobs, and the work is certainly not easy.   Each year during road work season, construction workers across the nation put on bright orange vests, hard hats, and other highly visible apparel and go out into the hot sun to operate heavy equipment with traffic passing within inches of where they are working.

The work that highway construction workers do to maintain our roads helps us to have safe roads to drive on throughout the year. Unfortunately, despite workers’ and employers’ best efforts to create safe work areas, highway work zone accidents kill and injure construction workers in highway work zones each year. Drivers sometimes have trouble safely navigating within construction zones, and when they crash into the cones, barrels, or other barriers that delineate the work area, they often collide with workers within the work zone.  Said collisions are often the result of a failure to follow work zone speed limits, and, in recent years, distracted driving accidents in work zones have been on the increase.

Vehicle collisions are not the only causes of injuries to highway construction workers. Many of them operate heavy equipment, which can cause severe injuries in the event of an accident. The extreme temperatures in some highway work zones can cause heat-related illnesses and injuries and it can also aggravate other medical conditions. The nature of construction work itself means that there is always the risk of sprains, strains, cuts, and bruises while workers are on the job.

When highway workers are fortunate enough to survive work zone accidents, they are often severely injured. Many injured workers are hurt so badly that it is likely to take them a long time to recover from their injuries. This also means that they will be out of work for a while, perhaps even for the rest of the season, as they work through the pain of physical therapy towards whatever degree of recovery they are able to attain. Some workers are left with permanent injuries, such as partial or complete paralysis, which may make it impossible for them to return to highway construction work at any time in the future. All of these things make recovery after a highway construction work zone accident very difficult, both physically and financially.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Helping Injured Highway Construction Workers Throughout Mississippi

The Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC understand that it can be very difficult to recover physically and financially from a highway work zone accident. If you were injured in a work zone, seek the help you need from the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC. Please call our office today at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

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