Do Seat Belts Really Save Lives in Mississippi?

If you’ve ever been stopped by a police officer for not having your safety belt on—or wearing it improperly by having the shoulder strap under your arm—you probably felt annoyed that the government dictates seat belt usage. Annoying or not, the truth is that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that more than 15,000 lives are saved each and every years in the United States because the driver and passengers were buckled up. Now, consider if one of those 15,000 lives was someone you love—your spouse, your parent, your sibling or your child.

How Seat Belts Protect Lives

Safety belts keep the drivers and passengers inside the vehicle in the event of a crash. Even though there was an urban myth which floated around for a while which held you are much better off to be thrown from the car in the event of a car accident, this simply isn’t true. In fact, those who are ejected from the vehicle are as much as four times more liable to be killed than those who remain inside, restrained by a safety belt. The seat belt controls the strongest parts of your body—in an older child or adult, these are the hips and shoulders. A properly worn lap and shoulder belt also spreads the intensity of the crash across the widest area of your body.

When less stress is put on any one section of your body, serious injury can be averted. The shoulder strap portion of your seat belt also restricts your neck, head and shoulders from striking the dash, steering wheel or other hard parts of your car’s interiors. Bodies are injured in crashes because of the quick alteration in speed, therefore the seat belt protect you by slowing your body down and preventing it from making a sudden change in speed. Finally, a safety belt is specifically designed to protect the two most critical parts of your body—your brain and your spinal cord. Traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries can have lifelong, serious consequences, and wearing your seatbelt goes a long way in preventing such a serious injury.

Make Sure You Buckle Up Correctly

Having your seat belt fit you correctly is almost as important as wearing it. The strap across the lap should fit snugly over your hips and upper thighs—not up on your stomach. The shoulder belt should be positioned across your chest area. The shoulder strap should never go across your chin or neck, and remember that placing the strap under your arms or behind your back and lead to serious injuries in the event of a crash. Children need specialized protection in the form of car seats and booster seats. Check the guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics to ensure you are providing the best option for your child’s age, height and weight. It is recommended that all children ride in the back seat of the vehicle, properly restrained in a car seat or seat belt, until the age of 13.

Click It—or Risk a Ticket

Every state in the United States, with the exception of New Hampshire, have seat belt laws, and in over two-thirds of these dictate that a police officer can stop a vehicle only because of a seat belt violation. In the other states the officer must have another reason to stop the car before citing the driver or passengers for failure to buckle up. You can be fined anywhere from $30 to $150 for failing to wear your seat belt, depending on your state. It is estimated that over 83% of all drivers and passengers wear their safety belts on a regular basis whether due to safety issues or fear of a citation. If you have a medical issue which prohibits you from wearing a safety belt, you will need to have a doctor’s note stating this which you carry in your car at all times. If you feel you’ve been unfairly given a seat belt ticket, contact an attorney who can help you decide whether to challenge the ticket or simply pay it and wear your seat belt from now on.

Call and speak with an experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyer from Barrett Law, PLLC.  Be sure to visit our web blog for more helpful information about your case or call us for a free consultation to answer your important questions.

The attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC serve people throughout Mississippi including: North Mississippi, Jackson, Hattiesburg, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

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Mississippi Auto Accidents and Loss of Future Earnings

Although some victims of auto accidents are thankfully able to get back to work fairly quickly, others are not so fortunate. Many victims of auto accidents sustain a level of injuries which makes it impossible for them to get back to work in a timely fashion, or, in extreme cases, at all. The inability to continue to work in a normal manner, especially in our present shaky economy, can have devastating and long-term financial effects on a family which they may be unable to recuperate from. If you’ve been involved in an auto accident and are unable to return to work, you may be watching your medical bills mount in an alarming manner, and wondering how you will continue to pay your normal living expenses while you are unable to work.

Recovering Lost Wages

The first step in recovering lost wages will be to fully document your pay before your accident. If you are a student pursuing a degree prior to your accident, then this is perhaps the only exception, in that you may be eligible to recover lost wages because of what you would have earned once you completed your degree. Any wages you earned prior to your accident not only must be documented, they must be able to be categorized as taxable income. The injuries you sustained in the accident must have significantly lessened your capacity to continue in your regular position, and a medical professional must certify that you now have specific disabilities or restrictions which hinder your ability to work in your prior profession.

How Will My Lost Earning Capacity Be Calculated?

Loss of future earnings, as opposed to simple lost wages is not calculated in the same manner. Loss of future earnings is calculated on your ability to earn money rather than your actual earnings before or after the injury. The court takes into consideration your actual earning capacity prior to your injury, then compares it to your now reduced earning capacity due to your injuries. The lost earning capacity is calculated by the difference in potential earning and actual earnings.

Because loss of future earnings is dependent upon your wage-earning capacity in the future, even if you happened to be unemployed at the time of your accident will not hinder a possible award of loss of future earnings. Assuming a person in their twenties has just begun their teaching career and the accident and resulting injuries prevent them from continuing that career. The courts will determine the natural progression of the individual’s teaching career, adding in expected yearly raises, cost of living raises, etc., when determining the loss of future earnings. If the person was also continuing their education with an eventual goal of becoming an administrator, then that will also be taken into consideration in the monetary calculations.

Returning to Work—with Diminished Future Job Prospects

Even if you are physically able to return to work, the accident and resulting injuries may still have diminished your future job prospects. Assuming you worked as a police officer, however your injuries dictate that you have been transferred from a police officer who works in the field to a desk job. Although you may still be receiving the exact same salary you were before the accident, your injuries may have conceivably prevented you from working your way up to detective—or even further, therefore you may qualify for loss of future earnings.

Consult a Mississippi Auto Accident Attorney for Loss of Earnings Questions

If you have questions regarding your right to compensation for loss of earnings, it’s imperative that you contact a Mississippi auto accident attorney from our law firm.   Having an attorney looking out for your rights is essential.  Call us today.

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Calculating the Cost of Injuries Following an Auto Accident in Mississippi

If you’ve recently been injured in an automobile accident which caused a significant amount of damage to your vehicle and yourself, you may wonder how an insurance company would value your claim were you to file one. Insurance carriers typically will investigate the types and amounts of damages suffered, then figure a percentage of fault. A Mississippi personal injury attorney will better be able to help you determine the amount your injuries and damages are worth, and figure the potential success of your lawsuit.

What are the Types of Damages You May Recover?

Medical expenses are generally the primary expenses you will be subject to following your auto accident. Depending on the severity of your injuries, you could have any or all of the following expenses: emergency room treatment expenses, bills for doctor visits, hospital expenses, chiropractic care bills, physical therapy fees, medical device fees for crutches or braces, and prescription medicine costs.

Any of these costs which were incurred as a direct result of your accident can be considered recoverable, however if you have a medical exam done specifically for the purpose of your lawsuit, you will generally not be reimbursed for it. Medical expenses are often used as a baseline for determining how reasonable your claim truly is. If your injuries are to the extent that you will be required to continue medical treatments in the future, then these medical expenses will also be a factor in your overall settlement.

Lost Wages of Loss of Earning Capacity

Any money you would have earned between the time of your accident and the final settlement is considered recoverable. Even if you were not employed at the time of the accident, you may still be able to collect on lost wages if you can prove you would have employed. If your ability to earn money in the future has been impaired as a direct result of the accident, then you may also be able to collect for loss of future earnings. To determine this particular figure, your past earnings will be used in the calculations, and the jury will focus on what might have been earned if the accident had not occurred.

Pain and Suffering or Emotional Distress

Many auto accidents leave their victims with chronic pain which never goes away, no matter how much pain medication they take or how much time they spend in rehabilitative therapy. It is expected that this pain will be compensated for, since the overall quality of life has been significantly affected. The injuries from your auto accident could have resulted in daily, chronic pain which may not be expected to go away any time soon. The jury in your case will look at the severity of your pain as well as how long you are likely to be in pain when they determine the specific amount to be awarded.

Emotional distress, also known as mental anguish, encompasses any type of mental or emotional distress which a person suffers as the direct result of their auto accident and subsequent injuries. The person suffering from emotional distress may experience anxiety, nervousness, apprehension, humiliation, grief, shock or even severe embarrassment. If a person has been obviously disfigured, then they may find it embarrassing or humiliating to continue their normal life, therefore pain and suffering expenses could be awarded.

Other Factors

Your attorney may also counsel you to ask for loss of consortium if any of the components of your married life, including affection, comfort, help or sexual relations, were altered or taken away. Property damages can be recovered for the value of any property of yours which was damaged during the auto accident. Juries typically look at how much money you have either spent or lost when they are determining specific amounts for settlement. The medical damages are considered medical special damages, while pain, suffering, emotional damage or other non-monetary losses are considered general damages. Who is at fault will also come into play when determining a settlement; the best way to find out how much you can reasonably expect to recover is to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney.

Call our law firm to discuss you case today!

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Driving Tips to Help You Survive an Auto Accident in Mississippi

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While the vast majority of auto accidents are unavoidable, a skilled driver can minimize the chances of serious injury to all those in the car by being aware of a few simple driving tips. In many cases, the difference between a horrifying wreck and a crash which is survivable could be the brake pedal you neglected to hit or the clearing you failed to look for. While defensive driving can involve making decisions which feel counterintuitive, keep in mind that an accident occurs in a fraction of a second, and learning how to anticipate other driver’s actions can help you survive the accident.

Remember What your Parents Told You—Steer to the Right

Metal, fiberglass and glass can be repaired, but sometimes bodies cannot. If there is a potential accident looming ahead of you such as a multi-car pile-up or a car driving the wrong way, your natural reaction should be to steer to the right. Yes, there may be a guard rail, a fence or a tree in your way, but keep in mind that none of those objects will be traveling at high rates of speed. If you turn to the left you may find yourself in a deadly head-on collision should you cross the median, and if you keep your car going straight, you will end up hitting the car in front of you, and the car in back will likely hit you, and so on. Most roadways have some clearance on the right hand side of the road, and this space is intended for driving emergencies, so use it in any way which will avoid a worse accident.

Accelerate, Don’t Brake

It is most people’s instinct to brake in response to a driving threat, but in some cases you could lessen your chance of serious injury by accelerating instead. When you brake at a high rate of speed, you have effectively limited your maneuverability and will probably still plow into the car ahead of you. Instead of braking, try to anticipate the other driver’s actions and look for an opportunity to accelerate out of the accident, possibly on the right hand side, if it’s clear. Although you are not trained to drive like a NASCAR driver, you may need to think like one in the face of an auto accident.

If a Crash is Unavoidable, Minimize the Damage

Your primary goal should be to avoid head-on collisions with another vehicle or a front-end collision at a high rate of speed into a large immovable object such as a concrete barrier. Do as much as you possibly can to control your speed in the event of an impending accident. Obviously, the faster you are driving, the more damage you will sustain. Your car is weaker, structurally speaking, on the sides, so avoid a side impact if at all possible. If you see another car headed toward you, accelerating might allow the car to hit the rear side of your car rather than dead center.

Don’t bend over or cover your head in response to an impending accident—the damage your neck will sustain when the air bag hits your head will be much worse than if you had remained upright. Never drive or ride in a car which is not outfitted with safety belts and other safety features, and make sure those safety features are regularly serviced. Store objects within your car where they will not fly up and hit you in the event of a car crash. Even small objects can become lethal flying projectiles during a collision. Above all, remain focused and calm and you vastly improve your chances of coming through an accident alive. If you’ve been the victim of an automobile accident, contact a Mississippi personal injury attorney from our law firm immediately to give us all the particulars of the accident so we can best represent your interests.

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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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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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Did a Risky Road Intersection Cause Your Auto Accident in Mississippi?

Over 45,000 people are killed on America’s highways each year, and of that number almost half of those accidents were a direct result of a problem with road design or maintenance—some form of dangerous or risky road. Faulty design, construction, maintenance, or inability to adapt to changing conditions are all issues with roadways which can be the direct cause of your car running off the road, rolling over or colliding with another car or fixed object.

There are lots of risky intersections in the United States which make having a serious accident much more likely. It can be difficult to see another car coming at many intersections, and appropriate signage may not be present to ensure the safety of motorists. Many intersections have not been adequately modified despite past indications of hazards to drivers. If any of these conditions were the cause of your intersection accident it is imperative you retain an attorney who is skilled in litigating cases such as these.

Dangerous Road Cases

Car accidents which resulted from dangerous road conditions can, unfortunately, be difficult and expensive to litigate, since you will be fighting a government entity. The investigation of the dangerous intersection and its history of accidents can be quite challenging. The case will likely  require significant amounts of attorney work, experts called in and expense, but the upside of a case such as this is that it has the potential not only to allow you to recover your damages, but to make the road safer for others. Changes that might otherwise never occur, may be made when you demand your rights.

Our Rights as Motorists

The agencies which design and maintain our roadways are charged with the duty of ensuring the safety of motorists, at least those who are using reasonable care when driving. Of course until cars begin driving themselves, drivers will skid, slide, lose control of their vehicle, fall asleep or become distracted. While all of these driver issues will certainly be responsible for car accidents, government entities who refuse to take reasonable steps to ensure foreseeable events don’t turn tragic are another thing altogether. When an intersection has been proven to be a danger to drivers, and has caused accidents or near-misses in the past, the government must take steps to correct the dangerous road situation to ensure the safety of drivers.

Why You Need an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney

Dangerous road accident cases require the victim to prove the government knew the intersection was a high-risk road hazard and refused or neglected to take steps to fix the road or install appropriate signage to warn drivers. An experienced attorney will be able to show that the entity in charge of the road failed to do something which caused the danger, or will prove the government knew the intersection was dangerous, had plenty of time to fix it, but neglected to do so. If there is a solid history of accidents on the intersection which caused your accident, this may help show the risk was substantial.

Dangerous road cases can be especially difficult to prove because our laws give the government a certain level of immunity which protects them. If the intersection received the stamp of approval from an approved, reputable engineering firm, then unless the design or plan was changed, the government may indeed have immunity from being held accountable. Even if the design was approved and followed to the letter, however, the government entity may have failed to install or maintain signage which warned of the dangerous intersection, or may have failed to cut tree limbs or branches which blocked the views and potentially caused your accident. As you can see, dangerous road cases are complex and definitely require the assistance of an attorney who has the skill and aggressiveness to pursue the government and obtain a fair settlement for your injuries.

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