Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys Talk About Mitigating Workplace Violence Risk

Workplace violence is a real threat to worker safety, but it is much more of a threat at certain types of workplaces than it is at others. Corrections workers face a much higher risk of workplace violence in their work within our nation’s prisons as well as out in the community with those who are involved in the criminal justice system. A recent complaint to the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regarding a Mississippi prison brought about an investigation and eventual settlement that can serve as a template for requiring employers to actively mitigate the risk of violence within their workplaces.

The complaint got filed in 2011 by a correctional officer who worked at a privately operated state prison in Mississippi. The complaint is eight pages, and it raises numerous questions about the safety of people who work at the prison because of shortages of staff, shortages of security equipment like two-way radios, assaults by inmates on correctional officers, inadequate locking mechanisms on cells, and limited escape routes from the facility.

A shortage of staff in any workplace creates some degree of risk for employees. In a correctional setting, there are many situations where officers should work in pairs to safeguard their safety. When corrections staff work alone there is the potential for violence them more than there is if there are two or more working together. Workplaces of all kinds are responsible for knowing how many employees they need for each shift and for staffing their facilities accordingly. The staffing shortages at the prison were one of the reasons why OSHA cited the facility with a violation of its general duty clause.

Another contributing factor in why OSHA issued a willful violation citation for the prison is that malfunctioning cell door locks were not fixed, which greatly increased the risk of harm to staff and inmates due to violence, even though the employer was aware of the problem and aware of the danger that the problem created for some time. Fortunately, after the prison received the willful violation citation, the company which runs the facility agreed to implement specific safety modifications at the Mississippi prison that was the subject of the complaint and in all of its facilities nationwide. As part of that, the company hired a third-party corrections management consultant and implemented a workplace violence prevention program. They also created workplace safety committees. These steps forward are more than companies usually take after such a citation, but OSHA is hoping that other facilities that got similarly cited will follow suit and take the initiative to improve workplace safety.

Barrett Law PLLC – Representing The Interests of Injured Mississippi Workers

A skilled workplace injury attorney can help you navigate the often tricky task of pursuing a claim for damages after a workplace accident. Your attorney can also offer valuable support and guidance to assist you through every stage of the workers’ compensation claims process. If you got hurt at work or you lost a loved one in a workplace accident, you can get help from a Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorney. Call the Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505 to find out more.

 

 

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Say Not All Accident Scenes Are Easy to Examine

Many car accident scenes provide investigators with plenty of useful and easy to access information that they can then use to formulate conclusions about how the accident occurred. Sometimes, though, conditions at or near an accident scene can make finding answers difficult for investigators. Unfortunately, in the case of fatal accidents, this means that families who have lost their loved ones must wait to find out how and why they died.

For example, the investigation into an accident that killed at least three people got delayed by heavy rain. The SUV that crashed is reported to have had four people in it, but there were only three bodies, two men and a woman, that got recovered after the wreck. The fourth person, a woman, is missing.  All three people who perished in the wreck died as the result of multiple traumas from the crash.

The crashed vehicle did not get discovered until about three or four days after the accident because of where it ended up. Fishermen found the SUV in a creek, under a fifty-foot-high bridge. Motorists driving on the bridge cannot see underneath it, so no one driving by noticed the vehicle until the fishermen found it. At the time the vehicle got found, the creek as a lot higher than normal due to heavy rains in the area, the same rain which made it tough to look for the fourth person who is said to have been in the SUV. The search for the missing woman got suspended because the weather and the stream and river conditions made it unsafe for rescuers and volunteers to look for the woman.

The people who were driving and riding in the SUV were en route from Illinois to Florida. Someone reported them missing before the fishermen found their vehicle in the creek. Investigators are working to piece together the details of what may have happened, and initially, there are still so many unknowns which make it hard to put together any cohesive theory of what happened. The search for the missing woman can continue as soon as possible so that more can be known about the accident and so her family can know where she is.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Help for Mississippi Automobile Accident Victims

Accidents that leave investigators with more questions than answers can be frustrating for friends and family members of those who got hurt or killed in the crash. When there are injuries and or losses, families want as many answers as they can get. Speaking with an attorney might not speed up the investigation into the cause of the accident, but it can prepare you and your family for what you might be able to expect in the weeks and months to come. If you got hurt or a family member got killed in a traffic accident, contact a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney right away, even if the accident is still under investigation. If you have questions about what a Mississippi automobile accident lawyer could do for you and your family after your accident, please call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys of Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505 to set up an initial consultation.

 

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Talk About Pile-Up Accidents

Recently, one person died, and at least four others got hurt in a six-vehicle pile-up accident in Mt. Olive. The accident happened at a traffic light. The chain of events that led up to the pile-up started when a trailer truck rear-ended a car which was s at the traffic light. Other cars collided with the crashed vehicles until a total of six vehicles got ensnared in the wreckage. Authorities are currently investigating the accident.

Chain reaction accidents can be dangerous and often deadly. Fortunately, drivers can sometimes prevent them or avoid getting entangled in them. Pile-ups can happen fast, especially on crowded roads during busy travel times, but the following safety tips just might help you avoid causing or adding to a chain reaction wreck. For example, one of the best ways to prevent a chain reaction crash is to always leave enough space between your vehicle and the vehicles around you. Many drivers do not realize that adequate space means staying at least one car length back from the vehicle in front of you, for every ten miles per hour of your car’s speed. When drivers leave enough space between their vehicles and the cars around them, they have some space to work with if other vehicles nearby make unexpected maneuvers.

Sometimes, pile-up accidents start with a vehicle hydroplaning or otherwise losing control because of weather-related driving conditions. That type of pile-up can sometimes be avoided, and drivers can also avoid piling onto other accidents by paying close attention to the weather and road conditions and adjusting their driving accordingly. Mississippi often experiences heavy rain and thick fog. Fog and rain reduce visibility, so drivers must slow down to give themselves time to react to things as they can see them. If you drive too fast when visibility is low, you could get into an accident if a car stops short in front of your vehicle because, by the time that you see the vehicle stop, it is too late to react to it. Rain also reduces traction, so drivers must go slow enough to avoid hydroplaning and ensure that they can stop without sliding all over the road.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Serving Families Affected by Mississippi Chain Reaction Accidents

Unfortunately, sometimes even the safest drivers cannot avoid an accident. Reaching your destination safely depends on many things, some of which are beyond your control. If you got hurt or someone you love got killed in a chain reaction accident, you might face a complicated set of facts that could make it difficult for fault to get assigned to one or more of the drivers that were involved in the wreck. Not only can that be frustrating, but it can also delay the payment of your automobile accident claim, at a time when you need that compensation to recover or help your family recover from the effects of the accident. If your family was affected by a Mississippi motor vehicle crash, a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney could help you pursue an automobile accident claim for your damages or your loss. Call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (601) 790-1505, to learn more.

 

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Share Safety Tips for Driving in Traffic

A horrific crash in Gautier claimed the lives of four people. The accident occurred in heavy traffic. An accident had stopped traffic on the westbound side of the highway. As people sat in traffic waiting for that accident to get cleared, a devastating pile-up crash occurred. An eighteen wheeler rear-ended an SUV, and the force of the impact pushed the SUV into the rear of a pickup truck and then into the rear of another tractor trailer. The four adults who perished in the wreck were all passengers in the SUV.

It is essential that drivers learn how to drive safely through congested traffic. Sitting in traffic can be annoying, and it can make you feel anxious if you are trying to arrive somewhere at a specific time. Despite how you feel about sitting in traffic, you must remain aware of what is going on around you and do what you can to stay safe.

One way to drive safely in traffic is to avoid it whenever possible. Sometimes, you can commute to work early and leave early, or go in later and stay later to avoid rush hour traffic on either end of the day. For non-work trips, plan to go during times when traffic is not usually heavy. Sometimes planning your trip around traffic is not an option. When that happens, it is time to employ the following safe-driving strategies.

Whenever you are driving, look ahead of you often, so that you can see traffic slowing or stopping before you get right up to it. When you see slowed or stopped traffic, slow down accordingly as you approach it. Once you are sitting in traffic that is slowed or stopped, it can be tempting to distract yourself with a smartphone, loud music, or conversation. It may seem counter-intuitive, but you must pay extra close attention to driving when you are driving slowly or not even moving. If you have ever turned the radio way, way down while driving in a congested area or you have asked your children to “Be quiet, there is traffic, and I need to focus,” you understand the need for focus that driving in traffic creates. Turn off the phone, turn down the radio, and ask that your passengers help you be safe by talking quietly amongst themselves.

Now that you are focused on the road and the traffic around you, it’s time to drive defensively. Pay attention to your surroundings, keep your vehicle moving with the flow of traffic, and leave plenty of space between your car and other nearby vehicles. As traffic begins to move, maintain more and more space between your vehicle and the car in front of you as speed increases because you need room to stop if traffic slows down or stops again.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Serving Families Affected by Mississippi Car Crashes

If your family has been affected by a Mississippi motor vehicle wreck, a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney can help you pursue a claim for your damages or your loss. Call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (601) 790-1505, to learn more.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Share Safe Driving Tips for Drivers of Standard-Shift Vehicles

Many people enjoy driving standard-shift cars, even though there is more effort required in learning how to drive them safely. Whether you’re learning how to drive a standard-shift car or you are an experienced driver, it is a good idea to review the following safe driving tips for navigating slowed and stopped traffic safely with your standard-shift vehicle.

The most basic safe driving strategy for getting through heavy traffic in your standard-shift car is to allow plenty of space in between your car and the vehicle in front of you. If you’re accustomed to driving an automatic shift vehicle, be aware that the suggested amount of space between vehicles is even greater for standard-shift vehicles than it is for automatic shift vehicles so leave more than you usually would. The space between your car and the car in front of you will enable you to creep forward in low gear when traffic begins to move, eliminating the need to ride your clutch or shift more often than necessary.

Stop and go traffic can be frustrating when you are driving a standard-shift car. It is a good idea to learn how your vehicle handles and decide whether you prefer first or second gear for navigating traffic jams. When you need to slow down use engine braking to your advantage by easing off of the gas and shifting into a lower gear when the RPMs are low enough to do so. Shifting in this manner is much more gentle than an abrupt shift, and makes for less wear and tear on your car.

If someone is following you too close behind, remain calm. The law expects drivers to leave space between their car and the car in front of them, in acknowledgment of the fact that standard transmission vehicles roll back when the driver is shifting into first gear. If someone is close to your bumper, give your car a little more gas than you normally would as you shift into first and slowly let the clutch out.

Whenever you can, maintain a constant speed that is slightly slower than the traffic. You can avoid frequent shifts by doing this, and it also gives you time to respond to the maneuvers of cars near you. It also helps you to keep a good distance between your car and the car in front of you. Be prepared to downshift quickly if a car cuts into that space because that can happen, especially in traffic.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Help for Mississippi Traffic Accident Victims

Accidents that occur in slowed or stopped traffic can cause severe injury or death. If you got hurt or a family member got killed in a traffic accident, contact a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney right away. If you would like to find out more about what a Mississippi automobile accident lawyer could do for you and your family after an accident, call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys of Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505 to arrange an initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Talk About Rear-End Crashes

A man was extricated from his vehicle and airlifted from the scene of a two-vehicle rear-end wreck. The mid-afternoon accident happened as a pickup truck was waiting to make a turn. A pickup truck rear-ended the first pickup truck. The man who got trapped inside of his truck was the driver of the truck that collided with the back of the stopped pickup truck. The driver of the truck that was stopped and waiting to turn did not get hurt.

Rear end crashes are a common type of motor vehicle accident. These collisions often happen when a driver pulls out in front of another moving car. They also occur when people follow other cars too closely, when drivers get distracted, when traffic slows suddenly, and when weather and road conditions increase braking distance. Rear end accidents can happen to anyone, and they can cause painful injuries and extensive damage to your vehicle.

If you get into a rear-end collision, it is essential that you and the other driver remove your vehicles from the road if it is safe to do so. Rear end wrecks can quickly turn into pile up accidents if drivers are not paying attention to what they are doing and notice the crashed cars when it is too late to avoid hitting them. It is also important to call the police to report your accident right away so that they can send emergency personnel to help anyone who got hurt as well as a tow truck to remove the vehicles from the road if one or both is too damaged to be removed without the aid of a tow truck.

When there is a rear end accident, it is not always clear who is at fault. In Mississippi, accidents must get investigated to determine whose fault the accident was. It is important that you not discuss fault with anyone at the accident scene. Aside from providing the police with any documents that you need to give them like your license and vehicle registration, it is important to talk with an attorney before speaking with anyone about the accident. This also applies to insurance companies, who may try to contact you after the crash and trick you into saying something that could compromise your position or offer you a settlement that is well below the actual value of the amount that you could receive for your injuries and damages if you understand the value of your claim.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Help for Mississippi Rear End Accident Victims

Rear end accidents can cause severe injury or death and lots of property damage. If you got hurt or a loved one got killed in a rear-end wreck, contact a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney today. If you want to learn more about what an automobile accident lawyer could do to help you recover physically and financially after a devastating accident, call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505 to arrange a consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Accidents Involving Big Animals

An enormous Louisiana black bear was the lone fatality in a recent automobile accident. The bear is the largest that ever got recorded in Mississippi, and it tipped the scales at just under four hundred and seventy pounds. A woman was driving an SUV when she hit the bear. Her Chevrolet Suburban was severely damaged, but none of the five people who were riding in the vehicle at the time of the crash were seriously injured. Some of the people who were in the SUV when the wreck happened complained of pain afterward.

Bears are rare in Mississippi, and while some bears are trapped, weighed, examined, and fitted with radio collars before getting released. There are also bears in the state that do not have radio collars, so an exact count of how many bears are presently in the state does not exist. While bears are rare, there is always a chance, albeit not a large one, that a driver will encounter some other large, wild or domestic animal on the road. Depending on where you drive, you might see a deer, elk, cow, or horse on the road when you are driving. Knowing a few things about animal accidents can help you anticipate situations in which you might encounter an animal while driving.

About one and a half million car accidents get caused by animals every year. Many of those accidents occur at night because it is harder for drivers to see animals at night than it is during the day. Another because that’s when many animals are out and about.  There are also seasonal variations in wildlife movement that affect the likelihood of a vehicle-wildlife collision. For example, deer are very active during hunting season.

Drivers should be aware that in wooded areas and other places where the vegetation that grows next to the road is tall, animals can appear on the road suddenly.  This gives motorists little time and space to maneuver to avoid hitting them. Also, be aware that many animals travel in groups. If you see one deer by the road, scan the area carefully to see whether there are others nearby.

The people who were in the SUV that hit the bear are fortunate that they did not get badly injured or killed in the crash. Accidents involving large animals are often fatal. The size and weight of large animals create forceful impacts when they come into contact with vehicles. An animal that gets tossed into the air after getting hit by a car can crash through the windshield or even crush the vehicle’s roof. If you cannot entirely avoid a collision with an animal, try to hit it at an angle, so it will get deflected away from the car instead of getting tossed into the air.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Serving People Injured in Mississippi Car Crashes

If you collided with an animal, you might be hurt, and your car is probably badly damaged. Automobile accident claims for accidents involving animals can be complicated, and the insurance company may require that a police report gets submitted before a claim can be paid. If you were involved in any car crash in Mississippi, a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney could help you file a claim for your damages or your loss. Call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (601) 790-1505, to learn more.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Ejection Accidents

Three people are fortunate to be alive following a car crash on a bridge on Highway 605. The early morning accident happened when the car struck a guard rail. None of the three people who were in the vehicle at the time of the crash were wearing seatbelts. A woman and a ten-year-old child got ejected from the vehicle during the collision, and they landed in a grassy area below the bridge. The ten-year-old was hospitalized with a possible skull fracture, and the woman was taken to the hospital with injuries as well.

The aforementioned wreck could have ended much worse than it did. When a person gets ejected from a vehicle, they very often die. In that crash, two people got ejected, and both survived. Ejection accidents are doubly tragic because the risk of fatality is so high and because ejection can often be prevented by wearing a seatbelt.

Seat belts are perhaps the most important safety feature in your vehicle. They are also the most efficient way to avoid car accident deaths and injuries. In any given automobile accident, there is a seventy-five percent chance that any person who gets ejected from the vehicle will perish. They may die at the crash scene, or they may die later on as a result of their injuries, but three out of every four people who get ejected from a vehicle get killed. When a person wears a seatbelt, they reduce by thirty times the likelihood that they will get ejected from the vehicle if it crashes. That is an enormous reduction in risk!

Seat belt use also leads to lower medical bills for car crash victims. When a person remains in a vehicle during a wreck, they are likely to be hurt less severely than if they get ejected. Injuries that are less severe require less costly treatment. On average, accident victims who wear seat belts have medical bills that are fifty percent lower than the medical bills for accident victims who do not wear seat belts.

Children who get ejected from vehicles are very likely to die because their small size takes the impact that follows ejection harder than adults do. Fortunately, there are specially designed child restraints that keep kids safely inside of vehicles during accidents.  Choosing and using the right child safety seats and seat belts can prevent approximately eighty percent of child and infant car accident deaths. If you drive a vehicle and you have child passengers, be sure to select an appropriate car seat for each child’s age, height, and weight. Read all of the directions that come with each car seat and take care to adjust each seat properly for the child who uses it. Install car seats in your vehicle carefully, according to the instructions. When children are old enough to use seat belts, it is still a good idea for them to sit in the back seat whenever possible.  Parents who have questions about car seats can often get a free car seat safety check at a fire station or a police department.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Serving Mississippi Automobile Accident Victims and Their Families

If you or someone that you love got hurt or killed in a car crash, a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney can help you file a claim for your damages or loss. Call the Mississippi Automobile Accident attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (601) 790-1505, to learn more.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Drunk Driving Accidents

A Gulfport man got hit and killed while he was putting gas into his pickup truck, which he had parked on the side on Interstate 10 after it ran out of gas. As the man was using a gas can to put gasoline in the truck, the driver of a large SUV lost control of his vehicle. The SUV hit a parked car, struck the man, and rolled over before coming to rest in the median.

The man who got hit died at the accident scene. The driver of the SUV got hurt in the crash and got transported to a hospital where he got treated for his injuries. When the driver got out of the hospital, he got charged with DUI causing death and went to jail.

In Mississippi and other states, drunk driving laws contain strict penalties for people who drink and drive. The penalties are even harsher when a drunk driver causes an accident, especially if the crash causes one or more fatalities or serious injuries. DUI accidents resulting in death, serious injury, or disfigurement may result in felony aggravated DUI charges against the driver. A separate aggravated DUI charge may be brought for each person who was killed, injured, or disfigured in the wreck. Drivers who get charged with aggravated DUI face five to twenty-five years in prison for each charge that they get convicted of. Many drunk drivers receive close to the maximum sentence in Mississippi aggravated DUI cases.

DUI crashes often cause serious injuries and fatalities. When a person chooses to drink and drive, they put their life and the lives of others at risk. Sometimes, drunk drivers are involved in single-vehicle crashes. At other times, drivers and passengers in other vehicles and sometimes even pedestrians get hurt or killed in the wreck.  In addition to the aforementioned criminal penalties, drunk drivers can also be held accountable civilly.

A criminal conviction against a drunk driver may bring some sense of justice to the families of the people who got hurt or killed in the wreck. However they do not help those victims and families recover financially. Personal injury attorneys can pursue claims for damages on behalf of victims of drunk driving accidents and their families. After a DWI wreck, the victims and their families, who are already experiencing intense damage and loss in connection with the injury or loss of their loved ones, may face expensive medical bills for treatment and rehabilitation, lost wages, and the cost of repairing or replacing their damaged or destroyed vehicle.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Help for Accident Victims Throughout Mississippi

A personal injury attorney can help accident victims, and their families pursue claims for damages based upon property damage, medical bills and lost wages, pain, and suffering, and more. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC have represented many Mississippi DUI accident victims and their families. They have helped accident victims focus on their physical and emotional recovery by taking care of the matter of helping them recover financially, and they may be able to help you do the same. Please call our office today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule a free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Motorcycle Accident Attorney Shares Suggestions for Safer Night Time Riding

A man recently died in a motorcycle accident on Highway 98. The accident occurred at night, like sixty percent of all motorcycle accidents do. This tragic accident is a sobering reminder that riding a motorcycle is more difficult at night than it is during the day, and extra caution is required to keep motorcycle riders safe after dark.

If you ride a motorcycle, you can reduce the risk that you will get into an accident while riding at night by using extra caution and by making yourself visible to other drivers. It is essential that riders use extra care when riding after dark because roads are not always well lit, which can make signs and pavement markings harder to see. Unfortunately, pedestrians and wildlife are also harder to see at night, and you may have less time to avoid them than you would if you were able to see them at more of a distance as you can during the day. You can ride more safely at night by reducing your speed to give yourself more time to react to the things that you see when you can see them.

Fog and rain can pose problems for motorcycle riders at any time of day, and especially at night because they not only reduce your ability to see, they make it harder for other drivers to see you. Fortunately, there are ways that you can increase the chance that other drivers will see you. Other drivers should always be paying attention and looking out for motorcycles, especially at night. When motorcycle riders take steps to increase the chance that drivers will see them, they reduce accident risk.

You can increase your visibility by putting fluorescent or reflective accents on your clothing and your helmet. You can even customize your bike with extra reflectors and other reflective materials. Good lighting can make it easier for you to see at night, and it also makes it easier for drivers to see you. When you are thinking about the lights on your bike, don’t forget your rear view – you can replace a small or dim brake light bigger and brighter. You can also add running lights to the front of your bike so that there are three lights instead of just one. For your headlight, choose a DOT-approved super bright bulb and raise your headlight to the maximum angle that state law allows.

Barrett Law PLLC:   Helping Mississippi Motorcycle Accident Victims and Their Families

Motorcycle accidents are more common at night than they are during the day. Riding at night can be fun if you remember to implement safe driving tips and make your motorcycle as visible as possible. If you got hurt in a motorcycle accident, it is essential that you contact an attorney right away. To learn about pursuing a claim for damages after a motorcycle accident or any other type of motor vehicle wreck, please call the knowledgeable Mississippi Motorcycle Accident Attorney at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to set up an initial consultation.

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