Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Accidents Involving Diabetic Emergencies

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A Florida man blacked out while he was driving and he crashed his car into the side of a weigh station near the Mississippi-Louisiana state line. The man has diabetes, and, at the time of the accident, he had not eaten anything yet that day. When a person has diabetes, there’s a risk that they could lose consciousness if their blood sugar drops too low. When an individual who has diabetes blacks out because their blood sugar has gotten too low, it is called a diabetic emergency. When a diabetic emergency happens to someone who is driving a car, the resulting accident can cause serious injuries or death. Fortunately, the man who was involved in the aforementioned accident survived the crash.

Diabetes is a serious medical condition that affects nearly thirty million Americans. People who have diabetes are susceptible to hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, which can cause them to sweat excessively, tremble, or experience impaired vision, confusion, seizures, unconsciousness, coma, and even death. When a person has diabetes, their health care providers teach them how to manage their blood sugar through a combination of methods that may include blood testing, medication, insulin injection, diet, and exercise. Health care providers also teach people with diabetes how to recognize the signs of hypoglycemia and how to treat it with a fast-acting source of glucose. Each diabetic’s body responds to treatments differently, so the ways in which doctors help people to manage their diabetes vary.

Many people with diabetes can drive safely, with the support and advice of their health care providers. Some states require drivers who have diabetes to report their condition to the DMV, and some states even require health care providers to provide an honest assessment of whether a diabetic patient is capable of driving safely. These assessments are to be made on an individual basis, from information that the health care provider has obtained during the history of their treatment of the patient that they are evaluating. For example, hypoglycemia presents clear signs in some people and provides them with opportunities to address it before they experience impairment or loss of consciousness, but in other individuals, no clear signs appear before hypoglycemia renders them impaired. There are also very strict requirements for people with diabetes who wish to obtain commercial (CDL) drivers’ licenses.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Help for Mississippi Automobile Accident Victims and Their Families

Diabetes can increase your accident risk, but it does not always prevent you from being able to drive safely. If you have diabetes, ask your doctor about how to reduce the risk that you will be involved in a diabetic emergency crash. If you do get into an accident, contact a Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney immediately. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC have helped many Mississippi accident victims and their families recover physically and financially after a car crash, and they may be able to help you, too. Please call our office today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule a free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Talk about Seat Belt Use

A recent fatal car crash serves as a somber reminder of how important it is that people wear their seat belts. A young woman got killed when she lost control of her vehicle and went off of the road. She was not wearing her seatbelt, and she got ejected from the vehicle during the wreck. Ejection from a vehicle often results in death. In the rare situation that a person survives after being ejected from a vehicle during an accident, they are often left with severe injuries that could affect their lives permanently.

Ejection is a leading cause of death in car accidents. In any given automobile accident, any person who gets ejected from a vehicle has a twenty-five percent chance of survival. Seat belt use is highly effective in preventing ejection – people who do not wear seatbelts are thirty times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during an accident than people who are wearing seatbelts. What’s more, seatbelt use has been shown to reduce the severity of injuries to vehicle occupants during a crash – the medical bills of accident victims who were not wearing seat belts are, on average, fifty percent more costly than the medical bills of car accident victims who were wearing their seat belts.

Seat belt use is an important safety issue, and it is essential that anyone who drives a car understand that while seat belts are the safest restraint for adult passengers, infant and child passengers require additional protection in the form of child safety seats. Many people do not realize that using the improper child safety restraint or installing the restraint in the vehicle incorrectly can be very dangerous. It is estimated that eighty percent fewer child and infant injuries and deaths would occur if child safety restraints were selected and installed correctly. Fortunately, parents, grandparents, and others who transport children can check in with one of the many local fire stations and police departments that offer free car seat safety checks.

Seat belt laws vary from state to state. Mississippi’s primary seat belt law applies to drivers and passengers who sit in the front seat. This law has helped to reduce the amount car crash fatalities that occur in the state, but adult seat belt use in Mississippi is consistently below the national average, so there is room for improvement. Also, in Mississippi, children under four must ride in a car seat that is appropriate for their age and weight. Children between the ages of four and seven years old must ride in a belt-positioning booster seat unless they weigh more than sixty-five pounds or are over four feet, nine inches tall.

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

Accidents where one or more vehicle occupants are ejected often result in fatalities. In cases where a person who gets ejected survives, they are likely to face a lengthy recovery and may even suffer from permanent and debilitating injuries. Whether you were injured in a crash or you lost a loved one, you and your family need time to heal. Pursuing a claim for damages in connection with a motor vehicle accident takes time and energy, but you do not have to do it on your own. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC have helped Mississippi accident victims and their families to recover physically and financially after car accidents. Please call us today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule a free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Distracted Driving

Criminal charges are now pending after an accident that killed two women was determined to have been caused by distracted driving. A third woman, who was a passenger in the car with the two women who died, was critically injured. A truck driven by a young man who was distracted by a conversation with his passenger drifted into oncoming traffic and struck the car. The truck flipped over, injuring the driver and his passenger.

Distracted driving is a frequent cause of motor vehicle wrecks. Approximately eighty percent of accidents and sixty-five percent near-miss situations involved some distraction. The most talked about distractions are cell phone use and texting, which are illegal in many places, but the aforementioned accident involved something that many of us engage in every day – person to person conversation within the vehicle. Other common distractions are drowsiness, eating and drinking, applying makeup, and using a radio or other entertainment. The most unfortunate part of distracted driving accidents is that they take so little time to occur – there is an average of three seconds between the distraction and the accident.

Knowing the risk posed by various activities can help drivers make better choices regarding distractions and driving. Driver behavior is by far the biggest influence that can be used to reduce distracted driving accidents, but there is also some technological help that has been developed in the hope of further reducing the incidence of distracted driving accidents. An aftermarket product was developed which can prevent distracted driving accidents. Interestingly enough, this “new” technology uses radar, which is a technology that has been around for quite some time, to alert drivers when they are in danger of a collision. The radar envelops the vehicle with a sort of “shield” and makes a sound to notify the driver that they are getting too close to another vehicle or an object, or if they are drifting out of their lane.

The “radar shield” isn’t the only technology that has been developed to address the problem of distracted driving. There are a few different types of phone suppression devices on the market. These devices help drivers to keep their eyes off of their phones and on the road. They do this by blocking incoming text messages and sending out automated replies that you are driving. The phone suppression devices can also be set to direct all incoming calls to your voicemail.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Support for Mississippi Automobile Accident Victims and Their Families

Accidents involving distracted driving are tragic because many distractions are preventable. When a person gets in a car accident, they may face a lengthy recovery and have to miss work as medical bills and household bills pile up. If you have lost a loved one, the grief can be hard to bear, and your family needs time to heal. Pursuing a claim for damages under either of those circumstances can seem like a daunting prospect. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC help accident victims and their families recover physically and financially after automobile wrecks. Please call our office at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Accidents Involving Wild Animals

A woman recently died in a car accident involving a deer. The force of the collision made her vehicle flip over and catch fire. This tragic accident is illustrative of just how serious collisions between motor vehicles and wildlife can be.

Drivers and passengers in vehicles that collide with wildlife are often severely injured or killed in the crash. Medium and large wildlife like deer, bear, moose, and elk cause forceful impacts when they are struck by a moving vehicle, whether the vehicle collides with the side of the animal or the animal is tossed into the air and lands on top of the car. If the animal becomes airborne, vehicle occupants could be crushed if the animal lands on the roof of the car. If the animal lands on the front or the rear of the vehicle, it can shatter the land hurt or kill the people inside the car. Sometimes, such as in the situation that is described above, collisions involving animals can even cause vehicles to overturn, leave the roadway, or both, which further increases the risk of serious injury or death.

Many wildlife-related wrecks happen at night, or at dusk or dawn. These are the times of day when many animals are on the move, and they are also times when it’s hard for drivers to see animals that may be present in or near the road. The frequency of animal-related crashes often corresponds to the changing of the seasons because migration, hunting seasons, mating, and other factors which affect the movements of animals follow seasonal patterns.

Wildlife can be present anywhere along the roadway, but certain types of landscapes make it more likely that you will encounter animals there. For example, deer are often found near open fields and moose frequent swampy areas. In places where there are trees or other plants close to the road, wildlife can be hard to see until they are actually on the road. As if avoiding animals in the road was not difficult enough already, some animals, like deer, are often found in groups, which can contribute to an increased accident risk. If you are driving and you see one deer, carefully scan the area for others that may be nearby before continuing along the road.

If you are driving and you cannot safely avoid hitting an animal that is on the road, try to hit it from an angle. Colliding with an animal from an angle increases the chance that the animal will be deflected away from your car instead of throwing it into the air. If you do hit an animal with your vehicle, be sure to call the police, so that the animal can safely be removed from the roadway and the accident can be properly documented. It is important that the crash is documented properly because insurance companies occasionally try to avoid paying on claims for damages in accidents involving wildlife when a police report has not been filed.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Helping Automobile Accident Victims Across Mississippi  

Sometimes, a driver cannot avoid a collision with a wild animal. If you got hurt in a wildlife-related car crash, contact a Mississippi Automobile Accident attorney right away. Your attorney might be able to help you to pursue a claim for damages while you focus on healing your injuries and repairing or replacing your vehicle. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you, so please call us today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule a consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Urge People to Wear Seat Belts

Three teenagers sustained serious injuries in a recent two-car accident. The accident occurred when a car ran into a flatbed trailer that was being pulled by a pickup truck. The three girls, who were not wearing their seatbelts, were ejected from the car. They are now recovering from their injuries after spending time in the hospital.

Accidents involving ejection are scary, and they often involve serious injury or death. The best way for drivers and passengers to reduce the risk that they will be ejected from a vehicle in the event of a wreck is to wear a seat belt. For some people, wearing a seatbelt is a choice that they make. For others, especially children, it is mandated by law. In Mississippi, Section 63-2 of the Mississippi Code requires drivers and front seat passengers to wear seat belts. Children who are younger than seven must be buckled into a child safety seat that is appropriate for their age, size, and weight. Adult passengers who ride in rear seats are free to choose whether or not they wear seatbelts, as are children between the ages of seven and eighteen who sit in the back seat.

Statistics have shown that people who choose not to wear their seatbelts have a risk of being ejected that is thirty times higher than the ejection risk for people who wear seatbelts. The statistics on ejection and fatalities are even more concerning. In automobile wrecks where one or more people are ejected from a vehicle, there is a seventy-five percent chance that each person who was ejected from the vehicle will die either instantly, or at some time after the crash as the result of their injuries.

In addition to preventing ejection, seatbelt use also reduces the risk of injuries to people who remain inside of vehicles during crashes. It is estimated that the medical bills of automobile accident victims who were wearing seat belts during their accidents are fifty percent lower than the medical bills of those accident victims who were not wearing their seat belts. Children experience an even greater risk of being severely injured or killed in a car accident if they are not using the right car seat or seatbelt. This is why there are specific seat belt and child safety seat rules that apply to child passengers. Parents must also be aware that choosing the correct child safety seat or belt for your child’s age, height, and weight is just the first step towards keeping your kids safe in the car. A child’s car seat or booster seat must also be installed in your vehicle correctly for it to prevent injuries or death during a car accident.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Support for Mississippi Car Accident Victims and Their Families

Accidents involving ejection are often tragic. If a person gets ejected from a vehicle and they survive the crash, they are often severely injured, and they may face a long period of healing and recovery. If you were hurt or someone that you love died after being ejected from a motor vehicle during an accident, you may be able to recover for your injuries or your loss. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC help accident victims and their families recover physically and financially after automobile accidents. Please call our office today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys Talk about Teen Driver Safety

Parents and teens in Mississippi may not be aware that the state’s laws for young drivers are among the weakest teen driver laws in the nation. According to statistics that have been collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers between fifteen and twenty years of age were involved in seventy-six fatal crashes in 2014 and one hundred and three fatal crashes in 2015. These statistics indicate that the number of fatal accidents involving young drivers is rising, which is concerning both for young drivers and their parents.

In the past, all drivers used to receive the same driving privileges when they earned their drivers’ license. In more recent years, states have adopted graduated driver licensing laws, or GDLs, that have helped keep young drivers safe by giving them limited driving privileges at first and then adding privileges as they gain experience, skill, and maturity. Different states have different GDL programs, and there are seven types of rules that have been shown to help young drivers stay safe. The GDL program in Mississippi has one of those seven types of rules, which is a holding period of six months or more before a driver can receive an unrestricted license. Mississippi requires a holding period of twelve months, but there is an exemption for applicants who are seventeen or older when they apply for their driver’s license. Drivers who are seventeen or older when they first apply for a driver’s license can get an unrestricted license right away.

Mississippi allows teens to get learner’s permits at age fifteen, which is earlier than many states. Nighttime driving is also less restricted on weekends than it is in other places, with Mississippi teens being allowed to drive until 11:30 on Friday and Saturday nights when teens in many other states must be off of the road by ten at night every night of the week. Most states restrict the number and type of passengers that can ride with young drivers, but Mississippi does not.

Having laws to protect young drivers is only part of the battle for keeping young drivers and their passengers safe. The level of respect that many young people have for driving laws is low, as evidenced by the number of violations of those laws that have been observed by law enforcement officers. For example, texting and driving is against the law in Mississippi, but officers still see many teens texting and using cell phones while they are driving. While the laws for young drivers in Mississippi could be stronger, it is up to the young drivers and their parents to make sure that safe driving laws and practices are learned and followed so that accident rates for young drivers can decrease.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Comprehensive Support for Mississippi Automobile Accident Victims

Automobile accidents can cause severe injuries or death. If you got hurt in a crash or someone that you love died in a car accident, you might be able to recover financially for the damages that are associated with your injury or loss. To learn more about how to pursue a claim for damages, please call the knowledgeable Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to arrange your free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Talk about Kids and Seat Belts

A six-year-old girl is recovering from several surgeries following a horrific accident that nearly claimed her life. The girl was riding in a vehicle driven by her father when the vehicle struck a tree. The girl underwent hours of surgery to repair her abdomen, which had been sliced open by the seat belt that she had been wearing at the time of the crash.

The girl’s mother would like other parents to be aware of what happened to her daughter because she does not want anyone to make the same mistake that they did. They thought that the girl had outgrown her booster seat, so she was wearing a seat belt. Not only that, but the girl put the shoulder portion of the lap and shoulder belt behind her. The position of the shoulder strap increased the force of the lap belt against the girl’s body during the accident, and she was nearly cut in two.

Unfortunately, many parents do make the same mistake and move their child out of a booster seat before their body is truly large enough to be safely restrained by a properly used adult seat belt. Mississippi law requires that all children under age seven be restrained in a properly fitting child safety seat. Child safety seats come with instruction manuals to help parents use them correctly. Infant car seats should be kept facing the rear of the vehicle for as long as possible, in fact, many pediatricians recommend keeping kids rear-facing until they are two years old. After that, it is best to keep a child in a forward-facing seat with a five-point harness until they reach the upper limit for safe use of the seat. One important thing to do at this stage is to make sure that the center clip of the harness remains at armpit height because otherwise, the child could slip out the top in the event of a crash. When your child outgrows their harness car seat, they can use a booster seat while following the instructions for belt position based on the child’s weight, height, and age. The booster seat positions the seat belt in a way that restrains the child safely and transfers tension from the belt to the seat, not the child’s body when there is an accident.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Serving Mississippi Motor Vehicle Accident Victims  

Accidents involving seat belt injuries to children are often tragic. Children who are injured by a seat belt during a motor vehicle wreck often sustain life-threatening injuries and face a long recovery time if they do survive. If you or your child were hurt or someone that you love was killed in a motor vehicle or accident, you might be able to recover for your injuries or your loss. The experienced Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC help accident victims and their families recover physically and financially after automobile accidents. Please call our office today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney Talks about Why You Need an Attorney

If you have been involved in a Mississippi automobile accident, you might be wondering whether you could try to resolve your claim on your own or whether you should retain an attorney represent you. Most accidents involve substantial damage to one or more vehicles, property damage, and injuries to the people inside of the vehicles. If you are deciding whether to seek assistance from a Mississippi car accident attorney, here are three reasons why you should do so right away.

The first reason to hire an attorney to assist you in resolving your claim is that you could recover more money than you would likely get if you tried to resolve the claim yourself, even after accounting for attorneys’ fees. Automobile accident attorneys know that accident victims need the money that they receive from their insurance settlements to recover from the financial impact of the accident. Your attorney looks out for your best interest, and they will work to obtain the best possible settlement for you.

Another reason to work with an attorney to resolve your car accident claim is that it will save you time. Your life was busy before your accident, and it may be even busier if you have added physical therapy and doctor appointments to your busy calendar. It can be hard to find time to call or email the insurance company.  Also, insurance companies can be slow to respond to emails, and phone calls from accident victims. When your attorney makes calls and writes letters on your behalf, responses come swiftly because the insurance company knows that you will litigate your claim if it is not settled to your satisfaction.

The third reason why you should retain a Mississippi car accident attorney is that insurance companies do not always propose fair settlement offers. Your attorney can help you to know what your claim is worth, which can help you to assess any settlement offers that come in. If an initial settlement offer is inadequate, your attorney can negotiate with the insurance company until the insurance company proposes an acceptable settlement offer.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Support for Mississippi Accident Victims

Automobile accidents can cause severe injury or death. If you were hurt or someone that you love died in a car accident, one or more people may be responsible for your injuries or your loss. To learn more about how we can help you to pursue a claim for damages, please call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Discuss Fire Truck Accidents

One firefighter died, and two others were injured after a fire truck got into an accident on the way to a call. The truck was on the way to put out a fire when it rolled over. Rollover accidents like this one are the type of fire truck accident that is the most likely to cause fatalities. Unfortunately, fire truck accidents happen more often than one might like to imagine. The brave men and women who risk their lives to help others are at risk for injury or death in a motor vehicle accident each time they get into a fire truck to respond to a fire call.

There are approximately thirty thousand fire truck accidents in America each and every year, and motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of death for on-duty firefighters. Fire truck accidents have the doubly tragic effects of killing and injuring vehicle occupants and allowing losses of life and property that might not have occurred had the fire truck been able to reach its destination and put the fire out.

Unfortunately, some of the injuries and deaths that occur as the result of fire truck accidents are preventable. Data that has been collected by United States Fire Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that firefighters do not often buckle their seatbelts while traveling in fire trucks. Over half of the unrestrained fire truck, occupants who were riding in fire trucks that crashed were partially or fully ejected from the fire trucks that they were riding in, significantly increasing the risk of injury and death. Firefighters can reduce the risk that they will be injured or killed in a fire truck accident by wearing their seatbelts every time they ride in a fire truck.

There are a variety of types of fire apparatus, or fire trucks, which travel over roadways to fire emergencies. There are ladder trucks, fire engines, pumper trucks, aerial platform trucks, tankers, wilderness vehicles, and others. As is the case with any motor vehicle, there is the risk of an accident every time a fire apparatus goes out on the road. Despite the tragic nature of fire truck accidents, there is one piece of encouraging data regarding fire truck accidents. This bit of good news is that ninety percent of all fire truck occupants involved in all fire truck accidents escape without any injuries.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Serving Mississippi Accident Victims and Their Families  

Sometimes, there simply is no way to avoid an automobile accident no matter how careful you are. If you got hurt in a car crash or someone that you love died in a motor vehicle crash, contact a Mississippi Automobile Accident attorney right away. Your attorney can help you to pursue financial recovery for your injuries as you focus your energy on your physical and emotional recovery. The knowledgeable Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you. Please call us today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule a free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Talk About Single Vehicle Crashes

A recent single-vehicle accident claimed the life of one man. The man was driving his truck, and it suddenly left the roadway and hit a tree. He was not wearing a seatbelt, and he was ejected from the vehicle. This tragedy serves as a reminder that single car accidents are more deadly than other types of accidents.

Approximately sixty-five percent of fatal automobile wrecks are single vehicle crashes. Unfortunately, fatal single-vehicle crashes are also the toughest accidents for accident investigators to understand because the person who had the most information about what happened is deceased.  While the cause of an individual single-vehicle accident can be hard to discern, there is plenty of information available on the topic of how drivers can prevent single vehicle crashes.

For example, scientific evidence has shown that tired drivers drive similarly to drivers who are under the influence of alcohol, For this reason, it is no surprise that tired drivers are often involved in single-vehicle accidents. Getting the rest that you need is a way that you can decrease your risk of being involved in a single vehicle accident. Sometimes, even drivers who started their journey well rested experience fatigue after driving for hours. If you are driving and you begin to get tired, find a place to rest before you continue on your way. Taking that rest break could save your life.

Another frequent cause of single vehicle accidents is alcohol use. Many single-vehicle wrecks occur when a vehicle leaves the roadway and either hits a tree or flips over down an embankment. When a driver has consumed alcohol, their reaction time is slower than normal, and their judgment and depth perception are reduced. When a driver operates their vehicle while they are under the influence of alcohol, it is all too easy for them to misjudge a curve in the road or to fail to make a necessary course correction in time to avoid an accident. Avoiding alcohol use before and during driving significantly reduces your risk of being in a single-vehicle accident.

Distracted driving and speeding are other frequent causes of single-vehicle accidents, and it is not difficult to understand why – those activities take the driver’s attention away from the road and deprive them of valuable time that they may need to avoid an accident. Fortunately, in regards to the common causes of single vehicle accidents, there is a common characteristic that provides an opportunity for drivers to avoid single vehicle accidents – choice. Speeding, driving tired, distracted driving, and drunk driving all happen when a driver makes a choice about what they will do both before and during their drive. This is good news for drivers because it empowers them to make choices that can reduce the chance that they will be involved in a single-vehicle accident.

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

If you lost someone that you love in a one-car accident, or if you got hurt in a one-car crash, you may be able to recover for the loss or damages that you have experienced. The compassionate and experienced Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC help accident victims and their families recover financially after automobile accidents. Please call our office today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

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