AAA Study Reveals that Teen Passengers Substantially Increase the Risk of Teen Car Accidents

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We have previously addressed the value of graduated licensing programs that grant driving privileges in stages to new teenage drivers.  There has been widespread speculation that such programs reduce the risk of accidents caused by teen drivers and prevent many potential car accident victims from suffering catastrophic injuries or fatalities.  While graduated driver’s license programs have been successful in reducing teen accident rates and the volume of teen accident fatalities, fatal auto accidents remain the leading cause of death for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19.  However, a new study suggests that programs that gradually implement driving privileges to inexperienced teenage drivers do prevent car accidents.  The study conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) reveals that prohibiting new teenage drivers from carrying teenage passengers substantially reduces teen fatality rates associated with car accidents.

The AAA study revealed that teenage drivers are more likely to die in a car accident when operating a motor vehicle with other teenagers in the car.  Moreover, the data also indicated that the probability that a teenage driver will be involved in a fatal accident increases as the number of teenage passengers in the vehicle increases.  The specific finding of the AAA study were as follows:

  • One teen passenger increased the risk of the driver dying in a fatal accident by 44%.
  • If a teen driver has two teenage passengers, the driver fatality rate jumps to 66%.
  • When a teen driver transports three teenage passengers, the driver fatality rate triples.

There are presumably several reasons for this significant increase in car accident fatalities for teen drivers.  The most likely factor is that passengers in the vehicle increase the distractions to a teen driver.  The driver may be carrying on conversations with multiple vehicle occupants so that the driver’s concentration is diverted from driving.  It is also likely that there may be other types of distractions present because other teens may attempt to show the driver text messages on their cell phones.  The final factor that may be relevant in explaining the fatality rate is the increased probability that the car will end up with a pack of intoxicated teenagers, including the driver.

Unfortunately, Mississippi’s graduated driver’s license program does not restrict the ability of new teen drivers to have teenage passengers.  Given the enormous danger of having multiple teenagers in the car, parents should consider prohibiting their kids from transporting teenage passengers.  It also may be advisable to refuse to allow your teenagers to ride as a passenger when their peers are driving.  At Barrett Law, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

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NHTSA Reports Car Accident Fatalities Hit Record Low Level

New data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that the motor vehicle fatality rate fell 1.7 percent in 2011.  It appears that the fatality rate for accidents involving cars, trucks, SUVs and other vehicles is the lowest it has been since the NHTSA was created in 1949.  This positive news is part of a 5-year trend from 2006-2011 during which motor vehicle fatality rates dropped by more than 25 percent.  Despite this positive news, car accidents on U.S. roadways are estimated to have claimed the lives of over 32,000 people during 2011.

Although the NHTSA data is encouraging in terms of improved highway safety, the data may be somewhat misleading.  The reduction in car accident fatality rates occurred during a year where drivers are traveling less because of high gas prices and tough economic times.  The NHTSA report indicates that the number of miles traveled in the U.S. fell by 35.7 billion during 2011.  This decline from the miles traveled in 2010 represents a 1.2 percent decline in miles traveled by drivers nationally.

While much of the decrease during 2011 may be dismissed as the product of drivers avoiding the roads because of financial woes, the five-year trend clearly reflects a substantial decline in motor vehicle accident fatalities.  There are a number of factors that the NHTSA indicate may contribute to this downward trend:

Increased Seat Belt Use: Many states are have implemented mandatory seat belt laws that have clearly proven effective in actually changing behavior.  These laws also are being more strictly enforced particularly in states wear seat belt violations are a primary violation.  A primary violation is one for which a law enforcement officer may actually pull a driver over.  Studies in several states have found that seat belt use increases significantly with implementation and enforcement of mandatory seat belt laws.  There are many occasions where seat belts are the reason that vehicle occupants suffer only minor injury.  A seat belt can keep drivers from being ejected from the vehicle, which is a leading cause of traffic related fatalities.  When vehicle occupants buckle up, they may also reduce the risk of fatal head injuries caused by being thrown against hard surfaces like windshields and dashboards inside vehicles.

More Effective DUI Laws and Enforcement: Alcohol impaired drivers continue to account for a third of all car accident related fatalities.  However, significant progress has been made reducing the rate of drunk driving through enforcement programs, such as sobriety checkpoints and the use of ignition interlock programs as well as harsher penalties for DUI offenses.  Zero tolerance laws designed to prevent teen drivers from operating motor vehicles with any measurable amount of alcohol in their blood also have helped prevent fatal DUI accidents.

Improved Vehicle Safety: Cars, trucks and SUVs have also become safer through use of more airbags, anti-lock brakes, collision avoidance systems and other safety features.  An example of a class of vehicles that have become safer is SUVs.  Electronic stability control systems (ESC) that apply the brakes individually to individual wheels when a driver over-compensates with a hard steering maneuver are now an effective counter-measure to rollover accidents.  Safety standards for the roof strength of SUVs have also improved which has helped reduce the risk of roof crush injuries in SUV rollovers.

While traffic related fatalities are down, there are still many people that lose their lives in avoidable Mississippi car accidents each year.  At Barrett Law, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

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States Cracking Down on Pokey Drivers That Promote Aggressive Driving and Road Rage

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There are a virtually unending list of unsafe driving practices that may cause serious collisions and result in major life changing injuries or the loss of a loved one.  The state of Delaware is the newest state to enact a law targeting an increasing cause of auto collisions that is rarely thought of by the typical driver as a major accident risk – driving too slow.  Many states are now passing tough new laws that impose substantial fines for drivers that drive slowly in the left lane of traffic.  While most drivers understand that speed is a major contributor to car accidents, it is usually driving too fast, rather than too slow, that most drivers perceive as a serious danger of causing auto accidents.

The new laws sprouting up in a growing number of states specifically designates the left lane as being reserved for passing on roads that have at least two traffic lanes in both directions.  Many states including Mississippi require drivers to remain in the right lane when traveling slower than the flow of traffic.  When drivers obstruct traffic by driving relatively slowly in the left lane, other drivers get impatient and angry, and aggressive driving and road rage incidents are a frequent result.

Aggressive driving generally is comprised of consciously engaging in more than one traffic violation at any point in time.  An example might include a driver passing on the shoulder while speeding.  While violating traffic safety laws always creates a risk of injury for other vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians, these risks increase dramatically as a driver disregards an increasing number of traffic laws while driving.  It is not uncommon for aggressive driving to anger other drivers resulting in the even more lethal danger of road rage incidents.  Road rage is different from aggressive driving because it does not involve “accidents” based on unsafe driving.  The term refers to aggressive behavior that is intended to cause injury or harm another.

While dawdlers in the left lane of traffic may be annoying, the practice certainly does not excuse or justify aggressive driving behavior or road wage.  Nonetheless, legislators and law enforcement authorities in many states believe that alleviating this source of frustration will make the roads safer by discouraging the interruption in the flow of traffic caused by pokey drivers in the left lane.

One driving safety advocate points out that it is never a good idea to continue driving in the left lane if you are being passed on the right.  Drivers that are frustrated by drivers traveling too slowly may tailgate, flash their lights, make obscene gestures and even pass on the left shoulder, which is extremely reckless behavior.  If you or someone you love is injured or a loved one dies because of aggressive driving and road rage, the experienced Mississippi aggressive driving accident attorneys at Barrett Law are committed to holding drivers who consciously violate traffic safety laws accountable for their actions.  At Barrett Law, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

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New Study Reveals Child Seat Compatibility Remains a Serious Car Accident Safety Issue

While child safety restraints (e.g. car seats, booster seats) can significantly impact your child’s safety if you are involved in a serious auto accident, a new study reveals that your child may not be nearly as safe as you think.  Child safety restraints may be limited in their effectiveness at keeping your children safe in a collision by compatibility issues that cause an improper fit between the vehicle seat and the child safety restraint.  Despite revised legal standards enacted a decade ago requiring use of an attachment system referred to as LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children), a recent report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute found that seven vehicle completely failed to comply with the standards.

The LATCH system was made mandatory after traffic safety experts determined that many car seats do not fit properly in vehicle seat, or they are difficult to install because of compatibility issues.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a report almost a decade ago in which it found that almost 75 percent of child safety restraints and booster seats had “critical misuse” problems that could cause injury or increase the severity of injury during a car accident.

Vehicles were evaluated based on whether the car seat anchors were clearly visible and easy to use without applying excess force.  The tests revealed that the buckle of seat belts and other seatbelt hardware often obstruct the child safety restraint anchors.  The seatbelt anchor can also sit so low in the car seat that they are difficult to access when installing the child car seat or booster seat.  The study also revealed that many parents may need more clear instructions on proper use of child safety restraints because they do not realize the importance of attaching the upper tether.  This can be a crucial error because the car seat or booster seat may jerk too far forward during a collision resulting in severe injuries to the head or neck of the child.

The results of the tests reveal that compliance with the LATCH system is still poor, which is reflected by the fact that only 21 percent of vehicles tested met all the requirements for the LATCH system.  Seven of the vehicles failed ALL of the requirements.  The complexity of assuring a safe fit between a safety restraint and the bench seat or bucket seat is compounded by the multitude of child safety restraint models and manufacturers.  Government safety experts recognize the importance of the two industries working together to reduce compatibility issues and improve the safety of children in auto accidents.

If your child has been injured in a car accident in Mississippi, our experienced Mississippi car accident attorneys have the experience to investigate accidents involving children and determine if a lack of compatibility or other car seat defect played a role in your child’s injuries.  At the Barrett Law Offices PLLC, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

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Defective Airbags: When Car Accident Safety Equipment Makes Us Less Safe

There can be little dispute that airbags are a valuable safety component in any vehicle and that they can prevent catastrophic injuries, vehicle ejections, traumatic brain injuries and even wrongful death.  Many manufacturers of motor vehicles are now increasing the number of airbags in vehicles and placing them in positions that previously were not subject to airbag protection.  The proliferation of side impact airbags and side window airbags provide notable examples.  Despite the many benefits of airbags, they can serve as an independent cause of devastating injuries when they malfunction because of product defects in their design or production.

The vast majority of severe Mississippi car accidents that result in life-changing injuries are caused by negligent motorists, but sometimes defective safety components like airbags can cause injury in relatively low impact collisions where no injury would have occurred had the airbag not deployed.  They may also cause more serious injuries than otherwise would have been suffered when deploying in such situations.  If you have never experienced an airbag deploy, it is important to understand that when they deploy they do so with phenomenal speed and force.  This means that it is essential that an airbag be completely deployed before making contact with the head or torso of a vehicle occupant.  If the airbag deploys late, it may “deploy into” a vehicle occupant causing devastating injuries, such as broken bones, severe head trauma, serious damage to internal organs, eye injuries including blindness, and spinal cord injuries.

Many airbag injuries occur because of faulty or defective sensors that are designed to trigger airbag deployment.  These sensors may be not be appropriately located in the vehicle or may be susceptible to malfunction caused by simple environmental factors like exposure to moisture.  When these sensors malfunction, an airbag may deploy early, later or not at all.  All of these scenarios can be extremely dangerous for the driver or passengers in a vehicle.  Another serious safety issue with airbags is that they are designed to accommodate a male who is 5’8’’ and weighs 180 pounds.  Children that have a height or weight that deviates substantially from these dimensions may be exposed to greater harm from an airbag than benefit depending on the circumstances of deployment, and how the vehicle occupant is situated (e.g. position and orientation of a car seat).

If you or someone you love was recently injured in a Mississippi car accident by a negligent driver or a defective airbag, we encourage you to contact our experienced team of personal injury attorneys today.  At the Barrett Law Offices PLLC, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

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Debate Rages on Regarding Red Light Camera Effectiveness in Preventing Car Accidents

The national debate over the role, effectiveness, and legality of red light cameras is heating up.  States are fairly evenly divided on the issue of using red light cameras at intersections to prevent collisions that result in injuries and fatalities.  A recent article in the USA Today reported that currently 24 states have at least some red light cameras.  Some states are passing bans completely prohibiting the use of red light cameras while other states are expressly authorizing use of the cameras to take a picture of vehicles that fail to stop then issuing tickets by mail.  There are also many states that take an intermediate position.  At the heart of the debate over the use of red light cameras is whether they are a cost-effective means of reducing car accident rates and preventing motor vehicle related injuries and fatalities.

Many municipalities that are installing red light cameras are being accused of focusing on generating revenue rather than public safety.  There is little dispute that using red light cameras in intersections can be an enormous source of revenue at a time when many local governments are drowning in red ink.  Red light cameras in Chicago generate a staggering $60 million per year in additional public funds according to the USA Today article.  Critics that view the cameras as primarily a revenue source take various positions, including:

  • Red light intersection cameras should not be used at all because they are ineffective at preventing car accidents.
  • The cameras should be used only with transparency so that it is clear what the program costs, the results in terms of preventing car accidents, the amount of revenue generated by the cameras, and the ways the revenue is used.
  • Red light cameras should only be installed in intersections with a history of significant car crashes.

One of the key issues involving the use of red light cameras is whether they play a significant role in reducing intersection collisions. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a study last year that found red light cameras reduce auto accidents by almost 25 percent.  However, many other studies have suggested that red light cameras are far less effective.  There have even been studies that suggest that red light cameras increase car accidents because drivers are overly cautious or focused on the presence of the camera.

The law is equally muddled on the appropriateness of red light cameras.  Some examples include:

  • A Florida court has ruled that the cameras are unconstitutional.
  • In Missouri, one court ruled the cameras invalid while another court found them permissible within a one month period
  • A court in Washington determined that voters could not prohibit red light cameras via ballot initiative.

These diverging views reveal that courts are as conflicted about the legal status of red cameras as the public, government entities, and safety advocates on the effectiveness of the cameras.  While our car accident attorneys are staunch advocates of motor vehicle safety, we also realize that the resources to promote safer roadways are not unlimited.  One positive aspect of this particular vehicle safety tool is that the program is self-financing.

If you or someone you love was recently injured in a Mississippi car accident by a driver who ran a red light or otherwise was driving negligently, we encourage you to contact our experienced team of personal injury attorneys today.  At the Barrett Law Offices PLLC, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

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Taking Texting and Driving to Extremes: Woman Arrested for Texting with Baby in Her Lap

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Texting while driving is never safe under any circumstances, but a woman was arrested in Southern California after taking the practice of texting and driving to ridiculous extremes.  The woman was texting as she drove on the freeway with her one year old baby in her lap.  If this does not sound bad enough, she also had a four-year-old in the back seat who was not wearing a seatbelt.  The woman was charged with child endangerment and has a history of similar past violations for not securing her child in a car seat and not wearing a seatbelt.

While this is a rather extreme case, it highlights two common but unacceptable practices, texting while driving and failure to use safety restraints that cause serious injuries and even wrongful death.   A few statistics provide some alarming facts about the dangers of texting messaging while driving:

  • Nearly forty percent of drivers admit texting while driving
  • Almost twenty percent of drivers concede they routinely text and drive
  • Teen drivers who are texting spend ten percent of their time in the wrong lane
  • Responding to a text message results in diverting one’s eyes from the road for five seconds
  • A vehicle moving at freeway speeds can travel the length of a football field in five seconds
  • Studies show that drivers engaged in text messaging have response time similar to drunk drivers

There are three types of driver distraction: visual distractions, manual distractions and mental distractions.  Text messaging poses a distraction risk at all three levels of distraction.  A visual distraction involves activities that cause a driver to avert one’s eyes from the road.  A driver who reads a text message or looks at the keyboard to compose or send a text message must avert one’s eyes from the roadway.  Even when a driver is not busy trying to hold both a baby and a cell phone, texting on a mobile phone, iPod or other portable electronic device requires physically holding the phone and manipulation of the keys.  Regardless of whether you are reading a text, sending a message or composing a message, your mind also is distracted.

The other troubling aspect of this case is that the woman had the baby in her lap rather than a child safety restraint.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that a properly used child safety restraint system (i.e. car seat) reduces the child fatality rate in car accidents by more than seventy percent.  Child safety restraints prevent vehicle ejections, which are a leading cause of fatalities in car accidents.  Car seats also keep children from being thrown against the dashboard or other hard surfaces in the vehicle where they may suffer head injuries, spinal cord injuries and other catastrophic injuries.  Child safety seats also are tailored to the unique anatomy of children.  Car seats restrain a child while dispersing the force of impact to less vulnerable areas of a child’s body.

Motor vehicle accidents remain the leading cause of death for children ages 3-14 according to the National Center for Health Statistics.  Every day across the country, there are four children in this age range who die in car accidents and almost 530 more that are injured.  When parents drive the roads of Mississippi with their children in their car, they should exercise caution, pay attention, and require children to wear seatbelts and car seats.  If your child has been injured in a car accident, our experienced Mississippi car accident lawyers at Barrett Law may be able to help you obtain the compensation your child needs to promote the fastest, fullest recovery.  At the Barrett Law Offices PLLC, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

 

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Rental Car Companies Putting Unsuspecting Customers behind the Wheel of Defective Vehicles

Many Mississippi residents are traveling for Spring Break or looking forward to visiting relatives for Easter.  If you are traveling by plane, there is a fair chance you will need to rent a car when you arrive at your destination.  Most motorists have no idea that many vehicles are kept in circulation for rental despite the vehicle or components of the vehicle being subject to a safety recall.  This is much more than a theoretical problem; for example, Enterprise settled a case for $15 million stemming from a horrific collision that resulted in the death of two sisters that was caused by a defective component in their rented Chrysler PT Cruiser.

The PT Cruiser in the Enterprise case had been recalled because of a defective component that posed a fire hazard.  The mother of sisters, Jacqueline Houck and Rachel Houck, filed a wrongful death action after the women died when the power steering failed because the vehicle caught on fire.  The failure of the PT Cruiser’s power steering resulted in the plaintiff losing control of the vehicle and colliding head on with a commercial truck.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has acknowledged issues with rental cars that are made available to the public despite the vehicles being recalled for safety issues. Although there is currently discussion about legislation to prevent recalled vehicles from being rented to unsuspecting customers, no legislation has yet been enacted.  While car manufacturers and new car dealers cannot sell vehicles to consumers until recalled components have been repaired, there currently is no similar requirement for rental car companies.

Legislation being discussed might extend federal oversight of the NHTSA to the rental car industry and require the repair of vehicles subject to recall before they are made available to rental car customers.  The frightening thing for consumers is that rental car agencies do not disclose that the vehicle a customer is about to rent is the subject of a safety recall.  This means that rental car agencies are knowingly exposing consumers to a known risk without warning consumers of this risk.

If you need a rental car during Spring Break or over Easter weekend, you should specifically ask the rental car agency if the vehicle you are being assigned is the subject of any recalls and whether the defect has been repaired.  Barrett Law has been representing those injured in Mississippi car accidents for decades.  If you or someone you love is injured in a Mississippi car accident involving a rental car that has unrepaired defects or any defective vehicle, the experienced product liability car accident attorneys at Barrett Law may be able to represent you in seeking compensation for your injuries or loss.

At the Barrett Law Offices PLLC, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent personal injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

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The Real Scoop Regarding Mississippi Car Accident Whiplash Injuries [Part II]

Basis of Liability in Motor Vehicle Collisions Resulting in Whiplash Injuries

Because many, though not all, whiplash injuries are caused by rear-end impact collisions, there are a number of types of unsafe driving that are more likely to cause a whiplash injury.  Some of the types of negligent driving that are most typically the basis for imposing fault in whiplash injury crashes include:

·         Distracted drivers who avert their eyes from the road so they do not notice traffic flow interruptions

·         Speeding drivers who cannot stop in time to avoid a rear-ender

·         Failing to allow a safe following distance so that one can stop if traffic comes to an abrupt stop

·         Drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol that have impaired perception and delayed reaction time

·         Motorists that do not adapt driving in adverse weather

·         Unsafe roadways that do not drain properly so that vehicles hydroplane

Special Challenges in Making Legal Claims for Whiplash Injuries

Any experienced Mississippi whiplash injury attorney at Barrett Law will be familiar with the common types of negligence that cause rear-end accidents resulting in whiplash injuries.  A whiplash injury lawyer will also understand the unique challenges in pursuing settlements and judgments in whiplash accident cases.  Despite the fact that many whiplash injuries leave car accident victims unable to work for months and with a lifetime of pain, it is sometimes difficult to produce objective diagnostic evidence of whiplash.

These challenges in litigating whiplash car accident cases are compounded by the fact that many times the symptoms of whiplash may take days or even weeks to become obvious.  Since many serious whiplash injuries occur in collisions at relatively low rates of speed, insurance adjusters will point to delays in seeking treatment, lack of objective diagnostic evidence of injury, and a lack of vehicle damage to suggest that whiplash victims are exaggerating or lying about their injuries.

Recovery for Serious Whiplash Injuries and Chronic Back and Neck Pain

Our Mississippi auto accident whiplash injury lawyers may refer you to a neurologist or neck expert promptly, which may aid your recovery and provide evidence to substantiate your whiplash injury legal claim.  If you suffer a whiplash injury in a car accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation for a wide range of damages, including:  medical expenses, lost income, diminished earning capacity, vehicle repair/replacement costs, emotional distress, pain and suffering, and adverse effects on one’s marriage and quality of life.

It is important to keep in mind that whiplash injuries frequently lead to chronic pain and long-term disability.  Studies have shown that almost one in seven whiplash victims continue to suffer from symptoms of whiplash including pain as much as three years after suffering a whiplash injury.  An experienced car accident whiplash attorney can provide effective legal representation so that you can obtain the financial resources that you need to obtain medical treatment, physical rehabilitation, and pain management.  An experienced whiplash injury lawyer understands that insurance carriers tend to disregard whiplash injuries and undervalue whiplash claims.  Your whiplash injury attorney can help you confront this dismissive attitude and provide aggressive advocacy for the full value of your whiplash car accident claim.

If you or a loved one is injured in a Mississippi car accident or a loved one dies, you may have a right to seek legal compensation for your injuries and loss.  At the Barrett Law Offices PLLC, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

 

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The Real Scoop Regarding Mississippi Car Accident Whiplash Injuries [Part I]

Although whiplash injuries are among the most common injuries suffered in car accidents and other types of accidents, many do not understand the intense pain and degree of debilitation associated with whiplash.  A significant reason for this misconception is the tendency of television sit-coms and movies to make whiplash the object of comic fodder.  Despite these depictions of whiplash as a fabrication of malingers looking to “cash in,” whiplash is a serious injury that can inflict pain for months and even years after a car accident.  More than a million people experience whiplash injuries annually, and three-fourths of those who suffer such injuries continue to be affected by symptoms even six-months after their car accident.

What Is Whiplash?

Whiplash injuries are alternatively referred to as “cervical strain,” and “hyperextension/hyperflexion” injury.  The term “whiplash” refers to the motion of the head and neck that are jerked forward then backward similar to the motion of a whip.  Whiplash is an injury that occurs most typically in rear-end accidents when one’s vehicle is struck from behind while stopped or moving slowly.  The force of impact on the vehicle results in the head being jerked backward.  Because the whiplash victim generally does not see and anticipate the collision, there is little chance to brace one’s body for the impact, but the natural reaction when one’s head is whipped back is to contract the muscles in the front of the neck to compensate for the sudden backward movement of one’s neck.

Common Symptoms of Whiplash Injuries

The intense whipping motion of the head and neck in a rear-end car accident can do additional damage to the back and neck, including injury to the cervical muscles, discs of the back, ligaments, nerves and intervertebral joints.  It is important that whiplash injuries be identified promptly so that treatment can be initiated as soon as possible.  Early treatment can accelerate long-term recovery and result in a more favorable prognosis.  Some of the more common symptoms of whiplash injuries include the following:

  • Neck stiffness
  • Pain in the back
  • Discomfort when swallowing
  • Impaired balance
  • Tingling in the back, neck and shoulders
  • Diminished concentration and/or memory
  • Hoarseness or sore throat

If you or a loved one is injured in a Mississippi car accident or a loved one dies, you may have a right to seek legal compensation for your injuries and loss.  At the Barrett Law Offices PLLC, our experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

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