Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys Discuss Tragic Yachting Accident

The family of a young man wants to hold Mississippi Power and the Gulfport Yacht Club responsible for the devastating injuries that the man sustained in a horrific yachting accident that occurred when his sailboat came into contact with live power lines.  The young man is lucky to be alive after the accident, and he is still working on recovering from his injuries. Doctors have had to amputate both of his legs as well as one of his arms, and his entire body got severely burned. He is currently recovering from his burns and injuries, and the recovery process is expected to be slow, as is customary for burn victims.

The complaint that has been filed by the man’s family against Mississippi Power accuses the company of failing to maintain the power lines properly. In the aftermath of an accident that nearly cost them the young man that they love, his family and friends are wondering why the company allowed power lines to be present in an area where sailboats with tall masts go frequently. The power lines that the boat struck reach across the southwestern corner of the yacht club parking lot in an area where boats, including boats with tall masts like the one involved in the accident, are often present.

This terrible accident has got a lot of people in the yachting community on the Gulf Coast and elsewhere thinking about what they can do to prevent similar accidents from happening. For example, in the nearby community of Pass Christian, officials at the Pass Christian Yacht Club are asking the city and the harbor master to install barricades in the one location in its harbor where they believe that a similar accident could occur. All of the other electrical wirings in the harbor is underground, but there is one place where four power poles are located in proximity to a boat parking area. Yacht club officials feel the location of those power poles poses a danger to people who are on boats with tall masts, like the one that was involved in the aforementioned accident. Hopefully, the barricades will get put in soon, and other yacht clubs in other communities on the Gulf Coast and elsewhere will examine their harbors to see whether they are as safe as they can be.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Knowledgeable and Experienced Help for Mississippi Boating Accident Victims

If you got hurt in a boating accident or someone you love got hurt or killed while boating in Mississippi, a Mississippi personal injury attorney could help you and your family pursue claims for damages or losses related to a boating accident. The circumstances of each boating accident are unique, but it is possible that you could file a boating accident claim based on some or all of the following: medical bills, property damage, lost wages, and pain and suffering. The Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC represent plaintiffs and their families in various types of personal injury cases. To learn more about how our attorneys might be able to help you, call our office today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to arrange a free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys Discuss Injury Rates at U.S. Auto Factories

There is a variety of automobile manufacturing facilities across the United States. Some are older factories run by well-established automakers; others are newer plants built and run by those same brands. There are also automobile manufacturing plants that are not only new, but that are owned by relative newcomers to the automotive manufacturing industry.

Workers at all automobile manufacturing facilities face certain risks in their workplaces. However, auto industry data reveals that some manufacturing facilities have higher rates of worker injury than others do. One automobile manufacturing plant that is suspected of having a higher than average worker injury rate is the Tesla factory in Fremont, California. Efforts are underway by the United Autoworkers’ Union to unionize the facility, but their progress has been slow. Industry data supports a conclusion that union factories have lower injury and accident rates than non-union plants do.

Tesla asserts that its safety record is better than the industry average. When the nonprofit organization Worksafe looked into the matter, they found that while Tesla’s Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) for the first quarter of this year is currently lower than the national average.  Moreover, data from previous years indicates that during other years, the TRIR at the Fremont facility was substantially higher than the national average.

The possibility of a change in direction for Tesla’s TRIR rate at their Fremont facility is encouraging, even though it must be taken with a grain of salt because it is still too early in the year to determine whether the decrease in injuries is a trend or a reprieve from higher injury rates. While we are unable to know whether the higher TRIRs for the company’s earlier years were the result of it being a new company, it is possible that they were and that as Tesla becomes more established, the Fremont manufacturing facility becoming a safer place to work. In fact, the car company has declared one of its manufacturing goals as having a very low rate of worker injuries as compared to other automakers.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Representing Injured Mississippi Workers and Their Families

Automobile manufacturing injury and fatality cases can get complicated. The machinery and work processes involved in modern auto manufacturing processes are technologically advanced, but they still create substantial risks to the workers who operate the machines every day. It can be difficult to understand the workplace injury claims process, and if you are missing time from work because you are hurt, you are likely to want to pursue a claim for damages related to your workplace accident as soon as possible to minimize the financial impact of your injury on your life.

A workplace injury attorney can help you pursue a claim for damages after a workplace accident, and they can offer valuable support and guidance at each stage of the claims process. If you got hurt in an automobile manufacturing accident or you lost a loved one in an automobile manufacturing plant accident, get help from a Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorney. Call the Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505 to learn more.

 

 

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Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys Discuss Tubing Accidents

Recently, an Indiana man was injured in a tubing accident after he collided with a dock. As such, he was airlifted to the hospital from the accident scene and underwent emergency surgery to amputate his lower leg.

Tubing can be a lot of fun, and it is an activity that the whole family can enjoy if you do it safely. Keep yourself, your friends, and your family as safe as possible during your tubing outings by following these safety tips:

  • Everyone must wear a life jacket while they are tubing. Children should wear them at all times both on the tube and on the boat, and while it is ideal that adults wear them all of the time, wearing the life jacket on the tube and keeping the life jacket within easy reach while on the boat is safer than not having or wearing one at all.
  • Know how to use your tubing equipment before you take it out. Explain safe tubing to all users, and follow all of the manufacturer’s specifications for height, weight, age limits, speed, and the number of riders that can use each tube. Inspect your equipment regularly for signs of wear and replace as needed.
  • Know the capabilities of your riders and tow them in a manner consistent with their abilities. Use spotters for everyone’s safety. Someone besides the driver should always be watching the tube, leaving the driver free to concentrate on watching where they are going.
  • Know the rules for the body of water that you are using, especially towing speeds. Never mix alcohol with tubing, and respect all applicable regulations. A citation for violating the rules can ruin even the most fun tubing excursion.
  • Check your tow line before you take off to ensure that it is securely fastened. Use a rope designed for towing tubes, and check it regularly to ensure that it is in proper working condition and that it is not damaged.
  • Wait for your rider to be ready before you start the boat. Check to see that they are properly positioned on the tube and that they have a firm grip on the line.
  • Use caution and go slow when you cross a wake.
  • Use extreme care when towing multiple tubes or, even better, avoid towing more than one tube at once. Many boaters are not aware that a lot of tubing accidents occur when multiple tubes are being towed.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Help for Mississippi Boating Accident Victims

A personal injury attorney can help boating accident victims and their families pursue claims for damages or losses in connection with a boating accident. You might be able to file a claim based on property damage, medical bills and lost wages, pain, and suffering, and more. The Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC have represented many plaintiffs and their families. To learn more, please call our office today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule a free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys Discuss ATV Accidents

A Mississippi man died in a recent ATV wreck. The single-vehicle crash happened near Bruton Branch when an ATV went off the side of the road as the driver attempted to navigate a curve, and hit a tree. The front seat passenger in the side-by-side style ATV sustained fatal injuries. The driver and another passenger got minor injuries. The driver faces criminal charges in connection with the wreck. He got charged with vehicular assault and DUI, and it is possible that other charges will be filed later as more information about the accident comes to light through the investigation.

Victims of ATV accidents can get injured in many ways. Some newer models of ATVs have seatbelts, but many of the ATVs that are currently in use do not. Ejection from the ATV often happens in ATV accidents. Ejection often causes head injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, especially when riders were not wearing helmets when the crash happened. ATV accident victims can also suffer neck injuries, facial injuries, spinal cord injuries, and paralysis, as well as other less common injuries. Because ATV accidents often result in such serious injuries, ATV accident fatalities happen often.

Young or inexperienced riders cause some ATV accidents. Other accidents get caused by people who may be older, more experienced riders who are operating their ATVs in an unsafe manner, such as people who ride too fast. Other accidents happen when ATV operators drink alcohol. Alcohol impairs a rider’s ability to ride safely. It slows riders’ reaction times, and it impairs their judgment. Other potential causes of ATV accidents include malfunction of the ATV or of parts that are used to repair or maintain it and obstacles on the trail or road.

When there is an ATV accident, multiple parties may be responsible for the injuries or death caused by the wreck. The ATV owner might be able to be held liable for some or all of the damages caused by the crash if they acted negligently by doing something like letting an inexperienced rider use the ATV or failing to maintain it in a safe condition and letting people ride it. The person who was driving the ATV at the time of the crash may also be wholly or partially responsible for any injuries and damages caused by the accident. Other parties who might be responsible in some way include the owner of the property where the wreck happened, the ATV manufacturer, and any companies who made parts that were used to repair and maintain the ATV.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Help for Mississippi ATV Crash Victims

A personal injury attorney can help ATV accident victims, and their families pursue claims for damages or losses in connection with an ATV accident. You might be able to file a claim based on property damage, medical bills and lost wages, pain, and suffering, and more. The Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC have represented many plaintiffs and their families. To learn more, please call our office today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule a free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys Discuss Tree Work Risks

A young man died while he was working to remove trees near power lines in the state of Washington. The accident occurred when a tree that he was removing snapped suddenly. Another tree worker also died recently. Both employees were engaged in special projects aimed at emergency tree removal near power lines, such as dead or dying trees or trees that have been damaged by forest fires. These projects are different from the regular, scheduled maintenance type of tree work that occurs in areas where there are power lines.

All tree work is dangerous, whether it is logging forests, removing trees on private property, clearing dying or dead trees away from power lines, or any other type of project involving trees. In fact, logging consistently ranks near the top of the “deadliest occupations” list that the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles each year. Training and safe work practices are essential to keeping tree workers alive, and investigations into the recent tree work deaths are likely to reveal whether any of those things were lacking in either situation.

The young man who died in Washington had not been doing tree work for very long. He had come to America from Mexico, as many Mexicans do, in search of work that would help him create a good life for his family in Mexico. His friends and family say that he spoke little English, and it is likely that at least some of the investigation into his death will examine the issue of whether he had been trained to do what he was doing and whether he understood the training that he had gotten.

Preliminary information regarding the accident indicates that while the young man was new to the company that he worked for at the time of his death, he had some tree work experience and he was working with an experienced supervisor. He had also received training and orientation, as well as classes to prepare him for work as a “climber.” As the investigation progresses, information is likely to come to light regarding exactly what went wrong and how. There are many ways that tree work accidents can occur, and it is important that each fatality gets treated as the unique case that it is so that the deceased worker’s family, their co-workers, and their employer can get the answers that they need to move forward.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Representing Injured Mississippi Workers

Tree work injury and fatality cases can get complicated. There are often multiple parties involved in an accident, including the company that employed the injured or deceased worker, any company that contracted with that company to have the work performed, the utility company, entity, or the private owner who owns the land where the accident occurred, and more. This aspect of tree work cases alone can make filing a claim for damages complicated and frustrating for accident victims and their families. Fortunately, you do not have to pursue your claim alone. If you got hurt in a tree work accident or you lost a loved one in a tree work accident, get help from a Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorney. Call the Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505 to learn more.

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Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys Talk about Ladder Accidents

A recent accident at BGF Industries, Inc., a technical fiber manufacturing facility, left an employee with a serious injury. The accident happened when the worker fell off of a short ladder onto the roof of the building. The accident is now under investigation. The company is hoping to learn how the accident happened so that they can prevent similar accidents from happening again.

Ladders are a relatively common piece of equipment implicated in workplace accidents. There are three basic types of accident scenarios that often occur with ladders. One such situation is when workers use the wrong ladder. Another typical ladder accident scenario happens when the ladder fails because it is in bad condition. The third common type of workplace ladder accidents happens when the ladder gets used incorrectly.

Some ladder accidents occur when people hold something in one or both of their hands as they are climbing up or down the ladder. It is essential that you keep at least one hand on a side rail as you climb up or down the ladder. Use a tool belt or some other method to keep your hands free whenever possible.

Did you know that approximately a third of all ladder accident victims were wearing shoes that were greasy, wet, or oily at the time that they got hurt? Check your footwear for wetness or slippery substances on the soles before climbing a ladder. It doesn’t take long to get a rag or a paper towel and dry or clean off your shoes before you climb a ladder, and you may save yourself a lot of pain if you take the time to do it.

In over half of all ladder accident cases that involved straight ladders, the ladders were not secured or braced at the bottom. More than half of the ladders involved in ladder accidents were not secured at the top. Secure your ladder properly before climbing to reduce the risk that you will fall and get hurt.

The majority of ladder accident victims say that they never got trained on how to inspect a ladder for defects before using it. They also said that they never got written instructions on how to use ladders safely. To use a ladder safely, keep at least one hand on a side rail at all times, keep your body centered, keep your body straight, and stay as close to the ladder as you can. As you work from the ladder, move slowly and deliberately. Be careful not to reach too far to the side or too far overhead when you are working on a ladder because overreaching is one of the leading causes of ladder accidents. Also, climb down from the ladder when you need to reposition it. Never move a ladder when there is someone on it.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Help for Mississippi Workplace Accident Victims

If you got hurt in a ladder accident at work, get help from a Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorney right away. Workplace accident attorneys have an in-depth understanding of worker’s compensation law, and they work to help people just like you obtain the financial recovery that they need. To learn more, call the Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505.

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Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys Discuss Railroad Crossing Accidents

A horrific collision at a railroad crossing killed four people and injured forty others. The rescue effort took over an hour, and rescue workers even had to use metal cutting equipment to free some of the bus passengers from the wreckage. The accident occurred when a freight train crashed into a casino tour bus at a railroad crossing in Biloxi. The train pushed the bus three hundred feet before the vehicles came to rest on the tracks.

Initial reports about the accident mentioned that the design of the crossing might have played a role in the wreck. People who saw the wreck said that the bus seemed to be stuck on the tracks when it got hit by the train. The crossing where the crash occurred is on a steep grade. There is a sign near the crossing to alert drivers of the low ground clearance.

Collisions involving trains and passenger vehicles are often devastating and deadly. Trains are large and cumbersome, and they move fast. Because trains are so massive, they are unable to stop quickly if a vehicle gets stuck on the railroad tracks or crosses the tracks despite a warning signal.

Railroad crossings are designed to keep cars off of railroad tracks when trains are passing through so that collisions do not occur. Unfortunately, all railroad crossings do not provide the same degree of safety. Some railroad crossings prevent accidents better than others do. When a crash happens at a railway crossing, the accident investigation includes a thorough examination of the railroad crossing to assess its design. Crossings that are deemed unsafe get prioritized for repair, but with so many miles of railroad tracks across America and so many railroad crossings, it could be months or even years before unsafe conditions at any given railroad crossing get addressed.

Safety improvements at dangerous railroad crossings can reduce the incidence of collisions between trains and other vehicles. A further reduction in risk can be had by increasing public awareness of the safety risks that are posed by railroad crossings.  If you drive through any railroad crossing on a regular basis, remember that although some trains pass through that crossing on a predictable schedule, not all trains run on fixed schedules. As you approach a railroad crossing, drive carefully. If you see the crossing lights start to flash or the crossing gate begins to lower, stop immediately. Wait for the train to pass all of the way through the crossing, and then wait some more. Do not cross the railroad tracks until the lights stop flashing and the gate, if there is one, is all of the way up. As a final precaution, look both ways before crossing the tracks, even if a train just passed through, because another train could be coming.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Help for Mississippi Accident Victims

Accidents at railroad crossings can cause severe injury and death. If you got hurt or a loved one git killed in a train wreck, contact Mississippi Personal Injury Attorney right away. To learn how a personal injury lawyer could help you recover after a devastating railroad crossing accident, call the Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505 to arrange a consultation.

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Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys Discuss Cruise Ship Accidents on the Mississippi River

An injured, seventy-one-year-old woman recently got medevacked off of a cruise ship on the Mississippi River. The woman, who had suffered a shoulder injury, and her husband were transported to Venice by a Coast Guard response boat, where they were met by local emergency medical personnel who transported them to the hospital. A couple of weeks earlier, a seventy-six-year-old man had to be removed from the same cruise ship in a similar fashion, by a Coast Guard response boat, when he began experiencing flu-like symptoms and heart problems during a river cruise.

River cruises can be a wonderful way to enjoy good company and take in the scenic beauty of the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, accidents and injuries can occur on board a cruise ship, just as they can happen anywhere else. Sometimes, the medical care that an injured or sick person needs is not available on board the ship, but sometimes more intensive care is required. Fortunately, the Coast Guard can assist in situations like those that mentioned above, so that sick and injured cruise passengers can get the medical care that they need right away.

If you are on board a cruise ship and you or someone who is traveling with you gets hurt or sick, get help from the ship’s infirmary right away. In addition to seeking prompt medical attention at the ship’s infirmary, it is essential to do a few other things as soon after your accident or injury as you can, in order to protect your rights. For example, if you can get treated on board the ship, make an appointment to be checked out by your regular doctor as soon as you can after your cruise.

Other things that you must do as soon as possible include reporting your accident or injury to cruise ship safety officers and crew members. If any other passengers or cruise ship crew members were nearby when you got hurt, obtain their names and contact information. Get copies of any forms that you or cruise ship staff fill out in association with your injury. If you can, take pictures of the part of the cruise ship where you got hurt, and take pictures of your injury, too.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Helping Injured Mississippi Residents to Recover

Cruise ship tickets often contain the information that you will need to know the cruise line’s procedure for filing a claim for damages. You may have a limited time within which to file your claim, so call a Mississippi Personal Injury Attorney right away, before it is too late to file a claim for damages. If you got hurt in a cruise ship accident, a Mississippi personal injury attorney might be able to help you file a claim for damages. To learn more about how a personal injury lawyer might be able to help you, call the Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505 to arrange a consultation.

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Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys Talk About Left Turn Accidents

A recent deadly crash in Hinds County claimed the life of one person. The accident happened as the driver of one vehicle was turning left and the vehicles collided at the intersection. This tragic wreck is a somber reminder that many accidents occur at intersections, especially when one vehicle is turning left.

When the driver of a vehicle needs to make a left turn, they must wait to do so until they feel as though they can complete the turn safely. If a driver makes a left turn and their vehicle collides with another vehicle before it completes the turn, they are often found at fault for the accident because they did not yield to traffic. In other words, they did not wait until it was completely safe to make the turn before they attempted to do so.

If you get into an accident while you are making a left turn, do not say anything to anyone that would imply that you feel as though the crash was your fault. There are some situations where a driver who gets into an accident while turning left are not at fault for a collision that occurs while they are turning. For example, if the driver who was traveling straight through the intersection ran a red light, that driver is at fault. Also, it is possible for the driver who was going straight through the intersection to be found at fault if they were speeding. You may even be able to assert that you had determined that it was safe to turn and then something unusual happened while you were making the turn that made you have to slow down or stop before you could complete the turn.

As is the case with any automobile accident, make sure that you call for help right away if you get into a left-turn accident. Gather whatever information you can gather safely at the accident scene, and say as little as you possibly can to the other drivers while communicating respectfully and cooperatively with the police. If you are hurt, and even if you don’t think that you are hurt, it is essential that you get medical help right away. The reason why you must seek prompt medical attention after any automobile accident is so that your doctor can examine you and check you for injuries that may be hidden from view yet still dangerous enough to require treatment. For example, head injuries or injuries that involve internal bleeding are not always visible, nor do people always feel them.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Protecting the Interests of Mississippi Automobile Accident Victims

If you or someone that you love got hurt or killed in a left-hand turn accident, you may wonder what to do next. A Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney can help you recover financially from the crash while you recover from your injuries or help your family through your loss. To learn more, call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (601) 790-1505, to schedule a free consultation.

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Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys Talks about Employability

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Workplace accident cases seem to have a language that is all their own. The terms that are used in workplace accident cases often define the outcomes of those cases. Anyone who has gotten hurt at work is likely to find themselves immersed in a sea of unfamiliar words that will be used to determine whether they receive compensation for their injuries and how much compensation they will get.

One recent workplace injury case in Mississippi sheds some light on what it means to be employable. The Mississippi Court of Appeals’ decision in Hathorn v. ESCO Corp., No. 2015-WC-01528-COA (Miss. Ct. App. 11/15/16) tells us that there is a difference between being unable to find a job and being unemployable.

The case involves a man who hurt his hand when he was operating a grinder at a facility that makes steel parts for mining equipment. His injury was deemed compensable, and he was eventually able to return to work with medical restrictions. His doctor told him not to use a grinder or lift more than fifty pounds, so he did janitorial and maintenance tasks, and he ran errands. He worked in this way for over a year, and one day he was asked to operate a forklift, so he did. That evening, his hand swelled up dramatically, and he went to see his doctor. The doctor examined his hand and told him not to do any more work involving forklifts.

A couple of weeks after the man had been told by his doctor to refrain from operating forklifts, his employer asked him to use one again. The man asked whether someone else could do it because he could not, and told his superiors that he was medically unable to operate the forklift. He was placed on leave and given a few days to obtain a note from the doctor to certify that he was medically unable to operate the forklift. When he did not produce the note within the prescribed amount of time, he was fired for insubordination.

As a result, the man looked for work, but he was unable to find a job. The fact that he had been working for over a year, taken together with the fact that he was able to perform a range of different tasks while he was working show that he can do at least some types of work. While this man may not be as employable as a person who has no medical restrictions on the types of work that they can do, the man’s injury does not make him unemployable. It also does not seem as though the man exhausted all of the possibilities during his job search – he admitted that he did not look for security, maintenance, or housekeeping jobs, even though he has the skills and the physical abilities to perform at least some jobs in those fields.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Representing Workplace Accident Victims Across Mississippi  

If you got hurt on the job, it is important that you know that you do not have to learn and apply the language of worker’s compensation all on your own. The Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to guide you through the worker’s compensation claims process while you work on recovering from your injury. Please call us today, at 1 (601) 790-1505 to schedule a consultation.

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