Mississippi Bridge Accidents

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Over 16,000 bridges are currently in the state of Mississippi, connecting people across the state and in neighboring states. While bridges are an integral part of our transportation system, they do not come with risks. The safety of bridges rests heavily on the skills of those who design and build them, as well as the agencies that are trusted with keeping them safe. Additionally, the very nature of bridge travel can increase the risk of serious accidents.

If you have been injured in a bridge accident in Mississippi, don’t wait any longer to find out if you are entitled to compensation. The personal injury team at Reeves & Mestayer is here to help you. Call us at 228-300-2754 to set up a time to talk to our team right now.

Inclement Weather Makes Bridge Travel Unsafe

Driving on a bridge in poor weather is extremely risky, but not many drivers know just how much weather changes can affect a bridge. When temperatures drop, the cold air flows above and below the bridge, causing temperatures to drop much more quickly. There is no heat trapped in the ground to keep the road warm, so the road becomes slippery and difficult to navigate much more quickly.

Add to that the fact that bridges are built with steel and concrete. Both of these materials conduct heat. Roads are made of asphalt, which does not conduct heat well. Although the bridge materials conduct heat, the road does not hold the heat, so it stays cold for much longer than the surfaces around it.

Fog is another major problem for bridge travel. Dense fog tends to be worse on bridges than on other roads, so drivers must slow down a lot in order to drive safely. Unfortunately, many drivers fail to do so, increasing the risk of an accident when a slower car appears out of the fog.

Pile-Ups Are a Serious Risk

Fog on bridges contributes to the risk of multi-car pile-ups. When fog hits, some drivers will do the right thing and slow down. When drivers who ignore the safety rules suddenly spot these drivers, it is often too late to stop and they cause a crash. The fog may prevent other cars from seeing the crash, causing them to strike it and cause further damage. With this type of chain reaction, it’s easy for a crash to accumulate 10 or more cars and cause millions of dollars in damage.

Being Pushed Over the Side is Always Possible

Perhaps one of the greatest risks of Mississippi bridge accidents is being pushed over the side of a bridge. When a sideswipe accident occurs, a car in the outside lane of travel may be forced outside its lane. This generally means falling into the ditch or onto the shoulder on a normal road. But on a bridge, this means falling onto the road below or into the water. This turns an already-serious accident into a potentially fatal one.

Bridge Collapses Are Increasingly Common

Of the more than 16,000 bridges in Mississippi, roughly 7% are currently considered structurally deficient. Over 7,300 bridges currently need repair, a task that will cost roughly $2.4 billion.

What does this mean? Not only do drivers have to worry about other drivers while navigating bridges, but they also have to worry about the bridges themselves. A bridge that has been poorly designed, constructed, or maintained may give out at any point. When this occurs, everyone on the bridge is at risk of fatal injuries and, if the bridge is above water, drowning.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get the repairs that bridges need in a timely manner, so the likelihood of driving on a structurally deficient bridge is fairly high. Additionally, quite a few of Mississippi’s bridges are weight restricted. Trucks or large vehicles that ignore these signs make bridges even more unsafe.

Protect Yourself After a Bridge Accident—Call Reeves & Mestayer

A bridge accident could be the fault of a driver, the designer of the bridge, or the government agency tasked with maintaining the bridge. Either way, it’s important to pursue the compensation you deserve. Schedule your free case evaluation by calling Reeves & Mestayer at 228-300-2754 or contacting us online.

Should You Finish Medical Treatment Before Receiving an Injury Settlement?

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You’ve been injured because of someone else’s mistake, and you’re pretty sure you’re entitled to compensation—but how much? If the insurance company is pushing you to accept a settlement even as you go through treatment, you’re not alone. Insurance companies save the most money when they get injured victims to sign off on a low settlement before they know how much their injuries will cost.

You don’t have to put up with this treatment or go through the settlement process on your own. Call Reeves & Mestayer at 228-300-2754 to talk to our team of attorneys about your legal options.

Injuries Can Be Unpredictable

If you’re thinking about accepting an offer but your injury hasn’t yet healed, remember that injuries are incredibly unpredictable. A simple bone break may suddenly triple in cost when it fails to set properly or follow-up imaging reveals that you actually need surgery for a full recovery. A minor traumatic brain injury could cost you far more than expected once you discover that it has impacted your memory, limiting your ability to work.

The insurance company’s settlement offer will not account for any situation in which your injury becomes more expensive. Their settlement is based on the idea that your recovery will go as smoothly as possible, with no extra expenses or delays. Unfortunately, that’s not how life works.

When, then, should you consider a settlement offer from the insurance company?

Maximum Medical Improvement

You’ll want to hold off on accepting an offer until you have reached the point of maximum medical improvement. This means the point at which you have recovered as much as you ever will, and no further healing is expected. For many accident victims, this happens when they make a full recovery from their injuries. For others, a full recovery isn’t possible, and maximum medical improvement happens once all treatment options have been fully expended.

Maximum medical improvement differs for everyone and every injury, so it’s important to work closely with a doctor you trust as you seek treatment. They will be able to recommend appropriate therapies and treatments that will help you recover, as well as let you know once you have reached maximum medical improvement.

Expenses Related to Your Accident

You may wonder why you shouldn’t accept a settlement offer until you have reached the point of maximum medical improvement. Basically, you can’t possibly know how much your injuries will cost you until they have reached that point.

You’ll continue receiving treatment until you reach maximum medical improvement, and at that point, you’ll be able to see how much your treatment has cost you. You will also know how much your injury will continue to affect your life moving forward, and consequently, how much compensation you need to adjust to those permanent life changes.

Avoid Pressure from the Insurance Company

It’s easy to say that you shouldn’t accept an early settlement offer, but it’s a lot harder to resist growing pressure from the insurance company. Insurance adjusters know that once you know how much your injury is worth, you will not be willing to accept less. That’s why they put so much pressure on you in the beginning. They might claim that their offer is only available for a limited time or that waiting will cause you to lose any chance at compensation.

Don’t listen to these tactics, and in fact, avoid communication with the other party’s insurance company completely. When you work with a personal injury attorney, they take care of this communication on your behalf.

Your attorney knows the wide range of tricks used by insurance adjusters and how to keep them from damaging your claim. While you focus on recovering from your injuries and getting back to normal, let your attorney negotiate with the insurance company and take care of your legal needs.

Choose Reeves & Mestayer for Your Accident Claim

The quicker you connect with the team at Reeves & Mestayer, the quicker we can start building a case for you. Set up a time to talk to our attorneys, go over your claim, and explore your options. Just call us at 228-300-2754 or fill out our online contact form to get started.