Authorities with the Mississippi Highway Patrol say that they now understand more about a deadly accident that occurred earlier this month. Accident reconstructionists with the MHP have revealed that the crash on April 3rd involving a fire truck occurred because the fire truck did not yield the right of way.
The accident took place on Mississippi 43 and Carter Store Road. Police say the crash occurred when a Lake Harbor fire truck crashed into a Ford Escape carrying five members of the same family. The accident left a 10-year-old boy dead and resulted in serious injuries to the other four members of the family. The father was listed in stable condition while the mother and two other children, one four-year-old and a four-month-old, were all in critical condition.
Experts believe that the fire truck was heading east and was attempting to cross over the southbound lanes when it slammed into the Ford Escape. This failure to yield, especially at such a high rate of speed, is incredibly dangerous, creating the possibility of a deadly outcome just like this. Authorities say that the two firefighters inside the truck told investigators that they had been out doing training that day. Neither of the firefighters was injured in the crash and police say they will continue to investigate the case.
The case illustrates the dangers that come from failing to yield. Those who refuse to follow the normal rules of the road do so at great risk to themselves and others. Drivers who fail to yield are often involved in exceptionally dangerous crashes like this one, accidents that are among the most likely to end in serious harm.
Understanding the right of way is an important part of navigating Mississippi roadways safely. The rules exist so that people understand who has the right to move and when, creating a structure out of what could be chaos. For instance, drivers turning left must yield the right-of-way to other vehicles. It is important that these rules are followed because if that driver decides to instead jump out into traffic, the likelihood of a serious accident would be great.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, failure to yield accidents lead to more than 3,000 fatalities each and ever year. On top of this, failure to follow traffic signs and signals add an additional 1,800 deaths. That means, tragically, nearly 5,000 deaths per year occurred due to something so easily prevented.
If you have been injured in a Mississippi car, motorcycle or tractor-trailer accident and think you may have a personal injury claim, please contact the Mississippi personal injury attorneys at Kilpatrick & Philley at 601-707-4669.
Source: http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2016/04/11/mhp-fire-truck-failed-yield-fatal-crash/82891190/