A 30-year-old Mississippi woman died and her two young children were injured in a terrible crash this weekend in Benton County, MS. Police say Erica Hendershot, died after being involved in a crash on U.S. Highway 72 at the intersection with Mississippi Route 7.
Authorities say Hendershot was driving a Chevy Blazer north on Route 7 when she tried to cross through the intersection with Highway 72 her vehicle entered into the path of an oncoming Dodge pickup truck. The force of the impact killed Hendershot immediately while her children, a 10-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl, were taken by helicopter to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Tragically, police say the accident was this deadly despite all three people wearing seat belts. In the other vehicle, the Dodge pickup, a 70-year-old couple both sustained moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
Witnesses say the children had just come from swimming and were on vacation at the time of the deadly crash. Now both will have to grow up without a mother. Police say they are still investigating the crash to better understand exactly what went wrong.
Sadly, witnesses said that this is not the first such accident to occur at the intersection. A spokesperson for Mississippi Highway Patrol said that there have been several deadly crashes at that particular intersection within recent memory. Locals have called on state officials to improve the highway, saying that red lights should be installed in both directions to prevent future tragedies.
This case provides an especially heartbreaking example of how even when people attempt to keep themselves safe things can go wrong. Seat belts typically work to protect occupants of a vehicle in the even of a crash by doing several things. First, they keep the occupants inside the vehicle itself, something that dramatically increases your chance of survival. Second, seat belts work by protecting your brain and spinal cord, two of the most sensitive and important parts of the body. Third, they spread out the force of the accident across a wide area of your body. By placing less stress on any one area, the belts can help reduce the risk of serious injuries.
Though the woman and her children were all wearing seat belts it was not enough to save them from terrible damage. While the seat belts did not save the mother’s life, they may very well have been what kept the young children from sustaining even worse injuries.
Accidents like this one require the assistance of an experienced lawyer, particularly if you want justice and a fair settlement. If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a car accident resulting from someone’s negligence, please contact the Jackson / Ridgeland auto accident attorneys at Kilpatrick & Philley at 601-707-4669.
Source: “Mother Killed, Children Hurt In Mississippi Crash,” by George Brown, published at WREG.com.
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