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Study Finds Texting and Driving As Dangerous As Drunk Driving

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An international study recently published in the Traffic Injury Prevention Journal found that sending text messages on a cell phone leads to significant driving risks. Specifically, scientists concluded it was as dangerous as being 25% over the legal alcohol limit. The study also revealed that engaging in deep conversations while on a hands-free device was also dangerous. Those discussions that were more mundane did not appear to carry much if any driving risks.

The research relied on 12 volunteers who completed a series of driving tasks on two different days. The study assessed their braking, reaction time, speed deviation and lane changes. On one day the volunteers were asked to drive under four conditions: no phone use, simple conversation over a hands-free device, deep conversation over hands-free device and text messaging. [Read more…]

Drunk Driving Enforcement Continues in Northeast Mississippi

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As almost all drivers in northeast Mississippi know, DUI checkpoints are a common sight when out for a ride, especially late at night. Drive on the road long enough and you’re bound to run into one.

In an attempt to keep the state’s roadways safe, officers in northeast Mississippi have been on a strict patrol ever since the end of December. Rather than let up now that the holidays are over, police departments in the region say they will continue with active enforcement to try and catch drunk drivers.

One Mississippi Trooper said that the law enforcement agency would keep troopers working high-traffic areas as well as conduct safety checkpoints and saturation patrols to ensure the safety of Mississippi motorists. Police will especially be relying on checkpoints which officers see as their most effective deterrent. [Read more…]

North Mississippi Tractor-Trailer Accident Results in Fatality

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According to numbers released by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the state saw five fatal accidents during the three-day Labor Day holiday period. Though the overall numbers were the same as in 2011, they were worse than the Independence Day period this year when only one fatality was reported.

The only northern Mississippi death recorded happened in Blue Mountain, Mississippi. The driver of a tractor-trailer crashed into the back of a 1986 Chevrolet truck, causing both vehicles to catch fire. [Read more…]

Car crashes resulting from “driving while medicated” present real danger for Mississippi drivers

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Though everyone knows about the danger and irresponsibility of getting behind the wheel after drinking, few people talk about the similar risks associated with drugged driving. It’s about time for that to change given the increasing occurrence of medication-related wrecks on Mississippi roadways.

One recent example includes a 32-year-old from Mississippi who is being held on weapon and drug charges following a crash last month in Virginia that killed three people and injured five others. [Read more…]

Mississippi Criminal Defense Lawyer: Expert witness admits opinions unreliable

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A Mississippi dentist who spent decades putting away criminals based on his testimony that bite marks linked crime victims to various suspects now says investigators should rely on DNA instead of his opinions.

The Hattiesburg dentist, Michael West, has testified in dozens of cases in which he said bite marks on victims matched certain suspects. West would compare bite marks to fingerprints as a way of convincing jurors about the reliability of the identification. Most suspects he testified against ended up going to prison.

A local newspaper recently got its hands on a copy of deposition of the dentist conducted in 2011 where West rejects the science he relied on to put so many criminals behind bards. West is quoted as saying, “I no longer believe in bite-mark analysis. I don’t think it should be used in court. I think you should use DNA. Throw bite marks out.” [Read more…]

Speeding into traffic, Mississippi driver involved in head-on collision

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In a story that highlights the dangers of driving on Mississippi roadways, one irresponsible driver was captured on camera speeding towards oncoming traffic for several miles before finally colliding head-on with an oncoming SUV.

The accident took place a few weeks ago on Highway 49 in Collins, Mississippi. A driver headed the opposite way filmed the reckless driver as he flew into oncoming traffic. The driver was identified as Edward Fairley of Mount Olive.

Fairley spent several minutes successfully weaving through cars until he plowed right into the front of the unlucky driver of a Ford SUV. Despite the speed involved and the direct impact of the crash, the driver of the SUV, Amy Cox of Waveland, and a young female passenger walked away with only minor injuries. [Read more…]

North Mississippi Criminal Defense Lawyer: Want to record the police? There’s an app for that!

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According to a recent article on Yahoo, one civil rights group is trying to turn the tables on police. The New Jersey Branch of the Americans Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has created a new app that will allow users to discreetly monitor and record police activity. The mobile phone program is designed to hold police officers accountable for their behavior while interacting with the public.

The app, dubbed “Police Tape,” allows people to securely and inconspicuously record interactions with police officers. Currently the app is only available on Android devices, but another version for the iPhone will be released later in the summer. The ACLU says the device will act as a critical tool for monitoring the actions of law enforcement officers. [Read more…]

New Mississippi Law Allows Sale of Beer with Higher Alcohol Content

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A new law that is getting a lot of attention in Mississippi which will permit the sale and manufacture of higher-alcohol beer. Beer lovers pushed the new law through the Legislature earlier this year, ending Mississippi’s reign as the only state that limited beer to five percent alcohol by weight.

The new law will permit beer with eight percent alcohol by weight, or 10 percent by volume, to be sold in Mississippi. Though drinkers are thrilled, the fight was a long one, coming only after three years of lobbying.

Several manufacturers of the higher-alcohol beer were poised and ready to bring the goods into the state. Brewers including Louisiana’s Abita Brewing Co., Tennessee’s Yazoo Brewing Co. and Mississippi’s Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co. had plans ready to deliver kegs and bottles to select bars and stores the very first day such beer was allowed to be sold. [Read more…]

Four tips for protecting yourself following a Mississippi car accident

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As the number of car accidents on the roadways continues to increase, it’s important that victims take steps to protect themselves immediately following a car crash. Delay can only hurt your chances of collecting for damages later. The following are some tips for how best to protect yourself in the event of a car accident:

1. Write everything down

For victims of accidents, it is important to gather as much information as possible. Think about writing down the names and addresses of everyone who was involved in the accident, including any witnesses. If the victim is left incapacitated after an accident then someone else needs to think clearly and record the details. Always call the police and have an accident report done. Do not let the at fault driver talk you out of calling the police to have a report done. [Read more…]

Mississippi Child Suffers Injuries, Remains in Intensive Care Due to Magnets

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A few months back one couple from Kiln, Mississippi made an unfortunate purchase. They were shopping in their hometown and came across a box of high-powered magnets that could be arranged into various shapes. They decided to buy them for fun. When they got home they put the box on a high shelf but it wasn’t enough to keep their 2-year-old son Braylon from finding and swallowing eight of them.

Had they just been round balls there would not have been much of an issues as the child would have simply passed them. Because they were magnets they were attracted to one another and made a lump which ended up tearing a hole through the baby’s intestines. Braylon has now been in the hospital for nearly two months, almost all of that time spent in the ICU. He’s had six surgeries, developed a blood infection and been sedated for three full weeks. Though he’s on track to leave the hospital soon doctors are saying he’ll still need an intestinal transplant because so much tissue had to be removed. [Read more…]