I-220 Cable Barriers Prove Effective in Wreck - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS

I-220 Cable Barriers Prove Effective in Wreck

By Kandiss Crone
kandiss@wlbt.net

From the looks of it, it's hard to believe that the passengers riding in a wrecked Ford Explorer survived the accident. But all four of them, including two children, walked away without a scratch.

Jasmine Davis and her daughter were in the back seat. She believes the only reason she's alive is because of the cable barriers being installed along Interstate 220 by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

"It stopped us from coming over here and causing a bigger accident," Davis said.

Police say the accident happened when the driver, Chloe Martin, swerved to avoid hitting a car in front of her.

Davis says the impact was intense.

"I actually had to prop my foot up on the back of her seat to prevent myself and my child from going towards the windshield," Davis said.

In May, MDOT announced plans to install the barriers along I-220 between I-20 and I-55 in hopes of reducing the number of head-on, cross-median crashes.

Over the past two years, WLBT has reported six fatalities along this nine mile stretch of the interstate.

Safety engineer Jim Willis says Tuesday's accident is proof that the cable barriers can save lives.

"The benefit of the cable barrier is it actually catches the vehicle, slows the vehicle down and redirects the vehicle safely," Willis said. "It absorbs a lot of the energy."

Officials with MDOT say the $1.2 million project should be complete by the end of the month.