TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- A weekend accident on Highway 78 in Tupelo caused a breach in a cable barrier in the median that officials say was put in place to help prevent deadly accidents.
The damage caused by the truck could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
"I think probably with everything, with the sign that was damaged and everything, we are talking about something in the excess of $20,000," says Mississippi Department of Transportation district engineer William M. Jamieson, Jr.
Officials say contractors should be on the scene as early as Tuesday to began repairs. Cable barriers are not 100 percent effective, but they are becoming more popular in North Mississippi.
"We've got them on [Highway] 82 from the Alabama line over to about [Highway] 25 in Starkville, and we are in the process of putting them from Shannon to Saltillo," says Jamieson.
Jamieson also says cable barriers are put in place with a driver's safety in mind. He says MDOT hopes that if a vehicle hydroplanes, for example, the cable barrier will prevent that person from getting into a head-on collision.
"With the time we've had them here, we are fairly comfortable that in at least one to two cases that it is very possible that they have saved lives," says Jamieson.
MDOT officials hope the installation of more cable barriers in the area will result in many more lives being saved.
