Texting And Driving Accidents

A quick drive down the 405 can lead to some pretty alarming realizations when you notice how many people are texting while they are driving on a major freeway. Unfortunately, this is not a problem that is unique to California, and in fact, there were nearly 3,500 fatalities and 400,000 injuries as a result of texting while driving in the United States in 2015. What this means is that every time you merge out onto a public road, you are at risk of being involved in an accident with someone who makes the reckless decision to use their cellphone instead of giving their full focus to the road and other travelers.

If you are involved in a car accident with someone who was texting while they were driving, there are some important steps that you should take in order to protect yourself both legally and financially, both at the scene of the accident and after. The team at the King Law Firm is available to work with you as your personal injury attorney in Northridge in order to assist you in the legal process of getting the compensation that you deserve.

Read more below to learn about the dangers and risks of texting while driving, the possible consequences of this dangerous action, and how we can help.

Why Is Texting While Driving So Bad?

Each time a driver takes their eyes off of the road, whether it is to change a radio station, reprogram their GPS, or read and respond to an email, there are valuable moments that go by where they are no longer paying attention to the road in front of them. In many cases, this can be even more dangerous than drinking and driving, which should be a good indication of why it should be avoided at all costs.

The biggest issue is that reading or responding to a text message, or doing something else on your phone, takes a lot more of your attention than you consciously realize. You may swerve into oncoming traffic, may not notice the child chasing a ball into the road, or recognize that you accidentally just drove through an intersection without yielding. There are many different hazards possible out on the road, and taking your attention off of your task of driving is always a dangerous decision.

What To Do After a Texting and Driving Accident

Call 911

If you have been involved in an accident with someone who was using their phone and caused the crash, then it is important that you document this important detail. In most cases, you will want to contact 911 whether or not there are serious injuries, to make sure that a police officer arrives on the scene and is able to take an accident report after interviewing you, the other driver, and any other passengers or witnesses who have stopped to offer their account. At this point, it is important that you mention that the other driver was using their phone during the accident and that you suspect it was this phone use that caused the accident if that is actually the case.

They will then interview the other driver, and in many cases, the driver may actually make a statement that admits to their phone usage. In other cases, they will avoid this detail and you will need to take other steps to prove that this was the case. This is where witness statements come in handy, and why we will want to compile as many as possible depending on the initial circumstances following the crash.

Get Medical Attention

If you are injured, it is very important that you get medical attention in order to address your injuries and get the help that you need, as well as to establish a medical record early on in this process. Each visit to a doctor will provide a stronger, clearer timeline of events that will be very useful during our process of negotiations with the insurance company, and in court if we must pursue a full lawsuit.

Contact An Attorney

Once you have made sure that your immediate medical concerns are addressed and that you are receiving the appropriate care, contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible. It is never too early to bring a lawyer into your case after an accident, because the more time that we have to build a case, the stronger your case will be.

Call us now to request a free consultation, where you will be able to speak directly with a lawyer about the accident, your injuries, and the next steps that we will take in order to get you the financial compensation that you are rightfully entitled to.