How have texting and driving laws affected personal injury cases?

texting and driving

Before cell phones, there were fewer distractions affecting most drivers. To be sure, distracted driving still led to accidents, but there were fewer of them.

But with the advent of cellphones, and their enormous popularity, more drivers began to concentrate less on the road and more on their phone screens while driving. That led to more distracted driving accidents.

And then texting became ‘a thing.’ Whether it is texting to reply to a message someone sent to you, or typing a social media post while driving, the number of distracted driving accidents increased even more.

Soon, cities and states began to pass laws making it illegal to text while driving, or even to hold a phone in your hand to have a conversation while heading down the road. Hands-free options popped up to handle the phone calls, and many newer model vehicles come from the dealer equipped to allow drivers to place and answer phone calls while their eyes remain on the road and their hands remain on the steering wheel.

Nonetheless, despite the known dangers of operating a moving vehicle while texting on a phone, some people still do so. And that leads to accidents, but now with added legal penalties. A texting driver is now legally liable, so they are responsible for the damages they caused.

According to the CDC, every day about 8 people in the United States are killed in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver. That doesn’t even include all the accidents where someone is injured, but survives.

They go on to describe 3 different types of distractions:

  • taking your eyes off the road
  • taking your hands off the wheel
  • taking your mind off driving

Unfortunately, texting while driving typically involves all three of these distractions at once.

We have offices in Houston, Corpus Christi, and Victoria; and will travel to any corner of Texas if we are capable of preventing an injustice.

Carrdigan and Anderson

A personal injury lawsuit filed against someone who was texting and driving may help you recover repair or replacement costs for your vehicle, the cost of other items you had with you which were broken in the crash (maybe your work laptop, for example), medical bills you incurred as a result of the accident, lost wages, and even compensation for pain and suffering.

If someone injures you because they caused an accident while texting and driving, there are now legal options available to help you recover and get your medical bills and more covered by a legal judgment. But that means going to court, and that means you need a professional team of attorneys on your side to present your case to get what you deserve.

At Carrigan & Anderson, we know the law and can help you with a lawsuit to recover from an accident caused by someone texting and driving. Call us at 361-980-6150 or contact us here on our website and let us get started with helping you. That’s what we do.

At Carrigan & Anderson, PLLC we can talk to you about your options and rights.

Carrdigan and Anderson