Distracted Driving | Auto Accidents

Auto Negligence Lawsuits

Every year, thousands of serious crashes are caused by one simple and preventable behavior: distracted driving. Despite widespread public awareness, drivers continue to glance at their phones, adjust navigation systems, or lose focus behind the wheel. The consequences are devastating, leaving victims with life-altering injuries and families struggling to recover.

Distracted driving is a form of negligence under the law. When a driver fails to give their full attention to the road and causes harm, they can be held financially responsible through a personal injury or wrongful death claim.

Common Causes of Distracted Driving

While cell phones are the most notorious cause, distractions come in many forms. Common examples include:

• Texting, calling, or using social media while driving
• Eating or drinking behind the wheel
• Adjusting climate controls, music, or GPS
• Talking to passengers or reaching for objects
• Daydreaming or mental distraction

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), even a few seconds of inattention can have deadly results. Looking away from the road for five seconds at 55 miles per hour is like driving the length of a football field blindfolded.

Auto accidents can be caused by a myriad of preventable factors, including intoxicated drivers, truck overloading, reckless operation of a vehicle, excessive speeding, negligent road design, driver drowsiness, defective automobiles, or distracted driving.

Distracted driving accidents may involve instances of texting and driving, drinking and driving, playing with the radio, or drivers occupying their attention on anything else besides the road. When drivers are negligent in the operation of their vehicle and cause an auto accident due to their own distractions, and injure other motorists, they can be liable for damages, injuries and deaths that occur.

Following a serious car accident, victims should contact an experienced catastrophic injury lawyer to investigate. Joe Lyon is an experienced auto negligence attorney, well-versed in the science and economic impact such an injury or death has on the victim’s life and family.

Each day in the United States, approximately nine people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver. Texting and driving now kills more Americans than drinking and driving. In one year alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving accidents included:

• 3,477 total deaths
• 3,196 fatal car wrecks
• 391,000 injuries

Distracted Driving Lawsuits

About 14 percent of fatal distracted driving accidents involve a cell phone in use at the time of the crash. Around 660,000 drivers use an electronic device behind the wheel at any given time of the day. It may not be a coincidence that America’s roads have actually gotten more dangerous by some measures. Pedestrian death rates have increased dramatically.

In surveys conducted by road safety agencies, drivers admit that they use their phones more than is safe, and agree that their driving behavior could be considered reckless and dangerous.

If you or a loved one suffered an injury due to an auto accident and have questions about the legal remedies available to improve quality of life and medical care, ‍  contact The Lyon Firm at (513) 381-2333.

Legal Liability in Distracted Driving Crashes

When a driver’s distraction causes a collision, they may be found negligent for failing to operate the vehicle safely. Evidence in these cases may include:

• Cell phone records and data logs
• Vehicle black box information
• Witness statements and surveillance footage
• Police and crash investigation reports

Victims can recover damages for medical bills, lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering, and other accident-related losses. In fatal accidents, family members may pursue wrongful death claims for funeral expenses and loss of companionship.