Lubbock Car Accidents Caused By Distracted Drivers
Distracted driving has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, including in and around Lubbock, Texas. Nearly 1,200 people are injured as the result of a distracted driver every day in the U.S.A., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. Another eight people lose their lives to distracted drivers across the country each and every day. One in five car accidents in Texas are caused by a distracted driver, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
The state of Texas does not ban using a handheld device while driving, including texting. However, some local jurisdictions have passed ordinances restricting the use of handheld devices. The nature and extent of these limitations vary from one of the 90-some jurisdictions to another that maintain this type of ordinance.
What Are the Three Categories of Distracted Driving?
The CDC has been highly involved in combating the incidence of distracted driving in the United States, because so many innocent people are victimized by it every day. The CDC has segregated distracted driving into three categories:
Visual distracted driving involves a motorist taking his or her eyes off the road. Manual distracted driving occurs when a motorist takes his or her hands off of the steering wheel. Finally, cognitive distracted driving is when a driver does not have his or her mind on the motoring task at hand.
Oftentimes, a distracted driving case involves the interplay of all three of these categories. In other words, a person may have his or her eyes off the road, hands of the steering wheel, and his or her mind somewhere else.
Specific Types of Distracted Driving Activities in Texas
There are a number of types of distracted driving activities that occur with regularity in Lubbock, and elsewhere in Texas. Texting and driving has garnered the most media attention over the course of the past couple of years. In fact, numerous accidents are caused by distracted texting drivers on Texas roads each and every week.
Other activities that frequently distract drivers include eating and drinking while motoring. Distracted drivers can also be found talking on their mobile phones or conversing with passengers in their automobiles. Grooming and viewing a GPS represent a couple of the other activities that result in distracted driving accidents.
Pedestrians and Distracted Drivers
In Lubbock, a considerable number of innocent pedestrians are seriously injured because of the reckless conduct of distracted drivers. For example, time and again a texting or otherwise distracted driver will hit a pedestrian lawfully in the crosswalk.
Unfortunately, there is no contest between a pedestrian and a motor vehicle. In a distracted driver accident, a pedestrian is highly likely to suffer severe, even life-threatening injuries.
What Compensation is Available in a Distracted Driver Accident Case?
The exact compensation available in a Lubbock distracted driving case is a result of the specific facts and circumstances of the collision. With that said, compensation in a distracted driving case typically includes:
pain and suffering
medical bills and expenses
permanent physical injury
mental anguish
lost income
A Lubbock car accident lawyer, like an attorney from The Doan Law Firm, provides invaluable assistance when it comes to ensuring that a person obtains optimized compensation in a distracted driver car accident case. An attorney from the firm can be reached by calling 806-557-0000.
A distracted driver injury attorney understands how to take on even the most aggressive automobile insurance company to fight for the compensation a person needs in the aftermath of an accident caused because someone else was not paying attention to the driving task at hand.
In the aftermath of an accident involving a distracted driver, an injured individual needs to be certain that future losses are taken into consideration when addressing compensation. The reality is that a person injured in a car accident may face medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost income, and other losses into the indefinite future.
Texas law requires a settlement or judgment to be all-inclusive. It must include funds for future losses. An injured person does not get a proverbial do-over at a later date.
Retain a Skilled Lubbock Car Accident Lawyer Today
The Doan Law Firm maintains a hotline for individuals injured in a Lubbock car accident caused by a distracted driver. 806-557-0000 is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. The firm keeps the hotline open even on all major holidays.
A Lubbock car accident lawyer will schedule an initial consultation with an injured person at his or her convenience. An appointment can be scheduled at the firm’s conveniently located office in Lubbock, at his or her home, or even at a hospital should circumstances necessitate a meeting at that location.