Video of distracted driving crash should be a warning
May 30, 2015On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, January 22, 2014.
Commercials and public safety messages warning drivers about the dangers of texting while driving have seemingly become commonplace. It can be assumed that drivers know that the practice has its dangers, yet many continue to text while behind the wheel under the universal (yet foolhardy) assumption “it won’t happen to me.”
However, an accident involving a Florida man who admitted he was texting behind the wheel should serve as a real-life warning to those who think they can safely type and send text messages while driving.
Police recently released a dash cam video of the car officers were trailing that shows the car swerving outside of its lane before making a turn, cutting across the inside lane and then driving onto the sidewalk, where it hit a guardrail, a bus stop sign and then a tree before flipping over.
The video has garnered national headlines, and police hope that this incident serves as a wake-up call to those who believe that texting and driving can be done safely.
Fortunately, the driver of the car escaped from the car without serious injuries. He reportedly admitted to police that he was texting just before the crash. He was cited for two traffic violations, including texting while driving.
We find the story important because it is a real-life example of the dangers of texting and driving. It also shows that traffic violations can also be used as evidence of a breach in the duty to use reasonable care while driving, and how people who breach this duty can be held liable.
Source: ABC News.com, “Texting and driving caught on camera,” January 14, 2014
