I was angry to read recently that a 44-year-old man was killed by a 16-year-old girl driving her mom’s SUV and texting. The girl finally turned herself in to authorities almost two months later, only after learning that there was a warrant out for her arrest for negligent homicide with a motor vehicle.
I run on our streets and am always worried that I or a friend will get hit just like this.
And I feel connected to this tragedy since I stayed in the town where the man was slain the night before I ran the Hartford, Connecticut Marathon in October of 2010. I am trying to run a marathon in all 50 states, in case you are wondering.
I have long advocated a ban on driving and using cell phones and have criticized our governor for vetoing the law that was passed that prohibited texting while driving.
We are one of the only states that does not prohibit this and that allows people to drive huge vehicles at speeds up to 85+ miles per hour while surfing the net. Alabama just outlawed this extremely dangerous practice and Ohio will become the 39th state to do so next week.
That’s because distracted drivers injured about 500,000 people — and killed 5,500 Americans — in 2009.
I was just hired to represent one of those people, a woman who was nearly killed and has now been in the ICU at a Fort Worth hospital for the last six days because an adult whom I believe was texting crashed into her. I will file suit, subpoena the other driver’s cell phone records, and ask the jury to award punitive damages to get the message out that this behavior is dangerous.
We need to stop these stupid car crashes from happening. The cost in human lives and personal injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, lost time idling in traffic, police, wreckers, etc. is astronomical: 32,885 people dead, 2.2 million injured, and $166.7 billion in costs each year.
Due to the onslaught of cases I have handled in the past few years caused by distracted drivers, we obviously need to crack down. And not just on teenagers.
I am committed to helping ONLY motor vehicle accident victims in Fort Worth, Arlington, Dallas and throughout North Texas. Call me to set up a free and confidential consultation to discuss your case at 1-888-801-8585.