Accident on 80Common Causes of Truck Accidents: Distracted Driving
Distracted driving has become an absolute epidemic on American roads. Texting, Tweeting, Facebook, Reading, you name it, you can do it from your phone. Distracted driving kills thousands of Americans every year. According to stoptextsstopwrecks.com in 2013, 3,154 people were killed and an estimated additional 424,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Although this represents a 6.7 percent decrease from 2012, there were 424,000 people injured in 2013, which is an increase from the 421,000 people who were injured in 2012.
Distracted driving affects Truck drivers as well. They spend more time on the road than we do. These operators, like all other drivers on the road, have a responsibility to stay focused on the road. You would think that driving a large vehicle with many blind-spots would force truck drivers to stay focused on the road. However, just like anything that becomes a habit, it is easy to go on auto-pilot and allow distractions to take our minds off of the task at-hand.
But the truth remains that operating a commercial vehicle requires a driver’s full attention, even if the person has years of experience driving these large, powerful vehicles. Any attempted multitasking while driving can prove dangerous for both truck drivers and other motorists on the road. Should a truck driver cause an accident because of these distractions, he or she should be held accountable for the injuries he caused.
Common Causes of Truck Driver Distraction
Distracted driving is widely recognized as a negligent and unsafe behavior. Injuries that a victim receives as a result of this recklessness are avoidable if only the driver would have taken his job more seriously. Just like traditional distracted drivers, not all truck drivers rid themselves of distracting behaviors while behind the wheel. The problem is just that their mistakes pose a greater risk of catastrophic loss to the community. The following are common causes of distracted driving accidents:
- Engaging a co-driver in conversation
- Changing the radio
- Reading
- Talking on a cellphone
- Texting
- Looking at Facebook or other social media
- Any other activity that takes their attention off the road
Victims of a truck drivers distracted driving are entitled to compensation for their losses. If this has been a catastrophic injury, or a loss of life, then the family is entitled to bring suit for wrongful death. You will be entitled to seek lost wages and out of pocket expenses, as well as claims for mental anguish. At Guest and Gray, when we seek a damages awards in court, especially where the driver has engaged in distracted driving, we want the jury to make an example of the driver and their employer: We will not put up with distracted driving on our roads.
These Cases are not Resolved Overnight
The truth is that these cases are not resolved overnight, and the trucking company and their insurance company will try to pay you out without taking into account all of your costs associated with the accident. Guest and Gray will not let them do that to you and we will force them to play fair. If you have been injured by a distracted truck driver, we will make sure that they don’t get off easy. We will attempt to negotiate a settlement, but if they do not want to pay you what is right, then we will not hesitate to litigate this matter. This is what distinguishes us from many law firms. We have the experience and resources to fully fund your case on a contingency basis. This means we will pay for the costs of litigation up front and we will only get paid back when you get the compensation that you deserve. We won’t run out of time or money on you and your case. We’re here for the long haul.
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