West Palm Beach Texting & Driving Lawyer
Life only seems to get faster. Understandably, many people are cramming more into their days. Unfortunately, human beings are not very good at multitasking—and not nearly as good as they think. And this is never truer than when they try texting behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. At Leifer & Ramirez, our West Palm Beach texting & driving accident lawyers have extensive experience dealing with such cases and fighting for your rights in case of an injury.
Why Texting and Driving is So Dangerous
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, almost nine and a half people die each day because of distracted driving. Based on one study, texting while driving impairs a driver’s reflexes more than being legally intoxicated.
It is easy enough to see why. While a vehicle is traveling 55 miles per hour, it can cover the length of an entire football field in a little under five seconds. In that amount of time, you might come upon a stopped vehicle, an intersection, or a pedestrian crossing the road. If your eyes are glued to your phone, you will never see the obstacles in your way.
Follow the Law
Florida’s legislature has responded to the epidemic of distracted driving by outlawing texting when driving a vehicle. Unfortunately, far too many drivers ignore the law, believing that a quick peek at the phone won’t hurt anyone. Instead, deadly collisions result.
If you have an addiction to texting and driving, learn to put the phone away. One good tip is to put it in the trunk of your vehicle so you cannot reach it while driving. Experts also recommend that you avoid multitasking but instead practice “chunking”—handling all your electronic communications at once. By fully focusing your attention, you will be more productive.
Texting While Driving is Negligence
Most injured motorists bring a lawsuit against a careless driver for negligence. To prove negligence, you will need to show that a driver owed you a duty to drive carefully and that they operated their vehicle in a careless manner.
Helpfully, Florida law imposes a duty on drivers to drive carefully on the road. What is in dispute is whether the driver was sufficiently careful. This analysis will depend on the circumstances, but a driver who is sending or reading a text while driving is not being sufficiently careful.
Although drivers might deny they were texting when a collision occurred, your West Palm Beach car accident lawyer can subpoena the driver’s cell phone records. These will show quite clearly whether the driver was on the phone in the moments before a crash.
Compensation for Your Injuries
As an injured motorist, you can receive compensation for a series of injuries, such as:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
In a serious crash, personal injury protection (PIP) benefits do not nearly cover your expenses, and they do not compensate you for intangible injuries like pain and suffering. Fortunately, accident victims can bring lawsuits in many cases to receive full compensation for all their losses.
Speak with a Distracted Driving Lawyer in West Palm Beach
Distracted drivers are a menace to Florida’s roads. They cause unnecessary damage to other motorists and must be held responsible for the injuries that they cause.
At Leifer & Ramirez, our texting & driving accident lawyers in West Palm Beach stand up for your rights. We have helped countless motorists file claims for compensation and have negotiated full and fair settlements that allow our clients to get back on their feet. We also are not afraid to file a lawsuit in court to hold a driver responsible when their texting leads to collisions.
To learn more about how we can help, pleaseCall Leifer & Ramirez today. We offer free, no obligation initial consultations.
