With Texas ranking as the second largest state by area, the state’s 268,580.82 square are crisscrossed with thousands of roads. With Texas as one of the largest travel hubs in the South, and with Arlington sitting between Dallas and Forth Worth, there is a lot of vehicle traffic in the Arlington area. The Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) reports that 1 in 5 car accidents in the state are caused by distracted driving, it is important to understand the risks of distracted driving, and what exactly constitutes distracted driving.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, or you lost a loved one to a distracted driving accident, talk to an attorney. There might be financial compensation available for your injuries. The best way to make sure that you get all of the compensation you might be entitled to is to take your case to a personal injury attorney. The Arlington car accident attorneys at The Queenan Law Firm may be able to help you with your distracted driving injury case.
Texas Distracted Driving Definition
The Texas Department of Transportation website has a page devoted to ending distracted driving in Texas. On that page, they give a simple definition of distracted driving, as “any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving.” The page goes on to explain how distracted driving can endanger the safety of drivers, passengers, and bystanders.
Texas lawmakers have been working over the years to curb distracted driving by making stricter rules and harsher penalties for distracted drivers. Already, in March of 2017, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill that would make it a ticketable offense to use a cell phone while diving a car. If the governor passes this law, it will mean that it is illegal to read, write, or send a text unless it is an emergency or the car is stopped.
Lawmakers and the DOT want to stop drivers who are more concerned with their texting, music, or social media than the safety of others on the road. The only laws that currently prohibit using a phone while driving are targeted at new drivers, bus drivers, parents who use their phone while driving their children, and for using a phone in a school zone. This law would be stronger, and give the government the ability to punish any texting while driving.
Distracted Driving Accident Lawyers in Arlington, Texas
The lawyers at The Queenan Law Firm may be able to help if you have been the victim of a car accident caused by distracted driving. The fact that there are laws in place to protect other drivers from distracted driving may help your personal injury case in court.
Injuries from car accidents can often be compensated by auto insurance. The insurance company that represents the distracted driver who caused the car accident will often pay for the expenses associated with an injury. Sometimes, though, the payments these insurance companies offer are too low to cover all of the costs you face. While insurance companies will usually cover medical expenses, they may not compensate you for your lost wages or pain and suffering.
On the other hand, hiring a personal injury lawyer to take your case to court may lead to full compensation for all of these expenses. Texas law allows victims to take their case to court, even if insurance might have been able to cover the injuries. It is important to talk to an attorney before accepting any offers from the other side or from insurance, or else you might lose the right to take your case to court.
If the accident was caused by a driver who violated a distracted driving law, this might help your case in court. Proving another driver’s responsibility for a car crash means proving that they did not use the proper care when driving. If there are laws on the books that specifically make it illegal to text and drive, these laws help prove that the distracted driver did not use the proper level of care.
In addition, you might be entitled to extra compensation for the other driver’s distracted driving. When the at-fault party in an injury lawsuit does something especially bad or illegal that causes your injuries, the court may award “punitive” or “exemplary” damages to further punish the bad actor. Talk to an attorney about what your distracted driving injury case might be worth.
Arlington, Texas Car Accident Attorneys Representing Distracted Driving Victims
An Arlinton TX personal injury lawyer at The Queenan Law firm may be able to take your case. With decades of experience representing injury victims, our lawyers can fight your case and get you the compensation you need. Call (817) 476-1797 today for a free consultation.