Texting and Driving Leads to Terrible Injuries in the Event of a Car Crash

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that at any given time there are about 660,000 Americans operating a mobile phone while driving. In 2014, there were 3,179 traffic fatalities and 431,000 injuries in motor vehicle crashes caused by distracted drivers. Researchers at the University of Utah have calculated that talking on a cell phone while driving quadruples your chances of getting into a crash, which is about the same as if you were driving drunk. If you are texting, the risk doubles again, making you eight times more likely to get in a crash.

The NHTSA says that most car accidents are caused by human error, but using a mobile phone to send or read a text message while you are driving a car is not an error, it is a reckless or negligent act. You have probably heard the statistic that says when you look down to read a text message, your eyes are off the road for at least five seconds. If your vehicle is traveling at 55 mph, you have traveled the length of a football field in those five seconds. Blindfolded. Crashes occur when a driver is not paying attention to the road.

There is a fascinating study published in the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention, which looked at the correlation between drivers who support litigation meant to curb cell phone use while driving and the number of drivers who actually use their cell phones while driving. The study showed that these two groups overlap in a serious way. The absurdity is obvious. The very people who understand the dangers of driving while using a phone are the ones who support anti-phone legislation. Those people who responded to the surveys in the Accident Analysis & Prevention study believed that they had the ability to drive safely while using a mobile device, but they lacked confidence in other people’s ability to drive safely while distracted. Of course, the hypocrisy in this line of thinking was not lost on the study’s authors, and they pointed out how it seems to stem from the differences in the perceived safety risks of self as opposed to others’ use of cell phones while driving.

What makes an injury catastrophic?

Car crashes can cause catastrophic injuries to those who survive them. These injuries can include the following:

• Broken bones
• Neck and back injuries
• Traumatic brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Broken bones
• Loss of limbs

A person might suffer broken knees, lacerations to the head and face, or a broken wrist in a car crash, but these injuries will eventually heal, and the injured person will be able to resume work and go back to a normal life. However, if a car accident causes more serious injuries from which the person never recovers, such as paralysis from a spinal cord injury, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, or even coma, these injuries are considered catastrophic. These catastrophic injuries require ongoing medical attention and do not allow a person to go back to their former jobs or resume their normal lives.

Losing a loved one to a crash caused by a distracted driver causes inconsolable pain. Catastrophic injuries shatter people’s lives and require lots of expensive, ongoing medical care At Bailey & Greer, PLLC, we offer legal guidance based on the specifics of your case when you have suffered a catastrophic injury caused by someone else’s negligence. Please take a moment to contact us at 901-680-9777 or fill out our contact form to schedule a free initial consultation. Our experienced car accident attorneys in Memphis or Jackson will discuss your case with you today.