Chicago Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer

Why You May Need A Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer

Distacted drivers continue to cause tragic accidents. Smartphones have changed the way we live. Similarly, the increasingly sophisticated electronic crash avoidance, navigation, and entertainment systems in our vehicles have transformed the way we drive. But as convenient and helpful as these devices may be, they are also killing thousands of Americans each year. Distracted driving – caused by texting, phone use, and a wide range of other behaviors that take a driver’s eyes off the road – is an epidemic in the United States, causing accidents, injuries, and deaths every single day.

In 2018, over 2,800 Americans lost their lives and approximately 400,000 other people suffered injuries in distracted driving accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of those killed or hurt were not in vehicles – distracted drivers killed 400 pedestrians and 77 bicyclists that year.

Distracted driving is negligent and irresponsible, no matter what cause. If you suffered injuries or had a loved one taken from your life because of a distracted driver, you need help and you deserve compensation and justice for your losses. At Chicago Legal Group, our experienced Chicago distracted driving lawyers have seen the tragic consequences that distracted driving causes. That is why we are committed to doing everything we can to help its victims, fighting relentlessly to get them the compensation that can help them recover.

What Leads To Distracted Driving?

When people think of distracted driving, cell phone use and texting are the first things that come to mind. Indeed, these are the leading – and illegal – distractions that cause drivers to take their eyes off the road. But plenty of other driver behaviors and activities also lead to accidents and injuries.

According to the NHTSA, distracted driving is “any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing.”

There are three main types of distractions defined by the NHTSA:

• Visual — your eyes are not on the road
• Manual — your hands are not the wheel
• Cognitive — your mind is not on the thing you should be focusing on

Some of the most common activities other than phone use and texting that distract drivers include:

• Eating and drinking
• Applying makeup
• Brushing hair
• Reading
• Watching video
• Talking with other passengers
• Using a GPS
• Adjusting stereo or other onboard electronics

Evidence That A Driver Was Distracted

Proving that a driver was distracted at the time they injured you can involve several different types of evidence:

• What you saw. You may not be able to see a drunk driver’s blood alcohol level or know how much sleep a drowsy driver had the night before an accident. But in many distracted driving cases, an injury victim may have observed the other driver looking down at their phone, applying lipstick, or eating a cheeseburger immediately before the collision. If you did see behavior that could constitute distracted driving, you can and should tell that to the police officer who arrives at the scene. They can put that information in their report, which could be admitted as evidence in your car accident case, as can your own testimony about the driver’s behavior.
• What others saw. Similarly, if other people saw the crash – passengers, other drivers, passengers – they may have noticed what the driver was doing at the time of the accident. Police can take their statements, and if you have obtained their names and contact information, your distracted driving accident lawyer can take their depositions and have them testify at trial.
• The driver’s phone records. If the driver was using their phone or texting when the crash occurred, your lawyer can obtain records reflecting the exact time and nature of their phone use from the driver’s cellular carrier or from the device itself. If the driver sent or received a text at 2:36 p.m. and slammed into another car at that same time, that can be pretty powerful evidence that the defendant was looking at something other than the road.

Contact The Distracted Driving Lawyers At Chicago Legal Group Today To Arrange For Your Free Initial Consultation

If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one because of a distracted driver, you and your family should not bear the burdens caused by someone else’s irresponsible act of negligence and recklessness. Our Chicago auto accident lawyers focus exclusively on the representation of personal injury victims, using our experience, tenacity, and advocacy skills to get our clients the compensation and resources they need to move forward with their lives. Your initial consultation is free, and you pay nothing in attorney’s fees until we obtain compensation for you.

Please contact Chicago Legal Group today to arrange for your free consultation.

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