If you’ve been hit by a distracted driver, you may be left with serious injuries, perhaps even unable to return to work and make a living. This can be a difficult, anxiety-filled time in your life. Will your injuries heal, allowing you to return to your normal life? Will you be able to get the medical treatments you need and pay for those treatments? Will you be able to return to work so you can pay your monthly expenses? At Finney Injury Law, we fully understand the questions you may be asking yourself and that your stress level may be at an all-time high. We are committed to helping you face these uncertain times and return to the future you planned, contact a St. Louis distracted driving accident lawyer from our team today.
Why Choose a St. Louis Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer from Finney Injury Law?
Finney Injury Law can provide you with a highly experienced St. Louis distracted driving accident lawyer who will protect your future while fighting for your rights and a fair and full settlement. We are empathetic to your current situation and want you to have the time you need to heal from your injuries. At Finney Injury Law, we have a broad network of medical professionals who will help you get the very best medical treatments available.
Our network allows us to keep experts on hand to assist in definitively proving liability, accurately assessing your damages, and successfully negotiating the settlement you need and deserve. You don’t need to face the uncertainties that follow a car accident caused by a distracted driver on your own. We are ready to provide you with the same stellar level of service we deliver to each and every client at a time when you desperately need a strong advocate by your side.
What Distracted Driving Behaviors Can Lead to Accidents?
Distracted driving is doing any activity that takes your eyes away from the road, vastly increasing the odds of an automobile accident. There are three different types of distracted driving: visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual distractions take your eyes off the road and surrounding drivers. Manual distractions involve doing anything that removes your hand(s) from the steering wheel. Cognitive distractions occur when you are thinking of anything other than driving and not paying attention to your own driving or the drivers around you. Some distracted driving behaviors—like texting—involve all three types of distraction. The primary types of distracted driving behaviors that can potentially lead to an accident are:
- Talking on a cell phone
- Texting or reading a text
- Eating or drinking
- Talking to passengers
- Changing car controls
- Setting or reading a GPS device
- Turning around to see what children or pets are doing in the back seat
Interestingly, while texting is the primary distracted driving behavior we hear about, having children—particularly babies—and pets in the vehicle is a major cause of distracted driving accidents. In fact, according to carsguide.com, driving with a child in the vehicle is twelve times as responsible for distraction-related accidents as talking on your cell phone. The research found that the average parent takes their eyes off the road for three minutes and twenty-two seconds during a sixteen-minute trip with a child. This is equal to being distracted roughly 21 percent of the entire driving time. Sleep-deprived new moms were the worst offenders, admitting to turning around to pick up a dropped bottle or toy and hand it to the baby on a regular basis. In fact, having a baby in the car is considered to be eight times more distracting than having an adult passenger in the car.
FAQ: Who’s At-Fault for Left-Hand Turn Accidents?
How Many Auto Accidents Are the Result of Distracted Drivers?
According to the CDC, in 2019 more than 3,100 people were killed, and another 424,000 were injured in crashes that involved a distracted driver. About 20 percent of those who died in a collision involving a distracted driver were walking or riding their bicycle when hit. Teenage drivers (those between the ages of 15 and 20) are the worst culprits for distracted driving, with almost ten percent of teen drivers admitting to being distracted at the time of the crash.
A survey of high school students found that nearly 40 percent of those who drove in the past month said they had texted or emailed while driving. Some teen drivers said they had applied makeup or changed clothes while driving. Teens were much more likely to engage in distracted driving behaviors when they had teen passengers in the car. Unfortunately, teens who admitted to texting while driving also had a higher likelihood of engaging in other risky behaviors like impaired driving or failure to wear a seat belt.
What Types of Injuries Are Common Following a St. Louis Distracted Driving Accident?
Distracted drivers routinely miss critical events, cues, or objects, putting not only themselves at risk, but other drivers as well. The majority of rear-end accidents are likely caused by distraction. The driver in the rear may be texting, talking on the phone, eating, or looking at something on the side of the road, missing the slowing of the driver in front of them.
Rear-end accidents often result in neck and back injuries caused by the sudden impact that causes the head to move forward abruptly, then forcefully jolt back, placing immense pressure on the neck. Other than neck and back injuries, broken bones, cuts, bruises, and contusions, internal injuries, concussions and brain trauma, and even spinal cord injuries can all result from a distracted driving accident.
Hire a St. Louis Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer Near You
Choosing a St. Louis distracted driving accident lawyer who fully understands—and can prove—that a distracted driver caused your accident can be an invaluable resource. At Finney Injury Law, we focus exclusively on personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases. We have the experience, knowledge of the law, and skills necessary to ensure the best outcome for you following your car accident and prepare for each and every case like it will go to trial from the start. Contact Finney Injury Law today for the advocacy you need and deserve.