Texting and Driving Awareness: Recent Case And Survey

April is “Distracted Driving Awareness Month.” Those who know me know I am very passionate about this issue. 

For this year’s blog, I would like to focus on two recent events: (1) a new dismaying national survey on texting and driving; and, (2) a real life bike accident case involving texting and driving that our firm handled.

Recently, there was a new AT&T texting and driving survey done that I consider shocking:

• 49 percent commuters admitted to texting and driving; and,
• 43 percent commuters admitted to habitually texting and driving.

To bring this home to the real world, we recently represented a brain injury client in a motorcycle accident involving distracted driving.  My client, Andrew, gave me permission to share some details about the case:

• Andrew was operating his motorcycle simply proceeding on a straight road, well within the speed limit;
• Defendant was stopped in her sedan on a side street;
• Defendant was “looking down” at a “prior text message received” as she decided to turn into traffic; and,
• When Defendant pulled out, her sedan struck Andrew’s motorcycle, launching him 21 feet in the air, landing on asphalt.
• Andrew was rendered unconscious for over five minutes and was thereafter noted to have altered mental status at the hospital. Andrew, who was wearing his motorcycle helmet, nonetheless suffered, amongst other injuries, a left temporal intracerebral hemorrhage and an L2 compression fracture. 

Please stop texting and driving.

Mike Bottaro is founder of The Bottaro Law Firm, a Rhode Island personal injury law firm.  Mike’s practice includes car accident law and motorcycle accident law.  He has been interviewed about, written about, and recorded public service announcements about the dangers of texting and driving.