A Texting and Driving Accident Lawyer Helping Rockville’s Injured
Get a car accident attorney to hold negligent drivers accountable
Texting has become one of the most popular ways to communicate with others. Unfortunately, texting and cell phone use carry over to people driving cars, and in turn not paying attention while they carry on their conversations or surf the web. It has become a leading cause of accidents and injuries. If you or a loved one have been injured in a Rockville car crash because the other person was texting and driving, car accident attorney Stuart L. Plotnick can make them take responsibility for their recklessness.
In most states, if you’re caught texting and driving you can be stopped by police and fined. That holds true in Maryland, where if you’re caught by police texting and driving you can be pulled over and fined $100 for the use of a handheld phone while driving. The law doesn’t just apply to writing texts, as when you’re caught sending or reading a text message you can be fined, as well. Texting, along with most smartphone use, causes someone to be a distracted driver, which in turn can lead to a horrific car accident.
When you’re injured in a car crash caused by someone who was texting and driving, you need a car accident lawyer to hold the negligent driver accountable for their actions. Attorney Stuart L. Plotnick has over 25 years of experience and has won millions for accident victims. Contact our Rockville law firm today for a free consultation. The Law Offices of Stuart L. Plotnick, LLC serve injured clients in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
A car accident lawyer explains how texting and driving causes crashes
In the few seconds it takes a driver to look down at their phone to read, type or send a text, a devastating car accident can occur that causes serious injury, or in many cases, death. Hundreds of thousands of accidents happen every year because a person was texting and driving, and someone who is texting and driving is six times more likely to cause a car crash than a drunk driver. Studies have shown that it can take 10-15 seconds for your attention to refocus on driving after sending or reading a text. That means the user has just increased the risk of accident dramatically. Why is texting and driving so dangerous? Because it distracts the driver simultaneously in three different ways, including:
- Visually: Anything that requires you to take your eyes off the road, even for a few seconds, is a visual distraction. Looking down for even a moment to read, write or send a text or email while driving is extremely dangerous and reckless.
- Manually: If you take your hands off the steering wheel to do another task, you’re not paying attention to the road in front of you, you’re not in total control of your vehicle, and you are at risk of causing a car accident. Using a hand to type or send a text is unsafe, and even holding your phone to use a feature, such as speech-to-text, can be a distraction. Dialing, scrolling, reaching for your phone or trying to plug it into a charging cable while driving is also dangerous and should wait until you’re done driving or at a complete stop.
- Mentally: Often referred to as “lost in thought,” mental distractions are a common culprit of distracted driving. Texting is a form of mental distraction because the driver has to think about what they’re going to type and what they’ve read, meaning they aren’t paying full attention to the road. The content of the text can also have an impact on how “lost in thought” a person is while driving. If, for example, you are having an argument with a loved one via text or look down to read an upsetting message, it can have a big impact on your ability to concentrate on your driving.
Let a Rockville lawyer help with your texting and driving car accident
There is no text that is important enough to put the health and wellbeing of you and other drivers at risk, which is why it’s so crucial to not text or play with your cellphone and drive. Unfortunately, thousands of drivers in Rockville, Maryland, and across the nation decide to throw caution to the wind every day by texting and driving, and in some cases, they cause car accidents that severely injure or kill other drivers.
If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident caused by someone texting and driving, Attorney Stuart L. Plotnick can help you hold them accountable and get you the compensation you deserve.
Texting and driving accidents should be straightforward. The other driver was being negligent and caused a car accident due to causing a distraction to him/herself by engaging with their phone. You were injured in the accident, and they pay for all your accident-related expenses. Unfortunately, it isn’t always that simple. The other driver may try to deny they were texting and driving. Insurance companies will try to downplay the severity of your injuries and offer you an unfair settlement. Or in some cases, the other driver may try to say the accident was your fault.
Don’t let them push you around, and, don’t let them pressure you into settling for less than what’s fair. Attorney Stuart L. Plotnick knows how to handle insurance companies and knows how to build a strong claim with your best interests in mind. Contact our Rockville law firm today for a free consultation.