Houston Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys

As humans have become increasingly busier and now have access to technology inside their cars and in the palms of their hands, distracted driving has become one of the most common causes of car accidents across Texas and the entire country.

The act of driving requires uninterrupted focus and a person’s full attention. If a driver is distracted for even a moment the consequences can be devastating. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car accident caused by a distracted driver, your future may seem bleak and uncertain.

For victims and their families, the aftermath of a car accident is a stressful and traumatic experience. You deserve justice and the lawyers on Attorney Tom‘s team want to help you hold these reckless drivers accountable.

Any activity that diverts a driver’s attention away from the road can be considered distracted driving. This includes a number of actions including eating and drinking, talking to passengers, changing stations on the radio, using a GPS navigation system, or most commonly, talking and texting on a smartphone.

Despite legislation passed in Texas in 2017 that banned the use of wireless communication devices for electronic messaging while operating a motor vehicle, texting and driving remains one of the most common and most dangerous forms of distracted driving across the state.

These aren’t just harmless actions or necessary activities to handle a busy lifestyle. They have real consequences. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 3,166 people were killed in 2017 alone in the United States because of distracted driving.

The Houston car accident lawyers at Attorney Tom want you to know that we care about car accident victims and their families and want to do everything we can to hold distracted drivers responsible for their reckless actions.

Motor vehicles can be incredibly dangerous when drivers don’t take appropriate care behind the wheel. Even a momentary lapse in focus or concentration can result in a serious accident. To learn more about how our attorneys can help you fight for the financial compensation you deserve, contact us today by calling (713) 244-6363 to schedule a free consultation.

Why Do I Need a Distracted Driving Accident Attorney?

The days and weeks following a serious car accident can be a blur for victims and their families. Along with the pain and stress associated with injuries, dealing with hospitals and doctors, and making vital decisions about your health and future is more than any one person should have to endure.

Recovering from an accident shouldn’t also require you to mount your own legal defense and mentally prepare to do battle with insurance companies who will try to undercut or deny your claim.

When you hire an experienced and aggressive car accident attorney, you can be sure that they are handling every aspect of your case. This includes determining liability, gathering evidence, and negotiating with insurance companies while you focus fully on your recovery.

Shortly after your accident, the other driver’s insurance company will more than likely reach out to you in hopes of settling your claim quickly and easily without hiring an attorney. However, claims adjusters can often take your own words and twist them to fit their story of how the accident occurred, strengthening their claim that you were partially at fault.

A distracted driving attorney will handle all communication with insurance adjusters and will make sure you get every dollar you deserve to pay for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages.

Why Choose Attorney Tom?

When it comes to representing your case and giving you the best chance at recovering financial compensation, you can’t trust just any car accident attorney. You need one with the right skills, the necessary experience, and a passion for making a difference in people’s lives. Attorney Tommy John Kherkher is that lawyer and spends every waking hour thinking about his clients and how he can go above and beyond what is necessary to protect their legal rights.

All of the lawyers on Attorney Tom‘s team treat every client as if they were our only clients, providing one-on-one support through every stage of the process.

When we take your case, we enter into a partnership that includes continual communication and trust every step of the way. With a Houston car accident attorney in your corner, you’ll never feel out of the loop or unsure of the status of your case.

Call us today and schedule a free consultation. Let us get to work for you and get the financial compensation you deserve.

Examples of Distracted Driving

All car accidents can be violent and dangerous, resulting in life-altering injuries and even death, but injuries caused by distracted driving accidents can be especially serious and even more difficult to process.

An accident caused by distracted driving could have been avoided if the other driver acted with care. Instead, they put innocent lives at risk by choosing to answer a phone call, send a text, or play their favorite song. Because of this blatant disregard for human safety, distracted drivers should be held responsible for their actions.

Unfortunately, proving your accident was caused by a distracted driver can be difficult, especially without the help of professionals. Drivers may hide their cellphones in their pockets or purses or claim they were using the phone for navigation and not texting. An experienced attorney can obtain a subpoena for their cell phone records and cross-reference the time of the accident with timestamps of any sent or received text messages.

To operate a motor vehicle safely, drivers have to focus completely on the road and the task at hand. Unfortunately, drivers are more distracted than ever. The most common type of distractions fall into three major categories: visual, cognitive, and manual, and they include the following types of actions:

• Texting or talking on a cellphone
• Checking social media
• Taking a picture on your cellphone
• Looking at another passenger and talking with them
• Reading a map or in-vehicle navigation system
• Looking in the mirror to apply makeup
• Not having both hands on the wheel at any time
• Eating while driving
• Lighting a cigarette

Texting is one of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving because it involves all three of these distractions. Texting diverts your eyes off the road, requires you to remove one and sometimes both hands off the steering wheel, and takes your mind off the act of driving and focuses it on the conversation instead.

Even with the state law banning texting while driving, it only addresses “reading, writing, or sending electronic messages” via a “wireless communication device.” Motorists can still legally use cell phones for GPS, dialing, or using music and other apps.

How Attorney Tom Can Help

Drivers are expected to operate their vehicles safely at all times. Unfortunately, some drivers act selfishly and put innocent lives at risk when they choose to drive while distracted. Because distracted driving often diverts the driver’s eyes away from the road, it can cause the motorist to swerve into other lanes or into oncoming traffic resulting in head-on collisions.

These types of accidents are incredibly dangerous and can result in severe injuries and even death. Our team of distracted driving attorneys can help you if you suffered any of the following types of injuries:

• Traumatic brain injuries, including concussions or brain hemorrhaging
• Neck and spinal cord injuries from traumatic blows to the back that damage vertebrae, resulting in partial or complete paralysis
• Broken bones or severe lacerations, resulting in disfigurement or permanent disabilities
• Internal injuries and bleeding that can initially be difficult to detect, but can include symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and localized pain and swelling
• Amputations
• Whiplash
• Wrongful death, where loved ones can pursue compensation in place of the deceased driver

Drivers suspected of texting and driving may receive a fine between $25-$99 for their first offense and $100-$200 for each offense after that. However, Texas law also states that if a driver causes an accident due to texting, and the accident results in serious injury or death they can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. This charge carries a penalty of up to $4,000 and jail time not to exceed one year. However, apart from criminal prosecution, it’s important to also take civil action against these drivers.

Contact Attorney Tom Today

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car accident and you believe it was because of a distracted driver, you may be eligible for financial compensation to help pay for medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses.

Attorney Tom‘s Houston distracted driving lawyers will stand by your side and work diligently to hold these reckless drivers responsible and ensure that you get every dollar you deserve. Even after your physical injuries heal, you may face years of emotional trauma that may require therapy.

An experienced injury attorney can fight for you to make sure that you get fair and just compensation for the damages you have suffered. Call us today at (713) 244-6363 and take the first step in protecting your future.