Distracted Driving Car Accident Attorney In Vancouver, WA
If you have been involved in a distracted driving accident, it is critically important to call an attorney immediately or as quickly as possible after you have received any necessary medical attention. This is particularly true if you suspect the other driver wasn’t paying attention to the road but is denying it. Much like drunk driving or driving while intoxicated or impaired, distracted driving changes all the rules.
Washington State Distracted Driving Accident Statistics
In Washington State, driver inattention or distracted driving contributed to 46,348 accidents, which resulted in 160 fatalities, 550 serious injuries, 14,601 minor injuries, and another 30,195 instances of property damage in 2015. Distracted driving accounted for more than twice the number of accidents as the next highest cause of accidents, which was speeding. It is also the second leading cause of fatalities after drunk driving. Distracted driving accounted for nearly 40% of all accidents in Washington State in 2015 and 32% of all fatalities. That means that a distracted driving accident occurred once every 12 minutes in 2015, just in Washington State alone.
Vancouver Distracted Driving Accident Statistics
In Clark County, where a distracted driving accident in Vancouver would occur, there were 4,907 accidents that year, with 21 fatalities. That means that more than likely, 1,962 of those accidents were a distracted driving accident, and seven more people in the Vancouver area would still be alive today if a driver had just been paying full attention to the road.
What Is Considered Distracted Driving And Who’s At Blame?
One example of this might be if the driver in the front is driving significantly under the speed limit due to being distracted. If the person in the rear is driving the speed limit and suddenly comes upon the driver in the front and is unable to stop, the accident would generally be the fault of the person in the rear. If it can be proven that the driver in the front were driving too slow as a result of being distracted by something, then the fault may well revert to the front driver rather than the rear driver. For instance, if a driver rear-ends another driver, the driver in the rear is generally considered to be at fault. However, if the driver in the front is driving while distracted, which in some way contributes to the accident, then this may be considered a distracted driving accident. In that case, the driver in the front may be found at fault rather than the driver in the rear.
Why Contact An Attorney?
The critical issue is whether it can be proven that the driver in front was driving while distracted. This is why it is so important to call an attorney. While there are some cases in which it may be difficult, if not impossible, to prove that the driver in front was driving while distracted or inattentive, there are other cases in which it might be proven. This is also very important because insurance companies are not at the scene of the accident. In most cases, they will simply assign fault based on certain established parameters. If one driver is distracted, however, it is important to get that documented since that can change everything.
If you’ve been injured in a distracted driving accident within Washington our experienced Vancouver, WA auto accident attorneys are here to help. We have helped individuals who have been injured on Interstate 5, highway 14, surface streets and even parking lots within Clark County, Cowlitz County, Skamania County, Pacific County, and other areas of Washington and Oregon. If you need the help of an experienced accident injury attorney, please contact our firm today for a FREE case review.
