Deadly Distraction: Car accidents and Cell Phones

As a Vancouver, Washington personal injury lawyer, you might be surprised to hear how often I see injuries caused by cell phone use. No – I don’t mean overuse injuries caused by excessive gabbing. I mean rear-end collisions caused by people who are using their cell phones while they are driving.

I know – we always post about this, and you always read about it in the news.

But that is because it is a really, really big deal. Last week, an 89-year-0ld woman in North Dakota was killed by a driver who, according to police, was using Facebook on her cell phone when the collision occurred. Read about it here. 

The CDC says that 9 people per day die as a result of distracted driving.  As many as one quarter of all car accidents involve cell phones, according to another group. 

So if you are tired of hearing us talk about it, you can imagine how tired we are of seeing lives ruined by it.

As a lawyer, I have two bits of advice: while you drive, do not touch your cell phone. If someone hits you with their car, call a lawyer who can help you investigate the collision – including facts relating to cell phone use – and inform you of your legal rights.