The Ohio Department of Public Safety presented a statistic which demonstrates that 481,518 car accidents were caused by distracted driving in 2011. Of these accidents, 1,437 were fatal, 127,942 caused injuries, and 352,139 caused property damages.
Distracted driving is defined by an individual taking their attention off the road and concentrating on something other than driving. Unfortunately, most distracted drivers are teens and individuals who lack driving experience. These drivers are between the ages of 16 to 20 and contribute a total of 63,729 accidents each year.
At O’Connor, Acciani & Levy, our auto accident attorneys believe that if you or a loved one has been injured to the negligence of another individual, the victim may be entitled to compensation for any losses and damages that occur including; medical expenses, loss of wages, pain and suffering, and property damage.
Causes Of Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is much more prevalent now than it has been in years past, mostly due to the raise in technology. This is largely due to smart phones allowing individuals to send text messages and use GPS to navigate, thus taking a drivers attention off the road. Of course, there are several others contributing factors to distracted driving.
Some causes of distracted driving include:
- Texting while driving
- Talking on the phone
- Navigating with GPS
- Changing music
- Eating and drinking
- Applying makeup
- Shaving
- Reading
- Having an animal in the vehicle
- Reaching for an object
- Interacting with passengers
Clearly, these are simply a few causes of distracted driving, as anything that takes our attention off the road could cause an accident.
Types Of Accidents Caused By Distracted Driving
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, along with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted a study on distracted driving, which concluded that nearly 80 percent of accidents and around 65 percent of near-accidents occurred within three seconds of an initial distraction. These types of accidents can come in many different forms and will typically vary in severity.
Some accidents caused by distracted driving include:
- Head-On Collisions
- Rear-End Collisions
- Rollover Accidents
- Sideswipe Accidents
- T-Bone Accidents
As these accidents occur while the driver is not paying attention, these collisions tend to be more forceful as the driver may not have applied the brakes in attempt to slow the vehicle down. This can cause extreme injuries especially if the vehicle is traveling at higher speeds.
Injuries Caused By Distracted Driving
As previously demonstrated, distracted driving was the cause of 127,942 injuries out of a 481,518 total accidents throughout 2011. These injuries can vary in types depending on the location of where the impact to the victims vehicle was, along with the speed of travel of both vehicles.
Some common injuries caused by distracted driving include:
- Brain injury
- Broken bones
- Concussion injuries
- Internal injuries
- Lacerations
- Nerve damage
- Passenger injuries
- Reckless driving
- Rib and torso injuries
- Seat belt injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
- Wrist injuries
If you or someone has been injured as a result of a negligent driver, it is imperative to seek immediate medical attention for these injuries. This will ensure the victims health, prevent further injuries, and also, these medical documents can be used by our attorneys against the negligent individual.
Contact Our Attorneys Today
At O’Connor, Acciani & Levy, our personal injury lawyers take pride in offering our services to victims of distracted driving injuries throughout the Cincinnati and Columbus community and throughout the state of Ohio. In addition, our attorneys have won MILLIONS in successful settlements and verdicts and will work relentlessly to achieve the maximum compensation benefits available to you in the court of law.
Our lawyers also operate on a contingency fee basis, which means we will not charge you for our services unless a winning verdict or settlement has been ruled and you recover for your losses and damages.
With our main offices in Cincinnati, Columbus and Covington, we are licensed to serve the entire state of Ohio and Kentucky, including:
- Evanston
- Norwood
- St Bernard
- Northside
- Burlington
- Worthington
- Clintonville
- Hilltop
- Reynoldsburg
If you are interested in learning more about our law firm, or if you would like to schedule a free case review with our attorneys, we welcome you to call us at (877) 288-3241 today. Our intake team will first begin by collecting information about your case, and then quickly connect you with one of our compassionate auto accident attorneys ready to take your unique case.