Woman Crashes While Texting Killing Three Children
Woman Crashes While Texting Killing Three Children
I’m Ed Smith, a Stockton Brain Injury Lawyer. A motorist in Wisconsin was blamed for texting while driving before getting into a car crash, which killed her child and two other minors.
County prosecutors claimed the woman was sending messages on a social media app while driving, just before she lost control of the car and crashed with another vehicle.
Driver’s Child and Her Two Nieces Were Killed in Crash
The motorist’s child and two other minors related to her were fatally wounded in the crash.
A prosecutor has indicated the motorist drove directly in front of another vehicle.
Driver Remembers Nothing About the Crash
The driver says she can’t recall the events leading up to the crash. Recently she was charged with multiple felonies.
Months later, the phone of the accused driver was found by investigators once the snow melted. The driver’s attorney stated that his client’s child could have been using the phone at the time of the crash.
Distracted Driving Involving Social Media Messaging
Prosecutors claim this is a clear case of distracted driving. The phone log indicated evidence that a message was sent to a man in Milltown only seconds before the crash, and prior to the time of the crash as well. Prosecutors strongly urged the jury to pay attention to the content of the messages and also the time that each message was sent and received.
The last message was sent only 27 seconds before 911 was contacted by a witness who was directly behind the defendant’s vehicle.
Defense Attorney Blames Slippery Roads and Bad Tires for Crash
The driver’s defense attorney explained the accident was caused by slippery roads and old tires. The attorney stated to jurors the defendant was driving normally and the tires were just too old and worn (unsuited to the weather) which is why the car went out of control.
Driver Suffered Traumatic Brain Injury
The defense also explained that the driver suffered a traumatic head injury during the crash, and has amnesia with no recollection of what happened before the crash.
The first witness who was called to testify is an officer from the sheriffs office in Pierce County. He testified that there was snow on the side of the road at the crash scene, but he saw none on the actual road.
The motorist’s trial is estimated to last about 5 days.
Stockton Brain Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Stockton Brain Injury Lawyer. If you or someone you love has been injured by a distracted driver, please call me at (209) 227-1931 or (800) 404-5400.