Distracted Driving Leads to Fresno Truck Accident
I’m Ed Smith, a Fresno truck accident lawyer. An accident with a big rig left a motorist in a hospital after he slammed into the rear of the semi on Highway 41.
The Accident Details
The accident happened around 3:00 a.m. as a big rig, stopped at a traffic light and moved forward when the signal turned from red to green. The truck’s speed at the time of impact was roughly 15 m.p.h. The motor vehicle, traveling at 65, hit the rear of the big rig.
Reason for the Crash
According to a representative of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the motorist later said that he was driving distracted and not looking at the roadway. A CHP sergeant at the scene reiterated the dangers of driving without looking at the road ahead, noting that distracted driving can lead to serious accidents.
Accident Injuries
The nature of the man’s injuries was not disclosed. Authorities did say if he was recovering in a hospital. The truck driver was not injured. There is no word, at this time, whether drugs or alcohol were involved in the accident.
We wish for a quick and full recovery for the injured motorist after this unfortunate collision.
Distracted Driving
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,477 individuals died in 2015 due to distracted driving. In the same year, 391,000 were injured. Almost 430,000 people are hurt annually in a crash where one of the drivers was distracted.
Cell Phone Use
Surveys show that 660,000 drivers are using a cell phone to text or talk during daytime driving hours. Overall, 28 percent of accidents involve cell phone use, leading to 1.4 million accidents a year. Other forms of distraction include:
- Eating while driving
- Playing with the radio
- Putting on makeup
- Talking to another vehicle occupant
- Using GPS
- Looking at a map
Texting and Driving
Texting while driving is a major form of distracted driving. It is more likely to cause an accident than drunk driving. That is because texting switches a driver’s cognitive attention away from the road. Since it can take just three seconds for an accident to happen when a driver looks away from the road, the fact that it takes five seconds to read the average text message lends itself to car accidents with traumatic injuries. A vehicle will travel a football field length going 55 m.p.h. for five seconds. The odds of having a car accident are multiplied by 23 when texting.
Injuries Due to Distracted Driving
Injuries due to distracted driving range from catastrophic ones such as traumatic head injury to minor ones such as fractures. The speed a vehicle is traveling is a major factor since the faster a vehicle is going the greater the impact. Age is linked to a higher number of deaths among young people, with teens having the greatest incidence of fatal crashes.
Preventing Distracted Driving
California laws ban using a cell phone that is not hands free and voice operated, as well as prohibiting those under 18 from using a cellphone while driving. Texting and other uses, such as looking at Facebook, are also banned. Using cell phone GPS is banned unless the phone is mounted on the dashboard and can be used hands free. Fines levied for using a cell phone are approximately $150 for the first offense and $250 for the second and other repeated offenses.
Fresno Truck Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a truck accident lawyer in Fresno. If you or a family member has been hurt or even killed in an accident involving a commercial vehicle, please call me at (559) 377-7676 or (800) 404-5400 for free and friendly advice with no obligation. I can also be reached online via my website, AutoAccident.com.
I’ve helped numerous residents of Fresno and the state of California and their families with an assortment of personal injury claims after accidents since 1982.
You can learn more about my personal injury law practice by checking reviews on Avvo, Yelp and Google.
The Million Dollar Advocates have acknowledged my work in obtaining million dollar settlement and verdict proceeds for my clients.
You can also see summaries of successful cases on the settlements and verdicts page right here on my website, AutoAccident.com.
Photo Attribution: Pixabay, Highway Trucks by markusspiske. CC0
:cd rey [cs 737] cv