Eureka Multiple Vehicle Crash
I’m Ed Smith, a Eureka car accident lawyer. On Friday, March 31, 2017, a collision occurred between two vehicles in Eureka.
Accident Details
The crash occurred at around 10:30 a.m. when two vehicles, a gray four-door sedan and a black SUV, collided in a residential area at the intersection of S Street and Harris Street near the Beth-El temple and Freshwater Farms.
Officers of the Eureka Police Department reported that one of the vehicles was driving down S Street and was distracted, which possibly caused them to run a red light. However, the EPD holds that the cause of the crash is currently unknown and, at the time of reporting, had the incident under investigation.
Injuries and Damages
Neither of the drivers involved in the car accident reported any injuries and no emergency medical services were deployed in response to the incident. Photos of the crash show significant damage to the driver’s side of the gray sedan.
Distracted Driving
One of the most common causes of distracted driving is the use of mobile devices. Texting or using messenger apps while driving is a serious danger and contributes to the 2,750 fatal accidents in California every year that are caused by distracted driving. Additionally, as many as 18 percent of fatal crashes in the U.S. are caused by distracted drivers.
Distracted driving encompasses any activity that might take a driver’s attention away from the road. This includes activities such as eating, reading, looking through a purse or backpack, applying makeup, and, of course, texting. The average text takes about 4.6 seconds to read. During this time, a car traveling at 55 miles per hours will travel more than the distance of an entire football field, and there is plenty of room for traffic obstacles to arise in the length of a football field.
Distracted Driving and Negligence
Any driver who is determined to have been using their cell phone while driving is considered to be operating their vehicle illegally per California vehicle code 23123.5. People who have suffered traumatic injuries or damage to their property because of a driver who was using their cell phone instead of paying attention to the road are usually liable to receive compensation from the negligent driver.
Apps to Prevent Distracted Driving
Despite knowing the dangers and illegality of texting while driving, many Californians are still tempted to use their phones while operating their vehicles. In order to overcome this dangerous temptation, there are a few apps that one can download. DriveOff, DriveMode, and DriveScribe are all apps available for iPhone and/or Android that keep track of the speed at which you are traveling. If these apps detect that you are traveling at a speed that suggests you are driving, they will either automatically turn off all communication notifications, automatically reply to received messages, or turn off messaging capabilities altogether.
Eureka Personal Injury and Car Accident Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Eureka car accident lawyer. If you or your loved one has been injured or passed away in a car accident, call me at (707) 564-1900 for free, friendly advice. Or, contact me toll-free at (800) 404-5400.
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For more information, visit my website: AutoAccident.com
Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons
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