As reported on by many local news outlets on July 13, 2015, a father was killed, his son left in critical condition, due to a driver reading a text message.
Sadly, the father and his son along with the rest of their family had only been in the United States for about 10 days. They had escaped war-torn Afghanistan seeking a better life and with the hope of living in peace here in the US. The father, an engineer in his home country, was working with the US government as a translator.
Mustafa Rafi and his son were lawfully riding their bikes in the bike lane on Edison Avenue in Sacramento County near their home when a vehicle drove into the bicycle lane striking both of them. Mustafa Rafi, the father, died at the scene of the accident. His son was taken to UC Davis and was in critical condition.
Initial reports allege that the driver of the vehicle was reading a text and looking down when his vehicle drove into the bicycle lane. If found guilty, the driver of the vehicle faces a potential charge of manslaughter.
Additional reports on this story can be found on KCRA.
Driving is dangerous while texting because it distracts our cognitive skills. Additionally, a driver is visually impaired when he removes his eyes from the road while reading or typing a text. Finally, a texter often takes their hands off the steering wheel in order to text or hold the phone and read. The cognitive, visual and manual distraction all lead to impaired driving.
The Edward A Smith Law Offices has sponsored a video highlighting the dangers of texting and driving as seen below. Additional information about texting and driving can be found on our website.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Facts and Statistics states that in 2012 3,328 people were killed due to distracted driving. This was slightly less than than the 3,360 killed in 2011. Besides deaths, 421,000 people were injured in 2012 due to distracted driving. Statistics are still being compiled in regards to the most recent years. Some reports state that one in five crashes involving injuries is due to a distracted driver.
A person can be sued for punitive damages if they are guilty reckless conduct at the time of an accident that injures a person. Punitive damages exceed usual compensation and may be awarded to punish the defendant.
Please contact the Edward A Smith Law Offices (AutoAccident.com) if you have been involved in any type of accident involving a distracted driver. We can be reached via telephone (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. We have been successful in representing injury victims for more than 30 decades. We handle all types on injury causing claims including unique catastrophic accidents.
I want you to feel comfortable working with my office and staff. I invite you to see what other say about their experience with our office on Google, Yelp or Avvo.