Truck drivers must abide by federal law under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which regulates the industry to reduce the number of catastrophic commercial truck accidents. Federal law bans and penalizes texting while driving. The NHTSA reports that reading or sending a text takes five seconds, and at 55mph, a trucker will drive the length of a football field in this time.
A distracted commercial truck driver can cause significant harm to other motorists in those five seconds. If you are involved in texting and driving truck accidents in West Jordan, our skilled truck crash attorneys could review the circumstances and strategize with you to determine the best course of action, which may include insurance negotiations and negligence lawsuits.
How Does Texting While Driving Increase the Risk of a Crash?
Distracted driving can occur in three ways: visually, manually, and cognitively. When truck drivers look away from the road to text, they are visually distracted. When they take their hands off the wheel to write a text, they are manually distracted, and if they are mentally focused on a text message instead of their surroundings, they are cognitively distracted.
The NHTSA defines texting as more than just sending or reading a text. The definition states that texting is manually entering data into an electronic device and reading text, where “text” encompasses:
- Reading emails
- Pushing buttons to access the internet
- Sending texts or messaging from websites such as Facebook
- Utilizing two or more buttons to initiate a mobile phone call
- Retrieving any other form of text or entering text using an electronic device, whether intended for immediate or future access
A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) study reveals that commercial truck drivers who engage in texting and driving are 23.2 times more likely to crash or experience a close call than truck drivers who do not text while driving. Semi-truck crashes in West Jordan caused by texting while driving are the result of driver negligence. Behaving below the standard of a responsible and reasonable truck driver can lead to a foreseeable accident that may cause injuries.
Our attorneys may subpoena truck logs and onboard camera footage if the trucking company refuses to provide them. We could then match this data with the driver’s cell phone record or subpoena the phone if necessary. You do not have to fight a legal battle on your own. Our attorneys have helped thousands of clients and their families recover large settlements and damages awards from commercial trucking companies and their drivers.
What are the Damages You Could Be Awarded?
Our attorneys could work to prove that the truck driver drove negligently due to texting while driving. We could do the following:
- Calculate your lost wages during your recovery
- Determine the severity of your injuries by reviewing medical reports
- Address any disfigurement and physical limitations caused by the accident
- Evaluate property damage to your car (including diminished resale value if repaired)
- Prove your emotional and psychological trauma (such as post-traumatic stress disorder)
Truck drivers engaging in texting and driving face penalties of up to $2,750 per driver, and trucking companies incur fines of up to $11,000 for allowing this prohibited behavior. Multiple convictions can lead to license suspension for up to 120 days or permanently if approved by the FMCSA. Our West Jordan lawyers hold truck companies accountable for crashes caused by their drivers who text while driving, as they likely neglected to train their drivers or ignored infractions.
Hire a West Jordan Lawyer After Texting and Driving Truck Crashes<
If a trucker texts while driving and causes an accident, both the trucker and the trucking company are responsible for compensating you for your losses. You only have one chance to prove negligence and receive a sufficient amount of money to fully compensate you.
Our attorneys have spent many years honing their skills and winning for our clients after texting and driving truck accidents in West Jordan. Our team welcomes you to review your options with us. Get in touch with us today.
