If you were injured in an accident involving a distracted driver, you know the other driver was careless. They were not paying attention and that led to the crash. Because your injuries would not have occurred if that driver had been taking the proper care while on the road, they can be held responsible.
An Alpharetta distracted driving accident lawyer can help you pursue compensation. Bader Scott Injury Lawyers serves Georgia accident victims as they fight for their right to damages. Contact our legal team today for a free consultation at (404) 888-8888.
Types of Distracted Driving
The first example that comes to mind is texting and driving, a unique risk in the modern era. However, distracted driving comes in several forms. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) classifies distracted driving into three categories: visual, manual, and cognitive.
Visual Distractions
These are distractions that prompt a driver to take their eyes off the road. The danger of a driver not looking where they are driving is obvious, as this can cause them to miss traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, or other cars changing lanes or coming to a halt. Examples include:
- Reading text messages
- Looking at the GPS
- Turning to talk to passengers
- Looking at the landscape
- Changing the music
A driver that is visually distracted can cause accidents ranging from a fender bender to striking a pedestrian. Any of these scenarios could be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.
Manual Distractions
Anything that causes a driver to take their hands off the wheel counts as a manual distraction. These could be:
- Texting
- Taking photos or video
- Posting on social media
- Talking on the phone
- Eating
- Doing makeup
- Handing items to passengers
- Operating a GPS
Because of the risk of accidents associated with manual distracted driving, Georgia passed a hands-free law (Official Code of Georgia Annotated §40-6-241), which took effect in July 2018. If you were involved in an accident where the other driver was charged with violating this law, an Alpharetta distracted driving accident lawyer can work with you to pursue compensation.
Cognitive Distractions
This form of distraction is harder to prove since it involves things that take a driver’s mental attention from the road. Examples of cognitive distractions could include:
- Concentrating on GPS directions
- Listening to the radio
- Talking with passengers
Even though this form of distracted driving is more difficult to prove in a personal injury case, a distracted driving attorney can advise you of your options and help construct a case to demonstrate negligence.
For a free legal consultation with a distracted driving accidents lawyer serving Alpharetta, call (404) 888-8888
Driving Distracted Is Negligent
Negligence can be called by many synonyms, — carelessness, oversight, neglect — but they all paint a picture of someone who failed to behave with reasonable care and attention. When an individual gets behind the wheel of a vehicle, they are obligated to behave responsibly and conscientiously. The consequences of improperly operating a machine weighing several tons can be devastating and even deadly. Anyone failing to give the road their full attention, thereby causing an accident, is negligent.
Personal injury lawsuits, like a distracted driving accident claim, rely on proving negligence. Your distracted driving accident attorney can gather evidence to argue that the other driver was looking at their phone, texting, eating, or engaging in any other form of driving distracted. This evidence could include:
- Witness testimony
- Police reports
- Insurance statements
- Text messages
- Phone records
- Photos from the scene
Witnesses can help establish whether the at-fault driver was paying sufficient attention at the time of the crash. A police report and insurance statements will also contain testimonies from the parties at the scene and can help support your claim. In hands-free law violation cases, messages and phone records could contain timestamps that show a phone was in use at the time of the accident. Photos can further demonstrate the conditions under which the accident occurred to provide full context for the incident.
If you are feeling overwhelmed with the information you may need to gather for a lawsuit, do not worry. That is what your distracted driving attorney will do for you. Bader Scott Injury Lawyers know what filing your claim requires and will contact the necessary people and compile paperwork, so you do not have to. Instead of feeling overloaded with the responsibilities of a personal injury lawsuit, contact our office today. A distracted driving lawyer can help you pursue compensation, call today at (404) 888-8888.
Alpharetta Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer Near Me (404) 888-8888
Georgia Law Limits Your Time to Take Legal Action Against the Distracted Driver
Due to Georgia’s hands-free law, as well as general distracted driving rules, the other driver may be charged by the authorities. Do not wait for a ruling in that criminal case to file your civil suit. Your civil claim has no bearing on the criminal case and vice versa. According to Georgia’s statute of limitations (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33) for personal injury claims, you have two years to file a lawsuit. That time window starts from the date of the accident. Do not delay in filing or you may miss your chance to receive damages.
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Distracted Driving Accidents May Be Underreported
The Georgia Department of Public Safety (GA DPS) released a study in 2017 that concluded distracted driving crashes are likely underreported. This can be especially tempting for accident victims who sustained minor injuries and feel that involving the authorities is not worth the hassle. If you have been injured in a car accident that involved a distracted driver, speaking up can help experts better understand the seriousness of the problem.
Nonetheless, at our law office, what matters is you. You were injured. You have bills. Your life was changed. You deserve to be compensated for what you lost. Speaking up, filing a claim, and documenting your case can help achieve that.
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Get Help from a Distracted Driving Accident Attorney in Alpharetta
An Alpharetta distracted driving accident lawyer may be able to help you hold a distracted driver responsible for not paying attention to the road. No matter how minor your injuries, they would not exist if it were not for the other driver’s choice to let a distraction take precedence over safety.
Contact Bader Scott Injury Lawyers today to get started with a free case evaluation. Speak to a member of our legal team at (404) 888-8888.
Call or text (404) 888-8888 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form