In Massachusetts, and across the county, daily life can be hectic. At times, people make phone calls from their cars, put on makeup or shave behind the wheel, or even get in a meal while driving to their next meeting or appointment. A person engaged in any of these behaviors can obviously become easily distracted. Car accidents resulting from distracted driving can serious consequences for all partied involved.
In a recent case, it is believed that a Massachusetts teenager was eating out of a fast food bag while driving when she sped through a flashing red light. The teen’s vehicle was hit by a police cruiser that was crossing through the intersection on a flashing yellow light. The girl survived, but was issued citations for failure to wear a seatbelt, failure to yield to a traffic signal and impeded operation of a motor vehicle, because she was holding food in her lap.
The local teenager and police officer were both fortunate, but distracted driving can lead to a wide-variety of catastrophic injuries or even death. If an accident investigation reveals distraction or inattention on the part of a driver, a person injured as a result of their negligence may pursue a personal injury claim to seek compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, medical expenses and other damages incurred as a result of the distracted driver’s negligent behavior behind the wheel.
To avoid causing or being injured in this kind of car accident, all drivers should be attentive to their surroundings. Drivers are responsible for their conduct. Choosing to pull your attention from the road and surrounding traffic demonstrates a disregard for the safety of other motorists doing their best to act safely.
Source: Boston.com, “Police: Fast food reach caused Mass. car crash,” Aug. 22, 2012
