Dallas Texting Car Accident Attorney

Fender bender in Dallas Despite the passage of legislation banning the practice in 2017, Texas drivers still text and drive, and texting car accidents, while on the decline, still happen. The law is clear, but yet drivers but themselves and others on the road in jeopardy every day when they fire off text messages to friends, family and others. To answer a text takes around five seconds, say experts, which is also the time that a vehicle driving 55 miles per hour needs to traverse the length of a football field—a distance during which lots can go wrong. If you have been involved in a texting car accident, you have the right to hold the at-fault party accountable. Turn to The Law Office of Dorothy Hyde to help you file your personal injury claim and get your life back in order. 

Texas law bars the practice of reading, writing or sending electronic messages while behind the wheel of a moving car, and it’s easy to see why Texas followed suit with the 34 other states who now cite drivers who text and drive. Texting requires the simultaneous use of cognition, vision and manual processes, all of which are also required by operating a vehicle—it’s extremely hard to do both at once and do them safely. According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers who text are 2300% more apt to be involved in an accident than those who don’t.

Up to 1.6 million crashes each year are attributed to cell phone use, according to the National Safety Council, and around 390,000 injuries result every year due to accidents that occur while a driver is texting and driving. In fact, one out of every four car crashes across the country are now attributed to texting and driving, and drivers who practice it are six times more likely to cause an accident than if they were driving under the influence of alcohol.

 The state of Texas fines drivers who cause accidents while texting $4,000 and punishes them with up to one year in jail. As an injured party in a texting car accident, you have a right to seek justice for yourself too, by filing a personal injury claim. You may be able to collect the cost of your medical care, rehab, lost income, and noneconomic damages from the at-fault party and his/her insurer. If you are the loved one of someone who lost their life due to a texting driver, you can also look into filing a wrongful death claim to collect damages for the loss of a spouse or parent, including loss of income for the household, loss of consortium and community, and other damages. 

 Don’t delay in consulting with our legal team about your injuries. In Texas, injured persons have just two years under the state’s statute of limitations to file their personal injury claims. If that date passes, your claim may not be heard. Reach out to Dallas car accident attorney Dorothy Hyde now to set up your case review and consultation at no charge to you.