Guilty of Texting While Driving, Teen Faces Jail Time for Death
Dec 15, 2012
Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) December 14 , 2012 – Life is about choices. This teen chose to drink and drive, and killed someone.
“How many times have you seen someone sitting at a stop light texting, or talking on a cellphone? Millions do this on a daily basis. There are even people out for supper who drive around checking out menus on their mobile devices. This is not paying attention to the road, and inattention kills. It’s a no-brainer,” added Austin personal injury attorney Bobby Lee, of Lee, Gober and Reyna in Austin, Texas. Aside from being a dangerous thing to do, it is also, in most states, illegal.
While many people think the law does not really apply to “them” because they are just going to take a couple of seconds to text and what harm could it do, those two seconds or so can kill. Consider the case of an 18-year-old Massachusetts man, convicted and sentenced to jail for killing another driver while texting and driving. “Every choice we make has consequences,” added Lee, “and in that case, the choice to text and drive resulted in the death of an innocent victim.”
Since mobile phones, cellphones, GPS, iPhones, Smartphones and the like have been welcomed into a vehicle collisions have taken a sharp hike upwards. According to the National Safety Council, just about 28 percent of all wrecks, which represents about 1.6 million accidents per year, were caused by drivers talking on a cell or texting. “These are all accidents that should never have happened. It’s just that simple. There is no need to be on a cell phone or texting while driving. Whatever it is that needs saying right then can be said later,” Lee stated.
As a result of those dismal statistics, the U.S. Department of Transportation is calling for a complete ban on cell and smartphones in vehicles. Thirty-seven states and Washington, D.C. have completely banned texting while driving for anyone. Ten states have also banned using hand-held cellphones while driving. “Be aware that in a large number of states, texting is considered to be a primary offense, and that means being pulled over on the suspicion of texting. If you’re found guilty, you lose the right to drive and get slapped with a heavy fine. Is it worth it?” asked Lee.
“Turn it off. If you end up killing someone, you will be found guilty in a court of law of negligence, and that involves a whole other ballgame in terms of penalties. If you have been in an accident and the other driver was texting, give me a call. You stand a good chance of recovering compensation for any injuries you may have sustained,” added Lee.
To learn more, visit Austin personal injury lawyer and http://www.rwleelaw.com.
Lee, Gober and Reyna
11824 Jollyville Road, Suite 302
Austin, Texas 78759
Phone: 512.478.8080
