The increase in cell phone usage in the Chicagoland Area means distracted driving is leading to more and more severe accidents. The National Safety Council (NSC) states that roughly 24% of every traffic accident (around 1.2 million) each year is correlated to drivers talking or texting on their phones behind the wheel. The NSC also indicated that the number of crashes due to distracted driving cell phone use is enormously underreported. Take this case with a teenager that occurred on an East Coast city.
Punitive Damages for Proof of Distracted Driving
Accord to a news source for practicing Lawyers, a car crash victim in NC that occurred because of a texting teen earned $120,000 in punitive damages. The settlement’s amount is significant as the plaintiff’s medical expenses were just $21,000, so this means a large portion of the verdict was put towards punitive damages to teach the texting teen a lesson.
Insult gets added to Injury for the Plaintiff
The 17-year-old defendant happened to be texting and speeding at the point when she rear-ended the plaintiff. According to carrier records, the report shows that teen sent and received upwards of 100 texts around the time when the collision happened. At a deposition, she admitted that she sent more texts behind the wheel. This was after the collision that injured the plaintiff with noticeable scarring, a broken pelvis and a fractured spine. The defendant further confessed to texting in the car as she was driving to the deposition!
Although the defendant and her insurance provider did not want to admit that the extra settlement money served as punitive damages, the plaintiff carried out a motion before the mediation to amend her complaint that included those damages. The plaintiff’s lawyers explained that the settlement pointed to how the law is going in the “right direction” when it comes to cell phones and distracted driving.
Best Car Accident Injury Attorneys in Chicago
It’s crucial to have an expert personal injury attorney who really understands how to apply punitive damages appropriately for your case and how to request this relief in court. If you or someone you love has been harmed because of someone talking or texting while driving, contact Boone and McHenry county car crash attorneys at FGPG Law as soon as possible.
