St. Louis County Texting While Driving Car Accident Lawyer

As text messaging has become one of the most common modes of communication among Americans, particularly among young people, a rise in motor vehicle accidents attributable to texting while driving has also occurred. When drivers are distracted, their reaction times are delayed, and they often fail to notice oncoming vehicles, changing traffic lights, stop signs, and more. The resulting accidents may lead to catastrophic injuries that may lead to permanent impairment and required modifications to your daily life.

If you or a loved one suffered injury from an accident caused by others who have been texting while driving, you may be able to seek compensation from them with the help of a St. Louis County texting while driving car accident lawyer. To get started on your case, reach out to a hard-working car wreck attorney today.

The Prevalence of Texting While Driving

Numerous studies have found that many teenagers and adults regularly engage in text messaging while driving. According to a U.S. News & World Report article, two-thirds of parents in a recent study admitted that they had read text messages while driving and about half of parents admitted that they had composed text messages while driving. Millennial parents, or those who were born between 1981 and 1996, were more likely to report this risky behavior than older parents, but both demographics composed text messages while driving at roughly the same rates and had similar accident rates.

The more distracted driving behaviors that people exhibit, the more likely they are to get into crashes. Whether they are texting, reading emails, posting on social media, or using the GPS function on their phones, distracted drivers increasingly cause motor vehicle collisions in which people suffer severe injuries. Individuals who have fallen victim to these crashes may wish to contact a texting while driving car accident lawyer in St. Louis County for advice.

Negligence and Texting While Driving Car Crashes

Negligence, or a careless disregard for the safety of others, is the primary basis for liability in many motor vehicle accidents. Various driving behaviors may constitute negligence, including texting while driving. Although Missouri is one of the few states that has yet to ban texting while driving for all drivers, as it currently bars only drivers who are under age 21 from texting while driving, evidence that a driver was texting at the time of an accident typically constitutes evidence of negligent driving. An experienced lawyer could help one gather evidence to prove negligence.

Engaging in text messaging requires a level of cognitive function that necessarily takes away from the ability of drivers to focus on driving correctly. As a result, even if texting and driving does not violate Missouri law, the practice still can cause accidents resulting in catastrophic injuries. When individuals are injured due to a texting driving, they may be able to file a personal injury claim against that driver with the assistance of a St. Louis County texting while driving car accident lawyer.

Nationwide Texting While Driving Statistics

Throughout the country, 424,000 people are injured each year due to distracted driving; of those injured in a car crash, distracted driving caused up to 3,142 fatalities in 2020. Since the enactment of various texting and driving laws throughout the country, texting while driving violations have decreased significantly.

Texting and Driving Laws in Missouri

Missouri updated the texting and driving laws in August 2023, when the “Siddens Bening Hands Free” law went into effect. Prior to the passing of this law, only those under 21 were prohibited from using their phones while driving. The new law states that all drivers are prohibited from using phones while driving. Under this new law, all drivers are prohibited from the following:

Holding the phone in their hand while driving
Sending or looking at text messages
Recording or sending video
Participating in video calls
Watching media on any personal device

Why is Texting and Driving So Dangerous in St. Louis?

Texting and driving is so dangerous because it distracts drivers from focusing on the road and their surroundings. You might think that sending a harmless text message will not hurt anyone; however, even taking your eyes off the road for a few seconds could lead to disaster. People who text and drive, on average, take their eyes off the road for a total of 4.6 seconds, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Texting and driving is extremely dangerous, as it leads to various types of distractions. These distractions, manual, visual, and cognitive, can lead to increased accidents on the St. Louis roadways.

How Can a St. Louis Texting While Driving Lawyer Help?

A St. Louis texting while driving lawyer can help you with your case by helping you throughout the process of filing a claim, all the way to potential litigation. When you trust Mutrux Firm Injury Lawyers, you could expect us to:

Help you get the right medical treatment
Take depositions
Negotiating with the insurance company
Proving liability
Helping you get the maximum compensation possible for your claim
Updating you on your case
Helping you navigate the legal system

Suppose you were involved in a texting while driving accident. In that case, a St. Louis attorney can help you throughout the legal process, consult industry experts, and get in touch with eyewitnesses to help you prove your case. They will help you prove that the at-fault driver was being negligent and help recover compensation from the at-fault party.

Work with a St. Louis County Texting While Driving Car Accident Attorney

Through a personal injury action, you may be able to recover various forms of compensation for your injuries, including lost wages and loss of earning capacity, medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and pain and suffering. As Missouri law places time limits on the filing of personal injury lawsuits, you should take care to contact a St. Louis County texting while driving car accident lawyer as soon as possible following an accident in which you have sustained injuries. Otherwise, you may be left unable to pursue any legal claims that you have and without a means to hold these at-fault drivers accountable for their negligent behavior. To learn more about your options, reach out to our office and team today.