Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents resulting in serious injury and death in Denver. As the availability of hand-held technology has become more prevalent, so too have distracted driving accidents. When drivers take their eyes off of the road, even for a moment, the risk of an accident becomes incredibly high. In those few seconds of distraction, a lot can change. Without the ability to appropriately react, the other driver is likely to cause an accident.
If you or someone you care about has been injured or killed as the result of a distracted driving accident in Denver or the greater Denver metropolitan area, an experienced personal injury attorney at accidentdenver.com can fight for the financial compensation you deserve.
Distracted Driving Accident Lawyers in Denver, Colorado
If you were involved in a distracted driving car accident in Denver or the surrounding areas, you deserve to be financially compensated for your injuries. When the cause of the accident is due to the fault of another person that person should have to pay, not you. Our team can fight for your rights.
No matter how small or how big your case may be, the accidentdenver.com team will keep you informed every step of the way throughout the process and they will handle every detail seamlessly to put you on the road to recovery. Our team at accidentdenver.com pride themselves on clear, honest, and open communication with each and every one of their clients.
Our attorneys at accidentdenver.com take cases on a contingency basis, which means that you pay nothing until your case has reached a favorable resolution. Let us put our years of experience to work for you and your loved ones.
Distracted Driving in Colorado
In order to drive safely, a person needs to keep his or her eyes on the road. When a person fails to do that, he or she is putting others at risk. The consequences of being inattentive, even for a second, can be disastrous. Others could be seriously injured or even killed. Drivers are likely to miss the changes in speed of other drivers, brake lights, pedestrians, or even poor road conditions. This can easily lead to a very serious accident.
Distracted Driving Statistics in Colorado
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) defines "distracted driving" as "the act of driving while engaged in anything—texting, looking after children or pets, talking on the phone or to a passenger, watching videos, eating, or reading—that takes a driver's focus away from the road."
An average of 43 drivers in Colorado crash every day because they are not paying attention to the road, according to the CDOT. Fifty-three people died and 6,269 were injured in 15,673 different crashes in 2018 alone, all related to distracted drivers. According to more CDOT data, over 90% of people admit to driving while distracted within the last week.
Types of Distracted Driving
No one list can capture all possible examples of distracted driving, as the possibilities are endless. Examples of distracted driving include, but are far from limited to:
- eating while operating a motor vehicle
- daydreaming
- using a cell phone
- texting and driving
- checking social media
- drinking (whether alcohol or non-alcohol)
- speaking with passengers
- fiddling with the radio controls
- looking at billboards or other signs
- handling children in the back seat
- dealing with a pet
- looking at things on the side of the road (an attractive person, police lights, another accident, etc.)
- watching videos
Distracted driving can come in many forms. What is crucial to understand is that distracted driving constitutes a form of negligent conduct. Negligence by another party is the basis for a personal injury lawsuit, and a necessary element you and your lawyer must prove in a successful lawsuit.
Texting While Driving
Texting while driving is one of the most common causes of accidents, as it requires both taking a person's hands off the wheel and the eyes off of the road. The amount of time it takes to type and send a text can be more than enough to cause an accident.
Even those who attempt to use a text to speech feature find themselves reading their own text in order to verify its contents, leading to the same types of risks.
Proving Distracted Driving
Ultimately, you do not have to prove that the other driver was distracted by anything in particular, only that they committed some negligent act that caused the accident (i.e., rear-ending your vehicle). The fact that the act itself was committed is sufficient for a personal injury lawsuit.
However, proving that a person was engaging in some type of distracted driving and that it was the cause of the negligent act that caused the accident, can add to the credibility of your case. For example, if a person rear-ends your vehicle, causing you injury, the rear-ending itself is the negligent act. If you can prove that the other driver was on their cell phone at the time, this helps to prove the link between the driver's negligent choices and the accident.
Distracted driving can be proven by:
- admissions by the other driver that he or she was engaged in distracted driving
- police reports that indicate distracted driving
- cell phone data that shows the other driver was texting, talking, watching videos, etc. at the time of the accident
This evidence can create an extremely powerful case that can be presented to the judge or jury. When all of the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together, your case becomes even more clear and convincing to everyone involved.
Consult an Experienced Denver Distracted Driving Auto Accident Lawyer
Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents in the state of Colorado. If distracted driving caused an accident in which you or a loved one was injured, you deserve to be able to hold that distracted driver responsible for the damages he or she caused.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in the greater Denver metropolitan area, please do not hesitate to contact accidentdenver.com today at 303-642-8888 for a free consultation. We are here waiting for you.