Nassau County Cell Phone Accidents
At one time driver distractions were related to such things as eating, the radio, other people in the vehicle, and pets in the vehicle. Nowadays the term distracted driving is synonymous with driving while talking on a cell phone or texting. Each year thousands of people suffer serious injuries or die in vehicle accidents where cell phone use was a contributing factor. The victims of such accidents often suffer painful, devastating injuries with long recovery periods. For example, a victim of a cell phone related car accident may suffer internal injuries, abrasions, an amputation, a spinal cord injury, broken or crushed bones, traumatic cardiac arrest, or a traumatic brain injury. Because of such injuries you may feel you need to seek the help of a New York Injury Lawyer. If a driver who was distracted due to cell phone use caused an accident that left you or a loved one injured, contact an experienced Nassau County Cell Phone Accidents Lawyer who will work tirelessly to ensure that you are compensated for the losses that you have suffered through a personal injury or wrongful death claim. In addition, if during the course of the treatment for your injuries your doctor commits medical malpractice, the party responsible for your car accident injuries may be required to compensate you for the medical malpractice injury as well.
New York's driving cell phone use lawUnder New York Vehicle and Traffic Law section 1125-c it is against the law to use a mobile phone while driving. Similarly, under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law section 1125-d it is against the law to drive while texting, using a laptop, pager, electronic game, tablet or any other portable electronic device. This means that if a driver is caught texting while driving, that driver will be fined. However, if the driver uses an electronic device while driving and as a result causes an accident, the financial consequences to the driver may gl beyond paying a fine and may include civil liability to the injured victim.
Consequences of using a cell phone while drivingIf a driver is not paying attention to the road and instead is focused on a phone conversation or is trying to type a text message, there is a good chance that that driver will cause an accident leaving another person with serious injuries. While the fines for violating New York Vehicle and Traffic Law prohibitions against driving while using a cell phone or portable electronic device are relatively minor, if distracted driving leads to injury the offender may be financially responsible to his or her injured victim in addition to be required to pay a fine.
If you were injured in an accident because of the negligence of a distracted driver, through a personal injury lawsuit there are number of different types of damages that you may be able to recover:
- Medical expenses. The person responsible for the accident that caused your injuries may be required to pay for your medical expenses. This would include medical bills you accumulated prior to filing your claim as well as future medical expenses related to the treatment of your injury.
- Lost wages. Even a relatively minor accident may cause you to miss time at work. The person responsible may be required to pay the wages you lost. If you end up using earned sick days or vacation days, you may be entitled to receive compensation for those days. Furthermore, if as a result of your injury your earning potential declined, you may be able to recover damages for loss of future earning capacity.
- Pain and suffering. Another potential source of damages that you may be entitled to receive is pain and suffering. In the context of a personal injury claim, pain and suffering refers to physical pain as well as emotional distress.
- Property damage. The person whose negligence caused the accident may also be responsible for damage to your vehicle or other property.
A personal injury lawsuit against the person responsible for the accident will not only hold that person accountable for his or her negligent acts but will also provide you and your family with needed financial relief. To ensure that your rights are protected it is important that you are represented by someone with experience representing victims of car accidents. The staff at Stephen Bilkis and Associates has extensive experience representing clients injured in parking lot accidents, SUV rollover accidents, head-on collisions, rear-end collisions, side collisions as well as other types of vehicle accidents. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your car accident.