Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
Texting while driving remains a serious issue throughout the country. Despite the seriousness of the issue, prosecutions of drivers remain rare, and proving that a driver was using their phone can be tricky in Maryland car accident cases. Without proof that a driver sent a message just before a crash, it can be hard to show that a driver was using their phone, including reading a text message.
According to a recent news report, a woman was recently convicted of vehicular homicide in a rare texting while driving prosecution. In that case, a woman was out for a walk during a break from her job when she was hit by a car. A driver believed to have been texting had rear-ended another car, which crashed into the pedestrian. The crash occurred at around 8:20 a.m. on a weekday in September. The driver was charged with vehicular homicide because she was texting while driving, and a jury recently convicted the driver after a trial. The case was believed to be the first in which a jury considered whether texting while driving could be considered akin to drunk driving.
The driver’s trial centered on whether the driver had been texting while driving. The driver had received a text asking her about dinner plans. The prosecution argued that she had read the text and had typed the letters “m” and “e” as part of her response. The driver claimed that she was not texting at the time of the crash. She said that she had typed those letters but did not remember when and was planning to call the person instead. The driver testified that she had looked down to turn on a window defogger and that when she looked up, the other car was “right in front” of her.
The case brought attention to the issue of distracted driving and the rarity of prosecutions in those cases. The pedestrian death toll of 6,283 last year neared the highest in three decades. Almost all states prohibit texting while driving. A spokesperson for the Governors Highway Safety Association noted that, in fatal crashes, obtaining evidence that a driver was distracted is difficult, and another expert remarked that there are challenges in determining whether distraction was the cause of a crash. In this case, the pedestrian’s husband said that he hoped that more people would understand the consequences of texting while driving. The driver could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer
If you have been injured by a distracted driver, contact a car accident lawyer for immediate assistance and guidance. Even without a criminal prosecution, you still may be able to recover compensation for your injuries, lost wages, and other damages. The car accident lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen, Personal Injury Lawyers, take pride in advocating for the rights of accident victims in the Baltimore region, as well as throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. We aim to reduce the stress on victims as much as possible by guiding them through each step of the legal process. For a free consultation, call 1-800-654-1949 or contact us online.