Mobile Distracted Driving Lawyer
Have you been injured in a car accident in Alabama because the other driver was distracted? Lattof & Lattof PC can help you seek compensation for the damages you incurred. Our experienced Mobile, AL car accident attorneys offer a free case review to give you an honest assessment of your case’s strength and the best strategy for moving forward.
We will listen, help you understand your options, and answer any questions you have. Lattof & Lattof, PC, has over 100 years of combined experience fighting for those injured in car accidents. Let us put our experience and skill to work to help you.
Table of Contents
Why You Need a Mobile Personal Injury Lawyer If You’ve Been Injured in a Distracted Driving Accident
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), driving while texting can be six times more dangerous than driving under the influence. Distracted driving can occur when anything in the vehicle distracts a driver from paying close attention to the act of driving and can result in serious injuries, property damage, and even death.
Fortunately, Alabama law provides a way for victims of car accidents to receive compensation from the at-fault party. However, getting the money you deserve is not always easy. Hiring an experienced Mobile, AL car accident lawyer can make a big difference in the amount of compensation you receive. Here’s why:
Establishing Fault and Liability Can Be Tricky
It is common for distracted drivers to deny responsibility. It will be up to you to find proof that they were not paying attention at the time of a crash. Our lawyers will conduct an investigation and gather evidence that would be hard for you to obtain on your own.
Several Parties Might Be Responsible For Your Injuries
Distracted driving may not be the only cause of the car accident, and that is sometimes true. However, it is essential to identify all the factors that might have contributed to the crash. Doing so can help make sure all the parties responsible are held accountable. Our team will leave no stone unturned as we work to figure out what caused your accident and who’s to blame. When we determine liability, we can work toward holding all at-fault parties responsible for your injuries.
We Have Extensive Experience Dealing With Insurance Companies in Alabama
Insurance companies make money by avoiding paying for claims when possible. They are skilled in tactics to avoid paying you. They might even try blaming you for the accident. If that doesn’t work, they may offer you a small settlement, in hopes you will accept the settlement without consulting with an attorney. Our attorneys are intimately familiar with these tactics. We’ve been fighting these insurance companies for years. We know what to expect and how to hold them accountable. So, we can often cut to the chase and get you a reasonable settlement offer more quickly than you could do on your own.
You Might Not Know What Your Injury Case is Worth
It is tough for an individual to know what their injury claim is worth. The insurance company will do their best to minimize any payout. Our attorneys can help ensure that all of your damages are identified and calculated. We’ll work closely with experts throughout the process and work to make sure that your claim is valued fairly.
Limit the Likelihood of Going to Court
Insurance companies in Mobile will try to avoid going to court at all costs. They are even more opposed to going to court when you are represented by a skilled trial attorney that has won cases like yours in the past. The threat of going to trial is often enough to motivate insurance companies to extend a fair offer.
Were you recently injured in a car wreck in Mobile, AL because another driver was distracted behind the wheel? Call our law office to find out how our distracted driving attorneys might be able to help. Your first evaluation is free, so contact our team to learn more today.
Common Causes of Distracted Driving
Distracted driving, as defined by the NHTSA, is any activity that diverts a driver’s attention away from the task of driving. There are three forms of distracted driving:
Visual Distractions
Visual distractions cause a driver to take their eyes off the roadway. Instead of looking ahead and analyzing traffic patterns while scanning for hazards, a driver diverts their gaze to something else. Examples include:
- Reading a text message, or attempting to send a quick text on a handheld device.
- Looking down at the floorboard for something dropped
- Turning around to look at passengers or children in the backseat
- Studying a GPS navigation system
When a driver’s eyes aren’t on the road, the likelihood of a crash increases significantly.
Cognitive Distractions
Cognitive distractions happen when a driver’s attention and focus is not entirely on the road. The driver’s vision might be centered on the road, but other matters occupy their mind. Examples include:
- Drivers who just received a call from a spouse, co-worker, or their child’s school, and they are worried about all the potential ramifications of that call
- The driver has in-depth conversations, or arguments, with a passenger in the car
- The driver is rehearsing a work presentation, an interview, or other vital concerns
Just because a driver is looking at the road doesn’t mean that they’re paying attention. That can be incredibly dangerous – for themselves, their passengers, and anyone else around.
Manual Distractions
A manual distraction happens when the driver is doing something that causes them to physically take their hands off the steering wheel or their foot to be unable to reach the brake peddle. Manual distractions can include:
- Writing a text message or dialing a number on a phone
- Eating, drinking, or opening packages
- Combing their hair or applying make-up
- A water bottle or can has rolled into the driver’s floorboard, making it difficult to push the brake pedal or otherwise causing the driver to lean down and remove his hand from the wheel to retrieve it.
Manual distractions mean the driver’s hands are not on the wheel, and they will be unable to navigate away from hazards or dangers that occur suddenly. These distractions increase the likelihood of both single-car and multi-vehicle crashes.
The use of a cell phone while driving can fall into all three categories of distractions, making cell phones use one of the most dangerous activities behind the wheel.
Alabama Distracted Driving Laws
Each state has its own laws that govern distracted driving. In Alabama, the laws that address the use of cellphones when driving include:
- Drivers age 16 (or 17 who have had an intermediate license for six months or less) are prohibited from cell phone use while driving
- All drivers are prohibited from texting while driving
These laws are considered “primary enforcement laws.” Primary enforcement laws mean that a law enforcement officer can issue a ticket for the offenses on their own merit. No other traffic offenses have to occur for drivers to receive a ticket. The police can pull you over and issue a citation based solely on texting and driving or using a cell phone while driving if you are underage.
Most distractions in a vehicle do not have laws that specifically prohibit them. It is not illegal to talk to passengers or use your car’s music system, but drivers are still responsible when distraction causes an accident. Drivers have a legal responsibility to act in a manner that is safe for all who share the road. When they fail to act responsibly, and distractions cause an accident, they can and should be held accountable.
If a driver is distracted in violation of the law and causes an accident, injury victims might be able to argue that they’re “negligent per se.” This can make the path to a financial recovery a little bit easier. Our experienced Mobile distracted driving accident lawyers can help you understand if this might be an option in your injury case. Call us today to learn more.
Distracted Driving Statistics
Distracted driving has become a growing problem in recent years. As technology has increased, so have incidences of distracted driving. The problem of distracted driving accounts for a considerable number of injuries and fatalities every year. Some of the most notable statistics about distracted driving include:
- Distracted driving kills approximately nine people every day in the United States.
- Mobile devices are associated with an estimated 1.6 million car accidents annually.
- It only takes 3 seconds of distraction to cause an accident once the driver is distracted, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
- You are eight times more likely to crash when you are reaching for an object.
It’s simple – driving while distracted is dangerous. It increases the risk of a collision. When a distracted driver causes a crash, anyone who is injured should discuss their legal options with an experienced attorney.
We’ll Work to Compile All Relevant Evidence to Support Your Distracted Driving Case
At Lattof & Lattof PC, our attorneys have years of experience in investigating personal injury cases. We know what evidence is crucial to your case and we know how to find it. Trust our highly professional team to exhaust all resources to gather proof that the other driver was distracted. Such proof might involve:
- Securing the police report from the accident, which might state that the driver was distracted.
- We will subpoena cell phone records to see the other driver’s cell phone activity immediately before the time of the accident.
- We will review video footage from traffic cameras and any other surveillance equipment that might have captured the moments before or during the accident.
- We will search for eyewitnesses who might have witnessed the driver engaging in distracted behavior.
- If necessary, we will bring in experts to reconstruct the accident. Not only can they help us identify distracted driving, but they can also find any other potential causes.
We’re prepared to roll up our sleeves, dig deep, and get the evidence that’s necessary to win your case. Give our team a call today to learn more.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Mobile Distracted Driving Lawyers
At Lattof & Lattof PC, our legal team is here to help you, or someone you care about, recover all the damages you are entitled to under Alabama law. If you have been injured by a distracted driver, we want to help you move forward with your life by giving you the effective legal representation you need. An accident can leave you injured, shaken, and overwhelmed. Reach out to us, and we will handle the legal aspects of your case so that you can focus on recovering and getting back to your life.
We invite you to contact our Mobile, AL office today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. We will review your case and provide an honest assessment of your case and what to expect as you pursue the compensation you deserve.
