As a driver, it is your expected duty to practice an abundance of care on the Florida roads. So it is unacceptable when you falter from this duty with even the smallest lapse in judgment, such as by getting distracted by something unrelated to the act of driving. That is, even taking your eyes off the road for a split second can lead to irreparable harm. Continue reading to learn how you may recover after falling victim to a distracted driving accident and how one of the experienced Panama City auto accident attorneys at Manuel & Thompson, PA can help you seek this out.
What is considered distracted driving?
Simply put, a distracted driver is classified as a driver who performs any activity that takes their attention away from the activity of driving itself. The three types of distraction a driver may engage in read as follows:
- Visual distraction: this is any activity that takes a driver’s eyes off the road.
- Manual distraction: this is any activity that takes a driver’s hands off the wheel.
- Cognitive distraction: this is any activity that takes a driver’s mind off the act of driving.
More specific examples of actions that are considered distracted driving read as follows:
- Texting while driving.
- Applying makeup while driving.
- Eating or drinking while driving.
- Listening to loud music while driving.
- Turning to face passengers while driving.
- Fidgeting with car controls while driving.
How can I recover after a distracted driving accident?
It is hard to prove that the other driver was distracted in the moments leading up to your accident. This is especially true if the other driver denies these claims and overall refuses to take any accountability for the event that transpired.
So to better your chances of recovering damages in your distracted driving claim, you may want to speak with witnesses who saw the other driver’s distractedness firsthand. You may also want to have a law enforcement officer fill out an accident report at the scene, in which they may offer an expert opinion on whether distracted driving was involved. Lastly, you want to ask your attorney to retrieve redlight camera footage or otherwise surveillance camera footage that captured the other driver’s distractedness.
More specific pieces of proof that you may want to collect read as follows:
- If the other driver was texting while driving: you may want to collect phone records that match with the date and time of your accident.
- If the other driver was eating or drinking while driving: you may want to collect photos of food wrappers or beverage containers in the other driver’s cupholders, passenger seats, and car floor.
- If the other driver was listening to loud music while driving: you may want to collect audio recordings of the sound that can be heard coming from the other driver’s car.
Following through with your distracted driving injury claim may take a lot of time and commitment. But if you hire a skilled Panama City car accident attorney, much of this burden will be taken off your shoulders. So reach out to Manuel & Thompson, PA today.