CHICAGO, IF YOU TEXT AND DRIVE, YOU LOSE
Chicago Alderman Edward M. Burke has recently proposed new legislation prohibiting drivers from texting and driving, with certain exceptions for drivers of emergency vehicles and stationary, parked vehicles. The proposed legislation banning texting states:
... No person shall drive a motor vehicle while using a mobile, cellular, analog wireless or digital telephone. Using a mobile, cellular, analog wireless or digital telephone shall include, but not be limited to, talking or listening to another person on the telephone, text messaging, sending an electronic message, or browsing the internet via the mobile, cellular, analog wireless or digital telephone.
In the recent Metrolink train crash in Los Angeles, the engineer of the commuter train sent a text message 22 seconds prior to the train colliding with a freight train which killed 25 people and seriously injured more than 130 other people. I frequently have seen the effects of driving distracted. I have represented numerous plaintiffs who have been injured in automobile accidents as a result of the defendant driver not paying attention. In addition to cases involving cell phone use, I represented a plaintiff who was injured when a teenager was skipping a song on a CD player and rear-ended my client. In another case, a semi-truck driver was looking at a billboard instead of at the road ahead of him and collided with the vehicle ahead of him and killed two innocent people.
Occupants in vehicles can get hurt when the driver of a motor vehicle is not paying attention.
The Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Kroll has received successful results on behalf of clients injured in motor vehicle accidents due to distracted drivers.
