Lake County Distracted Driving Attorney

When driving, a motorist needs to keep their attention on the road around them. All manner of variables could divert their attention on the road, and one tiny missed detail could result in a chaotic crash scene. It might not seem like that big a deal to check that one notification, but considering that the average time it takes to read a text message is almost five seconds – at 55 miles an hour, that equates to distracted driving the length of a football field without looking at the road.

Even if you avoid distractions, you cannot control the actions of other drivers. In the U.S. alone, these distracted driving incidents claimed the lives of 2,841 people in a single year per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and injured countless others. 

We hope you never suffer the misfortune of one of these distracted driving accidents, but if you do, you’re not without recourse. Learn how a Lake County distracted driving attorney with Tanzillo Stassin & Babcock, P.C. can help you receive the compensation you deserve.

Determining Fault

Distracted driving accidents can stem from a myriad of often preventable causes, including but not limited to:

• Texting
• Talking on a phone
• Eating, drinking, or smoking
• Intoxication
• Personal grooming (brushing hair, putting clothes on, applying makeup)
• General electronic device use
• Staring too intently in a mirror
• Disciplining children and pets
• Being too immersed in conversing with any passenger

Now, you obviously won’t have an inside view of the defendant’s vehicle at the time of the collision, but that doesn’t mean your legal case is a wash. Evidence like the following can strengthen the odds in your favor:

• Police report: If you saw any signs that could implicate the driver’s distractedness during the crash (phone use, arguments, secondary witnesses), note them to the respective authority that responds to the scene of the crash. Your word will have extra authority if an authority figure can corroborate that word.
• Recorded evidence: Many people take phone footage of erratic drivers and crashes, and a recording might be available. Likewise, a nearby surveillance camera could record clear, salient proof that the defendant was distracted before the crash. A Lake County distracted driving attorney could also subpoena the defendant’s cell phone records to prove their distraction.
• Sources on the ground: Witnesses could be present to corroborate your story. Passengers in either vehicle could strengthen your claims. First responders attending to the scene could support your story as well, and police might cite the driver for being distracted. The driver might own up to their mistakes. A lawyer could use witnesses for testimony about the crash’s circumstances, and they could also appoint an accident reconstructionist to evaluate the circumstances of the crash.