Inattentive and/or distracted drivers may inadvertently cause extensive injury or death to other motor vehicle operators, says Alabama car accident attorney Keith T. Belt.
In 2005, more than one thousand people died in car crashes and in 2010, more than 800 were killed on state roads, which represents a 26 percent reduction over five years. However, State highway officials met in Montgomery looking for ways to make Alabama’s roads safer and further reduce fatalities.
Stop Distracted Driving through Driver Education and Tougher Alabama Cell Phone Laws
As the state gets ready to roll out a new safety campaign, a young woman shared her own personal story of tragedy on a road in Pennsylvania with them. Jacy Good and her fiancé Steve Johnson are urging states to focus on putting a stop to distracted driving through education and tougher laws.
In 2008 Good had just graduated college and was headed home with her parents when their joy quickly ended as a teen driver got distracted. As we came to that green light an 18 wheeler also came to that green light opposite us at the same time there was an eighteen year old man that was on the intersecting road that came to a red light while he was talking on his cell phone and never even seeing the red light, turned left into the intersection. The driver of the tractor-trailer tried to swerve and avoid hitting him, which caused the truck hit our family car head on.
Good Suffered from a Number of Serious Car Crash Injuries
Her mother and father were instantly killed in the accident and Good, who was riding in the front passenger seat, barely survived. She suffered a broken left tibia and fibula, two broken feet, a broken wrist, shattered pelvis, broken collarbone, lacerated liver, collapsed lungs, damaged carotid arteries and a traumatic brain injury. Good has had a very long road to recovery spending four months in the hospital and then enduring two years of rehabilitation. Through it all her fiance Steve Johnson has been at her side helping her get dressed every day and helping her do what she needed to do to get ready to go out in society and function again.
Good indicates the physical scars are still painful but the emotional ones are even more so. She and Johnson will marry soon but two beloved parents will not be there to share their joyous day. Good says no conversation or text message, what was that young man talking about that was more important than both my parents’ lives and the livelihood I had planned for myself. The accident left her permanently disabled but not discouraged as she now travels the country hoping to convince drivers to think before they talk or text and to push for tougher traffic laws. You don’t feel impaired, you feel like you’re a good driver and you can handle talking on the phone while driving but it’s just not true it makes you four times more likely to get into a car accident that will put someone in the hospital, according to studies says Good.
The eighteen-year-old driver who was on the cell phone faced traffic violations but did not face criminal charges, which further speaks to the need for these laws to be addressed.
Consult the Alabama Car Accident Lawyers at Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C. Today
When you or a loved one is involved in an accident caused by a distracted driver, it is important to understand your legal rights. A car accident lawyer at Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C. can help you to know when to make a claim and can represent you in all aspects of making your case and obtaining compensation. To learn more about how we can help you, call our Montgomery car accident lawyers, Mobile car accident lawyers, Huntsville car accident lawyers, or Birmingham car accident lawyers today.
