Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys in Hamden CT Assist Victims
Connecticut auto accident lawyers aggressively pursue full compensation
Anyone who operates a motor vehicle has a duty to concentrate on their driving at all times. Unfortunately, too many drivers allow themselves to be distracted, taking their eyes and their minds off the road. Today, we live in an age in which many people, especially youth, are subject to constant distraction, most notably from electronic devices. This has made busy roads more dangerous, including those in Connecticut.
At Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. in Hamden and East Haven, our personal injury attorneys have extensive experience representing victims of accidents caused by distracted drivers. We employ a variety of strategies to prove the driver who caused the accident was engaged in some other activity and was not fully focused on the road. If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, you can trust our legal team to take all steps available to assemble the evidence necessary to prove your case.
Examples of distracted driving
There is a wide variety of distractions that can affect drivers. The most common are:
- Cellphone use, especially texting
- Adjusting a car stereo
- Manipulating a GPS device
- Reaching for an object
- Carrying on animated conversation with passengers
- Rubbernecking
- Personal grooming
- Eating or drinking
Even a few seconds of inattention can spell disaster. A car traveling at 60 miles per hour can go the length of a football field in only a few seconds. In that time, a car can close on a slowing or stopped vehicle to the point where the driver has no reaction time in which to avoid an accident.
The consequences of distracted driving can be devastating. According to the Centers for Disease Control, distracted driving killed more than 3,100 people and injured 424,000 more in 2019. Of those killed, about one in five were not vehicle occupants. They were walking, riding their bikes or standing outside a vehicle.
Proving texting and driving in a Connecticut auto accident case
Connecticut law prohibits drivers from engaging in cellphone calls while driving — even while stopped in traffic — unless the driver uses a hands-free device or the cellphone use falls into a specified exception. The law also prohibits use of any handheld mobile electronic device while driving, which includes reading and writing text messages and emails.
There are a number of steps our attorneys take to determine if the driver was illegally engaged in cellphone use. These steps include:
- Subpoenaing phone records to see when electronic messages were sent
- Interviewing witnesses who might have observed cellphone use
- Seeking testimony from the defendant driver about the incident
You can help your attorney if, immediately after the accident, you are able to do the following:
- Clearly document the time of the crash by taking a screen capture of your phone.
- Take photos that might reveal that the driver’s cellphone was visible and in use.
- Ask the driver. In the heat of the moment, a driver might admit to being on the phone. In law, this is known as an “excited utterance” and a “declaration against interest,” so you are allowed to testify to what the driver said in court.
- Ask witnesses if they saw the driver using a phone.
If you are injured, you must first focus on getting medical assistance. You also do not want to put yourself in direct conflict with the other driver. Wait calmly for the police to arrive and give the officer your account of what happened and what you saw. It can help your case to have the police mention probable cellphone use in their accident report.
Contact our Connecticut personal injury lawyers regarding your distracted driving accident
Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. in Hamden and East Haven, advocates on behalf of Connecticut clients who have been injured in distracted driving accidents. To discuss your case, please call 203-745-0942 or contact us online.