Glen Burnie Distracted Driver Accident Attorney

Driving is part of our everyday lives, so it’s easy for some motorists in Glen Burnie, Maryland, to forget that just a split-second distraction could prove to be deadly. However, when operating a vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds, especially at high speeds, distracted drivers can cause a great deal of harm.

Whether a driver is too busy looking at their phone to notice they’re about to crash or fiddling with the radio at an inopportune time, the resulting car crash can sometimes result in serious injuries for you and your loved ones.

If you’ve been hurt in one of these accidents, an experienced Glen Burnie distracted driver accident lawyer from Leppler Injury Law can fight to help you recover appropriate compensation. Call (443) 955-1989 to speak with John Leppler now.

People who drive while distracted need to be held accountable for their actions. If you’ve been hurt by a distracted driver, you may be entitled to be reimbursed for your lost wages, medical costs, and other accident-related expenses. Attorney John Leppler has extensive experience handling distracted driving cases — let him fight for your rights and hold the distracted driver responsible for the harm they’ve caused.

The Many Dangers of Distracted Driving in Maryland

The Maryland Highway Safety Office maintains statistics on crashes due to various causes, including distracted driving. Despite the fact that talking or texting on a handheld phone is illegal in Maryland, many distracted driving accidents happen each year. Here are a few sobering statistics:

• On average, Maryland has 210 fatalities due to distracted driving each year
• Maryland has an average of 21,799 injuries from distracted driving per year

In reality, there are likely far more distracted driving injuries and fatalities than those that are reported. When a car accident happens, it’s not always apparent that at least one driver was distracted. Most people who cause accidents won’t freely admit that they were texting, eating, or doing something else to take their focus off the road.

To understand just how easily a distracted driver can cause an accident, consider two example scenarios:

Scenario 1

Imagine you’re driving home from a routine checkup at Glen Burnie Dental. You arrive at a stop light on Manor Road and come to a stop. You check your rearview mirror just in time to spot a car barreling toward you. The driver’s eyes are focused downward because they’re texting behind the wheel.

The driver rear-ends your car at a considerable speed, and they don’t even look up until after the impact. Your car is forced into the car ahead of you. That car is, in turn, forced into the intersection, where it almost collides with an oncoming vehicle.

Scenario 2

Now imagine you’re in the car with your kids on the way to Totsville Indoor Playground & Sandbox. You see a green light as you’re approaching the intersection of Drum Point Ave SE and 2nd Ave. However, as soon as you enter the intersection, a car speeds through the intersection and t-bones your vehicle.

You and your kids are shaken up but otherwise unharmed, but you’re unsure why the driver ran the red light. Later, you find out that the driver was turning to say something to a rowdy child in the backseat — and they were distracted enough that they didn’t notice the light in front of them had turned red.

Injured in an Accident Caused by a Distracted Driver?

Glen Burnie distracted driver accident attorney John Leppler has seen firsthand just how destructive distracted driving can be. Any time a driver starts texting behind the wheel, takes their eyes off the road, or otherwise becomes distracted, they’re putting their own life — and the lives of others — at risk.

At Leppler Injury Law, we firmly believe that anyone who causes an accident because of distracted driving should be held accountable, and we’re prepared to seek justice on your behalf. If you pursue a claim against a distracted driver, you may be able to be compensated for losses like these:

• Medical expenses
• Lost income
• Cost of travel to medical appointments
• Pain and suffering
• Damage to your vehicle
• Loss of earning capacity

If you’re concerned about the cost of working with a lawyer, there’s no need to be concerned. John Leppler works on contingency, which means that if we take your case, you only pay us if we recover compensation for you. If we’re unable to recover compensation for you, you pay us nothing.

Types of Distracted Driving

When many people think about distracted driving, they think of texting or daydreaming. These are common types of distracted driving, but there’s much more variation in distracted driving behavior than many realize.

Broadly speaking, “distracted driving” refers to any behavior a driver engages in that distracts them from driving or makes it harder to focus on the road. There are three main types of distracted driving:

• Cognitive distraction
• Visual distraction
• Manual distraction

Here’s a look at some examples of each:

Cognitive Distraction

A cognitive distraction is any kind of mental activity that removes your focus from the road. That might include daydreaming, thinking about a difficult interpersonal issue, or talking on the phone. It’s possible to still have your eyes on the road but be cognitively distracted enough to cause a car accident in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

Visual Distraction

A visual distraction is something that takes your eyes off the road. Visual distractions are especially dangerous because taking your eyes off the road can very easily lead to an accident.

Visual distractions can include looking for something on the floor or between the seats, looking at your phone, or looking at your GPS. Even things outside of your vehicle — like billboards or road signs —  can become visual distractions.

Manual Distraction

A manual distraction is anything that makes you take your hands off the wheel. These might include adjusting radio knobs, eating, putting on makeup, or texting.

Texting is considered to be an especially dangerous distraction because it combines all three kinds of distraction in one. A driver is cognitively distracted by thinking about the content of the text, visually distracted by looking at the phone, and manually distracted by using their hands to type messages.

How Inattentive Driving Impacts Glen Burnie Residents

Any Glen Burnie distracted driver accident lawyer can tell you that distracted driving has far-reaching, destructive effects. These are some of the many kinds of accidents that can happen when a driver is distracted:

Car Accidents

All drivers on the road are responsible for looking out for one another and doing what they can to avoid harm. When someone takes their eyes off the road or even just gets too immersed in a daydream, that momentary distraction might mean they can’t spot a potential collision early enough to stop.

Truck Accidents

Commercial truck drivers drive hundreds of miles each day. Between fatigue, driving on potentially unfamiliar routes, and looking at or adjusting navigation systems, it’s easy for truckers to get distracted.

Given the large size of commercial trucks compared to passenger cars, a momentarily distracted trucker can cause considerably more damage than the average driver of a passenger car.

Pedestrian and Cyclist Accidents

Pedestrians and cyclists are especially vulnerable to distracted drivers. Many drivers who aren’t paying attention to the road don’t notice other cars — let alone people on foot or on bicycles. It’s very easy for a distracted driver to hit a pedestrian crossing the road or a cyclist riding on the shoulder.

Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents often cause serious injuries or death to pedestrians and cyclists. More often than not, the driver is unharmed or suffers only minor injuries.

Motorcycle Accidents

Like cyclists and pedestrians, motorcyclists tend to be difficult for drivers to spot — especially if the driver is already distracted. Similarly, distracted motorcyclists can cause serious injuries to themselves or others.

Uber Accidents and Lyft Accidents

Uber and Lyft drivers can easily be distracted by new passengers, unfamiliar routes, and using rideshare apps while driving. Unfortunately, when distraction gets the better of them, they put their passengers — and other drivers on the road — at risk.

Drunk or Drugged Drivers

People who drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs put everyone on the road at risk. Their reaction time is already impaired, but if they’re texting behind the wheel or otherwise distracted, they create an even greater danger.

So what exactly makes distracted driving so dangerous? That depends on the nature of the distraction. Manual distractions involve taking at least one hand off the wheel. You may have trouble controlling the vehicle, and it becomes much easier to drift out of your lane.

Visual distractions are dangerous because they prevent you from seeing the road in front of you, and cognitive distractions may impair your ability to focus. When you’re unfocused behind the wheel, your reaction time may be slower — and fractions of seconds count when you’re trying to avoid a crash.

Proving Liability for Your Distracted Driver Car Accident Injuries

If you’ve been injured by someone who was driving while distracted, a Glen Burnie distracted driver accident lawyer might be able to help you recover compensation. But you might wonder — how do you prove that a driver was distracted?

If you think the driver who hit you was drunk, a simple chemical test can confirm your suspicions and be used as evidence. However, there’s no chemical test for distraction.

Fortunately, if you work with John Leppler, he will be able to closely examine your case to look for evidence of the other driver’s guilt. Here are a few different types of evidence your attorney may be able to establish the other driver’s liability:

The Police Report for Your Accident

The police report for your accident includes valuable information about the crash. In addition to providing an overview of the people and vehicles involved, it also includes the officer’s opinion of who was at fault.

Often, the accident report will include a statement from each driver. This portion of the report may become a crucial part of your case. Some drivers will admit to being on the phone or otherwise distracted right after the accident and then deny it later. The accident report serves as a record of their admission.

Statements From Witnesses

If another driver or a pedestrian witnessed your accident, your attorney may be able to contact them to request a statement. If they got a good look at the other driver, the witness may be able to explain whether they appeared distracted right before the crash.

Photos and Videos of the Accident Scene

Having traffic camera or dashcam footage of the accident can be extremely helpful. Photos of the accident scene may not show as much, but an expert can infer a lot from pictures of the aftermath.

Cell Phone Records

In cases where texting or otherwise using a phone was the major cause of distraction, cell phone records can be extremely helpful. If a Glen Burnie personal injury lawyer can obtain the other driver’s cell phone records, they may be able to prove that the driver was texting or talking on the phone at the time of the crash.

Maryland Distracted Driving Laws and Prevention Programs

Each state has its own laws about texting while driving and other forms of distracted driving. Maryland prohibits drivers from texting or using handheld phones while driving.

More specifically, the law states that you may only use your hands to make or end a phone call or turn the phone on or off. You may use a handheld phone while driving in the event of an emergency.

Maryland also has Jake’s Law, a law that allows drivers who cause serious injury or death while texting or using a handheld phone to be sentenced to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

There are several statewide programs that aim to prevent texting while driving:

• Park the Phone Before You Drive campaign
• Strategic Highway Safety Plan
• Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) campaign

These programs have undoubtedly helped reduce accidents due to distracted drivers — but distracted driving accidents remain sadly common.

Consult With Leppler Injury Law in Glen Burnie Today

If you need a Glen Burnie distracted driver accident attorney, Leppler Injury Law is here to help. Attorney John Leppler is determined to stand up to insurance companies and negligent parties to fight for the rights of injured people. If you’ve been hurt by a distracted driver, call Leppler Injury Law or get in touch online for a free consultation.

John Leppler also serves locations near Glen Burnie including Towson, Baltimore, Owings Mills, Pikesville, Timonium, Parkville, and more.