In just a few decades, smartphones have gone from being a niche luxury item to a critical part of most people’s lives. Unfortunately, because more people own smartphones, more people are using them while driving. These devices are a distraction that takes the driver’s eyes off the road. All too often, that distraction is enough to cause an accident. If you were seriously injured due to the actions of a distracted driver, you shouldn’t be stuck paying hospital bills and trying to recover from lost work time on your own. A distracted driving accidents lawyer in Philadelphia from Wapner Newman will help you get the compensation you need to recover after a distracted driving accident injury.
How Distracted Driving Causes Accidents
What a Distracted Driving Accidents Attorney in Philadelphia Looks For
How does a smartphone cause an accident? In several different ways. The most obvious way is that the driver takes their eyes off the road. Looking away from the road for even a second can result in an accident. The more time you spend not looking at the road, the more likely you are to veer out of your lane or hit something in front of you.
Furthermore, when people use a smartphone, especially if they are using it to text, they remove one or both of their hands from the wheel. Most cars will start to drift into another lane when a driver goes hands-free. Finally, even if you don’t look at or touch the phone, you are mentally distracted while listening to it or having a conversation. This mental distraction can slow down your reflexes, causing an accident that you would have avoided normally.
Smartphones, however, aren’t the only distraction that can cause a car accident. The following are other types of distractions that a distracted driving accidents attorney in Philadelphia may identify as the cause of a car accident:
- Looking at a GPS or reading a map
- Eating or drinking while driving
- Changing a radio station or the music on a stereo
- Having conversations with other passengers
- Moving an object in a passenger or rear seat
- Looking at something on the side of the road.
When you are involved in a car accident, your Philadelphia distracted driving accidents lawyer will look for signs that the other driver allowed their attention to be diverted. Evidence of negligence increases the likelihood that you will get a fair settlement from the insurance company of the responsible driver.
What to Do After a Distracted Driving Car Accident
When to Contact a Distracted Driving Accidents Lawyer in Philadelphia
After suffering an injury in a car accident, you should do all of the following, if possible:
- Contact 911 and request medical assistance.
- Submit to a medical evaluation from responding medical personnel.
- Get information from responding police about where you can obtain the police report for an accident.
- Share contact information and insurance information with the other driver.
- Preserve evidence from the accident scene.
- Get contact information for witnesses, especially if any of them can attest to the other driver being distracted.
- Contact a distracted driving accidents attorney in Philadelphia from Wapner Newman.
If you suspect that you were involved in a texting and driving accident — or any other type of distracted driving accident — contact our law firm immediately. We can assign an experienced Philadelphia distracted driving accidents attorney to your case. It’s a good idea to have a lawyer start the investigation as quickly as possible.
Even if you don’t know whether you need a lawyer, contacting a distracted driving accidents lawyer in Philadelphia will help protect your rights.
Focus on Recovery While Your Philadelphia Distracted Driving Accidents Attorney Does the Work
Why should you contact a distracted driving accidents lawyer in Philadelphia so soon after a car crash? Insurance claims are complicated even for people in perfect health, and you were seriously injured. You should direct your energy to recovering from your injury. Your distracted driving accidents attorney in Philadelphia will handle all of the bureaucracy and paperwork. We will preserve evidence physically and digitally, communicate with your insurance company, and fill out all forms on time. Our legal team understands the process, knows what type of evidence is needed to support your case, and stays aware of deadlines. With a lawyer on your side, you don’t have to multitask while recovering from a serious injury.
Distracted driving accidents are entirely preventable. If the other driver had focused on driving rather than whatever distracted them, the accident probably wouldn’t have occurred. Unfortunately, you suffer the consequences. At Wapner Newman, we believe you shouldn’t have to pay for those consequences on your own. Contact our law firm at (215) 569-0900 to learn how we can help.
Why Choose Us?
Philadelphia Distracted Driving Accidents Attorneys You Can Trust
At Wapner Newman, we understand how a distracted driving accident can destroy your life. Another driver has a single irresponsible moment, and suddenly you are in the hospital or mourning the loss of a loved one. In the best-case scenario, you have a wrecked car and modest injuries, and you have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for medical costs and lost wages. In the worst-case scenario, you are forced to adapt to life without a spouse, parent, or child. We believe that no one should have to face these types of hardships alone.
When our law firm takes your case, we assign a partner who has decades of experience handling distracted driving injury claims. Your distracted driving accidents lawyer in Philadelphia will take the time to learn about what makes your case unique and how your life has been altered by this accident.
We understand you need fair compensation as quickly as possible, but that is just the start. Understanding exactly what you need means getting to know you as a person and treating your case with the respect it deserves. That is part of what makes Wapner Newman stand out. We give every case as much attention as it needs to get the best possible result. And if the assigned partner needs assistance, every attorney in the law firm is available to share their knowledge. That is the recipe for success that our law firm has used for decades.
Frequently Asked Questions
When a new client meets a distracted driving accidents attorney in Philadelphia, they usually have many questions. At Wapner Newman, we try to answer those questions because we know how important it is to be informed before making any legal decision. The following are some of the most common questions we are asked by potential litigants in distracted driving accident claims.
Who is most likely to be a distracted driver?
Even though teenagers represent a small number of drivers on the road, they are significantly more likely than other age groups to be involved in distracted driving accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Despite public awareness campaigns to prevent it, roughly 40% of teenagers admit to texting while driving.
Can drivers legally use hands-free devices in Pennsylvania?
Currently, drivers can legally use hands-free devices in Pennsylvania unless they are driving with a learner’s permit. However, that may change soon, as legislators continue to crack down on distracted driving. Additionally, just because hands-free devices are legal, that doesn’t mean they aren’t distracting. If your Philadelphia distracted driving accidents lawyer from Wapner Newman determines that the other driver was using a hands-free device, they will look for evidence that using the device caused the accident.
Does the Pennsylvania no-fault rule prevent me from getting compensation from a distracted driver?
No. Pennsylvania no-fault laws only limit whether you are eligible to get non-economic damages. If you are seeking economic damages (medical bills, lost wages, etc.), you can pursue the responsible driver in court or through an insurance settlement for as much as the total value of your losses and expenses.
How much will a lawyer from Wapner Newman cost me?
Our fee isn’t set in stone. We take cases on contingency, which means we get a percentage of whatever money we obtain for you. Your attorney will explain the full details of that fee structure during your free consultation, and you can determine whether you want to agree to it after it has been fully explained. Typically, though, people who hire our law firm have more money in their pocket at the end of the process — even after we take our fee — than they would have if they hadn’t hired a lawyer.
Got more questions? Our legal team will be happy to answer them at any time.
Get Legal Representation for a Distracted Driving Accident Today
Did someone swerve into your lane because they were looking at their phone or eating a sandwich? You may be able to get compensation for the injuries you suffered in that accident.
Don’t wait to contact a lawyer after getting hurt in a distracted driving accident in Philadelphia. Contact Wapner Newman at (215) 569-0900 today to schedule a free consultation with an attorney who cares.