Cell Phones. Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Texting. Pokémon. The world continues to provide us with ample opportunity to be entertained and distracted from the nuances of life. These technological advances can be entertaining, educational, and enriching to our lives in so many ways. If nothing else, they can provide nice “distractions” from the tedium of everyday life. However, when these distractions mix with the act of driving the consequences can be life altering.
Everyone knows that proper attention is needed for anyone who is behind the wheel regardless of the skill or experience of the driver. Distracted driving occurs anytime the driver’s attention is taken away by an ancillary action. Most accidents are caused by some form of distracted driving – taking your eyes off the road to read an interesting billboard, getting lost in thought, or that quick glance down to change the radio station. However, increasingly, more car accidents are being caused by the technological distractions of the modern world.
If you are injured in a car accident it is important that your attorney initiates a proper investigation into the facts surrounding the accident as quickly as possible. Proving liability, and properly assigning fault to the other driver, is essential in increasing your chances to maximize and recover a fair and just settlement for your injuries.
Maybe the other driver was:
On the phone with his girlfriend when he rear-ended your car, or
Checking her Gmail on her phone when she veered into your lane, or
Posting that adorable pic of her grandchild on her timeline when she didn’t see that red light; or
Chasing that elusive Pokémon when he failed to apply the brakes for the stopped traffic.
There are mechanisms in place within the legal system to allow you to seek out and preserve evidence of all these behaviors. Be it phone records, Facebook account histories, or yes, even Pokémon data. However, you must know what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Otherwise the evidence could be lost forever. Establishing the existence of any of these facts could very well determine whether or not you obtain a full and complete recovery for your injuries.
