Texting While Driving Car Accidents in Denver

Colorado’s distracted driving laws, including a prohibition on holding a cell phone while driving or entering any information on a handheld device while behind the wheel, make texting and driving illegal. Unfortunately, that does not always prevent drivers from engaging in dangerous behaviors while in control of a vehicle, including sending “just a quick text” or otherwise interacting with their cell phones. After texting while driving car accidents in Denver, injured individuals should talk to a car crash lawyer about the damages they sustained and pursue the compensation they deserve.

Challenges Posed by Texting While Driving

Texting and driving represents one of the most dangerous distractions behind the wheel. Distractions while driving usually fall into one of three categories:

  • Challenges that remove the driver’s hands from the wheel
  • Distractions that cause the driver to look away from the road
  • Cognitive distractions that cause the driver’s attention to shift from the task at hand

Unfortunately, texting poses all three types of distractions as the driver looks away from the road, uses at least one hand to operate the phone, and pays attention to the text message instead of what is taking place on the road.

Changes on the road can happen in an instant. When a person is texting while driving, they can miss many of the things taking place around them, leading to a devastating collision in Denver.

Liability in Texting and Driving Crashes

Liability for texting while driving car wrecks in Denver most often lies with the distracted driver. Sometimes, the police may have clear evidence of the texting while driving behavior, which may mean a citation for the driver. That citation can serve as potent evidence of liability for the accident. However, even if the distracted driver did not receive a citation, they may have engaged in other dangerous behavior that left them liable for the accident. This may include things like:

  • Tailgating
  • Failure to yield
  • Drifting out of the assigned lane of traffic
  • Failure to stop at stop signs and traffic lights

These behaviors can all make the driver liable for a crash that caused harm to others.

Compensation for Texting and Driving Auto Accidents

Following an accident in Denver that involved texting and driving, the injured driver may have the right to recover compensation for damages related to the wreck. Most often, claims will include compensation for:

  • Pain and suffering, including emotional and physical trauma from the collision
  • The value of any income the injured individual missed out on because of the injuries they sustained in the crash, including lost time at work
  • Any medical costs from the injuries sustained in the accident, from the cost of emergency treatment to the ongoing cost of therapy, follow-up appointments, and durable medical equipment

A lawyer could help individuals injured in these types of accidents assess the damages they should include in their claims.

Contact a Denver Attorney To Discuss Texting While Driving Car Crashes

When individuals suffer injuries in texting while driving car accidents in Denver, they deserve compensation for their losses. An attorney could help you determine liability for the collision and assess the extent of those damages so you can file a claim. Contact Arckey & Steele, Attorneys at Law, to discuss your wreck and your next steps.