Sugar Land Texting and Driving Accident Lawyer

In 2017, the Texas Department of Transportation reported 1,089 distracted driving crashes in Fort Bend County alone. Sugar Land, similar to other cities in this county, has seen its share of such accidents rise year after year. Fortunately, Texas law prohibits texting while driving and if a negligent driver who was texting while driving caused you an accident, you have grounds to seek compensation and damages from them.

Our Sugar Land, TX texting and driving accident experts have represented victims of all types from texting and driving accidents. Regardless of the unique complexities of your case, we are here to help you file and pursue a claim under the full extent of the law.

Why Does Texas Law Prohibit Texting While Driving?

In order to maintain complete control of a motor vehicle, a driver requires three things:

Visual focus
Manual focus
Cognitive focus

Texting while driving diminishes all three of these crucial factors and increases the chances of an accident. In fact, a motorist who texts while driving is considered to be negligent with respect to maintaining these key concentration areas. Texting engages the mind, vision, and hands, all of which are all crucial elements for safe driving.

The Aftermath of Texting While Driving

A 2015 report by the NTHSA showed that 391,000 individuals were injured nationwide as a result of distracted driving, with almost 3,500 deaths reported from these accidents. Commonly sustained bodily injuries from texting and driving accidents include:

Head trauma
Lacerations
Broken bones/fractures
Soft tissue damage
Knee, head, neck, shoulder, and back injuries
Loss of body organs
Amputations
Paralysis

Should a distracted driver lead you to such injuries or property damage, our texting and driving accident lawyers will help you seek compensation for:

Current and future medical bills associated with the accident – These include emergency doctor visits, ambulance bills, special doctor appointments, prescriptions, intensive care unit bills, therapy, nursing care costs, and rehabilitation
Loss of income
Reduced earning capacity
Pain and suffering
Emotional trauma
Deprived enjoyment of life

What if Distracted Driving Leads to the Death of a Loved One?

If a driver who was texting and driving causes the death of a loved one, you can file a wrongful death claim against them. Our lawyers have the requisite experience and resources to help you in this regard and offer the expertise, compassion, and legal representation you need to seek settlements for:

Medical bills incurred by your loved one before death
Pain and suffering of the deceased
Actual or potential loss of inheritance
Loss of benefits offered by the deceased
Loss of family income

How Will a Lawyer Help in a Distracted Driving Claim?

Having represented our clients against distracted drivers and their insurers for years, our lawyers know what to do in order to pursue justice on your behalf. We will achieve this through:

Explaining your legal options to you so that you avoid being extorted by insurance companies
Gathering evidence – Evidence may be collected by hiring investigators, obtaining surveillance camera and dashboard footage, collecting witness statements and recordings, obtaining police and accident reconstruction reports, and analyzing the defendant’s phone activity from the time of the accident
Handling insurance negotiations – The distracted driver’s insurer will send adjustors to mitigate their liability after the accident. This will entail shifting fault on you, and if you are not well versed with the law, you may unknowingly accept an offer lower than what you are legally entitled, so our lawyers, who know how to deal with such insurers, will aggressively negotiate for your best interests
Litigating – If the insurance company responsible for covering the at-fault party is not willing to pay you the compensation you deserve, our lawyers will not hesitate to file a claim for you in a court of law
Filing a punitive damage claim – Punitive damages apply if the accident resulted from the gross misconduct or willful negligence by the responsible driver and are used to punish the driver to deter them from driving in a similar way in the future

New Texting and Driving Laws in Texas

A bill illegalizing texting while driving was signed in September 2017. Penalties for text-drivers were prescribed as follows:

A fine of $25 to $99 for first –time offenders
A fine of $100 to $200 for repeat offenders

The law also indicates that any accident that leads to death or serious bodily injuries due to texting while driving deserves to be punished as a Class A misdemeanor. The responsible motorist for such cases is subjected to a jail term of up to one year and a fine of up to $40,000. Such charges apply to a driver who reads, writes, or sends messages using their phone while driving.

What Else is Regarded as Texting While Driving?

Texting while driving is only one type of distracted driving. Other phone distractions that lead to penalties similar to those of texting and driving include:

Using social media
Reading emails
Applying makeup
Eating while driving

While some of these distractions themselves are not illegal, they may lead to other illegal driving behavior such as running stop lights and reckless driving, amongst other violations.

Call for Expert Representation Today

Our expert team of attorneys is on standby to help you with your texting and driving accident claim. Start today with a free case evaluation and consultation by calling us at 713-677-2159. We will walk you through your legal options and we provide services are on a contingency basis, meaning you will not have to pay anything until your case is won. Call now.