Baltimore Texting and Driving Accident Lawyer

An average of 209 people are killed, and 24,345 suffer injuries in distracted driving accidents every year in Maryland, according to the Maryland Highway Safety Office. These accidents can cause catastrophic, often life-altering, harm to families and communities statewide. As a result, victims of texting and driving car accidents deserve aggressive legal support in seeking compensation for their injuries and related losses.

If you were hurt in an accident because another driver was texting and not paying attention to the road, you need the help of an experienced and compassionate texting and driving accident lawyer. Call (410) 593-1590 or contact the team of personal injury lawyers in Baltimore, Maryland, at Cohen & Dwin, P.A., today to learn more about your options following a distracted driving accident caused by a texting driver.

What to Do If You Are Involved in a Texting and Driving Accident

Texting while driving car accidents can seem to happen without warning. By definition, distracted drivers aren’t paying attention to the road, so they typically don’t even realize they need to hit the brakes or adjust their course until it’s too late. What should you do after an automobile accident?

Steps you can take to keep yourself safe and get the help you need include:

If possible, pull over.
Call 911 to let police and emergency medical personnel know what happened.
Document the accident by taking photographs and videos of your injuries, damage to your vehicle, and the surrounding area.
Exchange insurance and contact details with all other drivers involved.
Contact our Baltimore car accident attorneys right away.

Cohen & Dwin, P.A., can start helping you as soon as you reach out to us after a texting while driving accident. Beginning with a free consultation, we’ll uncover all the facts about the car accident and immediately assign a skilled attorney and an experienced paralegal to your auto accident claim. They’ll work with you directly until your car accident case is resolved.

Texting and Driving Accident Statistics in Baltimore

Texting and driving accident statistics demonstrate how serious the problem of distracted driving is. Some key data points include:

Reading or sending a text on your cell phone takes your attention away from the road for five seconds, according to the Maryland Highway Safety Office. That may not seem like a long time, but at 55 mph, your car will travel the length of a football field during those five seconds.
Distracted driving is a factor in 45 percent of Maryland motor vehicle accidents, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA).
Severe injuries are especially common in distracted driving accidents. According to MDOT MVA, almost four out of five distracted driving crashes result in injury.
Nearly 85 percent of distracted driving accidents in Maryland in a recent five-year period occurred in the Baltimore or Washington metro areas, according to MDOT MVA data.
The Maryland State Police issued 21,757 citations for distracted driving in a recent year, 4,199 of which were for use of a phone while driving.
Distracted driving took 3,308 lives nationwide in a recent year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
NHTSA considers texting while driving the most dangerous form of distracted driving because it causes multiple types of distraction simultaneously.
More than 32,000 people died in distracted driving crashes nationwide in a recent 10-year period, according to NHTSA data.

The accidents, injuries, and fatalities caused by distracted driving have a massive impact on both public safety and the legal system. Thousands of lives could be saved every single year if drivers paid attention to the road, including hundreds of lives in Maryland alone.

Common Injuries in Texting and Driving Car Accidents

Car crashes from texting and driving often cause injuries such as whiplash, broken bones, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), spinal cord injuries, and soft tissue injuries. These injuries can have significant long-term consequences.

Whiplash, a neck injury caused by a violent jolt to the head, can cause severe pain and limit your ability to work or participate in daily activities. Traumatic brain injuries are especially likely to cause long-term problems, as they result in changes to victims’ mental processes, movement, communication, and behavior. A severe TBI can cause permanent disability or even death.

Because the effects of TBIs and other internal injuries from texting and driving accidents are not always immediately apparent, you should seek medical help immediately after an accident. You should get checked out by a medical professional who will thoroughly document your injuries.

Additionally, because the statute of limitations in Maryland allows you just three years from the accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit against the texting driver, you should reach out to our attorneys right away to protect your right to seek compensation.

Legal Implications of Texting While Driving in Maryland

Texting and driving is illegal in Maryland. Maryland law prohibits a driver from using a handheld phone while their vehicle is in motion except to turn the phone on or off or to start or end a wireless call.

The fine for using a handheld device while driving is $83 for a first offense, $140 for a second offense, and $160 for any subsequent offense. A distracted driver may also be issued a $70 fine and one driver’s license point for texting while driving, or a $110 fine and three points if their use of a device causes an accident. If the accident causes serious injury or death, the at-fault driver faces a fine of up to $5,000 and up to one year in prison.

Cell phone records and witness statements can prove that a driver was texting or using the phone when an accident happened. This proof can be used to establish that they were at fault and are liable for your financial and personal losses in a distracted driving accident.

Why Choose Cohen & Dwin, P.A. Baltimore Car Accident Attorney for Your Case?

Cohen & Dwin, P.A., has served Baltimore car accident victims since 1977. With more than 100 years of combined experience, our trial-tested legal team takes a personalized approach to every case and is dedicated to achieving successful outcomes for our clients.

Call (410) 593-1590 or contact us today to find out more about your legal options in a free consultation with a Baltimore car accident lawyer.