Driving while Distracted Truck Accident Injuries
As the driver of a motor vehicle, it is your obligation to place your full attention on the road, other drivers and anything that may compromise your safe travel. Whether it’s a suddenly stopped vehicle or an animal scurrying across the road, icy road conditions or a construction zone, you need to be completely aware of your surroundings at all times.
Unfortunately, there are many distractions that may remove you physically and/or mentally from your task. These distractions have the potential to cause a serious accident with subsequently life-altering injuries. However, when the driver is operating a semi-truck or other commercial vehicle, the severity of the accident and injuries may exponentially worsen.
What Causes a DWD (Driving While Distracted) Truck Accident?
When a truck driver (or any driver) is fully focused on the task at hand, they have their eyes on the road, hands on the steering wheel and mind on the situation. A distraction while driving (i.e., sending/reading a text message, answering a cell phone call, eating and drinking, putting on makeup) breaks the driver’s concentration and removes the situational awareness due to the driver’s involvement with one, two or all three of the distraction types: visual, manual or cognitive.
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For example, if a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver receives a text message and chooses to read and respond to it, this will involve all three distraction types. Drivers must remove their eyes from the road in order to read the message; they must use their hands (at least one) to access and type a reply message; and they must concentrate on the received message and what they would like to say in their reply. In the mean time, the open road is passing by the truck without the driver knowing what is happening. Clearly, any change in the road situation that the driver is not aware of may cause a serious accident and injuries.
What Are Some Common DWD Truck Accident Injuries?
Many truck accident injuries are similar to those of any other auto collision, but the size of the vehicle may worsen the consequences of the accident. Some of the most commonly reported truck accident injuries include:
- Head/Brain Injuries
- Back Injuries
- Spinal Cord Damage
- Nerve Damage
- Amputations
- Internal Organ Injuries
- Paralysis
- Neck Injuries
If you or a loved one has sustained serious injuries as a direct result of a truck driver’s distracted driving, contact an experienced distracted driving truck accident lawyer such as attorney Todd Clement at The Clement Firm.
Contact Our Experienced Distracted Driving Accident Attorney
At The Clement Firm, attorney Todd Clement is dedicated to fighting for victims of truck accidents caused by distracted driving. Todd has over 25 years of experience working for the justice and compensation victims deserve for their injuries—and getting answers as to why an accident happened. Contact The Clement Firm today for a FREE consultation to discuss your case with a leader in distracted driving law.