What a Distracted Driving Case Looks Like

[May 2018 Update: Case has been resolved to client’s full satisfaction]

Our client is a victim of distracted and reckless driving.

In only a second or two, her life was turned upside down after being struck by a distracted driver. It can happen to you too.

She did nothing wrong and is an innocent victim. Here’s what happend.

As she did every night after getting home from work, our client was lawfully walking across the parking lot driveway at her townhouse complex to get the mail. When she started to cross, there were no cars.

Just before making it all the way across the driveway, a vehicle entered the parking area from the main street and approached our client from the left. Our client observed the drivers head looking down (probably at her phone but it doesn’t really matter).

What does matter is that she wasn’t being careful or watching where she was going. If she was she would have easily observed our client.In the next second or two, our client watched the vehicle approach and strike her as she turned to the side to try and avoid the collision.

The defendant driver testified during her deposition that she never saw our client before the impact. Our client testified during her deposition that the driver never looked up before the impact. I think we all know what happened and why.

Because of the driver’s careless conduct, our client incurred six figures in medical bills and sustained catastrophic injuries including a devastating fracture to her right tibial plateau, an L1 compression fracture to her back, a left knee ligament tear, a left foot 5th MT fracture, a left foot abrasion- eschar with an open wound and right medial heel eschar.

The distracted driver is not accepting responsibility for her negligent actions and we are set for trial in 2018. We are confident an Orange County jury will hold the negligent driver responsible and render a seven figure verdict that will help our client pay for all of her medical bills, compensate her for her pain and suffering, and in the end, find justice.

Our client asked us to share her story with you. She wants distracted drivers to know how dangerous their intentional self-centered conduct is. Before being hit, our client was an active and healthy human being who enjoyed life to its fullest. Today, it’s difficult for her to walk, sit and stand without pain.

Several pictures of our client’s injuries are included in this post. They tell the story better than we can.

More Reasons Why We Have a Zero Tolerance with Distracted Drivers

As many of you know, Lisa and I have been practicing law for 32 years. Together with our dedicated team of professionals, we enjoy nothing more than helping victims of catastrophic injury and wrongful death.

Several of the cases I’ve had the pleasure of handing resulted in substantial verdicts and with me being recognized by my peers as a “California 2013 Litigation Lawyer of the Year” (pictured below receiving my recognition from California Supreme Court Justice, Tani Cantil-Sakauye). In 2009, I was also named “Orange County Trial Lawyer of the Year” because of a difficult multi-million dollar wrongful death case against the County of Riverside. Click the links to learn more about firm awards and what our past clients and other lawyers have to say about our partners.

More About Distracted Driving

When all said and done and, because of the devastation we’ve personally observed families experience from drunk and distracted driving, we’ve made it our mission to help people injured because of the wrongdoing of others and, to also raise awareness and try to fix the problem of distracted driving.

Many people are not aware of the fact that distracted driving is a huge public safety issue. Each year 4,000 to 6,000 people are killed, and another 400,000-600,000 people are injured because of distracted driving. To put these numbers into perspective, about 280,000 people are injured each year from drunk driving.

Every single second during daylight hours in the United States, there are 600,000 people driving a vehicle with a mobile device in their hands. Another incredible statistic is that each of these 600,000 distracted drivers who are looking down at their smartphone is spending an average of 3-5 seconds doing so. Traveling at 55 mph, that’s like traveling the length of a football field while blindfolded in a 2-4 ton missile.

The problem of distracted driving is getting worse each day. Look to your left and right the next time you drive to work, drop your kids off at soccer, or are stopped at a red light. Watch social media posts on Instagram, Facebook Live and Periscope. What’s happening is inexcusable and not OK. People are getting hurt and families are losing loved ones. This reckless conduct needs to stop.

Conclusion

Distracted driving hurts innocent victims. It’s killing people every sing day.

Please don’t be a distracted driver. Please don’t look the other way and let others participate in distracted driving.

Help fix this problem and get involved. Share this important message with your family and friends. Visit StopDD.today, EndDD.org and ItCanWait.com for more information and resources.