One of the most common causes of accidents in the United States involves distracted driving. Distracted driving is any action or behavior that takes the driver’s hands, eyes, or attention away from operating the vehicle. Residents of Hillsboro, Oregon, suffer severe injuries and sometimes death due to distracted driving on the roads. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that every five distracted seconds at a speed of 55 mph is equivalent to driving the entire length of a football field with your eyes shut.
The severity of a motor vehicle accident depends on a few factors: the speed of the vehicle, where the impact occurred, the accident’s location, and the type of vehicles involved. In most distracted driving cases, the injuries often require immediate medical attention. If you suffer severe injuries from a distracted driver, contact a highly-qualified and experienced Rizk Law Hillsboro distracted driving lawyer.
The 4 Types of Distracted Driving in Hillsboro, Oregon
There’s more to distracted driving than simply looking away from the road. In order to better classify the offense, experts have classified distracted driving into four categories. Consider the following information to better understand what to look out for on the road:
Visual Distractions
Anything that redirects a driver’s focus from the road is considered a visual distraction. For example, looking at a street sign, watching a group of people walk into a restaurant, or even eyeing another crash can unintentionally cause an accident.
Manual Distractions
Changing the radio station, grabbing a tissue, and struggling to find your sunglasses are examples of manual distractions. A manual distraction is anything that takes your hands off the wheel.
Auditory Distractions
Auditory distractions are sound-based and refer to any sounds causing drivers to lose focus on the road. Anything interfering with the driver’s hearing ability is also considered an auditory distraction.
Cognitive Distractions
Out of the four categories, cognitive distractions are harder to define and exceptionally dangerous. When a driver’s mind wanders away from the road, they won’t be able to focus on any dangers or issues around them.
Distracted driving comes in many forms, but it’s one of the most common ways people get into accidents. While there are ways to avoid becoming distracted while driving, it’s much harder to prevent an accident when someone else’s negligence is the cause.
How to Prove Distracted Driving in an Oregon Car Accident
While you may easily determine the driver is distracted while driving, it’s much harder to prove they weren’t paying attention. For you to recover compensation and hold them accountable, you will need to provide detailed information and evidence exposing their behavior. Consider the following elements you may use to prove distracted driving in your motor vehicle accident claim:
Police Report
For many accident claims, each piece of evidence fits like a puzzle and paints a picture of the accident. While a police officer may not be able to write off that the cause was distracted driving, they can mediate the situation and present an unbiased observation of the accident scene which will provide details helpful when claiming distracted driving.
Witness Statements
If you have a witness account of the other party driving while distracted, you’ll have a solid piece of unbiased evidence that accounts for the collision. Even if the witness only provides details of the other driver’s driving, it may be enough to consider distracted driving.
Cell Phone Records
If there’s enough evidence to consider an individual was driving while distracted, there may be enough to warrant evidence of call records from the individual driving. While this information may be difficult to uncover on your own, a Hillsboro distracted driving lawyer may have the ability to collect this information and present it to the court as evidence of distracted driving.
Social Media
Commenting on someone’s post, posting pictures, or any other action on social media may be tracked on the site. If the driver was on social media and you can prove that at the time of the collision, you’ll have solid evidence of their negligence. Many platforms track the time and sometimes the location of the activity depending on the user’s settings. Your Hillsboro distracted driving attorney will be able to conduct research and investigations on their social media to present solid evidence of your claim.
Pictures and Videos
Taking pictures of the accident and collecting videos may also play a significant role in your claim. If you take a video and your Hillsboro distracted driving lawyer spots a security camera, they may be able to ask for or request the footage that showcases the negligence and fault in the accident. You may also have a dashboard camera, which provides a video of the accident and the other driver’s actions.
Pursuing legal action against a negligent individual may feel overwhelming and stressful. However, you deserve justice and compensation for the emotional, physical, and financial losses you incur because of their careless behavior.
Contact Rizk Law for Experienced Distracted Driving Lawyer in Hillsboro, Oregon
Gathering evidence, communicating with insurance agencies, and navigating through complex terminology is challenging when you’re also trying to recover. The legal process is complicated and comes with many hidden layers that most are unaware of without legal experience. Our Rizk Law Hillsboro distracted driving attorneys have years of experience guiding Oregon clients through their distracted driving claims. With our positive past results and reviews from previous clients, you can trust our team to fight for your rights. We take pride in uplifting our communities and are recognized by our peers as dependable individuals.
Learn more about how our team may represent your claim by calling (503) 342-0783 or filling out our contact form to schedule a free consultation today.