What is distracted driving?

Distracted driving occurs when a motorist’s attention is diverted from the task of operating the vehicle by any activity or entity. Texting and driving is a form of driver distraction, but so are eating, drinking, adjusting navigation systems, and even talking to passengers. A thorough investigation of an accident can often reveal activities that constitute distracted driving. Some forms of distracted driving are against state law in North Carolina, but even those that aren’t illegal can still constitute negligence when they contribute to an accident.

What injuries can I sue a distracted driver for?

Generally, a victim can seek compensation for any injuries that are significant enough to affect their life. Injuries in distracted driving accidents are often severe because the driver’s inattention and reduced reaction time means the other motorist may not even attempt to avoid the collision or minimize the impact. Examples of injuries that arise out of distracted driving accidents include traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), spinal cord injuries, and broken bones. Schehr Law PLLC’s distracted driving accident lawyer in Charlotte, NC, has experience assisting clients with all types of serious injury matters.

What compensation can I recover in a distracted driving accident injury claim?

Victims injured in accidents with distracted drivers can seek compensation for all of the damages that result from the collision, including their medical bills, any lost wages resulting from their accident, and their pain and suffering. Your Charlotte texting and driving accident attorney can help you identify all damages recognized under the law and seek full compensation for your losses.

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Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer Charlotte, NC

Charlotte Texting and Driving Accident Attorney Committed to Client Advocacy in Mecklenburg County, Wake County, Guilford County, and Throughout North Carolina

With a distracted driver behind the wheel, it doesn’t take much for an accident to happen. Depending on the level of distraction, the driver may not even attempt to slow down or otherwise avoid the accident, instead striking victims with full force. If you have been injured because of the careless actions of an inattentive driver, you need an experienced distracted driving accident lawyer in Charlotte, NC, on your side throughout the difficult path ahead.

Schehr Law PLLC helps victims injured by distracted drivers get financial compensation for all of the losses they have suffered. We’re ready to help you prove the distracted driver’s negligence, establish the full extent of your losses, and receive an award that makes you financially whole. Contact us today to get started with a free consultation.

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Distracted Driving Accident Claims in Charlotte, NC

In Charlotte and throughout North Carolina, distracted driving is a prevalent hazard. The NC Division of Motor Vehicles reported that distracted driving was involved in 47,327 motor vehicle accidents in North Carolina in 2022. These crashes resulted in 19,072 injuries and 164 fatalities.

Unfortunately, driver distraction is an even bigger problem in North Carolina than in many other states. Insurance company USAA reported in 2023 that, based on data collected through the company’s telematics app, NC ranks fifth in the nation for distracted driving, with a distraction rate of 15.8%. The NCDMV put the number of crashes that involved driver distraction, based on self-reported data, at 17.3% in 2022.

A worryingly large proportion of drivers aren’t giving the road their full attention. The accidents these drivers cause often leave innocent victims paying the price.

To make the roads safer, North Carolina has implemented laws that pertain to distracted driving, including laws that prohibit texting while driving. Reading text messages and reading or writing emails while the vehicle is in motion are also prohibited.

Even forms of distracted driving that aren’t explicitly prohibited under North Carolina’s texting and driving law can still constitute negligence if the driver’s conduct while engaging in these activities breaches the duty they have to others on the road. Under state law, victims of motor vehicle accidents of all kinds and all causes have the legal right to seek compensation for their damages from a negligent party. Schehr Law PLLC’s distracted driving accident lawyer in Charlotte, NC, can assist you in securing this compensation.

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Types of Driving Distractions

In some instances, it’s easy for an accident victim to determine whether distracted driving played a role in their accident. The driver might admit to having been texting, daydreaming, or turning around to talk to a child in the backseat. Alternatively, either you, a responding police officer, or a witness might state that they saw the driver on the phone, eating, or grooming themselves.

In other instances, you might not know whether the motorist who hit you was distracted or whether their inattentive conduct was serious enough to constitute distracted driving under the law. A thorough investigation by a distracted driving accident lawyer in Charlotte, NC, can shed light on the cause of your accident, including whether the other driver was distracted.

Distracted driving encompasses all activities a motorist might engage in that aren’t directly related to operating the vehicle and could divert the driver’s attention. While many different behaviors can constitute distracted driving, these activities generally interfere with a motorist in one (or more) of three ways:

Manual distractions while driving: A manual distraction refers to any distraction that requires the use of your hands for a purpose besides operating the vehicle.
Cognitive distractions while driving: A cognitive distraction takes a driver’s mental focus off the task of driving. Although these distractions, such as talking to passengers, affect drivers’ concentration, motorists may not even realize they are distracted.
Visual distractions while driving: Visual distractions require drivers to take their eyes off the road. Although certain visual distractions while driving may be somewhat related to driving tasks, such as checking maps and GPS navigation systems, they’re no less dangerous.

Some distractions affect drivers in more than one way. For example, part of what makes texting and driving so dangerous is its ability to take drivers’ fingers off the steering wheel, eyes off the road, and minds off the task of driving simultaneously.

Examples of Distracted Driving

Given the breadth of possible activities that can divert a driver’s attention from the task of operating a vehicle, distracted driving examples are plentiful.

Texting and driving
Personal grooming activities, including brushing or combing hair and applying makeup
Eating and drinking, which requires the driver to take one or potentially both hands off the wheel
Adjusting the radio or music player, vehicle temperature, or other controls
Checking or changing routes or destinations in navigation systems
Talking to passengers, especially children in the backseat
Watching activities taking place outside the vehicle, including looking at people, animals, advertisements, or accident scenes
Daydreaming or becoming lost in thought in one’s own thoughts

A thorough investigation by a Charlotte texting and driving accident attorney at Schehr Law PLLC can often uncover evidence of distracted driving of any type. As we build your claim for compensation, we will use this evidence to establish the at-fault driver’s negligence and their liability for your injuries.

How Schehr Law PLLC Can Help

Whether or not distracted driving contributed to your accident, you will need to go through a formal claims process and potentially litigation to receive the compensation you deserve. Having an experienced attorney like Schehr Law PLLC guide you through this process offers significant advantages, including less hassle and a professionally prepared claim that puts you on the path to attaining maximum compensation.

Our proven approach to the claims process includes:

Evaluating your case during a free consultation
Investigating and fact-gathering
Filing all claims paperwork and legal documents
Documenting the distracted driver’s negligence and the extent of your damages
Representing your interests throughout the process, including representing you in any legal proceedings
Negotiating a settlement for you or taking your case to court if necessary
Assisting you with the resolution of your claim, including negotiating down your medical bills when feasible to ensure you receive the most compensation possible

As a Charlotte texting and driving accident attorney, Schehr Law PLLC is prepared to assist you with every aspect of your claim. We handle the legal process for you so you can focus on healing.

Why Choose Schehr Law PLLC

When you need a Charlotte texting and driving accident attorney, who you choose to handle your case matters. At Schehr Law PLLC, our team is known for providing a combination of tough legal representation and caring client service, all at no upfront cost.

Aggressive Representation

Schehr Law PLLC has a well-deserved reputation for being tough on defendants. To hold the driver who hurt you accountable, we’ll dig deep to uncover evidence of distracted driving and negotiate aggressively to secure maximum compensation for you. This approach has helped our distracted driving accident lawyer in Charlotte, NC, obtain more than $4 million for clients since our firm’s founding in 2020.

Compassionate, Personalized Service

We serve our clients with the utmost compassion and a commitment to providing individualized attention. Once you retain our team, we welcome you into the Schehr Law PLLC family. Having seen firsthand how clients are treated as little more than case numbers at some of the big law firms, our focus is to always treat you as an individual and address your unique needs and concerns.

Our No Fee Guarantee

Many accident victims worry that they can’t afford skilled legal representation while they’re coping with the financial hardships of an injury. Schehr Law PLLC makes every personal injury client our No Fee Guarantee. We’ll handle your case on a contingency basis, so you pay nothing upfront for our services.

Contact a Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer in Charlotte, NC, Today at Schehr Law PLLC for a Free Case Review

The sooner you consult an experienced attorney, the sooner you can begin taking control of your life back. We remove the hassle of a legal claim from your plate while pushing for the full compensation you’re entitled to.

For help from a distracted driving accident lawyer in Charlotte, NC, contact Schehr Law PLLC online or call us today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Distracted Driving Accident Claims in Charlotte and Throughout North Carolina

Distracted driving occurs when a motorist’s attention is diverted from the task of operating the vehicle by any activity or entity. Texting and driving is a form of driver distraction, but so are eating, drinking, adjusting navigation systems, and even talking to passengers. A thorough investigation of an accident can often reveal activities that constitute distracted driving.
Some forms of distracted driving are against state law in North Carolina, but even those that aren’t illegal can still constitute negligence when they contribute to an accident.
Driver distractions may affect a motorist’s physical control of the vehicle (their hands), their visual focus (their eyes), or their cognitive focus (their mind). Texting and driving is especially hazardous because this activity can distract drivers in all three ways at once. Drivers take their eyes off the road to read a message and their hands off the steering wheel to manually input text. Instead of mentally focusing on the road in front of them, their attention is on the message they just read and their own response.
Reading and sending text messages may take only a matter of seconds, but those few seconds when the vehicle is advancing blindly down the road can put others in serious danger. A motorist who looks away from the road for just five seconds to send a text message while driving at 55 miles per hour can travel the length of an entire football field—potentially striking any vehicle, person, or fixed object in their path.
Generally, a victim can seek compensation for any injuries that are significant enough to affect their life. Injuries in distracted driving accidents are often severe because the driver’s inattention and reduced reaction time means the other motorist may not even attempt to avoid the collision or minimize the impact. Examples of injuries that arise out of distracted driving accidents include traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), spinal cord injuries, and broken bones. Schehr Law PLLC’s distracted driving accident lawyer in Charlotte, NC, has experience assisting clients with all types of serious injury matters.