Distracted driving accounts for many accidents that occur on today’s roadways. Drivers who are texting, talking on their cell phones, and eating are distracted from concentrating on the roadway. This distraction can lead to accidents, and in some cases, lawsuits filed by the families of victims against the distracted driver.
Snapchat is a popular cell phone application, especially in users under the age of 25, who make up about 60% of the app’s U.S. user base. The application allows for its users to engage a filter that shows their speed when taking a selfie while driving.
The Snapchat application that allows this filter is being blamed for a serious car accident that left a man with traumatic brain injuries. The driver taking the selfie was driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph at the time of the accident. The victim of the accident and his wife are now suing the teen driver alleging her high-speed selfie-taking caused the crash.
Driver Christal McGee took the selfie while driving on a four-lane highway just outside of Atlanta. Lawyers for the plaintiff, Wentworth Maynard said that McGee was “trying to get her car to 100 miles per hour to post it to Snapchat.”
McGee is a dedicated app user and even posted a selfie of herself in the back of the ambulance with the caption “lucky to be alive.”
The CDC reports that in 2013 alone, 3,154 people were killed in accidents involving a distracted driver. These drivers were engaged in activities like texting, web surfing, and eating while driving.
If you have been injured in an accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the law offices of John Foy & Associates. The “Strong Arm” attorneys will help you get the compensation that you deserve. Contact us today.