The dangers of texting while driving are becoming more and more apparent. An increasing number of states are outlawing the potentially dangerous practice, and public service announcements attempt to educate the public on the importance of concentrating on the road, instead of on the phone. North Carolina officials now suspect that an incident that caused serious injury to a teenager may have been caused by texting.
According to police reports, a 22-year-old female driver struck an 18-year-old pedestrian as he attempted to cross the road last month. The male is still in the hospital. He is currently listed in critical condition.
Based on a warrant requested the day after the accident, a responding police officer noticed several text messages on the phone of the female driver with a timestamp that seemed to indicate she had been texting at the time of the accident. Officers confiscated the phone at the time, and the warrant will give them permission to search it. Currently, the young woman has not been charged with anything, but the investigation continues.
Whether or not the woman was texting could be important information for the teenager who suffered the serious injury. As a result of his lengthy hospital stay, he will likely face extensive medical bills, and possibly missed wages from work. If he chooses to pursue civil action in a North Carolina court in order to gain compensation for the monetary losses resulting from the accident, evidence showing that the driver was texting at the time of the accident could support his claim that the accident was caused by the woman’s negligence.
Source: newsobserver.com, “Police search driver’s phone for text messages after Cary accident,” July 2, 2013