Using a handheld electronic device for any non-emergency purpose, including reading and writing text messages, is against the law for all drivers in Pennsylvania. Federal trucking regulations also prohibit commercial truck drivers from texting and driving. A surprising number of long-haul truckers still choose to act recklessly in this way while driving.
Texting truckers can cause traffic accidents with life-altering repercussions. If you’ve been hurt in a texting and driving truck accident in Blue Bell, you have support available from a seasoned truck accident lawyer to demand fair financial compensation for the harm you’ve unfairly suffered.
Are Texting Truckers Always at Fault for Wrecks?
Distracting yourself with a cell phone while driving a big rig weighing tens of thousands of pounds is a breach of duty all drivers have under Pennsylvania law to act responsibly and watch out for other people around them while driving. If this kind of breach is the direct cause of an otherwise preventable crash, it qualifies as negligence that you can build a civil lawsuit around.
However, while a truck driver who’s texting and driving right before getting into a wreck in Blue Bell is likely to be found legally at fault for that wreck, they may not always be found 100% at fault. For example, if a court finds that you were coasting in a truck’s blind spot when that truck’s texting driver swerved into you, that court might assign you a percentage of comparative fault for your injuries based on the fact that you were also negligent leading up to your crash. Then, they might reduce your final damage award by that same percentage or—if you’re more than 50% to blame for the accident as a whole—throw your case out entirely.
Getting Paid Within Filing Time Limits
In addition to fighting accusations of comparative fault, a skilled legal professional can also help you build a strong civil claim over a texting and driving truck crash in Blue Bell within the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations is a section of Pennsylvania law that sets a time limit on how long an injured person has to file suit after initially getting hurt.
For most truck accident claims, the applicable filing deadline is two years after the date on which the accident happened. This deadline applies even in situations where truck accident injuries will last for the rest of the injured person’s life. Contacting legal counsel quickly after a wreck can be vital to protecting your rights.
Contact a Blue Bell Attorney for Help After a Texting and Driving Truck Accident
Looking away from the road for even a couple of seconds can quickly lead to a serious traffic accident, no matter what type of vehicle you’re driving. If that vehicle is a tractor-trailer bigger than every other car on the road, the accident may be catastrophic.
Texting and driving truck accidents in Blue Bell can be tricky to successfully sue over, but working with a knowledgeable lawyer will dramatically improve your chances of getting a positive case result. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to discuss your options.
