When you’re behind the wheel of a moving motor vehicle, letting your attention wander away from the road dramatically increases your risk of getting into a traffic accident. Everyone who drives anywhere in Pennsylvania has a duty of care to keep their focus entirely on driving at all times, including and especially people driving massive tractor-trailers weighing tens of thousands of pounds.
If you were recently hurt in a traffic wreck caused by a truck driver who wasn’t paying attention, you might be able to file suit against that driver and their employer for every form of harm you’ve suffered due to your crash. When you want the best chances possible of getting a good case result following distracted driving truck accidents in Norristown, you want to seek help from a respected and experienced truck crash lawyer.
Is Distracted Driving Against the Law for Truck Drivers?
Under Pennsylvania law, it’s illegal for anyone driving any kind of motor vehicle to read, write, or send any text-based communication with an “Interactive Wireless Communication Device” while their vehicle is moving. Federal trucking laws prohibit long-haul truckers from texting and driving and using a mobile electronic device outside of hands-free mode for any reason while behind the wheel.
Unfortunately, cell phone use is far from the only reason truckers may lose focus and cause a traffic accident. Other types of distracted driving aren’t explicitly illegal in the same way as texting while driving is. Driving while distracted in any way is still reckless enough to count as a breach of a truck driver’s duty of care, which means you may still be able to sue over a distracted driving truck accident in Norristown even if you can’t prove the truck driver broke any specific traffic law.
Getting Paid Fairly for Compensable Damages
A truck driver in Norristown who injures someone else because they were distracted behind the wheel may be liable for losses that wreck will cause the injured person, including:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Loss of life’s pleasures
- Psychological trauma and emotional anguish
- Medical bills not already covered by insurance, including expected future expenses
- Car repair and replacement costs not already covered by insurance, plus other forms of personal property damage
- Lost work wages, benefits, or earning ability
In many situations, it’s also possible to hold trucking companies vicariously liable for their employee’s misconduct, which could allow for much greater recovery compared to filing suit only against the distracted driver who caused the collision.
Get in Touch with a Norristown Attorney After a Distracted Driving Truck Accident
Distracted driving is dangerous. Unfortunately, plenty of people—including long-haul truck drivers—let their minds wander away from the road while driving. That sometimes has devastating consequences for people who did nothing to deserve their injuries.
Distracted driving truck accidents in Norristown often justify civil lawsuits, and you have help available from a seasoned legal professional in getting the best result possible from this type of claim. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to learn more.
