Is an injury accident caused by cell phone use in Kentucky a crime? While texting or other use of your cell phone may result in a ticket and fine, unless the distraction results in reckless driving or vehicular homicide, using a cell phone while driving will usually not be charged as a crime. However, many Kentuckians are unfortunately injured each year in accidents caused by drivers who were momentarily distracted by something on their cell phones. It could be a text, an e-mail, or even a phone call. A crime is one thing; determining the contributing factors and who is at fault in a Shepherdsville or Bullitt County car accident is another.
A recent Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Office of Highway Safety publication notes: “Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve some form of distraction within three seconds before the event.” Unfortunately, accidents caused by cell phone use in Shepherdsville, Mount Washington, Shelbyville, Taylorsville, Radcliff, Elizabethtown, Jeffersontown, or the surrounding communities are quite common. Tens of thousands of vehicle crashes occur each year in Kentucky due to “distracted driving,” injuring more than 14,000 people and resulting in more than 100 traffic fatalities.
Drivers under the age of 18 are not permitted to use “personal communication devices” such as a cell phone while the “vehicle is in motion.” Here in Kentucky, drivers 18 and older are able to use their cell phones while driving under specific conditions. However, this certainly isn’t safe, and the use of a cell phone immediately before an accident or during the accident will be used as crucial evidence when determining who is a fault for an injury accident caused by cell phone use in Kentucky.
Driving is hazardous this time of year as it is. As we head into winter, the added distraction of a cell phone substantially increases the odds that you will become involved in a car accident. It only takes a momentary distraction, such as an incoming call or text, for the driver to look away. Selecting a song to play or responding to a text while driving can result in serious personal injury.
My name is John Schmidt, and after more than 25 years of experience in personal injury cases here in Shepherdsville, Bullitt County, and the surrounding communities, I can tell you that distracted driving is a leading cause of accidents resulting in injury here in Kentucky. We will use cell phone records, police reports, and other information from the accident to protect your interests and hold the distracted driver at fault accountable for your injuries from an injury accident caused by cell phone use.
We invite you to contact us via e-mail, schedule an appointment or call us today at (502) 509-1490 to get the important advice and counsel required to protect your personal injury claim and achieve full and fair compensation for having to endure and recover from your injuries.