Kansas City Distracted Driving Attorney
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 40 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Terry Crouppen who has more than 40 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last modified date shows when this page was last reviewed.
- Last Modified:
- April 2, 2024
Distracted driving is a huge problem, causing thousands of injuries and deaths every year. Distracted drivers must be held accountable when their negligent actions put others in harm’s way. Brown & Croppen’s Kansas City distracted driving lawyers help crash victims take a stand and work toward meaningful financial awards.
- Why Should I Hire Brown & Crouppen After An Accident With A Distracted Driver In Kansas City?
- What Are The Three Types Of Distracted Driving?
- Why Is Distracted Driving Dangerous?
- Common Injuries In Distracted Driving Car Accidents
- Understanding Distracted Driving Laws In Missouri
- What Is My Distracted Driving Car Accident Lawsuit Worth?
- What Happens If I’m Getting Blamed For A Distracted Driving Car Accident In Kansas City, Missouri?
- How Long Do I Have To File A Claim After An Accident With A Distracted Driver?
- Trusted Kansas City Distracted Driving Lawyers Ready To Fight For You
Are you struggling with painful physical injuries, mounting financial costs, and debilitating emotional distress after a car accident with a distracted driver in Kansas City, Missouri? Call Brown & Crouppen to set up a free consultation and get started. You got hurt because another driver was negligent, and our Kansas City distracted driving lawyers can help you fight to hold them accountable.
Since 1979, our attorneys have been passionate, dedicated advocates for car accident victims in Kansas City and throughout the midwest. Our mission is simple: to make a genuine difference in the lives of the people we represent. Our results speak for themselves. We’ve won more than $1 billion in verdicts and private settlements on behalf of our clients.
We’ve seen firsthand the devastation that texting and other dangerous distractions can cause. We will help you take a stand and demand the compensation you need and deserve.
WHY SHOULD I HIRE BROWN & CROUPPEN AFTER AN ACCIDENT WITH A DISTRACTED DRIVER IN KANSAS CITY?
How can you prove that the other driver was distracted? What kind of evidence will you need to make your case? What happens if they try to turn the tables and blame you? How can you really know what your distracted driving case is worth?
You’ll need to address these and other issues if you decide to file a lawsuit after a car accident in Kansas City. However, you’ll also need time to tend to your physical recovery and emotional well-being. It’s hard to do both, especially when the distracted driver and their insurance company fight you at every turn.
That’s where our Kansas City car accident lawyers can help.
Distracted driving isn’t new. Our law firm has been advocating for victims of accidents caused by distracted drivers for more than 40 years.
We understand that these types of car accident cases require careful attention to detail, smart legal strategy, in-depth knowledge of Missouri tort and distracted driving laws, and extensive experience dealing with manipulative insurance companies.
With Brown & Crouppen, you’ll get a team of award-winning attorneys who will invest the time, resources, and passion you need to win.
You’ll have time to recover from your distracted driving car accident injuries while we:
- Answer your most pressing car accident questions
- Investigate the accident
- Gather evidence to establish that the other driver was distracted, including photographs, video recordings, cell phone records, witness statements, and police reports
- Determine if there were other contributing factors and, if so, other potentially liable parties
- Defend against victim-blaming tactics designed to shift liability and limit your financial recovery
- Enter negotiations armed with compelling arguments and facts so that you’re awarded a meaningful settlement offer
- Prepare to argue your case at trial if the distracted driver refuses to accept responsibility for the harm they’ve caused
Call our law office in Kansas City, Missouri, to learn more about our legal services. We work on a contingency-fee basis, so there’s no cost to hire our law firm unless we win your distracted driving accident case.
WHAT ARE THE THREE TYPES OF DISTRACTED DRIVING?
When you hear the phrase “distracted driving,” you probably immediately think of texting or using a cell phone. While it’s true that cell phone use is incredibly distracting behind the wheel, it’s not the only way that drivers lose focus on the road.
There are actually three types of distracted driving:
- Cognitive
- Manual
- Visual
Cognitive distraction refers to taking your mind off of the important task of driving. This can happen when you daydream or engage in conversation with a passenger.
Manual distraction refers to situations when you physically take your hands off of the steering wheel. You might be manually distracted when you eat, smoke, change the radio station, or reach for an object in the back seat.
Visual distraction happens when you take your eyes off the road. Examples include Uber and Lyft drivers searching for rideshare passengers on the side of the road or a driver turning around to look at a child in the back.
Interestingly, cell phone use often falls into all three categories. If you’re sending or reading a text, you’re (usually) thinking about the message, looking at the phone, and physically taking your hands off of the wheel to type a message or otherwise manipulate the phone.
All types of driver distractions can be incredibly dangerous. According to the CDC, nine people are killed in distracted driving car accidents across the nation every day. Thousands more suffer avoidable, life-changing injuries.
WHY IS DISTRACTED DRIVING DANGEROUS?
Driving is inherently dangerous. Motor vehicles weighing thousands of pounds travel down the road at high speeds. If just one thing goes wrong, if just one poor choice is made, a multi-vehicle accident can be inevitable.
It follows that it’s critically important for drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their attention focused on traffic and road conditions.
Diverting your attention for just a few seconds can be catastrophic.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it takes about five seconds to send or read a text message. In five seconds, while driving at a speed of 55 mph, a driver can travel the length of a football field.
A lot can happen in 100 yards when a driver isn’t paying attention.
A driver might:
- Fail to notice that traffic in front of them has stopped or slowed down
- Not see that a pedestrian or bicyclist has entered an intersection or crosswalk
- Fail to see that they’re drifting out of their lane of traffic or making an illegal turn
- Get into a hit-and-run accident because their mind is focused elsewhere
Drivers who are distracted are also more likely to speed. Speeding is associated with reduced control of a vehicle.
When drivers get distracted behind the wheel, they essentially go on autopilot. That’s dangerous when traffic conditions are always changing.
COMMON INJURIES IN DISTRACTED DRIVING CAR ACCIDENTS
Car accidents involving distracted drivers can include:
- Concussion
- Whiplash
- Sprains and strains
- Bruising and other soft tissue injuries
- Broken bones
- Cuts and lacerations
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Neck and back injury
- Burns
- Catastrophic injury
- Wrongful death if a distracted driving car accident is fatal
One of the most important things you can do after a distracted driving crash is get to the closest hospital in Kansas City. Prompt care can help limit the chances of complications or infection. Plus, your medical record will prove a causal link between the car accident and your injuries. You’ll need this to recover compensation from the negligent driver or their insurer.
UNDERSTANDING DISTRACTED DRIVING LAWS IN MISSOURI
Compared to other states, Missouri’s texting and driving laws are rather relaxed.
State law prohibits all drivers under the age of 21 from “operating a motor vehicle” and using a “hand-held electronic wireless communications device” to write, send, or read a text or another electronic message.
In other words, drivers under the age of 21 cannot physically hold a phone and:
- Text or use messaging apps
- Check social media
- Write or read an email
Breaking the law is punishable by a $200 fine and two points on the driver’s license.
WHAT IS MY DISTRACTED DRIVING CAR ACCIDENT LAWSUIT WORTH?
When you get hit because another driver is distracted behind the wheel, you can initiate a legal claim for damages.
In Missouri, both economic damages and non-economic damages, collectively known as compensatory damages, can be awarded in these types of cases.
Economic damages are intended to make you whole after you’re hit by a distracted driver. They can offset costs related to:
- Current and future medical bills
- Lost wages and income
- Lost job opportunities
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
- Other out-of-pocket costs
Non-economic damages are intended to make up for other ways you’re affected by the accident that don’t have a specific cost or value. Examples include:
- Pain and suffering
- Chronic physical pain
- Emotional distress
- PTSD
- Scarring
- Reduced enjoyment of life
- Embarrassment
At Brown & Crouppen, our distracted driving attorneys in Kansas City will carefully evaluate the details of your case with the help of respected experts. We will work to prove that the distracted driver is responsible for your damages and ensure a financial recovery that accurately represents what your distracted driving accident case is worth.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I’M GETTING BLAMED FOR A DISTRACTED DRIVING CAR ACCIDENT IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI?
What if you were also distracted at the time of your car accident? Or what if the other driver is simply trying to get out of paying you the money you deserve?
The good news is that Missouri has a pure comparative fault system.
You can recover compensation for injuries sustained in a distracted driving accident, even if you’re partly to blame. Damages are simply reduced based on your role in the car crash.
However, it’s important to make sure that liability is assigned properly. The more fault you’re assigned, the less money you’ll be able to recover for your injuries and suffering.
Our Kansas City distracted driving attorneys will be ready to handle allegations of shared responsibility. We’ll dig deep to gather evidence to prove that the other driver was negligent and responsible for the wreck.
Get started with a free consultation with one of our skilled Personal Injury Lawyers today.
HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO FILE A CLAIM AFTER AN ACCIDENT WITH A DISTRACTED DRIVER?
Missouri law provides a five-year time limit for most car accident lawsuits. This gives you until the fifth anniversary of the date of your accident to formally pursue compensation.
Once the statute of limitations passes, you lose the right to compensation.
Five years might seem like a lot of time, but it’s important to reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney near you in Kansas City right after your crash. Evidence that the other driver was distracted or engaging in other dangerous behaviors can get lost or destroyed as time goes by. Witnesses can become hard to find, and their memories become less reliable over time.
TRUSTED KANSAS CITY DISTRACTED DRIVING LAWYERS READY TO FIGHT FOR YOU
Another driver was distracted, caused an accident, and your life has changed as a result. Don’t let them off the hook for their poor decisions. Contact Brown & Crouppen and ask our Kansas City distracted driving lawyers to help you hold them accountable.
We’ll work hard to prove the other driver’s negligence and fight to get you every cent you deserve in a personal injury claim for damages.
We’ve won over $1 billion for our clients. Now it’s your turn to benefit from all we have to offer. Call our Kansas City, Missouri, law office today. Your case evaluation is free.
FREE CASE EVALUATION
OUR OFFICE
Brown & Crouppen Law Firm
2345 Grand Boulevard #675 Kansas City, MO 64108 (816) 670-4701
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- Last Modified:
- April 2, 2024
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