Distracted Drivers Independence, Kansas City, St. Louis, Overland Park

By far the most common auto accident bodily injury claim we handle is the case caused by a distracted or inattentive driver. Horn Law has handled hundreds of claims in which we have resolved cases in our clients’ favor against distracted drivers, including drivers who were distracted by trying to read, write, eat, count money, solve a puzzle, etc. Distracted drivers may seem like a minor problem until they cause an innocent motorist or passengers to suffer a severe life-changing personal injury. The Horn Law attorneys hold these distracted drivers accountable for their actions; contact one of our locations in Kansas City Downtown, KC North, St. Joseph, Independence, Blue Springs, Lee's Summit, or Overland Park, to learn more about accidents caused by distracted drivers.

What Is Distracted Driving?

We define "distracted driving" as anything that causes a driver to divert their eyes or attention for more than several seconds from the road ahead during the operation of a motor vehicle. While many drivers are able to drive safely while being very briefly distracted, the real problem comes when a driver's eyes are diverted from the road ahead while trying to perform a function not necessary to the operation of the motor vehicle.

The most serious cases are the collisions that result from the combination of a distracted driver and a high rate of vehicle speed.

Most of our distracted driver cases have involved the operation of a passenger car, although we have handled cases involving distracted truck drivers, fork lift drivers, and motor boat drivers. The rear-end collision is the most common type of accident caused by distracted drivers. Collisions caused by sudden lane changes and traffic signal cases also rank high.

Cell Phones Causing an Epidemic of Distracted Driving

Our law firm has seen a substantial increase in the number of distracted driving collisions due to cell phone use, particularly sending and receiving text messages. Although many of these collisions involve younger, inexperienced drivers, the proliferation of all forms of portable electronic devises and "mobile computing" has caused the epidemic of distracted driving to cut across all age groups.

Many state lawmakers have reacted to this epidemic by passing laws making it illegal to text while driving. Because enforcement of anti-texting laws is difficult, it is hard to say if new laws will actually help to reduce instances of distracted driving.

From a legal standpoint in representing motorists and passengers injured by distracted drivers, part of the overall safety solution rests in being very aggressive in handling injury distracted driving cases caused by cell phone and portable electronic use while driving. In fact, some suggest that taking your eyes off the road for an extended time to text or use an electronic devise is worse than drunk drinking and should be punished just as severely.

Highway Safety Attorney Douglas R. Horn

Horn Law Principal Partner Douglas R. Horn is taking his effort to reduce distracted driving beyond the courtroom and into the public arena. Over the past year Horn has appeared on television, radio, and in print as a highway safety attorney advocate.

An area of concentration for Horn has been the rise in distracted driving. Horn believes the solution lays in technological advances and public education campaigns. He is a supporter of Focus Driven which is a victims' advocate group formed to broadcast the tragic consequences of distracted driving. More information of Horn's safety advocacy work can be found on this site or by contacting him direct at dhorn@hornlaw.com.

With the proliferation of cell phones that enable texting, e-mailing, browsing, and other Internet capabilities while driving, distracted drivers are all too common. And while younger, more inexperienced drivers are presumed at greater risk of distracted driving, the problem really cuts across all age groups as we become a society prone to multi-tasking.

Contact Us about Distracted Drivers

Victims who have been seriously injured by distracted drivers in Independence, Kansas City, St. Louis, Overland Park, or other Missouri and Kansas areas should contact Horn Law. Not only will our firm devote our full professional time, abilities, and resources to maximize insurance recovery for clients, but we also commit to using these cases to help our safety advocacy efforts.