A person texting takes their eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field without looking up.
If someone has injured you in a texting and driving accident, you should generally be able to hold them liable to recover your losses. However, this is not always as easy as it sounds. The other driver likely understands that texting while driving is irresponsible and may not admit to texting to avoid more trouble.
"Of all the lawyers I have met, this one is a true professional. This attorney goes against the biggest law firms and wins!"
Response from the owner:The compliment is much appreciated. Like every profession, it all starts with training our lawyers to be the best at every aspect of car accident cases. But the foundation of a great case is a great client. Thanks!
I'd say this lawyer is in the top three of the best you'll ever see. Add this attorney to the interview list if you ever get in an automobile accident. This Law Firm is on another level.
Response from the owner:Much appreciated. Techniques that an attorney or any professional uses are paramount for success. This is part of our lawyers training and preparation. It leads to success. Thank you!
People say this is the best car accident lawyer in St.Louis. Yep! Seeing this attorney in action is incredible.
Response from the owner:Great compliment. We work hard to be the best. Our lawyers also work very hard to help other lawyers in our profession. Not matter what, a cases is only as good as the client is. Thanks!
Response from the owner:Thanks! Referrals and recommendations from prior car accident clients is our #1 source of cases. People who grew to trust us send family and friends.
The Hoffman law firm is truly professional. After hiring them I was truly relieved and knew I was in good hands. Highly recommend!
Response from the owner:Being in good hands is important. Many lawyers take cases with little experience and little resources. Our firm specialized decades ago. We are focused exclusively on accident cases.
The lawyers on tv just dont compare for auto accident injury cases. Mr.Hoffmann is as good as they get.
Response from the owner:Thank you. The TV attorneys are just settlement mills. People are hiring a paralegal, not a lawyer. Our law firm is different. You are represented by an attorney and we do not have settlement quotas.
I would describe this lawyer as highly educated, sharp, and top of his game. Explains the car accident process and treatment options well. The lawyer said if they don’t pay you, we will have the jury take it from the insurance company. Great lawyer. Dynamic person.
Interviewed all the TV car accident lawyers and decided to call this law firm that had great reviews. So happy I did. What a difference!
Response from the owner:TV car accident lawyers are just mass production. This is not a good fit for litigated cases. Paralegals instead of lawyers. Monthly quotas for settlements. Car accident victims end up in a cattle call with the lawyers on TV.
Love my car accident lawyer. This law firm is a step above.
Response from the owner:Our lawyers train and track the best approaches on cases. Whether litigation in cases or the practicalities of certain treatment, the growth of our lawyers over time is paramount. Always staying ahead of and setting practice trends. Thank you.
Serious family member have a car accident injury? Look no further. This litigator is for real. Always two steps ahead of the other lawyer.
Response from the owner:This is a sad reality for car accident lawyers. The #1 passenger in an auto accident is a relative. Helping a family make it through this and putting the family back together is one of the most rewarding things I do as an automobile accident attorney.
This lawyer handles really big accident cases in St Louis. He is a lawyer, accountant and has his masters in tax so he gets the injury cases for individuals that can never go back to work or individuals own a business and cannot run it due to injury. He specializes in valuations of massive loss. Thank goodness a firm like this exists.
Response from the owner:Thank you. When accident are severe and you lose the ability to work or to continue a business, having an accounting and tax background is key. Valuing large losses are second nature for us.
Asked a trauma surgeon who operates on car accident victims who are the best injury lawyers that have taken his deposition. He said “by far” it was Mr Hoffmann. Interviewed several attorneys and this was a correct assessment. In a league of his own!
Response from the owner:Our attorney have deposed nearly all the trauma surgeons at every Level 1 Trauma Center in Saint Louis. These doctors save lives after a car accident. Whether controlling bleeding or reestablishing blood flow or bone structures, they are life savers.
Few lawyers in St. Louis can handle the biggest injury cases! This is one of them!
Response from the owner:Our law firm has made great efforts in terms of training to handle life changing injury cases. Whether in depth knowledge of the medical, loss of income and earning capacity, or lifetime medical care plans, our clients feel confident and know their case is in good hands. Thank you for the compliment.
Cannot say enough about this lawyer. Call if in an accident. This attorney handles the biggest car accidents in St Louis.
Response from the owner:Thanks Ash! Our biggest source of cases is our clients. Our second biggest referral source is defense lawyers telling their relatives to call us. Few lawyers can handle the largest cases. Our law firm welcomes and has trained for this. We don’t do mass production settlement like the lawyers on TV. Our clients can never go back to work. Their cases need massive focus and effort and often long fought litigation.
So glad I called attorney Hoffmann. This time I got it right! So glad I hired the Hoffmann Law Firm - professional, reliable and available.
Response from the owner:Thanks Taylor. Our lawyers answer the phone day, night, weekends and even during lunch. Being professional means training to beat the best defense lawyers. Client rely on us to get results and we do.
Great lawyer. Cares about his clients, knows his stuff and goes the extra mile. I recommend this lawyer for car wreck injury claim. Every other lawyer on TV would not even help with my property claim. This attorney did.
Response from the owner:Thank you for the kind words. Every case starts with a great client. You are correct the car accident lawyers on TV are mass production settlement mills. When injury clients fire them, we get their files and the cases are not worked up at all. Appreciate your confidence in us!
Major car accident injury in St Louis area for a family member. Four different lawyers we know said the same thing - call Chris Hoffmann. On another level.
Response from the owner:This is such a great compliment. Most of our cases come from prior client or lawyers that also do car accidents cases but the particular case is too large or too difficult. Being a lawyer and an accountant, we specialize in cases with total lost of income, earning capacity and/or often the inability to continue a family business. Evaluations such as these are second nature for our lawyers. Thanks.
This attorney is very smart, very experienced, returns phone calls and knows the answers when asked. One call and I knew this was a great law firm for auto accidents.
Response from the owner:Our law firm appreciates this. This is a comment we get from so many people who call…”none of the lawyers we called told me all the things that you did.” Whether we take a car accident case or not, helping people is a good thing.
5 Star Lawyer for sure! Best you will find in Saint Louis.
Response from the owner:Thanks for the 5 Star Rating. Reviews like this are great. Injury victims quickly figure out the TV advertisers are not good. We work hard at being the best we can be and it reflects in our representation of car accident victims.
Watch this lawyer in action. Was way better than all the others. Get this lawyer for an automobile accident for sure.
Response from the owner:Thanks for the recommendation. Besides doing cases, our attorneys train for this. Hard work, case knowledge and technique is key to success in car accident litigation.
Very pleased with The Hoffmann Law Firm. Lawyers are attentive, friendly and go the distance to force the settlement you want. The TV lawyers recommend low offers. This law firm gets the maximum.
Response from the owner:We get calls from car accident victims that had to fire the TV lawyers that they hired. They give the same two reasons: 1) they never spoke to a lawyer at the Big TV law firms, only a paralegal, and 2) the paralegal recommended they accept a low offer.
At our law firm, you only talk to the lawyer and if an offer is low we tell you to sue. Thanks!
Several lawyers said to call this lawyer because he is the best. You will appreciate this law firm. Helped with the injury and property claims. Attentive and knowledgeable. Great reputation in St Louis.
Response from the owner:Thanks Lexi. Our #1 source of cases is other lawyers referring us cases that are too big for them to handle.
Would use this accident law firm. Best in Saint Louis. Highly rated and it shows. After one phone call, you just know this attorney is better. 5 Stars!!
Response from the owner:Thanks for recommending our lawyers in St Louis. There is a major difference in lawyers as you well know.
Car accident lawyers on tv are not good . Get this attorney ! He is a pro !!
Response from the owner:Thanks Nathan. TV lawyers market for car accidents, use paralegals instead of lawyers and give their employees settlement quotas hence forcing cheap settlements. At our law firm, you get a lawyer who keeps pushing forward for more.
Quality lawyer. Best law firm for a car accident. Advice was way better than other lawyers I called in St. Louis. Helped with property and injury.
Response from the owner:Thanks. The TV lawyer advertisers are just car accident settlement mills. As soon as people call a real attorney, they always tell us how much better and more helpful we were. Appreciate this.
This lawyer is big time. Smooth. The other lawyers on the other side were not nearly as good as this attorney. I recommend friends in St Louis to him for accident injuries and they all say the same thing…”that lawyer is great.”
Response from the owner:Very nice of you to say. Our lawyers work hard on auto accident cases.
Family used this car accident attorney after a crash. Located in St Louis. This lawyer answers the phone and will walk you through the process. Knows his stuff!
Response from the owner:Taking calls, going over the car accident injury and property process is important. Clients that call always say we are the only lawyers that explained everything. Much appreciated.
Tried the lawyers on TV. They were not good. Hired this car accident lawyer instead because he had great reviews. The reviews are correct. This attorney is as good as they get. He does big injury cases that need to be litigated.
Response from the owner:Car accident lawyers on TV do not litigate cases. It is mass production. They have quotas. Local attorneys are best on auto accidents.
Used this attorney for an auto accident. Highly recommend this lawyer in St. Louis. Communicates well.
Response from the owner:Communicating with clients is essential. Taking the client though the car accident claims process is important otherwise major mistakes can occur. It is an effort that we make. Thanks!
Fantastic law firm, I would recommend! Received free consultation related to an auto accident when my parked car was damaged by a baseball. Very supportive advice, these guys are good!
Much has been said about the dangers of distracted driving. While most states in the U.S. have long banned texting and driving for all drivers, Missouri officially enacted the Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law on August 28, 2023. This law now prohibits all drivers from using handheld electronic devices while driving, except in emergencies. Hands-free and voice-activated features are allowed, but violations can result in fines and more severe penalties if a crash occurs.
Texting and Driving Statistics
Statistics have proven that texting and driving is a leading cause of car accident injuries and fatalities. Erie Insurance conducted a survey in 2015, which revealed that a third of drivers admit to texting while driving. Most of us have observed drivers on the road, who have one eye on a cell phone screen and another on the road. It is needless to say that these distracted drivers put their lives and others at risk.
Each year, as many as 3,000 people are killed and 400,000 people are injured by distracted drivers. According to Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, texting while driving increases the risk of a car accident by 23 percent. Drivers who engage in texting while driving has a slower reaction time than drunk drivers.
Studies have shown that teenagers are more likely to text than other drivers on the road. 11 percent of drivers in the age group of 18-20 who caused an auto accident admitted to texting while driving. However, it is a mistake to think that younger drivers are the only ones who text and drive. The population of cell phone users is growing older. A survey by Pew Research Center shows that seventy-three percent of all cell phone owners text. Ten percent of people in the age group of 55-64 years text and this number is rapidly growing.
Other Driving Distractions
There are many other activities that negligent drivers participate in that endanger others on the road. These may include:
Programming GPS devices while driving
Using their laptop computers
Talking on their cellphones
Reading
Applying makeup
If you were in a car accident because of someone else’s negligent driving, it is important to seek the counsel of an experienced lawyer who has recovered compensation for clients in similar situations. Attorney Christopher Hoffmann is well respected in the legal community and has the skill required to recover the maximum compensation for you.
It is critical to never text while operating your vehicle, for the sake of your passengers and the drivers around you. If you have been in an accident caused by another individual who was attempting to text, you have rights against him or her to recover for your medical bills, lost wages and other damages.
According to a recent study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, when younger drivers use a cell phone while driving, they are more likely to be involved in a car accident. Interestingly, the study concluded that just talking on a cell phone does not increase car accident risks.
The new study was conducted among 109 adult drivers and 42 teenage drivers, using surveillance cameras inside the car, a GPS mechanism, and sensors to monitor the activity of the respondents. The study was conducted to find out how cell phone activities impact car accident risks; however, it did not consider any difference between handheld and hands-free mobile phones.
The study found that dialing or reaching for a cell phone increases accident risks by seven times. Other activities that increase the risk of accidents include distractions outside of the car, eating foods, and trying to reach an item inside the car. Adult drivers are more likely to be involved in car accidents if they dial a cell phone while driving.
Using Textalyzers to Discourage Distracted Driving
State laws are in place that prohibit teens from texting and driving. A device known as a Textalyzer is being touted as a solution for putting a stop to cell phone use while driving. The device would allow police or law enforcement officers to evaluate a driver’s recent cell phone activity at an accident scene or traffic stop. The law enforcement officer would request the cell phone of a driver involved in an accident and use the Textalyzer to access the phone’s operating system. The Textalyzer analyzes recent activity such as emailing, taking photos, and texting. The Textalyzer does not display the content of messages.
The purpose of this technology is to help law enforcement officers to determine if the driver was using the cell phone while operating the vehicle. Refusing to submit to the Textalyzer would invite the same consequences as refusing a breathalyzer test.
Reducing Driver Distractions
Researchers at the University of Utah said that the findings of the new study do not align with those of earlier studies because most of the earlier studies concluded that talking on a cell phone increases car accident risks. They warned that the findings of the new study may not be reliable because they used sensors to track driver’s distractions, but sensors cannot capture the reaction of the eyes the way in-car cameras can do.
Even though the new study did not associate car accidents with talking on a cell phone, safety experts believe that it is a good idea to avoid any kind of cell phone activity while driving. This will help drivers concentrate more on driving and reduce the likelihood of becoming distracted.
4 Signs Distracted Driving May Have Caused Your Accident
If someone has injured you in a texting and driving accident, you should generally be able to hold them liable to recover your losses. However, this is not always as easy as it sounds. The other driver likely understands that texting while driving is irresponsible and may not admit to texting to avoid more trouble. Here are four signs that may help you prove that the negligent driver was texting.
1.Bent Driving Posture
Driving posture is one of the easiest ways to tell whether the other driver is texting while driving. A focused, defensive driver will sit upright and have their eyes on the road. However, a texting driver will typically adopt a bent posture and operate their phone from their lap.
2.There’s a Lighting Glow on Their Phone
If you are driving at night and see the glow of their phone, there is a good chance they are texting or browsing. Light coming from their phone may illuminate their face or the inside of their car.
3.Phone Records
Phone records are the surest way to prove your suspicion the other driver was texting during the accident. They will show all the text messages sent and received just before the accident. However, text messages are considered private and confidential. An experienced injury lawyer may get a subpoena to access the negligent driver’s phone records. This can help prove their liability and secure your compensation.
4.Swerving
Sadly, it’s common for drivers to take their eyes off the road when texting. This can make them swerve to avoid a rear-end collision. As a result, the driver may lose control of the car and drift out of their lane, thereby hitting you. With a street cam, you may be able to prove that the negligent driver caused an accident by swerving. Fortunately, an experienced car accident attorney may be able to help you access video recordings.
How to Prove Distracted Driving Caused Your St. Louis Auto Accident
If you have been involved in an accident with a distracted driver in St. Louis, you may be wondering how to prove the other driver was, in fact, distracted and caused the accident.
When it comes to claiming compensation for damages and injuries and determining fault, it is essential to know and investigate if the accident was caused by distracted driving or due to another reason. The following are some pointers that can generally be used to investigate the cause of the accident.
Checking Phone Records
During the investigation, an accident victim’s attorney may request that the phone records of the other party be looked at. Check for calls or texts sent that coincide with the exact time of the accident. This will enable one to determine if the alleged party was distracted by using a cell phone.
Eyewitness Testimony
Eyewitnesses like pedestrians, drivers in adjacent lanes, and even passengers in the other driver’s vehicle can give accounts and help in identifying distracted driving. It is essential to get information and personal details of these eyewitnesses to be contacted again. However, it is most important to get their statements as soon as possible, while the details of the accidents are still fresh in their minds.
Accident Reconstruction Experts
Accident reconstruction experts investigate the scene of accidents and try to reconstruct the accidents by observing skid marks and other physical evidence. They then draw conclusions about a number of things like the driver’s speed and reaction time.
Check the Surrounding Areas for Video Cameras
Many locations, shops, buildings, traffic signals, junctions, and intersection points have video cameras and CCTV surveillance installed for security reasons. The footage in the video cameras in the surrounding areas where the accident has occurred can provide clues and relevant evidence.
Driver Admission
Often during the investigation, the driver involved may admit to using a phone or a handheld device while driving. This admission is called ‘admission of a party opponent’ and can be used in court to prove distracted driving.
Speak With an Experienced St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer
It is imperative to determine fault and prove distracted driving as soon as possible. When it comes to car accidents, time is of the essence. If you have been injured in an accident caused by a texting driver, you are generally entitled to compensation. However, your word of mouth is not enough to win such a case. You generally need to convince the insurance company the other driver was negligent—this is not easy to do, especially on your own. An experienced St. Louis car accident attorney can help protect your rights and prove negligence.
If you have been injured in an accident, seek legal assistance from an experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer as soon as possible to ensure your legal rights are protected!
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Free Consultation with a St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer
Don’t talk to an insurance claims adjuster before speaking with The Hoffmann Law Firm, L.L.C. We can help you avoid making statements that may affect the outcome of your case. The consultation is free; you don’t pay unless we get you money!
Texting while driving is extremely dangerous because it takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds. At 55 mph, this is equivalent to driving the length of a football field blind. It significantly increases the risk of accidents and serious injuries.
Is texting and driving illegal in Missouri?
Yes, as of August 28, 2023, Missouri’s Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law prohibits all drivers from using handheld electronic devices while driving. Hands-free and voice-activated features are allowed, but violations can result in fines or more severe penalties if a crash occurs.
How can I prove the other driver was texting at the time of the accident?
Proving the other driver was texting can be done through:
Phone records: A subpoena can reveal whether the driver was texting at the time of the crash.
Eyewitness testimony: Passengers or other drivers may have seen them using their phone.
Traffic cameras or surveillance footage: Nearby video evidence may capture the driver’s actions.
Driver admission: The driver may admit to texting while driving, which can be used as evidence.
Can I sue a driver for texting and driving if they caused my accident?
Yes. If a driver was texting and caused an accident that resulted in injuries or damages, you have the legal right to pursue compensation. A texting and driving accident lawyer can help gather evidence, negotiate with insurance companies, and fight for the compensation you deserve.
What types of compensation can I recover in a texting and driving accident case?
If you were injured in an accident caused by a texting driver, you may be entitled to compensation for:
Medical bills and future treatment costs
Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
Pain and suffering
Property damage
Emotional distress
How long do I have to file a texting and driving accident claim in Missouri?
In Missouri, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims, including texting and driving accidents, is five years from the date of the accident. However, it’s best to take action as soon as possible to preserve evidence and strengthen your case.
How much does it cost to hire a texting and driving accident lawyer?
At The Hoffmann Law Firm, L.L.C., we work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing upfront. Our fees come from the settlement or verdict we win for you—if we don’t win, you don’t pay.
