Tampa Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer

Distracted driving is a type of negligence that takes a driver’s focus off the roads. If you or a loved one were hurt by a distracted driver, call Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers to learn more about your right to financial compensation.

An experienced Tampa distracted driving accident lawyer can work to secure compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and more. All you have to do is take the first step by calling to schedule a free consultation with a Tampa lawyer today at (813) 686-7588.

How Our Experienced Tampa Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With Your Distracted Driving Accident Claim

How Our Experienced Tampa Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With Your Distracted Driving Accident Claim

Distracted drivers are unlikely to admit that their distraction caused a car accident. You should expect the driver to deny that they were texting or otherwise distracted.

It isn’t always easy to prove them wrong–especially if you’re dealing with the aftermath of a serious injury. That failure to admit negligence can greatly complicate your case.

Why? Because the insurance companies will cling to anything information they have in order to avoid paying what you deserve. Fortunately, you don’t have to handle the fight alone. An experienced Tampa personal injury lawyer can even the score.

When you choose Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers to handle your injury case, you can rest assured that your car accident lawyer will:

  • Investigate to locate evidence that can prove the other driver was distracted, including cell phone records, red light cameras and other video surveillance
  • Counter any arguments that you were also to blame for causing the crash
  • Hire accident reconstruction experts and specialists to prove what caused the accident
  • Work with medical specialists, psychologists and financial analysts to accurately assess the value of your injury claim
  • Work tirelessly to negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf

Our legal team, which is led by two Board Certified civil law specialists, will be by your side every step of the way. We’ll handle the administrative and legal issues so that you can work on your physical recovery. With over 50 years of combined experience on your side, you’ll greatly increase the odds of recovering the most compensation available in your case.

If you’re suffering because of someone else’s distracted driving, you have legal rights. Call our law offices today to learn more about how we can enforce and protect those rights. We offer a free case review, so there’s no risk in getting quality legal advice today.

What is Distracted Driving?

Most people automatically think of cell phone use when they imagine a distracted driver. In reality, driver distraction can happen in any number of ways. There are three key forms of distraction that can impact a driver’s ability to respond and prevent an accident:

Manual distraction, visual distraction, and cognitive distraction. Often, all three forms of distracted driving are relevant.

Manual Distraction

Taking your hands off the wheel is manual distraction. 

You might take your hands off the wheel in order to:

  • Look for something in your purse or bag
  • Eat or drink
  • Smoke or vape
  • Text or use other electronic devices

It can be dangerous to take your hands off the wheel even for a few moments–after all, if your hands aren’t on the wheel, you can’t maneuver the vehicle to avoid a crash.

Visual Distraction

Visual distractions take your eyes off the road. 

You might be visually distracted when driving if you:

  • Turn to tend to a child in the back seat
  • Apply makeup while driving
  • Look at your phone or vehicle entertainment system
  • Look at the GPS navigation

If you can’t see the hazards on the road, you can’t react quickly to prevent an accident

Cognitive Distraction

A cognitive distraction takes the driver’s attention off the road. 

You might be cognitively distracted if you’re:

  • Daydreaming
  • Thinking about something that happened at work
  • Having a conversation with another passenger in the vehicle
  • Composing a text message or talking on the phone

Texting while driving involves all three types of driver distraction. That’s why it’s so dangerous to use a smartphone while driving.

Distracted Driving and Smartphone Use in Tampa, FL

Only three seconds of driver distraction can lead to a crash. It’s common for someone to take their eyes off the road for at least five seconds in order to send a text. You might travel the length of an entire football field without looking at the road. 

That’s why, as of July 1, 2019, texting while driving is now illegal throughout the state of Florida

Law enforcement can pull you over for using a smartphone even if you don’t commit another traffic violation. The law bans any form of typing int

o a wireless communications device while driving. That includes:

  • Texting
  • Emailing
  • Sending an instant message
  • Posting on social media
  • Sending or reading data on a wireless communications device

A first offense will result in a $30 fine. Second offenders will be assessed both a $60 fine and three points against their driving record.

If you were hurt in a distracted driving accident in Tampa, the fact that the at-fault driver received a ticket under the new law can help. We can use it as evidence to show that distracted driving did play a role in causing the crash.

Are Distracted Driving Accidents Really That Common in Florida?

Are Distracted Driving Accidents Really That Common?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 2,841 people lost their lives in distracted driving accidents during 2018 alone. In that single year, an estimated 400,000 Americans were injured in accidents involving a distracted driver.

Wondering how these statistics compare to Florida? Unfortunately, studies show that Florida is the second-worst state in the nation for distracted driving.

Police reports don’t always identify distracted driving as the cause of an accident–even when driver distraction did play a role in causing a crash. National Safety Council research found that most states don’t have the tools needed to identify driver distraction after a crash. Because of this, it can be tough to know whether driver distraction caused your crash.

Driver Distraction is a Leading Cause of Serious Car Accident Injuries

Thousands of people are hurt in distracted driving accidents every year. Many of those injuries can be serious. Our personal injury attorneys at Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers will fight to recover fair compensation for those injuries. 

We often pursue compensation for car accident victims who have sustained:

Were you or a loved one injured in a distracted driving accident? Don’t hesitate to call our law firm to arrange a free consultation. 

What Types of Damages Are Available if I Was Hurt in a Distracted Driving Accident in Tampa?

Distracted drivers often make preventable mistakes that cause a crash. These mistakes can have serious consequences for the auto accident victim–both physically and financially. You deserve to be fully compensated for those losses.

At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, our Tampa car accident attorneys will fight to recover fair compensation for your:

If the accident was fatal, our lawyers can help you recover damages for wrongful death.

What if I Was Partly to Blame For the Crash?

What if I Was Partly to Blame For the Crash?

Multiple parties can be held responsible after a car wreck under Florida’s modified comparative fault law. Even the injured party can share responsibility. However, the law prevents a financial recovery if your share of fault exceeds 50%. If your portion of negligence is 50% or less, your shared fault will proportionately reduce your settlement.

For example, if you’re 20% responsible for a crash, your final settlement award will be reduced by 20%. If you’re 51% at fault, you will not be entitled to a settlement award.

Assigning a percentage of fault to each responsible party is a complex process. Our lawyers know how to find relevant evidence to reduce your share of the blame. Give our law group a call today for a free case evaluation.

How Long Do I Have to File a Distracted Driving Accident Lawsuit in Hillsborough County, FL?

If you were hurt in a distracted driving accident, you only have a limited amount of time to take action. Florida law requires accident victims to file a personal injury lawsuit within two years. The timeline begins on the date of the crash.

The state’s statute of limitations historically provided victims with four years to take legal action, but the law was revised on March 24, 2023. Thus, if your Tampa distracted driving crash occurred after that date, you must file a civil lawsuit within the two-year timeframe.

If the accident was fatal, the victim’s family must take action within two years of the date of death.

Once these time periods expire, you lose your right to compensation entirely. While there might be exceptions, those exceptions are rare in Florida. It’s always best to speak with a personal injury attorney right away to protect your right to pursue compensation.

Call Our Car Accident Law Firm in Tampa For a Free Case Review Today

Any serious car crash can turn your life upside down. An experienced Tampa distracted driving accident lawyer can help you get the money you need to get back on course. If you were hurt, call Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with our attorneys today.

Other Car Accident Cases We Cover

At Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers, we handle all types of car accident claims in Tampa, including:

Additional Car Accident Resources and Information