Driving Distracted Leads to Death of a North Dakota Man

Cell phones are a wonderful invention — they have aided with businesses and overall personal safety, not to mention the security they provide for travelers. Unfortunately, they have also added to the pitfalls of driving distracted on the road, increasing the overall number of car accidents. Many states have already enacted legislation making it against the law to text and drive. Despite the well known dangers of the behavior, some drivers continue to engage in it. Now authorities claim that a distracted driver caused the death of a North Dakota man.

This summer, a 20 year old man was travelling in a car on a North Dakota road when he crashed into the back of a pickup truck driven by a 61 year old man. Reports indicate that the force of the impact caused the truck to roll. The driver of the truck died as a result of the injuries he sustained during the accident.

Police believe that the driver of the car was both speeding and texting at the time of the collision. As a result, he now faces criminal charges including manslaughter and reckless endangerment. He is expected to appear in court in early October.

Car accidents caused by distracted drivers can easily be prevented. Unfortunately because of this young man’s alleged decision to text while driving, a North Dakota family is mourning the loss of a loved one. In addition to their grief, the family is likely also facing financial complications brought on by funeral expenses and the loss of the man’s income. To help alleviate some of these burdens, the family has the option of filing a wrongful death case in a civil court. If they can prove the accident was caused by the driver’s negligence, they could be compensated for their relevant financial burdens.

Source: The Jamestown Sun, Man accused of texting in crash, No author, Sept. 28, 2013.