Despite the fact that texting while driving is already illegal in 38 states, there are currently no legal ramifications for texting another driver while they are behind the wheel. However, a pending case in New Jersey might change that. The personal injury case was filed against a man who caused a car accident in 2009 while replying to a text message sent by a woman named Shannon Colonna.
The victims of the car accident – a husband and wife – both lost a leg from the collision, and have sued Colonna for her role in their injuries. Evidence shows that Colonna and the driver traded over 24 texts throughout the day. A time sequence of the texts that was read in court shows that the man was the last one to text before he initiated the car accident.
However, Colonna’s lawyer argues that any sender of a text message “has the right to assume the recipient will read it at a safe time.” No court ruling anywhere in the United States currently says that a text-sender can be held liable if the text-receiver causes an injury while reading the text. But if accidents like this continue to be a problem, laws can easily change in the future.
If you have been seriously injured in a New Jersey car accident, please contact Wapner, Newman, Wigrizer, Brecher & Miller today to schedule a free case evaluation with an experienced New Jersey car accident attorney.
