Distracted driving leads to thousands of preventable accidents each year in Wisconsin, often resulting in serious injuries and significant financial burdens. If another driver’s lack of attention caused the crash that injured you, you need strong legal representation from an experienced car accident attorney to hold them responsible and seek full compensation for your losses.
Contact LawtonCates now to schedule a free consultation with a Madison distracted driving accident lawyer. We are ready to help you determine the best path toward securing compensation for your injuries and losses.
What Counts as Distracted Driving?
Distraction occurs whenever a driver diverts their attention from the task of driving safely. Attention lapses create dangerous situations that lead to collisions. Understanding the three categories of distraction helps illustrate why distracted driving behaviors prove to be so hazardous:
- Visual distractions – Taking your eyes off the road to look at a phone screen, adjust the GPS system, read billboards, check your appearance in the mirror, or watch activity outside the vehicle depletes your ability to see hazards, traffic signals, pedestrians, and other cars in time to react appropriately.
- Manual distractions – Removing your hands from the steering wheel to text, eat, drink, reach for objects, adjust controls, groom yourself, or handle items in the vehicle eliminates your physical control over the car precisely when you need it most to maintain your lane or execute sudden maneuvers.
- Cognitive distractions – Mental distractions, such as engaging in intense conversations, daydreaming, dealing with emotional stress, or focusing on problems unrelated to driving, pull your mind away from the task at hand, slowing reaction times and impairing judgment, even when your eyes remain on the road.
Texting and driving accident claims represent particularly egregious cases because texting combines all three distraction types simultaneously. A driver who sends or reads a text takes their eyes, hands, and mind off the road for an average of 5 seconds, covering the length of a football field at highway speeds, without paying attention to where they are going.
Wisconsin Laws on Distracted Driving
Wisconsin distracted driving laws ban all drivers from composing or sending text messages while operating a vehicle, with violations resulting in traffic citations and fines. Novice drivers holding learner’s permits or probationary licenses face even stricter prohibitions, prohibiting the use of wireless devices for any purpose other than emergencies.
Who Is Typically Liable in Distracted Driving Accidents?
The distracted driver typically bears primary responsibility for the crashes their inattention causes. However, Wisconsin law recognizes that other parties may share liability depending on the circumstances. In some situations, multiple defendants could be liable for your losses in a distracted driving car accident, including:
- Employers – Companies whose employees cause accidents while driving for work purposes could face vicarious liability, making the business responsible for damages their workers cause during the scope of employment.
- Vehicle owners – People who lend their cars to incompetent or reckless drivers may face negligent entrustment claims when those drivers cause harm, particularly if the owner knew about the driver’s dangerous habits or poor safety record.
- Parents or guardians – Adults who allow inexperienced teen drivers to use vehicles without proper supervision or training may be held responsible when those young drivers engage in distracted driving that causes collisions.
At LawtonCates, our car accident lawyers in Madison, Wisconsin, are ready to investigate every potentially liable party in order to maximize your recovery. We pursue all responsible parties and their insurance coverage to help you recover full compensation rather than settling for inadequate payment from a single defendant.
What Compensation Could You Recover?
Wisconsin law allows an injured accident victim to pursue damages that address every way the collision has affected their life. Your distracted driving car accident claim can include multiple categories of losses, such as:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Physical pain and emotional suffering
- Permanent disability and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Property damage
Our Madison car accident lawyers calculate the true value of your case by examining both current impacts and long-term consequences to pursue a settlement or verdict that accounts for ongoing medical needs, future lost income, and lasting effects on your physical and emotional well-being.
How a Madison Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer Helps
Quality legal representation from experienced car accident lawyers can dramatically improve your chances of obtaining fair compensation after a motor vehicle accident caused by a distracted driver. It protects you from insurance company tactics designed to devalue your claim.
Our car crash lawyers are ready to provide comprehensive advocacy throughout your car accident injury claim, including:
- Thorough investigation – We can gather police reports, obtain cell phone records that prove distraction, interview witnesses who saw the driver’s behavior, and secure all available evidence that establishes liability and documents your damages.
- Expert collaboration – Our Madison distracted driving accident attorneys have strong relationships with experts on all aspects of an injury case, including accident reconstructionists, medical professionals, economists, and vocational specialists who can provide testimony supporting your claims.
- Insurance negotiation – We handle all communications with insurance adjusters, preventing them from using recorded statements against you or pressuring you into accepting inadequate settlement offers before you understand the full extent of your injuries.
- Trial preparation – Our award-winning attorneys prepare every case for litigation from day one, demonstrating to insurance companies that we will take cases to court when they refuse to offer fair compensation, which often motivates better settlement negotiations.
With over six decades of fighting for accident victims, we bring significant experience and proven strategies to every case we handle. Our 100 percent commitment to maximizing case value for clients and never settling for less means we reject lowball offers and continue fighting until you receive the compensation you deserve.
What to Do Immediately After a Distracted Driving Accident
Taking the proper steps at the accident scene and in the days and weeks that follow protects your health and your legal claim to pursue maximum compensation. When possible, take photos and videos of the accident scene, collect witness information, and obtain a copy of the police report.
You should always seek immediate medical evaluation even if injuries seem minor, and follow all treatment recommendations and attend follow-up appointments. Avoid discussing fault or giving recorded statements to insurance companies. Contact our law firm before accepting any settlement offers from the negligent driver’s insurance company.
Contact Our Madison Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys for Help
Do not let a distracted driver’s negligence leave you struggling with medical bills for severe injuries, lost income, and physical pain without fighting for the compensation you deserve. Call LawtonCates or complete our online form to schedule your free consultation with a trusted Madison car accident attorney today. We handle personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.