With the nearly universal popularity of smart phones across the United States in recent years, instances of texting while driving — and distracted driving for that matter — have risen exponentially. In fact, many analysts estimate that texting while driving is far more dangerous than inebriated driving because of the way drivers take their eyes off the road to manipulate their cellphones.

When drivers take their eyes off the road to text on their cellphones, they can drift into another lane of traffic, cross the double lines into oncoming cars or drive into the back of a vehicle that slows or comes to a stop in front of them. Often, it is fairly easy to determine when distracted driving occurs. Rear-end collisions are one of the most common clues because they are an indicator that the driver of the rear vehicle was not paying attention to the road in front of him or her.

These days, it is common for personal injury attorneys to request cellphone data and other records from cellphone companies in order to prove an individual was texting and driving at the moment a crash occurred. Cellphone records can also show if a driver was using social media applications, talking on the phone or doing something else with his or her cellphone at the time of an accident.

At Johnston Moore & Thompson, whenever a potential new personal injury client approaches us about a car accident case, we review all the facts relating to the crash. We review police reports, interview witnesses and consult accident reconstruction experts to establish exactly what may have happened in the moments leading up to the crash. If we suspect that one of our clients was injured by an inattentive driver who was texting while operating a motor vehicle, we will pursue claims for financial compensation to the fullest extent of the law.