Distracted Driving Accident Lawyers St. Louis, Missouri, and Illinois

It is relatively easy for St. Louis residents to forget just how dangerous operating a motor vehicle can be when it is something that you do on a daily basis. Distracted driving, however, is extremely dangerous, contributing to 3,142 deaths and over 424,000 injuries in 2019 alone. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver, call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free, no-risk consultation.

Our distracted driving accident attorneys in St. Louis are committed to assisting individuals who have been injured at the hands of a distracted driver get fair compensation for the damages and injuries they have sustained. We fight for our clients, and we have recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for our St. Louis clients, as well as those throughout Missouri and Illinois.

If you or a loved one was injured in a distracted driving accident due to someone else’s carelessness, call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online contact form to schedule a no-cost case review with one of our skilled, knowledgeable and tenacious St. Louis distracted driving accident attorneys regarding the specifics of your claim.

What is Distracted Driving and How Does it Cause Car Accidents in St. Louis?

Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from the task of safe driving, and there are three primary types of driving distractions:
Visual Distractions

1. Visual Distractions

Visual driving distractions cause you to take your eyes off the road. Examples include:

• Looking for items on the floor of the car
• Checking/adjusting your navigation system
• Fiddling with the stereo
• Adjusting your temperature controls
• Taking in the view
• Doing your makeup

Manual Distractions

2. Manual Distractions

Manual distractions are defined as distractions causing you to take one or both hands off of the wheel, such as:

• Eating and drinking
• Smoking or chewing tobacco
• Adjusting your child’s seatbelt
• Searching through your purse or wallet
• Turning knobs in your car

Cognitive Distractions

3. Cognitive Distractions

Cognitive distractions cause your mind to drift away from your driving, like:

• Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol
• Talking to a passenger
• Road rage
• Daydreaming

Fatigued or drowsy driving can also be considered a form of cognitive distraction, although it is typically considered a separate problem of its own. Call Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or complete our online contact form to speak with one of our St. Louis car accident lawyers.
Texting and Driving in St. Louis is in its Own Category Due to Increased Crash Risk

Texting and Driving in St. Louis is in its Own Category Due to Increased Crash Risk

Texting is the most alarming distraction, as it falls under all three types of distracted driving. While texting, you are distracted:

• Visually as you look at your phone rather than the road and cars around you.
• Manually as you type your messages rather than keep your hands on the wheel and ready to react.
• Cognitively as you concentrate on your conversation rather than the situation unfolding in your driving environment.

According to research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in a naturalistic study of 3,000, the crash risk was 2-6 times greater when drivers were texting or manipulating a cellphone than when they were not distracted.

Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 miles per hour, that is equivalent to driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.
Are There Any Laws in Place to Prevent St. Louis Distracted Driving Accidents?

Are There Any Laws in Place to Prevent St. Louis Distracted Driving Accidents?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) prohits all commercial drivers from using hand-held devices. States across the country have implemented laws targeting distracted driving habits – 48 states and the District of Columbia ban texting for all drivers. Missouri and Montana are the only states that do not. Missouri prohibits texting by drivers 21 years old or younger, while Montana has no state bans.

Several states have also recently increased the fine for distracted driving offenses, particularly those involving texting and driving. While there is no clear-cut, cause-and-effect statistical data, states have noticed the efforts to reduce distracted driving starting to pay off. Where states rank in terms of cases of distracted driving: State Rankings.

If you were injured in a car accident caused by a distracted driver, call a St. Louis distracted driving accident lawyer at Burger Law as soon as possible at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online.

What Are the Common Injuries Caused by St. Louis Distracted Driving Accidents?

Because distracted driving can cause a driver to make dangerous errors, such as overreacting and swerving out of their lane or entering an opposite lane of traffic, it causes some of the most dangerous car accidents. These include head-on collisions, side-impact accidents and accidents involving stationary objects or pedestrians. These crashes can result in catastrophic and even fatal injuries, including:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and concussions – According to the CDC, in 2020 there were 64,000 traumatic brain injury deaths, and car accidents are one of the leading causes of fatal TBI. Traumatic brain injuries are caused by sudden trauma – either by impact or penetration – to the brain. While mild and moderate cases generally heal successfully, severe TBI can result in coma or death. Severe traumatic brain injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for individuals under the age of 44.
• Back injuries, including spinal cord injuries – Spinal Injuries are serious injuries that can affect your mobility and the motor function of your limbs. The spinal cord is the main avenue that your brain uses to send commands throughout your body. According to the World Health Organization, 90 percent of spinal cord injury cases are caused by trauma, and motor vehicle accidents are the leading source. Any damage to your spine can often result in serious injuries throughout other areas of the body.
• Internal injuries and internal bleeding – Internal bleeding can be dangerous anywhere in the body and one of the most common causes of internal bleeding is trauma from car accidents, including impact and penetrating injuries as well as deceleration injuries, when the sudden stop of a vehicle causes internal organs or vessels to break or rupture. The problem with internal bleeding is that it is sometimes difficult to detect, and you may not realize the severity of your condition following a St. Louis distracted driving car accident. Internal bleeding can cause fatal organ failure when untreated.
• Lacerations – A car accident can break glass in your vehicle and those of others. It happens more often than you would think, and the current weak standards of automotive glass lead to more splintering. With all that glass potentially flying around, you can get severe lacerations and resulting scarring or nerve damage.
• Broken or crushed bones – Trauma from car accidents is the most common cause of broken bones. Extreme breaks like displaced fractures or comminuted fractures when the bone is shattered into several pieces can be particularly dangerous.

In the aftermath of a distracted driving accident it is essential to have a conversation with a personal injury lawyer in St. Louis as soon as possible. An experienced attorney can guide you through the uncertain period following a car accident so crucial evidence and eyewitness testimony are not lost. Call a St. Louis distracted driving accident lawyer at Burger Law as soon as possible at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online.
Why Do I Need a St. Louis Distracted Driving Accidents Lawyer?

Why Do I Need a St. Louis Distracted Driving Accidents Lawyer?

The Burger Law distracted driving accident attorneys have over two decades of experience handling every aspect of our clients’ cases in St. Louis and throughout both Missouri and Illinois, from gathering and securing evidence and witnesses to investigating and deposing experts in the field. You can certainly expect one of our St. Louis distracted driving accident lawyers to:

• Investigate the accident site as soon as possible. When you call us, we can have a St. Louis distracted driving accident lawyer on the scene to secure vital evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a large amount of passengers, there are usually many people who want the same answers and compensation you seek. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as other vital details. A lot of factors contribute to distracted driving accidents, and your Burger Law St. Louis distracted driving accident attorney will determine why the crash happened and who needs to be held responsible.
• Use our network of crash and medical experts in St. Louis to determine liability for your accident injuries and calculate exactly how much your injuries are worth. You deserve maximum compensation, and we will use our knowledge and expertise to make sure you get it.
• Stand up to resistant insurance companies in St. Louis who seem to care more about their bottom line than your well-being. We have seen every trick that insurance companies use to try and avoid compensating you for your injuries.
• Take your case to trial. If the insurance company does not offer a fair settlement, we will use our litigation skills to take the fight in front of a St. Louis judge and jury to fairly compensate you for your damages.

Reach Out to a St. Louis Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer at Burger Law Today

The attorneys at Burger Law are devoted to helping St Louis clients, as well as those throughout Missouri and Illinois, recover from devastating distracted driving accidents. We understand how detrimental injuries from an accident can affect your physical, mental and financial health, and we have the expertise to successfully recover the compensation you are entitled to.

If an individual behind the wheel neglects their duty of care as a driver, acts unsafely and causes harm to another individual, they need to be held responsible for the damages they have caused. Our St. Louis distracted driver accident attorneys believe that someone who is injured should not have to be a lawyer in order to receive fair compensation, and we do not expect you to pay any fees until we have won your case.

Call us right away in order to get maximum compensation for your injuries at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online.

Other car accident cases we take on in St. Louis and throughout Missouri and Illinois include:

• Pedestrian Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Hit and Run
• Drunk Driving
• Distracted Driving
• Texting and Driving
• Speeding Accidents
• Fatal Car Crash
• Head-On Collisions
• Rear-Ended
• Multi-Vehicle Accidents
• Intersection Accidents
• Road Construction Accidents
• Carpool Accidents
• Backup Accident
• Whiplash Injury
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Brain Injuries
• Uninsured Motorist Claims
• Phantom Motorist Claims