Distracted driving allegedly at fault for fatal wreck

While the following story may be lacking in details, the content of the story is important for everyone to hear. A woman in Pennsylvania will stand trial after being accused of texting while driving prior to causing a fatal car accident.

According to a preliminary hearing, the 21-year-old woman at the center of the case was driving her car last November when she approached a red light. Instead of stopping, she plowed right through the light and into another car, causing that vehicle to go spinning out of control and into a crosswalk. A 56-year-old pedestrian was walking in the crosswalk, and she was struck and killed in the accident.

Police say that after they investigated the case and looked at the woman’s cell phone data, it was shown that the woman was texting about one minute prior to the police being informed of the accident. This indicates that the 21-year-old was texting prior to running the red light, and that such a distracted state of mind played a role in the car accident. However, that is yet to be fully proven.

Too many people think they can use their cellphone while operating their vehicle, and yet it has been shown that taking your eyes off the road even for a couple of seconds to look at your phone dramatically increases your chances of getting into an accident. Besides, it is just negligent. Looking away from the road for any reason is dangerous, but especially when it is to look at something so attention-absorbing as a cell phone.

Source: NBC 10, “Pennsylvania Woman to Stand Trial for Texting & Driving Deadly Car Crash,” AP, Sept. 8, 2017