Recovering from a motor vehicle collision in Florida or elsewhere can be an arduous process, especially if you suffered severe injuries. It’s not uncommon for details of a crash to keep replaying themselves over and over again in your mind, which can intensify the emotional trauma you’ve already experienced. If you learned that the driver who hit you was distracted behind the wheel, it’s understandable that anger and frustration may be part of the emotions you feel.
Manual distraction is a common type of driver negligence
When you learned how to drive, your instructor no doubt offered advice and made recommendations on how to improve safety and reduce your chances of a collision. Such advice might have included reminders to keep both hands on the wheel at all times. Many serious collisions are later determined to have been caused by a driver who was not focused on the task of driving but was doing something else at the time.
Types of manual distraction that increase the risk of collision
If you’re doing anything other than holding onto the steering wheel and navigating the road while you’re in the driver’s seat, then you’re manually distracted. The following list includes some of the most common types of manual distraction that often lead to collision:
- Changing a music station on a radio or playlist device
- Eating or drinking
- Personal grooming
- Reaching into the glove box, a purse or bag, or behind the seat
- Texting or talking on the phone with a handheld device
In most states, there are laws that prohibit texting while driving or using handheld electronic devices. However, you’re not necessarily breaking the law if you take a drink of water or eat a cookie behind the wheel. That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea or something that is safe to do.
Recovering from a collision caused by a manually distracted driver
It’s upsetting to know that the collision that resulted in injuries was most probably preventable were it not for another driver’s negligence. If this happened to you, it’s important that you take one day at a time during recovery. Your family, friends and medical team form a strong support network who can help you achieve as full a recovery as possible. If your injuries are permanent, you might need daily living assistance for the rest of your life.
Many recovering accident victims also enlist support from legal advocates who can walk them through the process of seeking restitution for damages by filing a personal injury claim in a civil court.