Cook County Cell Phone Accident Causes Serious Injuries to Berwyn Pedestrian
A Berwyn man is in the hospital with after he was hit by a car on Monday. David Paraiso, 52, was crossing the street when the Cook County pedestrian accident happened. Paraiso broke his shin, fractured his collarbone, and sustained scalp injuries.
According to police, the driver of the vehicle that struck Paraiso, 20-year-old Margaret Mary Vivanco, was distracted driving at the time. Witnesses say that she was talking on a cell phone when she ran a red light, struck a car, and then hit Paraiso. Vivanco is charged with aggravated reckless driving.
2009 US Distracted Driving Accident Facts (NHTSA):
• 5,474 distracted driving accident-related deaths.
• Cell phones were a factor in 995 of the fatalities.
• 448,000 injuries.
• Cell phone use was a factor in 24,000 of the injuries.
• The 20 and under age group has the greatest proportion of distracted drivers.
• Of the motorists involved in deadly distracted driving crashes, drivers in their 30’s belonged to the group most likely to have been using cell phones.
Cell phone use and texting are two of the most deadly forms of distracted driving activities. Unfortunately, many people continue to text and talk on handheld cellular phones while driving, which increases their chances of being involved in a car crash and causing injuries or deaths.
This week, the US Department of Transportation kicked off its 2nd Distracted Driving Summit, where safety officials, law enforcement, lawmakers, victims, and others gathered to figure out how to defeat the problem, which US Transportation Ray LaHood Is now calling an epidemic.
Distracted drivers never intend to cause harm to anyone when reading, talking on the phone, surfing the Internet, shaving, eating, or engaging in any other act that takes their focus away from driving. However, lives are lost and people are hurt on a regular basis because of distracted driving.
Driver on cell phone hit Berwyn pedestrian, police say, Chicago Tribune, September 23, 2010
Distracted Driving, 2009, Traffic Safety Facts, NHTSA (PDF)
Related Web Resources:
Distracted Driving, Distraction.gov
Contact our Chicago cell phone accident law firm to find out if you have grounds for a personal injury case.
