According to the National Safety Council, over one-quarter of all car accidents involve drivers who are using their cell phones. General cell phone use is responsible for 21% of crashes while texting is to blame for an additional 16%. This brings the total of cell phone-related accidents to 37% of all crashes. If you’ve been injured in an accident with a distracted driver, our Northglenn car accident attorneys can help.
While driving distractions are nothing new, technological advancements have certainly enhanced the problem. With modern smartphones, drivers have the internet at their fingertips. They provide us with the ability to surf the web, check email, text friends, tweet, and post to social media- all while behind the wheel. Laws restricting these behaviors have had some impact, however, too many drivers continue to participate in these unsafe behaviors.
Talking on a cell phone while driving is dangerous, increasing the odds that you’ll be in an accident four times. That is minimal, however, compared to texting while driving, which increases your odds of crashing by an astonishing 23 times.
Why is texting so much more dangerous? Texting involves all three primary categories of distraction
When a person texts and drives, not only are their hands away from the steering wheel, but their eyes are off the road. In addition, their minds are busy reading and processing incoming messages instead of their surroundings. The average text message takes about five seconds to read. If a vehicle is traveling at 55 mph, during those five seconds, it could travel the length of a football field before the driver looks up at the road again.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a study in which they discovered that 69% of all drivers ages 18 to 64 had talked on their cell phones while driving in the past thirty days. Furthermore, 31% of drivers 18 to 24 years-old self-reported they had texted while driving during the same period of time.
Of the reported incidents, on U.S. roads each year, distracted drivers kill 3,328 people and injure another 421,000. Many of these drivers are distracted by their cell phones while driving- choosing to put themselves and others in harm’s way despite knowing the odds. While these numbers are alarming, these statistics can only quantify the verified cases, meaning those that go unproven or unadmitted are not accounted for here.
Any one of us can be guilty of being distracted while driving, however, according to the CDC, the highest proportion of distracted-related crashes ending fatally are under the age of 20.
Teaching our children to drive responsibly and that driving is to be taken seriously is something we all need to contribute to. A big step in nurturing that lesson is to lead by example.
Driving responsibly and respectfully means giving it your undivided attention. When you’re not paying attention and your eyes are not on the road, you’re not in control. It’s as simple as that. You need to use your senses in their entirety to properly maintain command of your vehicle.
If you’re giving your attention to any of these tasks while driving, you are:
At Hull & Zimmerman, we have seen hundreds of distracted driving cases resulting in car accidents. Over the past decade, many of those are phone-related and texting while driving-related incidents that lead to injury or death.
The only way to ensure your safety while driving is to stay vigilant, aware, and focused on the task of driving. Doing this will decrease your chances of being in a car accident, however, it won’t eliminate them altogether.
Keeping your eyes and mind on the road and your hands dedicated to driving is going to contribute greatly to your personal successful driving conditions. It’s imperative that you do this because too many other drivers are not doing it.
It’s on you to avoid these distracted drivers and in order to do that, you can’t be one yourself.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident due to the negligent distracted driving of another, we would like to help. Our team will investigate your claim thoroughly and thoughtfully.
We will explain to you all of your rights, discuss what we believe your compensation should be and the reasoning behind it, and we will support you throughout the legal process in any way we can. Our goal is to hold the negligent party accountable while getting you and your family the justice you deserve.
Call us today and let’s discuss your situation. We can help you.
At Hull & Zimmerman, P.C., we are honored to help accident victims in their time of need, and take our responsibility as personal injury lawyers incredibly seriously. We know how important it is for victims to secure the full and fair compensation they need following a serious accident, and that is why we take a hands-on, personalized approach to every case we handle.
awarded to a woman who was a victim of a car crash. The woman was driving the highway when the other driver approaching from the opposite direction lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and hit her head on. She suffered multiple broken bones, including her hip, pelvis, leg, and right arm. She missed several years of work as a result of her injuries. Read More
awarded to a woman who was the victim of a t-bone car crash. The client suffered multiple injuries. The most significant of which was a head injury. While she was ultimately able to return to work on a part-time basis, Plaintiff was never able to return to work on a full-time basis. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who suffered a head injury. She slipped and fell in a slanted parking lot at her place of employment. Evidence demonstrated that the owner of the building had constructed a fence shading the parking lot such that ice was allowed to continuously accumulate during the winter months. Multiple people had fallen on the ice prior to the client’s fall. As a result of her injuries, Plaintiff was forced to take early retirement. Read More
awarded to a man whose vehicle was hit from behind by a semi. The injured party suffered back pain and rotator cuff tears in each shoulder and was forced to retire from his job doing road repair four years earlier. Read More
settlement (policy limits) awarded to a young man who lost his eye when another child shot an arrow into the air. Read More
settlement obtained for a man who was injured in a rear end automobile accident. He suffered a herniated disc in his low back which was not well resolved by surgery forcing him to leave his employment as an apartment maintenance manager. Read More
awarded to a gentleman in association with a workman’s compensation case. He initially sustained a head injury at work when attacked by a patient. Several years later, his condition worsened resulting in his inability to return to work in his usual job. Read More
settlement achieved in a legal malpractice case. The client initially suffered a herniated disc in her neck in association with an automobile accident. The attorney failed to file the lawsuit in a timely manner and the Plaintiff was initially denied her ability to achieve any monies from the original lawsuit. Read More
settlement awarded to a man who was a victim of an automobile accident. Plaintiff was a passenger who was rear-ended by another driver. Following the accident, he suffered a long term back injury. Read More
settlement awarded to a lady who aggravated a pre-existing back condition when she slipped and fell at the entrance to a casino. Read More
awarded to a woman who suffered a rotator cuff tear from an automobile accident. Read More
$1,250,000.00 –awarded to a woman who was a victim of a car crash. The woman was driving the highway when the other driver approaching from the opposite direction lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and hit her head on. She suffered multiple broken bones, including her hip, pelvis, leg, and right arm. She missed several years of work as a result of her injuries.
$1,200.000.00 –awarded to a woman who was the victim of a t-bone car crash. The client suffered multiple injuries. The most significant of which was a head injury. While she was ultimately able to return to work on a part-time basis, Plaintiff was never able to return to work on a full-time basis.
$450,000.00 –settlement awarded to a lady who suffered a head injury. She slipped and fell in a slanted parking lot at her place of employment. Evidence demonstrated that the owner of the building had constructed a fence shading the parking lot such that ice was allowed to continuously accumulate during the winter months. Multiple people had fallen on the ice prior to the client’s fall. As a result of her injuries, Plaintiff was forced to take early retirement.
$425,000 –awarded to a man whose vehicle was hit from behind by a semi. The injured party suffered back pain and rotator cuff tears in each shoulder and was forced to retire from his job doing road repair four years earlier.
$300,000.00 –settlement (policy limits) awarded to a young man who lost his eye when another child shot an arrow into the air.
$300,000.00 –settlement obtained for a man who was injured in a rear end automobile accident. He suffered a herniated disc in his low back which was not well resolved by surgery forcing him to leave his employment as an apartment maintenance manager.
$250,000.00 –awarded to a gentleman in association with a workman’s compensation case. He initially sustained a head injury at work when attacked by a patient. Several years later, his condition worsened resulting in his inability to return to work in his usual job.
$250,000.00 –settlement achieved in a legal malpractice case. The client initially suffered a herniated disc in her neck in association with an automobile accident. The attorney failed to file the lawsuit in a timely manner and the Plaintiff was initially denied her ability to achieve any monies from the original lawsuit.
$150,000.00 –settlement awarded to a man who was a victim of an automobile accident. Plaintiff was a passenger who was rear-ended by another driver. Following the accident, he suffered a long term back injury.
$125,000.00 –settlement awarded to a lady who aggravated a pre-existing back condition when she slipped and fell at the entrance to a casino.
$75,000.00 –awarded to a woman who suffered a rotator cuff tear from an automobile accident.
Easy to talk to. They made my experience very comfortable through my whole
journey. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to the whole staff at Hull &
Zimmerman. Thank you
- 
– R. Hamilton
I
would just like to send a “thank you” to you and your staff. You have been
the most professional and efficient law office if have ever dealt with. I
will continue to tell people about the wonderful job you have done for me
and my family. Mr. Zimmerman you are the most professional lawyer and I
truly appreciate all you have done. Again Thank you
– D. Hassoun
would just like to send a “thank you” to you and your staff. You have been
the most professional and efficient law office if have ever dealt with. I
will continue to tell people about the wonderful job you have done for me
and my family. Mr. Zimmerman you are the most professional lawyer and I
truly appreciate all you have done. Again Thank you.
– Jason B.
I
was injured in a fall and the nightmare began. I found Mike Zimmerman on the
internet, read his background history and contacted his office. The Office
Staff was wonderful, patient, and helpful, even though I was probably a pain
to them. Mike is a no nonsense kind of guy. He will tell you exactly what he
feels about your case and will not sugar coat it. You will know exactly what
to expect and I appreciated the honesty! I would recommend Mike to anyone
who has their life spinning out of control because of an accident. He help
me get my life back.
– Mary T.
Working through divorce and custody issues is an extremely difficult and
emotionally trying experience. Mike Zimmerman represented my interest in a
highly professional manner and protected my rights as a parent at a level
that exceeded my highest expectations. This firm’s expertise, ability and
professionalism earned my respect as well as my continued business for any
legal issues I encounter in the future.
– Michael D.
We
came across mike Zimmerman when we were involved in an accident awhile back,
we had been negotiating with the insurance company for some time and getting
nowhere with a settlement. Never knowing Mike Zimmerman when we had gone and
seen him it really surprised us that he made us feel right at home and that
he was really concerned for his clients. Mike was very upfront with us a our
lawyer, and advised us every step of the way. His associates were very
professional and office personnel was very friendly also. Mike got almost
double the settlement we were expecting and we just were very satisfied and
would highly recommend him to anyone that needs a good honest lawyer.
– Clarencec & Joy W.
We
were hit by an uninsured driver in 2006 and my husband was unable to work
for some time. Initially our own insurance really didn’t want to help us. On
the recommendation of a friend, we contacted Mr. Z and with his advice,
suggestions and hard work, we were able to get the what we needed from our
insurance to help us with our bills and medical costs. His staff was very
patient with us as well and was always available to reassure us and to
answer our questions. We hope nothing like this ever happens again, but if
it was to happen, we would contact Mr Zimmerman in a heart beat.
– G. & B O.
Rick – Smart and nice! We were nervous and Rick put us at ease. Kept us
informed. Never thought we made a bad choice. Also, the first time I called,
I talked to Rick…impressed us very much.
– D. & S. Bratrovsky
Exceeded expectations!
– T. Thiel
I
liked the fact that I was kept up to date throughout the process. When the
accident first happened, Rick went to bat for me right away to make sure
that I was compensated for my loss of transportation. The end result in my
case exceeded my expectations and I was very pleased.
– D. Hughley
I
appreciated the effort Rick Hull presented during the difficulties that
occurred throughout the settlement and following. I felt completely at ease
during the whole process.
– Michele Wolf
I
appreciated the fact that Rick Hull always explained everything to me. No
matter how insignificant I thought the question was, he encouraged me to ask
and was very patient when I didn’t understand some aspect of the legal
procedures. I also appreciated the fact that Rick was a real person, he
wasn’t stiff or unapproachable. He was easy to talk to, to understand, and
get along with. In addition, he explained certain aspects of Colorado law
thoroughly to me so that I could make an informed decision that best suited
my needs.
June 30th
It has taken more than 50 years, but automakers and the Department of Transporta… Read More
June 29th
Colorado is chock full of picturesque motorcycle routes, making it one of the to… Read More
June 27th
Teen drivers are at an increased risk for getting into a car accident, simply be… Read More
May 17th
Driving is dangerous- even for the most conscientious of drivers. Then, there ar… Read More
April 30th
Being involved in an accident can be a traumatic and terrifying ordeal. If you a… Read More
