Everyone knows that pedestrian-car collisions can have very serious consequences. Drivers need to remember that they are operating heavy equipment that can cause severe injury or death if improperly handled. If drivers fail to exercise due caution in some way or another, such as by texting while driving, then the driver may be held liable for damages, including injury or wrongful death.

Police are investigating whether that was the case recently in Whitman. On the afternoon of Sept. 9, a 38-year-old man and his girlfriend’s 4-year-old daughter were crossing Temple Street just as a 46-year-old Attleboro man approached in his Dodge pickup truck. The male pedestrian tried to pull the young girl away from the oncoming vehicle, but he and the little girl were both hit.

The man died of his injuries, and the 4-year-old was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital. She was said to be in serious but stable condition.

Police interviewed a number of witnesses and confiscated the driver’s cell phone to see if he was using it at the time of the collision. According to the chief of police in Whitman, the driver “looked up and they were right there — he didn’t see them.”

In crashes in which a driver is suspected of using a cell phone, police can check the phone record to accumulate evidence. Distracted driving is a serious problem, and texting while driving only increases the risk of personal injury. Boston-area residents who believe they have been victimized by distracted driving should take the necessary legal steps to receive the maximum amount of due compensation.

Source (Previously Published Article): WHDH, “Man dies saving young girl in Whitman,” Byron Barnett, Sept. 9, 2012