Thanks to technology, traveling California roads is becoming more dangerous by the minute. Common sense tells most people that distracted driving is risky to their own safety and that of others. However, knowing that and refraining from it are often two different things. A Chico man has been arrested, and a 5-year-old is dead. Many lives are changed forever because of a few seconds of inattention.
Highway 99E was the scene of a tragic accident that claimed the life of a child. According to the California Highway Patrol report, the 21-year-old man was driving southbound in his Ford F-250 pickup truck outfitted with a stock trailer in July, 2013. Because he was allegedly texting and driving, he didn’t stop when a Nissan Maxima slowed down to turn left. The truck rear-ended the car with sufficient force to send it into the northbound lane where it collided with a Freightliner truck hauling two trailers. The car caught fire on the shoulder of the highway. The child in the car was killed. His mother, who was driving, was critically injured.
Prosecutors charged the man with manslaughter and vehicular manslaughter. He was arrested at the California State University Chico campus on April 1. Investigators and crash reconstruction efforts allowed for an arrest warrant to be issued, alleging that the uninjured man was texting on his cellphone when he caused the accident.
Experts note the number of car accidents resulting from cellphone use is on the rise. It’s helpful to victims’ recoveries to have a knowledgeable review of facts surrounding a crash, particularly when texting is suspected. Sound analysis of physical evidence will lead to seeking compensation from those liable through the best legal remedies available.
Source: Man arrested in girl’s highway crash death, “Corning Observer” Julie R. Johnson, Apr. 22, 2014
