August 3, 2012, ERIE, PA – I hadn’t planned today’s Pennsylvania Car Accidents blog to be about texting and driving but then my attention was caught by one of those headlines I just couldn’t resist. No, it wasn’t “Olympians in the Nude.” Or, at least, that’s not what I’m going to write about. Instead, it was “Chilling Text Before Crash.” How could anyone, least of all an Erie car accident attorney actively running an anti-text campaign, resist that?
The story, it turns out, lives up to the hyped headline. Chance Booth is a 21 year-old man and earlier this year he was driving home from college while texting with a friend. His last text? “I need to quit texting because I could die in a car accident and then how would you feel.” Chance didn’t die but he did drive off a bridge and down a 35-foot ravine. He broke his neck, punctured a lung and fractured his face so badly he needed massive reconstructive surgery. He is now learning to walk again.
Chance’s story isn’t unique, unfortunately. Too many tragic accidents are preceded by text messages that, in retrospect, are chilling for different reasons. Mundane or sentimental, the simple fact that they were the last words spoken by someone whose death was both imminent and unexpected imbues them with an emotional power they would otherwise have lacked.
As Erie auto injury attorneys, we’ve been running a campaign against texting and driving that perhaps you’ve seen on TV or at your workplace. If we haven’t made it to your workplace or school yet and you’d like us to, call us today at 814-273-2010.
We Can Help with Your Car Accident Case
If you’ve been injured in a Pennsylvania car crash, call the Erie auto accident attorneys who have more than 41 years combined legal experience, who teach other lawyers and insurance companies about Pennsylvania car accident law, and who genuinely care about the outcome of your case. We welcome your call at 814-273-2010 or via our website’s contact form.