Distracted Driving?: Unfinished Text Found in Vehicle Involved in North Carolina Car Accident that Injured Two Pedestrians
Was the driver that struck two pedestrians in Wrightsville Beach early Sunday morning text messaging while driving? Police say that they found a partially composed text on the screen of driver Jedediah Woodcock’s phone.
Woodcock, 32 , is accused of driving drunk when he struck Lindsey Casey and John Marc Miller. Casey, who was thrown 22 feet during the Wrightsville Beach traffic accident, broke her pelvis in six places, tore ligaments in her knee, suffered internal bleeding, and damaged her vertebrae. Miller, who was thrown 14 feet, had to have a rod inserted in his broken left leg. Witnesses say Woodcock was speeding in his car and “barely hit his brakes” when he struck the two pedestrians.
Following the North Carolina pedestrian accident, Woodcock blew .09 on a Breathalyzer test. Police also found marijuana in his vehicle. The 32-year-old motorist is charged with two counts of aggravated serious injury by a motor vehicle, driving while impaired, driving during revocation, and possession of marijuana. He has a prior DWI conviction.
Negligent Driving
Drivers must not only obey traffic laws, but they also must refrain from doing anything that would distract them from paying attention to the traffic around them or impair their reflexes and judgment in any way.
Drunk driving, distracted driving, texting while driving, talking on the cell phone, drowsy driving, driver inattention, driver inattention, and reckless driving are some of the more common reasons why North Carolina traffic crashes occur. A motorist who engages in careless or reckless driving can be held liable for North Carolina personal injury or wrongful death.
2 pedestrians hospitalized after being hit by driver Sunday in Wrightsville Beach, StarNewsOnline, June 3, 2010
Unfinished text found in car that hit pedestrians, WWAY3, June 4, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Distraction.gov
Injury Prevention & Control: Motor Vehicle Safety, CDC
