Minnesota has officially gone hands-free behind the wheel, meaning that it’s not only illegal to send text messages or check your email while driving, but it’s also illegal to hold your phone up to your ear while you drive. Unless you are activating a hands-free mode, holding or touching an electronic device while driving is considered a violation of the new distracted driving law.
Many people are still getting used to the change, and sadly, many people are still going to use their phone behind the wheel. But with this change comes with it some new opportunities to seek injury compensation if you are injured in an accident involving a distracted driver. In today’s blog, we explain how to seek monetary compensation in an accident where you were injured by a driver violating Minnesota’s hands-free law.
Compensation For Distracted Driving Accidents
If you are injured by a distracted driver, you may be eligible for a third-party injury claim. The police will handle any criminal charges as a result of the accident, but the third-party claim is how you can seek compensation for pain, suffering, medical bills and other factors. Under Minnesota law, you need to prove that the other party was both negligent and liable for your injuries, and while there’s no perfect path for proving this, some factors that can help with your case include:
- The other motorist’s cellphone records.
- Testimony from other motorists, passengers or witnesses who saw the accident occur.
- Dash camera footage or surveillance recording of the accident.
- Police reports.
- Testimony from crash reconstruction experts.
- Postings to social media prior to the accident.
- Photographs of the scene.
- Your testimony of the accident.
Proving Liability
These are some of the ways to help prove your case following a suspected distracted driving accident, but the best way to ensure that the evidence is presented in a strong manner is by hiring an injury lawyer to fight your case for you. We’ve helped many clients get compensation in the wake of an automobile accident, and not only do we help give them the peace of mind knowing that they can focus on their health while we handle the case, but we oftentimes get them a lot more money than they would be able to get on their own. It’s a win-win for the client.
Aside from those reasons, you’ll want a lawyer because you can bet that if you’re going after an injury claim that the other driver will certainly have a lawyer. Even if the facts suggest that the other driver was at fault, if you don’t have much experience arguing an injury case, it’s easy for the other side to refute your arguments if they have a professional attorney on their side. Don’t let the at-fault driver off the hook because you decided to forgo professional representation.
Even though liability became easier to prove now that the distracted driving law has been broadened, don’t assume you’ll be able to cakewalk to a maximum payout on your own. We typically pay for our services many times over by helping our clients get a much larger award, so trust Hey Workers to handle your injury case. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. For more information, contact our firm today at (844) 439-9675.
