Distracted driving is a topic that has been covered extensively, both in the general media and in previous posts here. It is an issue that has become such a concern that most states have enacted laws to police this dangerous activity. In most cases, a person who is injured in an auto accident as a result of a distracted driving will file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver who was texting or otherwise using their smartphone at the time of the car accident. But, in a recent case, one Georgia resident went after the company behind the actual “app” that a distracted driver was using when his vehicle was struck, leaving the man with serious injuries.
The Georgia resident has claimed in the personal injury lawsuit that he suffered a traumatic brain injury in a collision with a person who was distracted by the app known as “Snapchat.” He said that he now needs to use a walker or wheelchair and he is no longer able to work in the job he held at the time of the accident, ironically, as a driver for the widely popular app “Uber.”
The accident victim claims that the distracted driver was using the “speed filter” part of Snapchat, which apparently is a feature of the app that allows a user to track how fast they are moving while the app is in use. The claim states that this feature is an incentive for drivers to use the app while they are driving.
At present, the case is on hold as both sides attempt to investigate further data on records that Snapchat keeps on activity on the app. However, if the lawsuit is ultimately successful, there is a chance that this could open up a whole new front in the controversy of distracted driving, as victims pursue compensation not only from the distracted driver but from the companies behind the apps those drivers use.
Source: q13fox.com, “Snapchat lawsuit over serious car accident put on hold,” May 26, 2016